Presenters
Deborah Del Signore, M.A.A.T., A.T.R.-BC, holds a B.A. in psychology from Hamilton College and an M.A. in art therapy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She currently offers in-home art therapy services to older adults and people living with a diagnosis of dementia. She is an arts and aging consultant and freelance art therapist. In addition, Deborah teaches ethics, assessment and supervision to art therapy graduate students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She worked in long-term-care for older adults for 14 years serving as Art Therapist, Manager of Creative Arts Therapy and Life Enrichment Services, and Director of Memory Care at various times during her tenure. In December 2012, Deborah was honored with a Distinguished Service Award from the Illinois Art Therapy Association. Recently, with CJE SeniorLife and the Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago, she created an App called Art in the Moment and created a virtual museum visit for persons with cognitive disabilities and their carepartners. Deb’s professional goal is to provide opportunities for elders and those in their communities to challenge the stigmas and subpar environments in which elders often live.
Rebecca J. Froman, MA, MT-BC, is board certified music therapist in the greater Chicago area. Her undergraduate studies were completed at the University of Michigan in music performance (oboe) and psychology. At the University of Iowa, she earned her Masters degree in music therapy. She also completed her neurologic music therapy training at the Center for Biomedical Music Research. As a clinician, Rebecca has facilitated music therapy for a variety of clientele in many different settings, and has published research in the hospital setting as well as about multicultural music therapy practice. Rebecca has presented at numerous national and regional conferences about music therapy with older adults, dementia, collaboration across disciplines, as well as multicultural awareness and music therapy with clients of Jewish background. She has supervised and mentored several students in the fields of music therapy, dance/movement therapy, and art therapy, and has had the privilege of working alongside several art therapists across populations and settings.
Leslee Goldman, ATR-BC is an art therapist at the Institute for Therapy through the arts in Evanston. She received a BFA in Art Education at the University of Illinois at Champaign, and completed a Masters Degree in Art Therapy from George Washington University before going on to complete the Teacher Education Program at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. In her thirty years of clinical work, she has treated children,
adolescents, adults, and older adults, and she presents locally and nationally. Leslee has taught at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Amy Khattar Hahn, ATR, LPC, serves as Archives Chair for the Illinois Art Therapy Association. Amy is an Art Therapist at Highland Park Hospital and Adjunct Faculty at Westwood Colleges- design and criminal justice programs. She has worked in group, studio, and individual settings with various populations. Amy’s artistic practices include collaborative art projects and freelance graphic design.
Iu-Luen Jeng, MA in Art Therapy, ATR, LCPC, is a licensed art therapist and psychotherapist working with LGBTQ youth who experiences homelessness and trauma. She provides clinical services to the LGBTQ youth with a wide variety of mental and physical health diagnosis and also acts as a liaison between youth program and mental health department at Center on Halsted. She supervises interns and volunteers for the youth program and mental health department, and provides various trainings of LGBTQ youth and mental health to other agencies and communities. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from National Taiwan University in Taiwan, and graduated with a Master’s degree in art therapy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Iu-Luen specializes in community work, crisis intervention, trauma-informed therapy, and harm reduction.
Elizabeth Klinger, MT-BC, is a music therapist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and helped establish the hospital’s music therapy program in 2006 at the former Children’s Memorial Hospital. Since then, she has developed music therapy programming for patients in the PICU, NICU, cardiac care, pulmonary habilitation and palliative care. She serves as the music therapy internship coordinator and supervises students from universities across the country. Elizabeth received her undergraduate degree in music therapy from Western Illinois University and is currently pursuing graduate study at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana. She is an IAMT member who has worked previously in a local hospice organization and a school for children with autism. Elizabeth has received additional music therapy training and specialization in end-of-life care and NICU-based practices.
Jenifer Korotko, LCPC, ATR earned a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and obtained her Master's Degree in Art Therapy from the Adler School of Professional Psychology in 2009. Since her graduation, she has worked as a family Art Therapist for a responsible fatherhood initiative grant funded program and in inpatient psychiatric hospital settings with both children and adults conducting individual, group and family art therapy. Jenifer has also volunteered in both group and individual counseling and Art Therapy at Community Health, the largest free health care clinic in Illinois. She maintains a private practice in the Logan Square area, works for VetCATS, which provides free art therapy services for our veterans, and recently began volunteering for the Illinois Spina Bifida Association providing art therapy services. Jenifer is also a proud mother of two boys, ages 3 and 10 months.
