Expressive Arts Therapy

Course Meeting Dates:

October 5 

October 12

October 19

October 26

No Meeting on November 2 Due to Ghost Ranch Retreat in New Mexico 

November 9 

Course meets each date from 12 noon -- 3 pm Eastern Time/New York Time. There will be  recordings of the lectures and slide presentations and posted to the course site for participants. However, we do not post films of participants' discussions or experiential work to respect our learners' privacy.

Each session includes presentations on theory, practice, and research [generally the first hour]. The second hour is usually a hands-on expressive arts experience to help you understand the concepts and also to provide you will one or more practical approaches to using expressive methods. The final hour we encourage and facilitate discussion of what was experienced, have time for questions and answers, and summarize the session's key points and concepts.

Bilateral Stimulation (BLS) is a widely used approach in many current strategies to address trauma. It is found in practices like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and various forms of tapping and sensory integration methods. Sensorimotor Expressive Arts Therapy (SEAT)  complements BLS and incorporates developmental, brain-wise, and body-based concepts from contemporary and innovative trauma treatments. In contrast to protocols like Sensorimotor Psychotherapy® (SP) that focuses on talking about body awareness, SEAT values implicit communication -- the nonverbal expressions that reflect the body's experience of threat as well as safety.

The applications of these methods support the "Four Functions" of expressive arts therapy--- self-regulation, co-regulation, exploration, and restoration when it comes to trauma resolution (Malchiodi, 2020). This course  using expressive arts, bilateral stimulation and EMDR approaches, and sensorimotor expressive arts therapy. The well-researched concepts of Embodied Cognition, the Primary Regulatory Network for regulation, and cultural practices that use bilateral stimulation are central to this course. It is also an option for those of you completing the Nature-Based Expressive Arts Certificate or the Restorative Embodiment Certificate and of course, EXAT or EXA-CE designations.

This course provides an introduction to the concepts of BLS and SEAT. It also provides strategies for combining and complementing methods found in EMDR, sensory integration, and tapping as part of overall trauma-informed intervention. This is not an EMDR course, but we will be making reference to the principles and theories as well as other methods that focus on bilateral movement and stimulation.

Continuing Education Information

Counselors/National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC). Trauma-Informed Practices and Expressive Arts Therapy Institute has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6557. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC are clearly identified. Trauma-Informed Practices and Expressive Arts Therapy Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 

Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors. Trauma-Informed Practices and Expressive Arts Therapy Institute is an Approved Continuing Education Provider by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors. Our Texas Provider Number is 2318.

Art Therapy Credentials Board [ATCB]. The ATCB recognizes a variety of CEC activities, including those in the areas of professional and mental health counseling. These activities are clearly outlined in their recertification standards provided to all ATR-BCs in their recertification year and on their website. A minimum of six CECs must be earned in the area of ethics each cycle. If you are licensed as an art therapist in your state, please check with your state board to verify what types of CEC activities are acceptable for license renewal.

California Marriage and Family Therapists, Social Workers and Professional Counselors. As of July 1, 2015, the State of California /Board of Behavioral Sciences [BBS] amended its regulations for continuing education providers to include National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as a "board-recognized approval agency." If you are licensed as a marriage and family therapist, social worker, educational psychologist or professional clinical counselor in California, NBCC Approved Continuing Education Providers are recognized by the BBS to fulfill continuing education requirements. As of July 1, 2015, required CE hours can be accumulated through self-study and distance learning. 

PACFA. Many of our Australian participants indicate that these hours are accepted by PACFA---Psychotherapy and Counseling Federation of Australia. Please check with PACFA to verify this and let us know if you require any additional information for this organization to qualify your professional development hours.