Expressive Arts Egypt Organization

Expressive Arts Egypt Festival 2026

Join us creating a healthier future to everyone

A celebration of the wisdom of those who paved the way, while nurturing the next generations in the field.

Get Your Ticket

Join us now and don't miss this golden opportunity for an early bird discount

Early Bird Discount Until 30/07/26

Expressive Arts Egypt Festival 2026

Get Your Ticket

Check our partners!

If you are a staff, faculty member, student or alumni of any of our partners, enter the promo code and get a %50 discounted ticket!

Festival Teachers

Shaun McNiff

PhD, Established the graduate programs at Lesley University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts from which expressive arts therapy emerged. He is internationally recognized for furthering universal access to artistic expression as a source of creative wellbeing and facilitating human understanding through teaching, lecturing, critically acclaimed books, and publications. He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards. His most recent book, Art Is the Evidence: A Guide to Art-Based Research [Intellect & University of Chicago Press, 2026], affirms how artistic intelligence furthers discovery ahead of conscious thought, speaks for itself, and offers empirical evidence of artmaking’s contributions to human understanding.

Judith A. Rubin

PhD, ATR-BC, is a pioneering art therapist, licensed psychologist, educator, author, and filmmaker whose work has significantly shaped the field of art therapy for over six decades. She studied art at Wellesley College, education at Harvard University, counseling psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, and psychoanalysis at the Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Institute. A past President and Honorary Life Member of the American Art Therapy Association, she has authored numerous influential books and produced award-winning educational films. Widely recognized for her appearances on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, she continues to inspire practitioners through teaching, writing, research, and clinical practice.

Anin Utigaard

LMFT, REAT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist and Registered Expressive Arts Therapist with over three decades of experience in expressive arts therapy, person-centered practice, and experiential education. She was a founding Executive Co-Coordinator (ECC) of the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA) in 1993 and has played a significant role in advancing the profession internationally. Anin taught with Natalie Rogers' Person-Centered Expressive Therapy Institute (PCETI) and has presented nationally and internationally using the Person-Centered Expressive Arts approach. Her work emphasizes creativity, authentic expression, compassionate presence, and transformative healing through the arts.

Kate Donohue

PhD, REAT, is a licensed psychologist and Registered Expressive Arts Therapist with over five decades of clinical practice and 40 years of international teaching. She has taught across Africa, China, South Korea, Malaysia, India, Canada, and the United States. A Co-Founder and Board Member of the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association, her work is grounded in a lifelong commitment to the arts. She practices visual arts, drama, poetics, and music, and spent 25 years studying indigenous and ethnic dance, particularly West African and Afro-Cuban traditions. Her creative work explores the sacred feminine and embodied healing.

Ellen Levine

PhD, ATR-BC, REAT, is a child psychotherapist, expressive arts therapist, painter, supervisor, educator, and trainer. She is Co-Founder of the CREATE Institute in Toronto, Canada, and Professor Emerita at the European Graduate School, Switzerland. She is the author, co-author, and editor of numerous influential books and articles that have shaped the fields of expressive arts therapy and art therapy.

Stephen Levine

PhD, REAT, is an expressive arts educator, philosopher, clown, poet, and actor. He is Professor Emeritus at York University, Co-Founder of the CREATE Institute, Toronto, and Professor Emeritus at the European Graduate School, Switzerland. His influential books include Poiesis: The Language of Psychology and the Speech of the Soul, Foundations of Expressive Arts Therapy, Principles and Practice of Expressive Arts Therapy, Trauma, Tragedy, Therapy, and numerous edited volumes and publications.

Mitchell Kossak

PhD, LMHC, REAT, is Professor of Counseling and Expressive Therapies at Lesley University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. A Past President of the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA), he also serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Arts & Health. An internationally recognized educator, researcher, and expressive arts therapist, his work explores embodied empathy, attunement, creativity, and relational practice. He is the author of Attunement in Expressive Arts Therapy: Toward an Understanding of Embodied Empathy, a seminal text advancing the role of attunement and embodied presence in expressive arts therapy, education, and clinical practice.

