PP23 - Creating Safety: Art Therapy Techniques for Crisis Planning with Teens (N/NY)

Joanna Flora, LPAT, LCAT, ATR-BC, ATCS, PMH-C is a licensed and board-certified art therapist with over 15 years of experience supporting individuals across the lifespan using the transformative power of creative expression. She holds licenses in both New Jersey and New York and is also an Art Therapy Credentialed Supervisor and certified in Perinatal Mental Health.

Joanna is the founder and clinical director of Flora and Associates, a group therapy practice dedicated to providing accessible, mental health care for children, adolescents, and families. Her clinical approach emphasizes emotional regulation, identity development, and developmentally sensitive care.

Joanna recently designed and implemented a school-based art therapy program to support high school students in acute crisis. This initiative offered structured, therapeutic interventions for youth at high risk of psychiatric screening and served as a model for integrating creative arts therapy into school crisis response systems.

In addition to her work with youth and families, Joanna has extensive experience supporting first responders—including police officers, firefighters, EMTs, and veterans—through programming focused on prevention, intervention, and recovery. Her work in this area aims to reduce stigma, expand access to care, and foster resilience among those in high-stress professions.

Joanna currently serves as the Public Relations Chair for the New Jersey Art Therapy Association, where she is committed to advancing the visibility and impact of the art therapy profession statewide. She is also pursuing advanced training in psychoanalysis to deepen her clinical work and continue developing systems of care that are creative, collaborative, and community-centered."

Alissa Paulison MA, ATR-BC, LPAT is a Licensed and Board-Certified Art Therapist with over seven years of experience providing art therapy to adults, adolescents, and children. She earned her Master’s degree in Art Therapy from New York University and is currently pursuing a second Master’s degree in Social Work at Rutgers University.

Alissa brings a diverse range of clinical experience, having worked in inpatient psychiatric units, forensic settings, shelters, supportive housing programs, and therapeutic schools. She has provided both individual and group therapy across a wide spectrum of client populations, including individuals with dementia and those involved in the criminal justice system.

In addition to her clinical work, Alissa is an active advocate for the field of art therapy. She serves as the Government Affairs Co-Chair for the New Jersey Art Therapy Association (NJATA). In this capacity she works to advance legislation and public awareness related to the profession.

A practicing artist herself, Alissa creates and sells original oil paintings and graphite drawings, and regularly participates in live painting events and artist panels. Her dual identity as both therapist and artist deeply influence her practice.

Alissa’s therapeutic approach is client-centered and strength-based, emphasizing the use of the creative process to foster self-reflection, build self-esteem, and support emotional healing.