[Self-Study] N/RE41 | Developing an Art Therapy Research Strategic Plan: Results and Future Directions

Dr. Nancy Gerber, Ph.D, ATR-BC, is an Associate Clinical Professor Emerita and founding and former director of the Ph.D Program in Creative Arts Therapies at Drexel University.  She currently is Teaching Faculty at Florida State University. Previously she was the Director of the Graduate Art Therapy Program at Drexel University. Dr. Gerber has presented and published on doctoral education for art therapists, mixed methods research, aesthetic intersubjective worldview in research and practice, arts-based research, and the mechanisms of change in the creative arts therapies.  She was a former vice-chair of the IRB and currently chairs the Doctoral Education Subcommittee for the American Art Therapy Association. She co-facilitates  the Arts-Based Research SIG at the International Congress of Qualitative Research.  Dr. Gerber has developed the Arts-Based Research Global Consortium to advance socially responsible arts-based research. Dr. Gerber was the first recipient of the first Distinguished Educator’s Award from the American Art Therapy Association.

Dr. Theresa Van Lith, Ph.D, MS, is currently the Course Coordinator for the Master and Graduate Diploma of Art Therapy programs at La Trobe University. Previously, she joined Florida State University's faculty, focusing on coordinating clinical placements and engaging in practical research in art therapy and mental health. Her research primarily centers on developing and implementing art therapy studies aimed at practical improvements in quality of life, assessing intervention effectiveness, and determining best practices. A significant part of her work includes the ongoing development and implementation of a practical art therapy research strategy, with a future focus on practical techniques for reducing anxiety, and stress, and improving overall mental outlook through mindfulness and art-based practices.

She actively contributes to the American Art Therapy Association, serving as Associate Editor for its academic journal. She is also a Board Member of the Australian, New Zealand, and Asian Creative Arts Therapy Association (ANZACATA). Her practical contributions to the field have been acknowledged with several awards, including the American Art Therapy Association Seed Grant (2021), the National Endowment for the Arts Research Award (2020), and the Department of Art Education Faculty Teaching Award (2019).

Madeline Centracchio is an outpatient art therapist within the Medical University of South Carolina’s Arts in Healing program. She works with clients across the lifespan with a focus on children and adolescents in the school setting experiencing behavioral or emotional diagnoses or difficulties. Madeline is from Murrells Inlet, South Carolina where she found passions for art, the beach, and developing community. Madeline graduated from the College of Charleston and completed her Master of Science in Art Therapy from Florida State University. She also works on research teams exploring arts-based research and implementing a strategic plan for art therapy research.