Adriana Marchione

MA, REAT, RSME/T, has been involved in the arts for over thirty years as an award-winning filmmaker, dancer, photographer, expressive arts therapist, and educator. Internationally recognized for her movement-based expressive arts approach, she integrates creativity, embodiment, and healing through teaching, filmmaking, and therapeutic practice. Adriana has mentored thousands of students as faculty at the renowned Tamalpa Institute and WHEAT Institute, and through her thriving educational platform, Art Cures. She is also an acclaimed documentary filmmaker, speaker, and author, inspiring individuals worldwide to cultivate resilience, creativity, and authentic self-expression through the arts.

Brinda Jacob-Janvrin

MA, REAT, is a movement-based expressive arts therapist, performer, educator, and facilitator with over 30 years of performance experience. A qualified counsellor, she has worked extensively with movement and arts therapies since 2003. She is a practitioner, teacher, and facilitator of Authentic Movement and Natural Dreamwork, integrating embodied awareness, creativity, and depth-oriented approaches in her work. Brinda is passionate about the arts, the mysterious workings of the psyche-soma, and the interconnected relationship between body and earth. Through therapy, teaching, workshops, and performances, she supports individuals and communities in cultivating healing, self-discovery, resilience, and transformative connection through expressive and embodied practices.

José Miguel Calderón

PhD, MSc, Lic. Psych., REAT, is an expressive arts therapist, educator, supervisor, and psychologist with over 25 years of clinical, pedagogical, and community experience. He serves as Program Director and Senior Faculty of the PhD Program in Expressive Arts at the European Graduate School (EGS), Switzerland. He earned his doctorate at EGS with the dissertation Tinkuy: The Encounter between Expressive Arts Therapy and Peruvian Imagery. He also holds an MSc in Theoretical Psychoanalytic Studies from University College London and a Licentiate in Clinical Psychology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru.

Carolina Herbert

PhD, is an Arts Psychotherapist, humanitarian leadership and MHPSS specialist, clinical supervisor, educator, and organisational resilience consultant. She is the Founder of the Blue Pearl Institute, the UK's first nature-inspired Expressive Arts Therapy and Leadership Institute, based in the UK and Cambodia. A photographer, musician, singer-songwriter, and trained celebrant, Carolina integrates creativity, nature, ritual, and compassionate leadership to support individuals, organisations, and communities navigating crisis, transition, and collective trauma. She teaches internationally, develops accredited professional training, and has authored book chapters including Art Therapy in Asia and The Choreography of Resolution.

Markus Scott-Alexander

MA, REAT, is an expressive arts therapy pioneer and founder of Expressive Arts Without Borders, and Director of the World Arts Organization, providing international expressive arts education and training worldwide. He chaired the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association's first International Committee and is among the first Registered Expressive Arts Therapists (REAT). Senior faculty at the European Graduate School in Switzerland and Malta (1996–2020), he continues teaching internationally, including in Iran, Kenya, Japan, Sweden, Hong Kong, Egypt, and India. He is Core Faculty in Expressive Arts Egypt's 400-hour training with Aisha Radwan. His books include Expressive Arts Education and Therapy (2020) and The Just Right Next (2023).

Margaret Rebecca Lillywhite

LCSW, REAT, TEP, RTRS, is a licensed clinical social worker with over 35 years of experience specializing in group psychotherapy, clinical supervision, and trauma-informed training. She is an internationally Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT), a Relational Trauma Repair Sociometrics (RTRS) practitioner, and an American Board of Examiners Certified Trainer, Educator, and Practitioner (TEP) in Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy. Margaret teaches and facilitates internationally, integrating expressive arts, psychodrama, and relational approaches to foster healing, resilience, creativity, and authentic connection. Her work emphasizes embodied learning, trauma recovery, community building, and transformational group processes.

