ATRCN Founding Team
The Art Therapy Research Community Network (ATRCN) founding team grew out of several years of collaborative work examining the state of art therapy research. Together, the team identified gaps in the field and developed a sustainable research agenda designed to advance research, strengthen collaboration, and build community within the profession. The founding team includes Dr. Nancy Gerber, Dr. Theresa Van Lith, and Madeline Centracchio. To learn more
Professor Ronald Paul-Michael Henry Lay
Dr Ronald PMH Lay, AThR, ATR-BC, AThS-HF leads the prestigious postgraduate art therapy programme in Singapore, asserting the training’s strategic positioning in progressing the discipline and mental health in ways that are culturally relevant in Asian and global contexts. With Daniel Wong, he is co-editor of Found Objects in Art Therapy: Materials and Process (2021).
Anton Svendrovski
Anton Svendrovski is a researcher, statistical consultant, educator, and founder of StatsHelp. For nearly a decade, he has supported the art therapy community by helping practitioners, students, and researchers navigate quantitative methods, data analysis, and thesis and dissertation projects. He has also developed and presented workshops designed to make research more approachable for art therapy professionals. Anton has collaborated with members of the Art Therapy Research Community Network (ATRCN) on research projects and has served as a consultant on scholarly work in the field.
Dr. Nancy Gerber
Nancy Gerber, Ph.D., ATR-BC, is a teaching faculty member in the Art Therapy Program at Florida State University. She is also an Associate Clinical Professor Emerita and founding/former director of the Ph.D. Program in Creative Arts Therapies at Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Gerber co-created the Arts-Based Research Global Consortium to advance socially responsible arts-based research. She is a co-researcher and developer of the Art Therapy Research Community Network. Dr. Gerber has received the American Art Therapy Association's Award for Distinguished Educator and Florida State University’s Award for 2023 Outstanding Graduate Teaching. Dr. Gerber has published a book entitled Imagination and Arts-Based Practices for Integration in Research.
Dr. Patricia St. John
Dr. St John is Professor Emerita at The College of New Rochelle, where, for over 30 years, she directed the graduate art therapy program. Currently, she is Adjunct Professor of Undergraduate and Graduate Art Therapy and Program Advisor for Springfield College. She received AATA’s Distinguished Service Award for service as a Board Director and chair of the Education and Research Committees. She is a recipient of AATA’s Research Award and is a practicing mixed-media artist.
Dr. Juliet L. King
Juliet L. King, PhD, ATR-BC, LPC, LMHC, is an art therapist, translational health scientist, educator, and researcher. Her interdisciplinary work bridges art therapy, neuroscience, neuroaesthetics, and knowledge translation, with particular interest in mechanisms of change and translating emerging research into meaningful clinical practice.
Dr. Hans Wouters
About five years ago, I joined the field of art therapy research. I'm examining art and art therapy for vulnerable people including those with personality disorders, trauma, young-onset dementia, and severe intellectual disability. So far it has been a fascinating journey. I have been trained as a psychologist and epidemiologist with expertise in RCTs and other research designs, patient-reported outcomes, qualitative research, shared decision-making, and therapy adherence.
Dr. Seung Yeon Lee
Seung Yeon Lee is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Graduate Art Therapy Program at New York University. She holds an Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University; an M.A. in Art Therapy from NYU; and a B.S. in Child and Family Studies from Yonsei University, South Korea. Her research explores Flow theory in art therapy, particularly its therapeutic potential for young migrants and their families navigating acculturation and displacement. As a Board-Certified Creative Arts Therapist, she has extensive clinical experience, including prior work in acute psychiatric care at NYU Langone Medical Center. Her clinical approach draws on strengths-based, culturally responsive practices, mindfulness, and self-compassion to foster resilience and meaningful change in her private practice. Her international collaborations and cross-cultural art therapy practice have also informed the development of intercultural competency curricula in art therapy education. She has contributed to professional leadership and accreditation in art therapy education through her service on the Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education (ACATE), within the CAAHEP accreditation system.
