The Committee & Honorary Positions
Honorary Fellow
Professor Ronald P.M.H. Lay,
MA, AThS-HF, AThR, ATR-BC
Programme Leader, MA Art Therapy
School of Creative Industries, Faculty of Fine Arts, Media and Creative Industries
LASALLE, University of the Arts Singapore
Professor Lay is the Programme Leader of the MA Art Therapy programme at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore. This is the first postgraduate training of its kind in Southeast Asia, asserting its strategic positioning in progressing the discipline in ways that are culturally relevant in Asian and global contexts.
Professor Lay has an extensive practice-based career in forensic mental health, older adults, community and has varied research interests that have led to national, regional and international consultation, development, training, collaborative arts projects, and leadership. He has designed, facilitated and supervised multiple arts, culture and mental health collaborative overseas experiential trips for his students. With Daniel Wong, he is co-editor of Found Objects in Art Therapy: Materials and Process (2021); he has additionally written extensively in the areas of forensic mental health, as well as the development of art therapy practice and education in Southeast Asia. He is an award-winning multimedia artist; his artwork tends to be constructive and conceptual. He is engaged in research on postgraduate art therapy training, experiential learning, and culturally informed practice.
Professor Lay’s academic profile can be found at:
https://www.lasalle.edu.sg/academics/ronald-pmh-lay-ma-aths-hf-athr-atr-bc/
OFFICE BEARERS
President
Eliza Han
MA, AThR, AThS, MEd., PGDE
Registered art therapist with ANZACATA (Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association)
Certificate in Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy
Currently pursuing Arts-Based Supervision Skills Training
Eliza is an educator, former school leader, therapeutic art life coach, trainer and art therapist who has worked with children, adolescents and adults in various institutions. She has co-founded The Heart Therapy Space and she takes an inclusive, trauma-informed, and client-focused approach to her therapy practice.
Eliza’s credentials include Masters in Education and Masters in Art Therapy. She has successfully worked with children and adolescents diagnosed with autism, attention deficit disorders and selective mutism through therapeutic artmaking and she currently supports at-risk children and children with social-emotional needs in local primary schools through art therapy. She also works with adolescents and adults on themes of personal growth, communication, relationship, teambuilding and self-care.
Vice President
Buvenasvari Pragasam
MA, AThS, BA Psy
Certified art-based clinical supervisor
Buvenasvari Pragasam is a trauma-informed art psychotherapist currently serving as Senior Art Therapist at Singapore General Hospital. She previously founded Solace Art Psychotherapy, which operated in the private sector for eight years, providing art psychotherapy for youths and adults with complex trauma.
With experience across public healthcare and private practice, she believes in the transformative power of creative expression in safely processing difficult experiences. Her clinical work focuses on supporting individuals to reconnect with self, resilience, and emotional wellbeing.
In 2023, she authored Increase Self-Awareness: A 30-Day Practice, a self-guided art therapy resource for youths and adults. In 2022, she collaborated with VocaSong Ensemble on a three-day art exhibition raising awareness of art therapy and mental health through visual art and music.
Secretary
Lin Xiangting Bernice
PhD, MA, AThR, AThS
Bernice is an art therapist and postdoctoral researcher specializing in creative interventions, digital health, and cyberpsychology. Driven by a commitment to lifelong psychological recovery, she develops, validates, and implements arts-based modalities and digital therapeutics. Clinically, Bernice delivers semi-structured individual and group art therapy for children and older adults in community and residential care settings. As a mixed-methods researcher, she pairs human insight with quantitative rigor, publishing her interdisciplinary work in leading arts, communication, and mental health journals. Ultimately, Bernice works to cement creative engagement not just as a tool for personal or collective wellbeing, but as an indispensable pillar of modern mental healthcare.
Treasurer
Amanda Chen-Lee
MA, AThR, AThS
Amanda Chen-Lee is a Singapore-based art therapist, educator, and social entrepreneur with more than a decade of experience in the fields of mental health, community arts, and inclusive practice. She is the founder of Art for Good, a social enterprise dedicated to creating meaningful art experiences and opportunities for persons with disabilities and underserved communities. Amanda also serves as Honorary Secretary of Rare Disorders Society (Singapore) (RDSS).
She currently works with The Red Pencil and SingHealth Community Hospitals, supporting persons across the lifespan through art therapy and therapeutic arts engagement, including patients living with dementia. Amanda has also taught and facilitated learning in art therapy and related fields at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), School of Positive Psychology, and ACC Institute of Human Services.