Marika Nasiell

REAT, is an expressive arts therapist, storyteller, actor, theatre director, and educator based in Stockholm, Sweden. With over 30 years of experience in creative and therapeutic practice, she works with individuals and groups in private practice, healthcare, educational institutions, and community settings. A trained expressive arts therapist with foundational psychotherapy training, she integrates theatre, storytelling, movement, visual arts, and embodied creative processes to foster healing, self-discovery, and personal growth. Marika regularly leads workshops, seminars, and international trainings, creating safe and transformative spaces where creativity, imagination, and authentic expression become pathways to resilience, wellbeing, and meaningful human connection

Eve Wong

PsyD, MSW, CST, EXAT, PCCCC (Hons), is an expressive arts therapist, educator, and Course Coordinator of the iEXAT Professional Certificate Training Programme in Hong Kong. With over 30 years of clinical experience, she works with adolescents, children with special needs, and their families, integrating expressive arts and experiential therapies. Her doctoral research explored family reconstruction and soul-searching through the expressive arts. She served as Honorary Lecturer at the University of Hong Kong, teaching The Use of Creative Arts and Children and Youth Mental Health, and provides consultation, supervision, and training for mental health and expressive arts professionals.

Jessica Eldenstjärna

Is a Swedish artist, expressive arts therapist, educator, keynote speaker, and facilitator whose work bridges art, embodiment, spirituality, and transformation. With roots in cross-cultural mysticism, meditation, and body- and art-based psychotherapy, she creates immersive experiences through painting, performance, sculpture, film, and ritual. Jessica has facilitated workshops in self-development, education, and leadership, and has served as an art educator at Moderna Museet and Millesgården in Stockholm. Her internationally exhibited artwork invites contemplative exploration, giving form to the invisible through color, movement, and imagination while inspiring creativity, authentic expression, healing, and personal transformation.

Victoria Uribe Jinich and Sylvia Ketelhohn

Co-Founders and Co-Directors of Artes Expresivas Latinoamérica (AELat), a study and research center in Expressive Arts, Conflict Transformation, and Peacebuilding developed through ASART in Costa Rica, in academic collaboration with the European Graduate School. Sylvia, a licensed sculptor, ASART founder, and PhD candidate, has led arts-based social change initiatives with organizations including UNICEF and Save the Children. Victoria is a psychologist and expressive arts practitioner specializing in psychotherapy and community wellbeing, and creator of the “YO SÍ ME CUIDO” child abuse prevention program in Mexico. Together, they cultivate international dialogue, healing, and peacebuilding through expressive arts.

Yousef AlAjarma

PhD, LMHC, LMFT, REAT, is a Palestinian expressive arts therapist and professor at William James College in Newton, USA. He teaches, supervises, and provides international training in expressive arts therapy across China, Mexico, Palestine, and the United States. His work integrates expressive arts, psychotherapy, trauma-informed practice, and cultural identity, with a focus on social justice, community healing, and cross-cultural education. He is dedicated to training clinicians and students in embodied, relational, and creative approaches to mental health and wellbeing, bridging academic, clinical, and community-based practices through expressive arts and intercultural dialogue and professional development initiatives worldwide, with an ongoing practice.

Keshet Zur

BA (Hons), MA, is an expressive arts therapist, educator, and Co-Founder and Co-Director of Expressive Arts Ireland. She holds a BA (Hons) in Photography and Media and an MA in Expressive Arts Therapy with a minor in Psychology from the European Graduate School. A Core Tutor for the Diploma in Expressive Arts for Professionals at ICPPD and a Somatic Experiencing Graduate Trainee, Keshet works with adults and children in trauma-informed, person-centred practice. She is a registered member of the Irish Association of Creative Arts Therapists and the European Federation of Art Therapy, facilitating workshops and professional training internationally.

Aylin Vartanyan Dilaver

PhD, is an educator, researcher, and expressive arts practitioner whose work explores memory, resilience, and the restorative power of the arts through community-based learning and artistic inquiry. She holds a PhD from the European Graduate School and taught at Boğaziçi University for 27 years. She is Core Faculty at the Expressive Arts Institute Istanbul, where she contributes to training, supervision, and curriculum development in expressive arts education. Her work integrates academic research, embodied practice, and creative processes, supporting individuals and communities in meaning-making, healing, and transformation through relational, cultural, and arts-based approaches to learning and wellbeing.

