Course Description

Replays of each session are available to registered participants 24-48 hours after each session. You also have access to the course for 90 days after the series ends.

We continually update our live webinar course content with readings, resources and links to relevant material. This curriculum will be live by September 1, 2022 and if you register by then, you will have access to Session One and additional materials as we get closer to our first meeting. 

This live webinar course is given in a "drip format"-- each week you will have access to a new set of materials as we proceed through the topic, session by session. 

This course includes a Certificate of Completion for Polyvagal-Focused and Sensorimotor Expressive Arts Therapy for 15 hours of Continuing Education/Professional Development-- see information below. You can apply these hours to your completion of the EXAT or EXA-CE designations.

Webinars meet from 12 noon-3 pm On Thursdays,  Eastern US Time/New York Time

Course Meeting Dates:

November 10

November 17

[Off for US Thanksgiving Holiday Week]

December 1

December 8

December 15

Because we have participants from around the world, please be sure to check your time zone. 


Polyvagal theory is now informing the principles and practices of trauma-informed work. Stephen Porges is the researcher best known for identifying polyvagal theory; his studies and contributions have greatly expanded the understanding of how we sense and experience safety, self-regulation, attachment, and connection. 

Sensorimotor, sensory integration and body-awareness approaches are also now accepted strategies to address traumatic stress. The majority of these sensory-based approaches are derived from healing practices found in various forms of reparative and restorative expression-- often through movement, rhythm, sound, music, image making, and enactment. 

Most of the current polyvagal exercises and directives for trauma relief ask individuals to think about or imagine various vagal states or conditions for social engagement. While this may work well for some people, starting with cognition is not always the best place to start when restoring the self, post-trauma. Imagination, a mostly cognitive function, is not immediately or easily accessible for those most traumatized. In many cases, imagination and a sense of playfulness has been lost or diminished due to distress, anxiety, or dissociation.  

Expressive arts therapy and expressive strategies [movement, rhythm, sound, music, enactment, and image=making] capitalize on a "bottom-up" framework that begins with the senses. These strategies gradually reintroduce the experiences of play, creativity, and aliveness necessary to reparative and restorative imagination. These sensory-based approaches also provide a foundation for the "talk" that may have been shutdown due to traumatic stress. 

We designed this course to not only highlight these principles and practices, but also to demonstrate how expressive arts therapy and expressive methods expand and enhance polyvagal-focused and sensorimotor, sensory integration, and body-awareness approaches. To help participants learn and apply this material, each session includes didactic, informational presentations and at least one hour of experiential, hands-on time with methods and strategies. These action-oriented, sensory-based methods and strategies can be applied to work with individuals of all ages as well as families, groups, and communities. 


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. 

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/

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.

Course curriculum

    1. Why Polyvagal-Focused and Sensorimotor Expressive Arts Therapy?

    2. Syllabus, Goals and Objectives of this Course

    3. Walkthrough this Live Webinar Site and Its Features

    4. Special Note About Materials and Expressive Arts Assignments

    5. What is Expressive Arts Therapy?

    6. Disclaimer

    7. About the Content of this Course

    1. ▶️ ZOOM Link and Supplies!

    2. Big supply list for download

    3. Print and Download for Session #1

    4. The MSSS Model of Expressive Arts

    5. Bottom Up or Top Down? An Expressive Arts Therapy Perspective

    6. Bilateral Work and Self-Regulation

    7. Window of Tolerance: Charts and Graphics

    8. The Six Substages of Sensorimotor Activity | A Developmental Perspective

    9. Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Trauma | Foundational Perspectives from Ogden and Minton

    10. Bilateral Artmaking (case example)

    11. Experiences with Bilateral Art: A Retrospective Study

    12. Butterfly Hug Chart | An Infographic

    13. Body Outlines and Likert Scales and PANAS Form

    14. Replay Session One Part One

    15. Replay Session One Hour Two

    16. After Session One...Share Just One Thing

    17. Please UPLOAD an Image from Today's session!

    18. Antonio Damasio

    19. Florence Cane and Bilateral Movement

    20. Warson PPT | Session 1

    1. ▶️ ZOOM Link and Supplies!

