Nature-Based Expressive Arts Therapy Live Webinar Series

Registration Closed: Five-Session Introduction to the Principles and Practices of Nature-Based and Expressive Arts Approaches Starting August 5, 2021; 18 CE or Professional Development Hours

Do you know that there are 5 Universal "Movements and Rhythms" found throughout nature? How do we introduce nature-based approaches to support regulation, synchrony, and restoration of the self? What about the experience of awe and the immune system? Where does bilateral stimulation and Polyvagal theory fit into all of this? What do we need to think about with climate grief and "nature privilege?" Nature-Based approaches are increasingly becoming part of work with trauma survivors as well as other individuals with various challenges. Gaining a deeper understanding of these approaches is important to all practitioners who work with individuals with traumatic stress. Various approaches found in Polyvagal Theory, sensorimotor and bilateral stimulation methods, cultural and ecological humility, nature-based and equine-assisted therapy, and expressive arts therapy are foundational to this course.
art work by Cathy Malchiodi PhD-- collage about nature and mountain trails

Instructor(s)

Institute Faculty

Elizabeth Warson, PhD

Elizabeth Warson, PhD, ATR-BC, LPC, NCC, EMDR II, EXAT is the founder of American Indian Art Therapy, based on her faculty research associated with the Graduate Art Therapy Programs at George Washington University and Eastern Virginia Medical School (2004-2013). Elizabeth currently resides in northern Colorado where she maintains an equine-assisted and arts-informed private practice, Healing Pathways LLC. As a faculty member for the Trauma-Informed Practices & Expressive Arts Therapy Institute, she teaches in person and online poly-informed, equine-assisted, and bilateral stimulation/sensorimotor-informed expressive arts therapy courses. Since 2003, her research interests comprise stress and pain reduction interventions for American Indian cancer survivors and their family members, culturally responsive stress reduction and visual journaling, and trauma-informed interventions. Elizabeth is a recipient of a 2010 National Endowment for the Arts (folk and traditional art) for a community-driven Coharie Heritage Empowerment Project, focusing on cultural preservation. Elizabeth received her BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1989 and an M.A. in Art Therapy from Vermont College of Norwich University in 1993. She completed her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Studies, with a specialization in research, from the School of Education at Colorado State University in 2008. Elizabeth has presented at regional and national American Indian and Alaska Native conferences on topics related to medical art therapy, stress and pain reduction interventions, culturally-responsive art therapy, visual journaling interventions, and narrative-based art therapy. Her publications comprise over 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters in books. As a professional artist, she has exhibited her sculptural work nationally and internationally and is a recipient of an Ohio Arts Council fellowship award.

Institute Faculty

Cathy Malchiodi, PhD

Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, LPCC, LPAT, ATR-BC, REAT holds a doctorate in psychology and is a licensed and board-certified art therapist and mental health counselor and has published numerous books, chapters, and articles in the field of art therapy including, Trauma and Expressive Arts Therapy: Brain, Body, and Imagination in the Healing Process, Creative Interventions with Traumatized Children, Breaking the Silence: Working With Traumatized Children, and Understanding Children's Drawings, which are standards in the field. She has trained counselors, therapists, and teachers throughout the United States, Canada, Asia, and Europe. In 2011, Cathy founded the Trauma-Informed Practices Institute to meet the need for professional education in the use of arts therapies, expressive therapies, mind-body approaches and resilience-building in trauma integration and recovery for children, adults and families. You can learn more about Dr. Malchiodi at her website https://www.cathymalchiodi.com/
Watch Intro Video

Video: Entrainment, Synchrony, and Trauma

A Nature-Based Approach to Regulation and Restoration

Required Course for Equine-Assisted Expressive Arts Therapy Certificate Training

This Live Webinar Series is offered as a continuing education course and also as hours if you are completing the EXAT or EXA-CE designations with our Institute. However, it is also part of the Equine-Assisted Expressive Arts Therapy Level One Certificate with Dr. Elizabeth Warson; this training is a separate live, on-site course. Please check back for the exact date and registration process of this Certificate training.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Let's Get Started

    • ▶️ ZOOM LIVE format: notes and tips!