Tamara Knapp

MA, LMHC, REAT, is Co-Founder and Core Faculty of the Expressive Arts Florida Institute, an internationally recognized training program in expressive arts therapy. As an educator, psychotherapist, and expressive arts therapist, she has dedicated her career to guiding individuals and professionals toward healing, growth, wisdom, balance, and transformation through creativity. Her work integrates expressive arts, embodied awareness, and relational practice to support personal and professional development. Tamara teaches internationally, inspiring practitioners to cultivate authentic expression, resilience, and compassionate presence while fostering meaningful learning experiences through the transformative power of the creative process.

Man Kit (Aleck) KWONG,

MA, REAT, is a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist and vocal psychotherapist based in Austin. He holds a Master of Expressive Arts Therapy from the University of Hong Kong and is internationally recognized for his work in expressive and vocal psychotherapy. Aleck is the first Asian recipient of the IEATA Rising Star Award and served as Chair of the 15th IEATA International Conference. He was also named one of Hong Kong’s Ten Outstanding Young Persons (2025). His work integrates voice, embodiment, and expressive arts to support healing, self-expression, and cross-cultural dialogue in therapeutic and educational contexts.

Benjamin Lubbock

A London-based expressive arts facilitator and yoga instructor working with individuals and groups to support embodied awareness, creativity, and wholeness. His approach integrates expressive arts, movement, breath, and contemplative practice to deepen connection between body, mind, and imagination. Through workshops, group facilitation, and embodied practice, he creates spaces for reflection, presence, and authentic expression. His work emphasizes somatic awareness, relational learning, and the healing potential of creative and mindful movement, supporting participants in exploring personal growth, resilience, and integration through experiential and body-based approaches to wellbeing and expressive arts practice.

Malak Shalaby

BA Psychology, Somatic Expressive Arts therapist, graduated from Expressive Arts Egypt (EAE), and AUC psychology graduate who integrates clay work and expressive arts to facilitate transformative self-discovery, creativity, and inner peace. Her practice is grounded in the connection between psychology, spirituality, and embodied experience, using tactile creative processes to support healing and self-exploration. Through clay-based expressive work, she creates spaces for reflection, emotional processing, and reconnection with self. Her approach emphasizes presence, sensory awareness, and the restorative power of artistic engagement, fostering deeper connection to humanity and inner wellbeing through somatic creative practice and expressive arts-based exploration of experience, emotion, imagination, and embodied awareness.

Kamilia Derar

A multidisciplinary designer and An expressive arts therapy practitioner in training with Expressive Arts Egypt (EAE), dedicated to creating transformative experiences through the intersection of art, storytelling, and self-discovery. Her work focuses on facilitating meaningful spaces for reflection, where participants are invited to honor personal journeys, embrace imperfection, and reconnect with innate creativity. Through creative and experiential processes, she supports exploration of identity, imagination, and emotional awareness. Her practice integrates design thinking and expressive arts approaches to foster authenticity, presence, and growth, encouraging individuals to engage with creativity as a pathway toward deeper self-understanding and personal transformation.

Elzette Fritz

D.Ed Psych, M.Ed Psych, B.Ed Psych, HED, BA, a registered Educational Psychologist in private practice and supervisor of psychology interns, and expressive arts therapy practitioner in training with Expressive Arts Egypt (EAE). She served as coordinator and lecturer in the Master’s Educational Psychology programme at the University of Johannesburg for nine years and was a part-time lecturer at the South African College for Applied Psychology. She is a Fellow Director of MEISA and former President of SAPSAC. An internationally accredited Ego State therapist, trainer, and supervisor, she integrates Ericksonian and Ego State approaches with expressive arts and somatic awareness. She published the children’s book Pim, the Rock Who Became a Star (2024).

Amira Khalil

Is an Expressive Arts Therapy practitioner in training in EA, artist, and emerging facilitator. She explores creativity through visual arts and hands-on artistic practices that support self-discovery, connection, and personal transformation. Her work is rooted in experiential learning and embodied creative processes, engaging with art as a pathway for reflection, emotional awareness, and growth. Amira is developing her practice in expressive arts facilitation, with a focus on creating supportive spaces for exploration, imagination, and authentic expression. Through her evolving artistic journey, she integrates creativity and presence to deepen understanding of self and foster meaningful inner and relational transformation.