Her practice focuses on mental health, community building, inclusion, and well-being through the transformative power of the arts.
Deputy Secretary
Joshua Tan
MA, AThR, AThS
Joshua Tan is a person-centred and trauma-informed art psychotherapist and art-maker based in Singapore. He is currently the Principal Art Therapist at a private psychology clinic called Psych Connect, where he and his team work with clients across the life span, with a focus on children and young people.
A former art & play facilitator, Joshua was trained in MA Art Therapy at the University of Derby in England, where he served in community mental health settings across the National Health Service (NHS). He is an adult Third Culture Kid, having experienced living between countries and attending international boarding school as a child, and strongly believes in the powerful ability of art to give people a voice and place in their own journeys of discovery.
Beyond ATAS, Joshua is also registered to practice across the United Kingdom (HCPC) and Asia Pacific (ANZACATA), and is certified in Sandplay and Symbol Work by Expressive Therapies Australia.
Deputy Treasurer
Christopher Tan
MSPS, AThS, GXDAT
Christopher is a highly skilled psychologist and registered art therapist (MSPS, AThS, GDXAT) with 12 years of experience specializing in trauma-informed care and neurodivergence. He has a rich background in early intervention (EIPIC) and special education (SPED) schools.
Currently, Christopher supports children and adolescents (ages 7–12) facing moderate to severe challenges. His clients navigate complex relational and developmental trauma, mental health issues, learning disabilities, domestic violence, and emotional dysregulation.
Integrating advanced degrees in psychology and art therapy, Christopher facilitates impactful one-on-one and group sessions. He leverages creative, expressive therapies to provide a safe space for healing, resilience, and self-expression. A dedicated member of professional organizations, Christopher combines deep clinical expertise with profound empathy, empowering vulnerable youth to overcome complex emotional hurdles and achieve lasting mental well-being.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Alex C.Koen, MA, AThR, AThS, SWC, BA Psy. (Hon), BA Psy. Soc.
Certificate in Counselling
Advance Certificate in Gestalt Play Therapy.
Registered art therapist ANZACATA (Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association)
Specialist Wellness Counsellor ASCHP (Association for Supportive Counsellors and Holistic Practitioners)
Alex has been supporting clients since 2014. Working in public health, hospital, community, school and private practice. Trained as a counsellor in South Africa and Singapore, he works with clients, struggling with anxiety, burnout, stress, sleep challenges, and substance misuse.
Alex provided affirming services to the LGBTQIA+ community, and the neurodivergent community. He often draws on his systemic and attachment informed training providing parental support in addition to the services for his clients.
Alex also has a special interest in running groups for both social skills training and art therapy process groups. He makes use of a range of models when working with clients, including ACT, CBT, Art Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Imago Relationship Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Sandplay Therapy and Wellness Counselling.
A proud South African and Singaporean resident, Alex holds family, friends, culture, and diversity as core values, believing that authenticity and a dash of humour goes a long way.
Dr. Daphna Arbell Kehila, PhD, RAET, AThS
PhD in Adult Education
Master of Arts (MA) in Expressive Therapies
Masters in Space Design
Masters in Theatre Arts
Certified Yoga Therapy practitioner
Dr. Daphna Arbell Kehila is a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (RAET) and Registered Yoga Therapist (IAYT) with more than 25 years of experience in creative arts therapies, education, and community practice. She holds a PhD in Adult Education and an MA in Expressive Therapies from Lesley University, as well as postgraduate degrees in Space Design and Theatre Arts.
Having lived and worked in the Asia-Pacific region for more than three decades, Daphna brings a multicultural and interdisciplinary perspective to her work with individuals, families, communities, and social-service organizations.
Her research and practice focus on caregiving, migrant communities, children and youth, and the development of creative arts therapy in Singapore and the wider region. She is the Owner and Director of West East Pte. Ltd., where she provides Expressive Arts Therapy, Yoga Therapy, supervision, training, and program development.
Yap Zi Wei, MA, AThR, AThS
Zi Wei has worked over a decade to build a kinder and gentler social service landscape in Singapore, through portfolios spanning arts and culture, housing, and social services.
Zi Wei holds a First-Class Honours BA in Philosophy from the National University of Singapore and a MA Art Therapy (with Distinction) from LASALLE College of the Arts. Her background in philosophy, policy and therapy has shaped her work in advancing stronger practice and systems in areas of welfare, protection, community and child development.
