ES15 - What More Can We Find?: Fostering Therapeutic Skills Using Visual Thinking Strategies (N/NY)

Bani Malhotra, Ph.D., ATR-BC, is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University and a lead interventionist for the Resources for Enhancing All Caregivers’ Health- REACH-TBI project, a telehealth intervention study for caregivers of veterans/service members with Traumatic Brain Injury. Bani earned her Ph.D. in Creative Art Therapies from Drexel University. Her research focuses on developing and implementing art therapy interventions for supporting individuals and their families in adjusting to stress, injuries, and chronic health conditions. Additionally, her work examines therapeutic applications of art media and engagement techniques that are accessible and congruent with the lived experiences of participants and communities. She currently serves as a Chair for AATA’s International Shared Interest Group. Bani has worked with diverse communities and her scholarly contributions have resulted in several publications related to injury/ illness adjustment and rehabilitation, and art therapy in diverse settings (www.banim.info/).

Susan Ainlay Anand, MA, ATR-BC, ATCS, LPAT, LMFT, is a graduate of New York University and has worked with children and adults in inpatient and outpatient settings since 1982. She served on faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Mississippi Medical Center from 1987-2025 and is a faculty member and supervisor in the MFA in Art Therapy Program, School of Fine Arts, MIT-ADT University in Pune, India. Susan facilitates art therapy groups at the Mississippi Museum of Art (https://www.msmuseumart.org) in Jackson, including The Creative Healing Studio, Art in Mind I and II, and the Art Thrive Collective. She has presented and published accounts of her work in journals and books and authored and co-edited the book The Legacy of Edith Kramer: A Multifaceted View. Susan has served as a board member and treasurer for the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB) and as a member of committees and the Board of Directors for the American Art Therapy Association (AATA). She frequently volunteers for community projects that use art-making for healing and wellness and has conducted workshops or presented at conferences across the U.S. and other countries.

Grayston Barron “Gray” attended Millsaps College in Jackson, MS where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and Art History with a concentration in Museum Studies. For the past eight years, she’s been working in museum education. She is currently the Manager of Interpretation at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum where she works to make exhibitions more visitor-centered, accessible, and meaningful. In her previous role at the Mississippi Museum of Art, she also oversaw two art therapy programs with art therapist Susan Anand. Art in Mind is a program for people experiencing Alzheimer’s or related dementias, and their care partners. ArtThrive Collective is a program for adults who want to focus on wellness. In both programs, they utilized a combination of VTS and art therapy techniques to create opportunities for connection, self-expression, and wellbeing.