Manal Awad

A professional banker with over eleven years of experience in the financial sector. She is a participant in the third cohort of expressive arts therapy training led by Aisha Radwan. Through her engagement with expressive arts, she explores creativity, self-awareness, and personal development, integrating new perspectives into her professional and personal life. Her journey reflects an interest in embodied learning and the therapeutic potential of the arts as a pathway for reflection, growth, and transformation.

Deena Fadel

An international artist, holistic coach, and creative writer, and an expressive arts therapy practitioner in training with Expressive Arts Egypt (EAE), who has exhibited her work locally and internationally. Through her platform The Inner Sound, she creates immersive experiences that weave together art, music, guided meditation, movement, and writing, inviting participants to awaken, reconnect with their authentic selves, and feel more fully alive. Her practice integrates creativity, embodiment, and contemplative exploration as pathways for transformation and inner connection. She is the author of When Nature Awakens, a work that reflects her deep relationship with nature, presence, and creative expression as sources of healing, insight, and personal growth.

Shaimaa Monem

PhD candidate in applied mathematics, a trainee in expressive arts practice, and a participant in the Expressive Arts Egypt training program. She integrates her scientific background and passion for developing software algorithms with expressive arts to explore creative and therapeutic approaches. Her work bridges analytical thinking and artistic expression, engaging both logic and imagination in processes of discovery and reflection. Shaimaa finds joy in coding, painting, and connecting with nature, using these practices to support creativity, balance, and self-exploration. Her interdisciplinary practice unites science, technology, and the arts in service of personal growth and expressive transformation.

Youstina Michel

An expressive arts therapy practitioner in training with Expressive Arts Egypt (EAE), artist, and patient care professional with a multidisciplinary background spanning mental health, creative arts, and client services. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and is currently advancing her studies in counseling, psychology, and expressive arts therapy. With over two years of experience as a Patient Care Coordinator in mental health settings, she has supported clients, healthcare providers, and treatment planning processes with compassion and efficiency. Prior to her work in healthcare, she worked as a product photographer and stylist, leading creative projects for brands across Egypt. Her work integrates creativity, care, and therapeutic practice in development.

Riham Younis

An expressive arts therapy practitioner in training with Expressive Arts Egypt (EAE), with a background in psychotherapy and workplace wellbeing, dedicated to using creativity as a pathway for connection, insight, and transformation. She integrates expressive arts principles with psychological awareness to support reflection, emotional exploration, and personal growth. Her work focuses on fostering safe and supportive spaces where individuals can engage with creativity as a tool for self-discovery and wellbeing. Through her developing practice, she bridges therapeutic understanding and artistic expression, encouraging embodied awareness, resilience, and meaningful inner and relational transformation through creative and experiential processes.

Alaa El Haddad

An expressive arts facilitator, dance/movement therapist, counselor, and co-founder of Malath Community. She creates warm, inclusive spaces where people reconnect with themselves, others, and their bodies through movement and the arts. She believes the body is the center of human experience, where mind, emotions, imagination, and spirit meet, and where healing, belonging, and transformation begin. Since 2019, she has facilitated expressive arts and embodied wellbeing programs with UN Women, Behman Hospital, Insight Center, and Qwell Institute, as well as in schools and community initiatives in India and Egypt, supporting reflection, connection, and embodied creative expression across diverse contexts.

Yassmin Homos

An expressive arts therapy practitioner in training with Expressive Arts Egypt (EAE), bridging her background in wellness, coaching, and people development with a deep passion for nervous system regulation, kundalini yoga, and movement therapy. She integrates somatic and embodied practices to support awareness, balance, and personal transformation. Her journey is informed by lived experience of pain and resilience, through which expressive arts became a gentle pathway toward safety, grounding, and inner light. She continues to explore creative and embodied approaches that foster healing, connection, and self-discovery, supporting others in reconnecting with inner resources through movement, awareness, and expressive practice.

Ana Todorovska

BA, Licensed Psychologist, is an an expressive arts therapy practitioner in training with Expressive Arts Egypt (EAE) with a background in integrative and Gestalt counselling, as well as a poet, graphic designer, and anti-disciplinary artist. She is the founder of VIVID Psychology & Expressive Arts Studio in Skopje, North Macedonia, where she integrates psychology and the arts through counselling, workshops, and creative programs focused on personal development and self-exploration. Since 2016, her ongoing project MRAK has explored collage, assemblage, recycled materials, and poetry as forms of expression and transformation. She is the author of the poetry collection Anti-World and the artistic-ecological project Archaeology of the Present, and has participated in group exhibitions.

