Christianne Strang, a research instructor in the department of psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, was elected chair of the board of the American Art Therapy Association. She had been serving as treasurer of the association.
Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the American Art Therapy Association has about 5,000 members including professional art therapists, students, educational institutions, and related mental health professionals. It publishes Art Therapy: the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association.
Dr. Strang teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in behavioral neuroscience, developmental neuroscience, and creative art therapies. Her research is focused on the role of neurotransmitter receptors in visual processing and how that processing is affected in Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Strang states that art therapy “bypasses the cognitive messages and habits, identifies and reinforces new ways of thinking and interacting, builds healthier habits and patterns of behaving, and provides the opportunity to develop and explore relationships in new ways.”
Dr. Strang is a graduate of the University of Miami, where she majored in art education. She holds a master’s degree in art therapy from Vermont College of Norwich University and a Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscience from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.