Day 1

Art Therapy for Well-Being

February 11, 2023
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Interest, Enablement, Joy and Meaning: Life Enhancing Qualities of Sharing our Stories through Art

Carla van Laar

Dr Carla van Laar, Ph.D. is an Australian born woman of European heritage, Mother of two, artist and art therapist, who now lives and works in Boon Wurrung Country in Inverloch, South East Gippsland. With over 30 years’ experience working in the arts for health and well-being in community organisations, justice, health and education contexts,
Carla is driven by a belief that the values underpinning arts based practice are essential for healing our troubled world. She has authored two books and multiple articles. Carla currently works with families affected by violence, provides online supervision and training for practitioners around Australia, and is the Convenor of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA)’s College of Creative and Experiential Therapies (C.CET). Carla’s new book “Seeing her stories” presents her research into making unseen stories visible through art.
Presenter's site: carlavanlaar.com
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The Person-Centered Art Therapy. The Story continues: from Liesl Silverstone to Now

Ani de la Prida

Ani de la Prida, MA, MBACP is a psychotherapist, creative arts counsellor, supervisor and author who brings a person-centred and pluralistic philosophy to her work. She is passionate about creative approaches to therapy with over twenty years’ experience working with children, young people, adults and groups in a wide variety of settings.
Ani is co-founder of the Association for Person Centred Creative Arts (APCCA).  She teaches at APCCA where she is course director, and occasionally lectures at the University of East London, and Roehampton University. Her research interests include creative arts and digital media in therapy.  She is currently writing Person Centred Creative Arts Therapy: contemporary theory and practice (expected 2023) for Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Recent work includes;
(2023) Person-Centred Creative Arts Therapies in The Handbook of Person-Centred Psychotherapy & Counselling. (Sage)
(2023) Demedicalised counselling and psychotherapy with children and young people in Demedicalising Therapy (PCCS Books)
(2021) The Pluralistic Therapy Primer (PCCS Books)

Presenter's sites;
 www.anidelaprida.com
Association for Person Centred Creative Arts

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The Competence of Things: A Phenomenological Approach to Art Therapy

Alexandra Modesta Hopf

Dr. Alexandra Hopf Ph.D. is a certified art therapist, artist, researcher, and author. Professor for Art Therapy, Head of the postgraduate program of Art Therapy at the University of Arts Dresden she is the Associate Dean since 2020. Previously, she was a Professor of Intermedial Art Therapy at Medical School Hamburg between 2016-2020.
Her art therapy practice was in the realm of gerontology, psychiatry, pediatrics and oncology (1988-2016).
Dr. Hopf completed her PhD in 2014 at the University of Witten/Herdecke on the effect of collage in art therapy (title: Who designs my life?).
She is a seasoned researcher, her research interest including practice and arts-based research in art therapy; philosophical, phenomenological, intermedial, and body-based perspectives in art therapy (implicit knowledge, performativity in art therapy, embodiment etc.); collage in art therapy; inductive theory formation.
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Art Therapy with Adolescents in Secondary Education

Alicia Expósito

Alicia Expósito, MA is a professor, supervisor, and the Coordinator of the Postgraduate Diploma in Art Therapy and the Integrative Master in Art Therapy at the University of Girona in Catalonia, Spain since 2005.
She is also a supervisor for other art therapists in their professional practice. She has experience with adults, children and young people in schools and institutes, people with intellectual disabilities, mental health and social integration.
She is the Vice President of Grefart Arteterapia and president of Altrart (Associació d'Artteràpia Olot).
Her academic path starts with a degree in Choreography and Techniques of Dance Interpretation at Barcelona Theater Institute. She completed an Integrative Master in Art therapy from the University of Girona and a Training in Art Therapy by AEC
(INECAT Paris).
Presenter's site: aliciaexposito.com
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Behavioral Activation Therapeutic Photography, an Accessible Method for Young People and Families

Mark Wheeler

During Covid-19 lockdowns Mark developed an innovative art therapy practice designed to make art therapy activities more accessible to young people & families.
In 2021 Mark Wheeler, MA, had many images from this project featured in The Royal Photographic Society book, The Peri-Urban Project. Mark was awarded the inaugural Diamond Phototherapy Award for services to therapeutic photography, in 2018 at a ceremony at the Royal Society in London & Mark holds the Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society.
Mark was Principal Art Psychotherapist in Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust until September 2021. Mark provided Art Psychotherapy, family therapy and clinical supervision in the Child & Family Therapy service, CAMHS.
Mark has a BAAT registered private practice providing training therapy for therapists in training & Clinical Supervision to qualified arts therapists & psychotherapists. In clinical work, Mark engages families and individuals with their photos & art images and in conversations, often about and with, their family photographs.
Mark’s publications include several book chapters. He has appeared on BBC radio and been interviewed and quoted by national magazines. Mark continues to make and exhibit art works including photographs and facilitates workshops at international conferences.
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Clinical processes in "Zona de Arte"

Elsa Scanio

Elsa Scanio, MA is a multifaceted professional, being a clinical psycho-pedagogist, trained art therapist, lecturer, visual artist, and actress.
She has been a clinical psycho-pedagogist in the Municipal Hospital of Moron, Buenos Aires, Argentina since 1983.  She is the creator of the Art Therapy Team "Arte y Clínica", that operates from 1994 at the Mental Health Service of the same hospital. She is the Clinical and Teaching Director of the Postgraduate Hospital Internship in Art Therapy at the hospital, being a supervisor of clinical cases and thesis.
She is the Director of the project "Zona de Arte y Clínica”, space dedicated to exploration and monitoring of group clinical processes in art therapy.
She offers art therapy sessions for the SUMS Morón De-Insane Asylum Program with outpatients from the Open Door.
Elsa is a guest professor in European institutions such as the Integrative Master of Art Therapy, University of Girona, Spain, Art Therapy Center, Ospedale della Sanitary Azzienda of Florence, Italy, and ATTEP CEFFAT, Paris.

Most recent publications:
Procesos clínicos grupales en Zona de Arte. Parte C. Abordaje Grupal y familiar. Reformulaciones y recursos creatvos. Psicopedagogía y marco social. Una clínica de lo posible.
Arte y clínica. Desde el pliegue un taller. Parte D. El cuerpo en los procesos clínicos. Atención, Memoria, Resiliencia Aportes a la clínica psicopedagógica
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