Margo Fuchs Knill

Prof. IPh.D. is a pioneer in the field of Intermodal Expressive Arts. Trained as an elementary school teacher in Switzerland, she studied Education and Special Education with a minor in Anthropological Psychology at the University of Zurich and completed Gestalt therapy training at the Fritz Perls Institute in Germany. She later pursued graduate studies in Intermodal Expressive Arts Psychotherapy at Lesley College under Shaun McNiff and earned her doctorate in Psychology and the Arts at Union Graduate School, Ohio. She is the co-author of Minstrels of Soul, Principles and Practice of Expressive Arts Therapy, and numerous influential publications.

Judith Alalú

PhD, REAT, is an expressive arts therapist, researcher, educator, and psychotherapist with over 25 years of professional experience. She earned her doctorate from the European Graduate School (EGS) and is Co-Founder of TAE Perú and Tinkuy Vital, where she provides individual and group psychotherapy for adults. Her work integrates expressive arts, embodied practice, and relational approaches to support personal growth, resilience, and healing. Judith has contributed to the advancement of expressive arts therapy through teaching, supervision, research, and international presentations, fostering culturally responsive and creative approaches to psychotherapy, education, and community wellbeing.

Wessam Elatriss

An expressive arts therapy practitioner in training with Expressive Arts Egypt (EAE), bridging her background in wellness, coaching, and people development with a deep passion for nervous system regulation, kundalini yoga, and movement therapy. She integrates somatic and embodied practices to support awareness, balance, and personal transformation. Her journey is informed by lived experience of pain and resilience, through which expressive arts became a gentle pathway toward safety, grounding, and inner light. She continues to explore creative and embodied approaches that foster healing, connection, and self-discovery, supporting others in reconnecting with inner resources through movement, awareness, and expressive practice.

Linda Worster

A dedicated songmaker and musician who has nurtured her love for music since childhood, beginning with playing Beatles songs on guitar and forming a college band before evolving into a solo artist. She has toured extensively and opened for renowned musicians, building a career rooted in performance and collaboration. Her songwriting reflects themes of inner exploration, personal growth, and environmental awareness. Linda collaborates with other artists and brings her music into community settings. She is the musician for the monthly free Expressive Arts Without Borders workshops, contributing her voice, presence, and creative expression to shared artistic experiences.

Festival organizer: Aisha Radwan

MA, MSc, PhDc, is an Expressive Arts Therapist, psychotherapist, educator, and international trainer specializing in Intermodal Expressive Arts Therapy. She is the Founder and Director of Expressive Arts Egypt Organization, Bayt Salam Holistic Health Centre, and the Annual International Expressive Arts Egypt Festival, held in Cairo and online, bringing together practitioners from over 40 countries. She has trained professionals and collaborated with universities, NGOs, and organizations internationally. She serves as a Board Member of the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA). Her doctoral research explores phenomenological, embodied, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive approaches to Expressive Arts Therapy education and practice.

Daria Halprin

MA, REAT, is a leading pioneer in movement, dance, and expressive arts education and therapy. She co-founded the Tamalpa Institute with Anna Halprin and helped develop the Halprin Life/Art Process, integrating psychology, artistic practice, and dance as a healing force. Author of Coming Alive and The Expressive Body in Life, Art and Therapy, she has also contributed to numerous influential publications. She has taught internationally through Tamalpa and served on the faculties of the European Graduate School, CIIS, JFK University, Alanus University, and Esalen Institute, presenting worldwide for over four decades.

Deborah Koff-Chapin

BFA, is the Founding Director of The Center for Touch Drawing in the United States and the creator of the Touch Drawing process, which she has developed and taught internationally since 1974. An artist, educator, and visionary, her work integrates creativity, spirituality, and personal transformation through intuitive image-making. She is the author of Drawing Out Your Soul and The Touch Drawing Facilitator Workbook, and the creator of the acclaimed SoulCards and Portals of Presence decks. Deborah continues to inspire individuals and professionals worldwide through workshops, facilitator trainings, publications, and her pioneering approach to creative expression.