As a therapeutic practitioner, Zi Wei provides affirming interventions for individuals and groups to discover their authentic selves, find belonging, and thrive. As an experienced child protection supervisor, Zi Wei helps professionals working with vulnerable clients develop reflective and reflexive practice anchored in safety.
Besides serving clients and supervising professionals, Zi Wei also helps organisations manage change and navigate challenges through strategy review, culture building and leadership development.
Yap Rae Yi, MA, AThR, AThS, BPsych (Hons)
Rae Yi holds a Masters of Arts, Art Therapy (with Distinction) from LASALLE College of the Arts. She has been supporting the social service sector since 2014 and has had the privilege of providing art therapy to a range of clients since 2021, including adults with disabilities, caregivers, and families who have experienced physical and psychological trauma.
Rae Yi is deeply committed to supporting marginalized communities and spends her time volunteering and providing therapeutic services to LGBTQIA+ community groups in Singapore. As a creative practice and a way to advocate for accessible artmaking, Rae Yi experiments with low to no-cost materials to create art and art materials.
Carolyn Lee, MA, AThS
Carolyn Lee is a trauma-informed Art Therapist at Chen Su Lan Methodist Children’s Home (CSLMCH), where she has practised since 2021 after completing a Master of Arts in Art Therapy (with Distinction) from LASALLE College of the Arts. She provides art therapy to children and young people aged 8 to 21, including neurotypical and neurodivergent residents with trauma experiences. As Therapy Team Lead, she contributes to developing a therapeutic environment and collaborative approaches to care.
Beyond clinical practice, Carolyn facilitates art experientials for leadership retreats and community programmes, including initiatives supporting underserved children and youth overseas. She is a placemaker and led Marina Central Business Improvement District under URA’s placemaking initiative, bringing stakeholders together to create people-centred spaces.
Across these contexts, Carolyn is interested in how art, creativity, relationships and environments foster connection, wellbeing and growth, and is committed to strengthening the visibility and development of art therapy in Singapore.
Christine Phang Jia En, PhD, MA, ATR, AThS
Dr. Christine Phang (she/her) is a Singaporean artist and art therapist. She is a Registered Art Therapist (ATR) with the Art Therapy Credentials Board in the United States. Christine completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Art Therapy and her Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy (focus in Art Therapy) at the Dominican University of California. She has worked in community clinics, school-based art therapy and private practice. Christine’s therapeutic practice is grounded in compassion and creativity and informed by the theory of narrative therapy and the Expressive Therapies Continuum.
Christine has published articles with the International Journal of Art Therapy (IJAT) and Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association (AATA). She currently serves as an editor with IJAT, a peer reviewer for the AATA Journal, and as a member of the AATA Doctoral Education Committee. She is also a creator of picture books and a published illustrator.
Roxanne Chew Jia Yu, MA, AThS, BPsych (Hons)
Professional Diploma in Psychotherapy
Bachelor of Nursing
Roxanne is a Senior Art Therapist at Woodlands Hospital, where she provides clinical art therapy across acute healthcare settings. Her clinical practice spans diverse medical conditions and stages of illness, including palliative care, geriatrics, psychiatry and intensive care. She has a particular interest in supporting individuals experiencing serious illness, loss, grief and life transitions.
Beyond direct clinical work, Roxanne is involved in developing and expanding art therapy services within healthcare through interdisciplinary collaboration, clinical education, supervision and research. Her research and practice-based work have been presented at local and international healthcare and scientific conferences, contributing to the growing evidence base and recognition of art therapy within healthcare settings. She is also involved in educating healthcare professionals and future practitioners on the role of art therapy in supporting patients across the illness trajectory. She is passionate about strengthening the role of art therapy within multidisciplinary practice and advancing its integration within hospital systems.
Yoko Choi, MA, AThR, AThS
Yoko’s love for art therapy was seeded from her volunteer work for Childrens’ Cancer Foundation since she moved to Singapore in 2013 and had a career shift from architect to artist. Currently Yoko is practising as an Art Therapist in the Institute of Mental Health Singapore for people with mood disorders.
She had experience working with populations with complex trauma, neurodivergent needs, chronic illness, physical disabilities, vulnerable communities including women and children in shelter, inmates and migrant workers. She had served various organizations in different roles as art therapist, programme manager, arts educator and community artist including The Red Pencil (Singapore), Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Thye Hwa Kwan Home for Disabled @Sembawang, ART:DIS, Pathlight School, Melbourne Specialist International School, Children’s Cancer Foundation, National Gallery Singapore, National Library, MOE, and UOB.