    • Walkthrough this Live Webinar Site and Its Features

    • About Your Instructors

    • Equine-Assisted Expressive Arts Therapy | An Introduction to Dr. Warson's Work

    • Syllabus, Goals and Objectives of this Course

    • Special Note About Materials and Expressive Arts Assignments!

    • Introduce Yourself Here!

    • Nature Images for Collage and Course Experientials

    • More Nature Images for Collage and Contemplation
  • 2

    Session One: Introduction to the Principles of Nature-Based Expressive Arts Therapy

    • ▶️ ZOOM Link and Supplies!

    • What is Expressive Arts Therapy? A Review or an Introduction!

    • The MSSS Model of Expressive Arts and Nature-Based Approaches: Cultural, Psychotherapeutic, Counseling, and Educational Perspectives

    • Nature-Based Expressive Arts Therapy: An Introduction

    • Nature-Based Approaches: Ecotherapy

    • Nature Therapy: A Summary

    • Resensitizing the Body Through Expressive Arts

    • How Might Contact with Nature Promote Human Health? A Mini Overview

    • Nature Therapy & Expressive Arts Therapy

    • The Privilege of Nature During a Pandemic

    • Climate Grief and Collective Trauma

    • After Session One...Share Just One Thing Here

    • Please UPLOAD an image from Today's session!

    • Replay Part One | Cathy Malchiodi Lecture August 5 2021

    • Replay Part Two | Elizabeth Warson August 5 2021

    • Replay Part Three | Elizabeth Warson August 5 2021
  • 3

    Session Two: Engaging the Senses through Nature-Based Approaches

    • A Review: What is Sensorimotor Expressive Arts Therapy? An Integrative Approach to Trauma and Restoration of the Self via Psychology Today

    • ▶️ ZOOM Link and Supplies!

    • Film Presentation: Foundations of Sensorimotor Expressive Arts Therapy with Dr. Cathy Malchiodi

    • The Five Sense Benefits of Nature: A Chart

    • Releasing Stress Through Music: The Role of Nature Sounds

    • Nature Sounds Research: Evidence for What Supports Wellness

    • Be Your Own Researcher -- Sound Senses Number One: River Sounds

    • Sound Senses Number Two: Winds Sounds

    • Sound Senses Number Three: Singing Birds

    • Bilateral Movement and Artmaking

    • Evidence: Processing Sensory Experiences to Address Posttraumatic Stress

    • Somatic Awareness Measure

    • Measuring Somatic Awareness: Research

    • Dysregulation Measurement

    • Visual Journaling and Nature-Based Expressive Arts Therapy

    • American Indian Medicine and Expressive Arts Therapy

    • Why is Biomarker Research in Art Therapy Important

    • Why is Biomarker Research in Art Therapy Important

    • Warson Consent for the Use of Client Artwork

    • Efficacy of Nature-Based Therapy

    • Equine-Assisted Nature Based Therapy

    • After Session Two...Share Just One Thing Here

    • Please UPLOAD an image from Today's session!

    • Replay Part One Lecture August 12 2021

    • Replay Part Two of Lecture August 12 2012

    • Native Dancers at Red Rock Canyon | Grass Dance
  • 4

    Session Three: The Awe of Nature and the Nature of Awe

    • ▶️ ZOOM Link and Supplies!

    • A White Paper on the Experience of Awe

    • The Positive Impact of Awe

    • Film Presentation: The Art and Science of Awe and How Culture Shapes It

    • 10 Indigenous Holistic Healing Practices What can Western psychotherapy learn from First Nation practices?

    • The Calm and Connection Theory: The Instorative Impact of Nature

    • What is Oxytocin? A Summary!

    • Nature and Social Connectedness: Evidence

    • Spirituality in Nature

    • Spirals | Universal Miracle of Nature

    • After Session Four...Share Just One Thing Here

    • Please UPLOAD an image from Today's session!