Laury Rappaport

PhD, ATR-BC, REAT, is the Founder and Director of the Focusing and Expressive Arts Institute and a pioneering psychologist, art therapist, expressive arts therapist, educator, and author. She is the creator of Focusing-Oriented Art Therapy, an approach integrating Eugene Gendlin's Focusing with expressive arts to access the body's wisdom and creative intelligence. Former faculty in Lesley University's Expressive Therapies Division, she has trained professionals internationally for decades. She is the author of Focusing-Oriented Art Therapy: Accessing the Body's Wisdom and Creative Intelligence and numerous publications on expressive arts, creativity, healing, and psychotherapy.

Ericha Scott

PhD, licensed in California as E. Hitchcock Scott (LPCC 917), Honorary Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation, is certified as a creative and expressive arts therapist and an advanced addiction counselor, educator, researcher, international speaker, and bestselling author. Her work demonstrates how imagery and the creative process can access wounds beyond words, fostering healing, resilience, and transformation. She has published about trauma, dissociation, self-harm, addiction, and art therapy, with award-winning research published by UCLA and contributions to volumes by Taylor & Francis and Oxford University Press. Through her teaching, writing, and clinical practice, she inspires audiences worldwide.

Melinda Ashley Meyer

PhD EXA, TEP, CBT, is Professor, Psychodrama Director, Bioenergetic Therapist, and Co-Founder and Director of the Norwegian Institute for Expressive Arts and Communication (NIKUT). She is Professor and Core Faculty at the European Graduate School, Switzerland. She has produced three documentary films on expressive arts with traumatized refugees, led trauma research, and authored numerous publications. Her research focuses on refugee studies and expressive arts group psychotherapy for trauma survivors. She developed Expressive Arts in Transition (EXIT), established international training programs, and received the King's Medal of Merit for her pioneering work in Norway.

Nora Tomy

An English Literature graduate with training in vocal performance, and in acting and Method Acting at local and international schools. She has worked in human rights NGOs, copywriting, marketing, and event planning, combining strategic communication with social impact. Passionate about the arts, cinema, poetry, yoga, mental health, and somatics, she believes in experiential and embodied learning with a holistic approach. Currently completing an Expressive Arts Therapy Diploma with Expressive Arts Egypt EAE, she integrates artistic training, professional experience, intuition, her deep understanding of human nature and emotions, and Expressive Arts to help others discover their inner wisdom, resilience, and potential.

Rihab jebali

Assistant Professor at the Institut Supérieur de l’Éducation Spécialisée (ISES), specialized in Music Therapy and Art Therapy; Pioneer of Music Therapy in Tunisia; Founder of the National Association of Music Therapy (Tunisia); Founding Member of the Professional Master’s Degree in Music Therapy (Tunisia); CEO of the Arab Board for Arts and Health (ABAH); Member of the Scientific Committee of the World Congress of Music Therapy (WCMT) (2023-2026); Highlight Speaker at several world and international congresses; Author of several books in Art Therapy and Music Therapy

Monica Mehta

An integral part of SMArT since its inception, contributing to its growth through design, strategy, and program development. A graphic designer by profession, she completed SMArT's Foundation Course in Expressive and Creative Arts Therapies in 2013 and has since worked with individuals and organisations as an expressive arts practitioner. At SMArT, Monica plays a key role in developing learning resources and shaping the organization's digital learning ecosystem. She leads the design and development of the Learning Management System (LMS), instructional design for training programs, and the creation of educational content and resource materials. She also oversees the visual communication, branding, and publicity for SMArT's courses, workshops, and initiatives. As a member of the core leadership team, she contributes to strategic planning, business development, outreach, and community engagement. Monica is also the founder and creative director of MGP India, a design studio that develops communication and branding solutions for corporates, institutions, and individuals. With over two decades of experience in advertising, branding, and visual communication, she began her career with Grey Advertising before establishing her independent practice. Her work brings together creativity, strategic thinking, and a deep commitment to making learning accessible, engaging, and impactful.