Monique C. Matic, MA, LCPC is an Art Therapist at the RISE Children’s Center of Metropolitan Chicago YWCA where she provides trauma-based therapy to survivors of sexual abuse and assault. A Milwaukee, WI native, Matic obtained her Bachelor’s degree in visual art & child psychology from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology: Art Therapy from the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, IL. Matic’s clinical areas of interest include trauma-based work, community psychology, and Attachment Theory. She has presented at various professional conferences, including the Illinois Art Therapy Association conference (2010 & 2011), the 41st annual American Art Therapy Association conference, the International Art in Response to Violence conference (2010) and the National Sexual Assault conference (2012) on the topics of utilizing art therapy treatment with child sexual abuse survivors and the benefits of incorporating social action art-based programs to address systemic issues in underserved communities. Most recently, Matic has co-authored an article discussing the use of Adlerian Art Therapy with survivors of sexual abuse and assault that will appear in the Journal of Individual Psychology.
Val Newman ATR LCPC is Co-founder of the private practice group, Center for Artful Intention located in Wilmette, IL. Val works contractually providing group and individual Art Therapy at Haymarket Center and Community Counseling Center of Chicago. Val teaches Group Art Therapy Practices at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is Director on the Board of the Illinois Art Therapy Association and has presented nationally on her work with the LGBTQ community. Val's work integrates themes of social justice and community with an emphasis on the value of creative practice.
Jenni Rook, MT-BC, LCPC is the clinical director at the Institute for Therapy through the Arts where she has collaborated with and supervised creative arts therapists for eight years. She is a Board-Certified Music Therapist and Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor. Jenni received her Bachelor of Arts in Music Therapy from Western Illinois University after completing her undergraduate clinical internship at Giant Steps Illinois, Inc., a therapeutic day school for children with Autism. Jenni obtained a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Chicago. She also possesses a certification in Neurological Music Therapy (NMT).
Willow Troy Messier, ATR-BC, CCLS is a registered, board certified art therapist and certified child life specialist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. For the past 6 years she has provided art therapy services to hematology/oncology patients at the bedside, in the outpatient clinics and in the PICU. She is also on the palliative care team and follows many patients and families referred to that service. She previously provided art therapy services at Kravis Children’s Hospital at Mount Sinai in New York City to pediatric patients and their families. Willow received her BA from Hampshire College in Art and Psychology and her Master’s Degree in Art Therapy from New York University. She is active member with the Illinois Art Therapy Association and supervises art therapy interns from Adler School of Psychology and the School of the Art Institute. In addition to being an art therapist, Willow is also an artist and she has a home studio where she makes large paintings on canvas.
Jeffrey Wolfe, MT-BC is the Community Programs Manager, Accessible Arts Coordinator, and a music therapist at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Institute for Therapy through the Arts. He holds the Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) certification from the Center for Biomedical Research in Music in Colorado. Jeff received the Christine K. Stevens development award, presented nationally and regionally, and currently serves as the Student Coordinator for the Great Lakes Region of the American Music Therapy Association. He is a founding member, administrator, and previous director of Kids Town Child Development Center in Brunswick, Ohio. Jeff frequently lectures on a local, regional, and national level. He is an active member of the American Music Therapy Association, Illinois Association for Music Therapy, National Association for the Education of Young Children, and International Cultic Studies Association.
Joanna Zakhem, ATR, LCPC, is a licensed art therapist and clinical counselor. She received her Masters Degree in art therapy from Florida State University in 2006 and has worked in numerous settings over the past seven years, including a residential treatment facility, therapeutic day school and behavioral health hospital. Throughout her career, she has had the privilege of collaborating with other art, music and dance/movement therapists. Joanna currently works at One Hope United, providing individual, group and family therapy to children and families involved in the foster care system. Her areas
of interest include trauma-focused therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) and eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR).