Biography
Dr. Altschwager is an artist, art therapist, supervisor, and art therapy educator with over a decade of experience in the field. Her teaching experience includes presentations at the American Art Therapy Association national conference, the Expressive Therapies Summit, the Water and Stone creative arts therapies conference, and graduate level courses at Caldwell University, Mount Mary University, New York University, the School of Visual Arts, and West Liberty University. Her research interests center around the therapeutic properties of art media including digital art and fibers. She works as a Creative Arts Therapist Level III in the inpatient psychiatry department at Metropolitan Hospital and serves as the President and Continuing Education Chair of the New York Art Therapy Association.
Education
Associate of Science (AS) in Liberal Arts- Northwestern Connecticut Community College
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Liberal Arts- Sarah Lawrence College
Master of Professional Studies (MPS) in Art Therapy- School of Visual Arts
Doctorate of Art Therapy (DAT)- Mount Mary University
Professional Experiences
ATR-BC (art therapist registered, board certified), ATCS (art therapy credential supervisor), LCAT (licensed creative arts therapist New York), LPAT (licensed professional art therapist New Jersey)
Most Recent Publications and Presentations
Knitting as Coping: Fiber Arts and the Amelioration of Shared Trauma in Art Therapy [Dissertation, 2021]
Getting the Most Out of Supervision
Workshop presented for Metropolitan Hospital Center with Gabrielle Bouissou
New York, New York, 2026
From Concept to Conference: Building Your Proposal From the Ground Up
Workshop presented for New York Health and Hospitals
New York, New York (virtual), 2026
Digital Analogues: Translating Art Therapy Directives Into Digital Formats
Advanced practice workshop presented at The American Art Therapy Association Conference
Portland, Oregon, 2025
Beneath the Surface: The Role of Art n Creative Arts Therapist Identity
Panel presented with Melissa Lee Alvey, Maya Iris Guevara, and Harapan Hope Limansah for the American Art Therapy Association virtual conference
Virtual, 2025
Art-Based Assessments
Presentation for the Chinese Art Therapy Association
China (Virtual), 2025
Restless and Confident Lines: The Dialogue of Gesture
Artist Talk with Martin Brouillette, Modern Fine Art Gallery, New York, NY, 2025
Layers of Meaning: Images from the Street Layers Series
Artist Talk, VSDesign Studio- Fractured Horizons exhibition, 2025
Lessons from COVID-19: The Use of Fiber Arts for the Amelioration of Shared Trauma”
Workshop presented at Institute for Therapy Through the Arts Annual Integrated Creative Arts Therapy Conference, Nourishing Networks: Grow Through What We Go Through
Evanston, Illinois (virtual), 2025