    • Replay Part One of August 19 Lectures

    • Replay of Second Part of August 19 Lectures

    • Two Gallery Photos of Participants' Images from Session Three
  • 5

    Session Four: Cross-Cultural Approaches to Nature-Based Expressive Arts Therapy

    • ▶️ ZOOM Link and Supplies!

    • Forest Bathing: A Somatosensory Bath in Nature

    • Evidence: Forest Bathing and Therapeutic Value

    • Indigenous Nature Connection

    • Indigenous Wellness and Animal Assisted Therapy

    • Are There Nature Archetypes? Evidence for 10 Types

    • A Cultural View of the Elements of Nature: An Infographic

    • Exploring the Concept of Mandala within Nature-Based, Expressive Approaches

    • Nature-Based Drama Therapy from a South African Perspective

    • Clay Re-Connection: Maria's Story

    • Spirit of the Horse

    • Trans-Species Art | Exploring Intersectional Views of Ecology and Environment

    • Special Journal Issue on Nature-Assisted Arts Therapies

    • Open Access to Special Journal Issue on Nature-Assisted Arts Therapies

    • After Session Three..Share Just One Thing Here

    • Please UPLOAD an image from Today's session!

    • Replay Part One

    • Replay Part Two
  • 6

    Session Five: Expressive Arts Therapy and Nature-Based Interventions : Supporting Mental Health and Restoration of the Self

    • ▶️ ZOOM Link and Supplies!

    • Six-Step Model of Nature-Based Therapy Process

    • 5 Ways Mental Health Depends on Nature and "Green Scenery"

    • Unplug that Plasma Screen, Take Two Doses of Nature, and Call Me in the Morning

    • Can Simulated Nature Support Mental Health?

    • Nature-Based Guided Imagery: Evidence

    • After Session Five...Share Just One Thing Here

    • Please UPLOAD an image from Today's session!

    • Replay Session Five Part One

    • Replay Session Five Part Two

    • Replay Session Five Part Three
  • 7

    Session Six: Bringing It All Together and Additional Readings and Resources

    • Additional Readings and References

    • Music Therapy and Climate Crisis

    • Nature Connected Art Therapy Pedagogy
  • 8

    Final Steps: Completing the Live Webinar Series

    • Final Steps to Your Certificate

    • Course Evaluation

    • Regarding the Use of Material in this Course

    • Final Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Will there be recordings that I can watch after the Live Webinar Sessions?

    Yes-- we record the lecture portions of the events for replay and you can watch them for 45 days after the event. We do not post the experiential portions of the event where participants are sharing experiences to protect participants' confidentiality.

  • When are the Live Webinar Sessions?

    August 5, 2021 from 12 noon-3:00 pm, August 12, 2021 from 12 noon-3:00 pm, August 19, 2012 from 12 noon-3:00 pm. August 26, 2012 from 12 noon-3:00 pm September 2, 2021 from 12 noon-3:00 pm All times are US Eastern Time/New York Time

  • Will I receive a Certificate of Completion?

    Once you complete all the required sections of the course site, you will automatically receive a Certificate of Completion for "Nature-Based Expressive Arts Therapy Live Webinar Series." To qualify for Level One of Equine-Assisted Expressive Arts Therapy Training with Dr. Elizabeth Warson, additional training sessions are required on site with her.

  • If I do not currently provide Nature-Based Therapy, why should I take this course?

    Nature-Based approaches are increasingly becoming part of work with trauma survivors as well as other individuals with various challenges. Gaining a deeper understanding of these approaches is important to all practitioners who work with individuals with traumatic stress. Various approaches found in Polyvagal Theory, sensorimotor and bilateral stimulation methods, and expressive arts therapy are foundational to this form of treatment.

  • Does this course count toward the EXAT and EXA-CE designations?

    Yes, of course! This is great opportunity to add to your knowledge of how expressive work can be integrated with equine-assisted work and understand the principles that support this integration.

Continuing Education

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. 

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  • Photo by Cathy Malchiodi PhD
  • Meme from Cathy Malchiodi PhD
  • ©2020 Artwork by Cathy Malchiodi PhD

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