Five Session Live Webinar Series Beginning on September 11, 2025 from 12 noon--3 pm EST (New York). Join us live on our interactive sessions or watch the replays and complete assignments at your convenience. 15 hours of continuing education/professional development certificate included.

A Foundation for the Bilateral Movement Certificate Program 

Join Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, and Elizabeth Warson, PhD, for this  five-session live webinar series that brings together their collective experience with the practices of EMDR, Expressive Arts Therapy, Sensory Integration, and most importantly, Bilateral Movement. Dr. Malchiodi studied with the original "G.O.A.T.," (Greatest Of All Time)-- Francine Shapiro, originator of EMDR. Cathy also updated her EMDR practice in the 21st century to Level One and Level Two practitioner. Dr. Warson is a Level One and Level Two practitioner and is an Advanced EMDR Consultant. Between them, they have multiple decades of experience with expressive arts therapy and traumatic stress, bilateral and sensory integration approaches, and body-mind strategies, including work with children, adolescents, adults, families, and communities. 

This course is foundational to learning the foundations of BMDR™-- Bilateral Movement Desensitization and Resensitization. The goal is to help practitioners of all sorts understand and incorporate what our bodies can experience to counteract activation and withdrawal. Let's enhance the capacity of all individuals to inhabit body, mind, and spirit with joy, compassion, confidence, enlivenment, playfulness, resilience, and curiosity.

As with all of our courses, we try to provide best practices that are:

  • Evidence-informed or evidence-based;
  • Include lived experiences and incorporate intersectionality;
  • Consider neurodiversity and neurodivergence;
  • Centralize "capacity" over expanding "tolerance," and resensitization of body, mind, and spirit to restorative experiences.

Did You Take This Course Already?

If you wish to join us again, you can join the course for a discount of $100 off!

If you took this course in the past, email us to request a coupon offer for this special discount. Because we are always updating our trainings, you will also be receiving a good deal of new information in this course! Please join us, we love to see our returning participants from all over the planet.


Cathy Malchiodi PhD, Trauma and Expressive Arts and EMDR

This training provides a focus on Expressive Arts Therapy strategies and three concepts that are foundational to EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)-- grounding, orienting, and resourcing. These concepts are presented through the principles of BMDR;  somatosensory and sensory integration approaches; through bilateral stimulation and sensorimotor expressive arts therapy; and through  the Circle of Capacity Model, emphasizing building and expanding mastery, self-efficacy, and resilience in contrast to a "window of tolerance." The MSSS Model-- Movement, Sound Storytelling, and Silence (Self-Regulation) and an expanded Expressive Therapies Continuum framework also serve as a basis for practicing hands-on interventions and strategies. 

This course provides expressive and somatosensory concepts that support Phase 2 of EMDR, but are skills that any therapist, facilitator, or coach should be applying to work with individuals of all ages. These include:

Grounding-- a form of self-soothing that reorients us to the present moment.

Resourcing-- an experience that involves identifying and accessing internal strengths, resources, and positive memories.

Orienting-- the attentional adjustment to unexpected stimuli.

We will also explore the body's sense of trauma as well as capacity, facilitating and working with embodied cognition. The emphasis is on resilience and supporting wellness in body and mind through expressive methods and using the Circle of Capacity model to support enlivenment, self-efficacy, mastery, joy, curiosity, and empowerment.

No prerequisite required! This is NOT an EMDR training course; in order to learn EMDR you are required to take coursework with an approved EMDRIA instructor. This course applies knowledge derived from EMDR research, combined with trauma-informed sensory integration approaches-- interoception, exteroception, proprioception, vestibular function, and gravitational security. And of course, the integrative practices found in Expressive Arts Therapy! 

Meeting on Thursdays from 12 noon to 3 pm Eastern Standard Time/New York Time. A replay of each session is up on the course site 24-48 hours after each webinar session. Live Webinar Meetings on:

September 11

September 18

September 25

October 2

October 9

This webinar series provides 15 hours of continuing education/professional development; upon completion participants receive a Certificate of Completion. You can join live and participate in our interactive format. Or watch the replays shortly after the live meetings, complete assignments, and participate in the discussions on the course site. 

This course is a "drip format"-- the contents are available each week and we constantly add new resources in the form of films, downloadable documents and protocols, links to articles, and more. Each section has a module where you can share your impressions and images, connect with other participants, and network with colleagues around the world.

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. 

EMDRIA: Elizabeth Warson, PhD, Institute Faculty is an EC Provider #23047 and this program #23047-06 is approved for 15 EMDRIA Credits. Eligibility for EMDRIA Credits is restricted to those who have completed an EMDRIA-Approved Basic EMDR Training. 

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. 

International Expressive Arts Therapy Association [IEATA]. Many participants go on to apply for the REAT or REACE credential with IEATA and use our expressive arts therapy coursework to do so. Please check with IEATA to make sure you are meeting their current requirements for registration and let us know if you need additional information to help you qualify.

