Meet the Team

President: Asli Arslanbek

Asli Arslanbek, Ph.D., ATR-BC, is an Assistant Professor and program coordinator of the BA in Art Therapy at the University of Tampa. She teaches art therapy courses including Introduction to Art Therapy, Art Therapy with Children and Adolescents, Art Therapy with Adults, and Capstone Project.

Asli earned her Ph.D. in Creative Arts Therapies from Drexel University, specializing in arts-based psychosocial support interventions in humanitarian emergencies. Her research interests span a wide range of topics, including the therapeutic role of indigenous and traditional art forms, qualitative visual methodologies, and trauma-informed practices. Her scholarly contributions include numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters, where she advocates for strength-based and inclusive approaches to art therapy. Her work emphasizes four key areas: integrating community-based healing practices and traditional art forms into therapeutic interventions; developing arts-based well-being intervention trainings in humanitarian emergencies; exploring the use of written and visual journals to process and make sense of experiences and beliefs; and examining the relationship between personal trauma history and emotional responses to artistic imagery.

Vice President: Joseph Scarce

Joseph Scarce, Ph.D., ATR-BC is a registered board-certified art therapist, a registered mental health counselor intern, and a marriage and family intern with the state of Florida. Scarce's research focuses on the art therapists' experience making art with clients. Scarce has worked with many populations providing art therapy including adult and children psychiatric, medical hospitals, teen residential treatment centers, foster care placement homes, assisted living facilities, adult substance abuse populations and families in community mental health settings.

Membership Committee Chair: Amanda Shaw

Amanda Shaw, MA, LMHC, ATR-BC is a licensed mental health counselor and board-certified, registered art therapist based in Florida. She is the founder of Create Flow Heal Art Therapy & Counseling, LLC where she provides art therapy services.

Amanda holds a Master’s degree in Art Therapy from George Washington University with a specialized focus on trauma-informed care and art psychotherapy. Her professional experience includes working with survivors of sex trafficking, children and adolescents in the foster care system, geriatric clients, individuals in crisis stabilization, and museum-based art therapy. She has served across several counties in Florida including Brevard, Broward, Miami-Dade, Manatee, Pinellas, and Hillsborough.

In addition to her clinical work, Amanda currently teaches art therapy at the University of Tampa, where she helps prepare the next generation of clinicians through experiential and academic learning. She also served as the Membership Chair for the Florida Art Therapy Association in 2020, supporting professional engagement and growth within the art therapy community. Amanda is passionate about creating safe, inclusive, and creative spaces for healing, expression, and empowerment through the arts.