Psychotherapy and Counseling Fedration of Australia [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.

Canadian Counseling and Psychotherapy Association [CCPA]. Many of our Canadian participants indicate that these hours are accepted by CCPA for certain professional development requirements. Please check with CCPA to verify this and let us know if you require any additional information for this organization to qualify your professional development hours.

CPD hours [Professional Development] are currently in the application stage. We also welcome teachers to this course; please contact us for additional information.

Credentialing boards in Canada, Europe, and Australia accept our courses for professional development. Please check with them to verify that this course applies to your goals for credentialing or renewal of registration, certification, or licensing.




Instructor(s)

Institute Faculty | Supervisor Elizabeth Warson, PhD

Elizabeth Warson, PhD, ATR-BC, LPC, NCC, EMDR III, EXAT, EAP II, is a trailblazing force in the integration of equine-assisted therapy and expressive arts. As the founder of American Indian Art Therapy, her work stems from extensive faculty research at George Washington University and Eastern Virginia Medical School. Currently based in northern Colorado, Elizabeth operates Healing Pathways LLC, where she combines EMDR with art and horses, drawing on her expertise as a certified EMDR practitioner and consultant, Registered Art Therapist-Board Certified, certified Eagala professional and an EquiLateral trained equine-assisted EMDR therapist. As a faculty member at the Trauma-Informed Practices & Expressive Arts Therapy Institute, Elizabeth teaches both in-person and online courses focused on polyvagal-informed, equine-assisted, nature-based, bilateral stimulation, and sensorimotor-informed expressive arts therapy. Her research interests span stress and pain reduction interventions for Native American cancer survivors, culturally responsive practices, and trauma-informed methods. Her significant contributions include receiving a 2010 National Endowment for the Arts grant for her community-driven Coharie Heritage Empowerment Project, emphasizing cultural preservation. Elizabeth’s academic journey includes a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art, an MA in Art Therapy from Vermont College, and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies from Colorado State University. She has presented extensively at regional and national conferences, focusing on medical art therapy and culturally-responsive interventions, and has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Recently, she co-authored E.Qi: Equine & Expressive Arts Inspired Qigong with collaborator Sifu Kurtis Tilley. In addition to her therapeutic work, Elizabeth is a professional artist whose sculptural pieces have been exhibited both nationally and internationally, earning her an Ohio Arts Council fellowship award. Her multifaceted approach bridges art, counseling, and equine therapy, creating impactful experiences for individuals and communities alike.

Instructor(s)

Institute Faculty Cathy Malchiodi PhD

Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, LPCC, LPAT, REAT is a research psychologist, a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist, and a licensed mental health counselor and licensed professional art therapist. She is the executive director of the Trauma-Informed Practices and Expressive Arts Therapy Institute and is an investigator with the US Department of Education, integrating trauma-informed expressive arts into classrooms. She has also worked with the Department of Defense since 2008 to bring expressive arts therapy programming and psychotherapy to combat military and their families and Veterans with posttraumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. Dr. Malchiodi studied with Francine Shapiro and is qualified in EMDR Level I and Level II. Cathy has assisted more than 500 agencies, organizations, and institutions in developing trauma-informed programming including the United Nations, Department of Defense, Kennedy Center, Harvard, MIT, and Johns Hopkins University. An international presenter and workshop leader, she given over 750 invited keynotes and workshops throughout the US, Canada, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia. She has authored 21 books, including the bestselling Trauma and Expressive Arts Therapy: Brain, Body, and Imagination in the Healing Process and Handbook of Expressive Arts Therapy. Her books have been translated in over 20 languages. A life-long learner, Dr. Malchiodi's latest research and practice includes sensory processing and neurodiversity affirming models of psychotherapy to address trauma through expressive approaches to intervention.

Register Early For Best Pricing

Here are some frequently asked questions.

  • Time: The live webinars are held on Thursdays from 12 noon to 3:00 pm Eastern US Time Zone. You can attend and participate in the live session or you can participate by watching the replays of each session on the course site. Each session includes readings, links to resources, films, and other information. You will be required to submit a brief assignment for each session in order to receive your Certificate of Completion at the end of the course.

  • Registration Online Only: Please use the registration link to complete your registration; you can complete it by using one of the payment options.

  • Refund Policy. 50% refund before August 29, 2025; no cash refunds after August 30, 2025. However, you can always choose to retain your entire registration fee as a credit to apply to any in-person, live webinar series, or home study courses at our Institute. And of course if we have to cancel this event for unforeseen reasons, you will receive a complete refund of your registration fee.

  • Continuing Education. Please read the Continuing Education section on this page.

  • Zoom Meeting Link: You will receive at least two emails before each session, to let you know about necessary supplies and the Zoom meeting link. The Zoom meeting link is also available on the course site and is the same link for each session.

  • Graduate Students. Because this is a continuing education offering, there are no student scholarships or reduced pricing. We recommend that you check with your university for availability of scholarships to participate in this course.