    2. Body Outlines

    3. Print Out the "Pie Slice" for Session Two

    4. Resensitizing the Body Through Expressive Arts

    5. Sensory-Based Interventions for Adult and Adolescent Trauma Survivors

    6. A Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Approach to Trauma and Dissociation

    7. War and Sensory Processing | Sensory-Enhanced Yoga Institute

    8. Trauma Tapping Song as Sensorimotor Expression and Healing

    9. For Fun: Your Brain on Drumming

    10. Short Term Therapy Approach to Processing Trauma

    11. Art Therapy Meets EMDR

    12. Replay Session Two Part One

    13. Replay Session Two Part Two

    14. Replay of Experiential Portion of Session Two

    15. After Session Two...Share Just One Thing

    16. Please UPLOAD an image from Today's session!

    17. The 5Rhythms® Chart

    18. Bainbridge Cohen Five Movement Model

    19. Making a Felted Stone

    20. Ruth Lanius | Research

    21. Trauma-Informed Yoga Holds

    1. Summary: Five Movements from Session Two

    2. ▶️ ZOOM Link and Supplies!

    3. Interoception and Exteroception: Knowing the Senses

    4. The Science of Interoception

    5. The Vast Influence of Interoception: A Sensory Integration Perspective

    6. What is Vagal Tone?

    7. The Traffic Light Model and Polyvagal-Focused Expressive Arts Therapy

    8. Visit this Website for the Traffic Light Model

    9. Preparation for Session Three Experiential on Autonomic Shaping through Expressive Arts

    10. A Literature Review Supporting Body-Based Interventions in the Treatment of Trauma

    11. Maps of Subjective Feelings

    12. Replay Session Three Hour One

    13. Replay Session Three Hour Two

    14. After Session Three...Share Just One Thing

    15. Post an Image of Your Polyvagal Ladder Here

    16. Diaphragmatic Breathing Script

    17. Polyvagal Theory: Conflicting Views

    18. Polyvagal Theory Criticism

    19. Screenshots of Our Class Today!

    20. Warson PPT | Session 3

    1. Traumatic Stress and the Circle of Capacity

    2. ▶️ ZOOM Link and Supplies!

    3. Window of Tolerance Graphics

    4. Equine Facilitated Trauma Therapy and the Role of Polyvagal Theory

    5. The Polyvagal Theory and Horses: An Introduction

    6. Epigenetics | Rachel Yehuda

    7. Historical Trauma | Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart

    8. The Rat Tickler: Play and Social Engagement

    9. Warson and Lawrence on Physiological Measures and Cortisol | Art Therapy and Healthcare

    10. Replay Session Four Part One

    11. Replay Session Four Part Two

    12. After Session Four...Share Just One Thing

    13. Post an Image of Your "Personal Autonomic Map" or Your Vagal "Sigh" Here

    14. Felt Sense Polyvagal Model

    15. Double Rainbow Image (neuroception experiential)

    16. Felt Sense Polyvagal Model of Addiction | Link to Podcast

    17. New Neuroception Scale

    1. ▶️ ZOOM Link and Supplies!

    2. Water and Waves: Inspirational Nature Images

    3. The Mystery and Inspiration of Spirals

    4. A White Paper on the Experience of Awe

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

    6. Finding Awe in Uncertain Times (2020 Blog)

    7. The Proxemics of Awe | A Little Bit of Science

    8. What Awe Looks Like in the Brain

    9. How Gratitude Changes the Brain

    10. Making or Breaking Compassion | A Polyvagal Perspective

    11. Porges on Compassion

    12. Words of Inspiration | Spread the Good Words

    13. Some of Cathy's "Word Exercises"

    14. Replay Session Five Part One

    15. Replay Session Five Part Two

    16. Share Something Visual from Today in Response to the Topic

    17. After Session Five...Share Just One Thing

    18. Download the Gratitude Film for Use with Individuals and Groups

    19. Personal Autonomic Map | Experiential

About this course

  • $299.00
  • 112 lessons
  • 11.5 hours of video content

Frequently Asked Questions About This Live Webinar Series

  • 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.

  • 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 "Polyvagal-Focused and Sensorimotor Expressive Arts Therapy Live Webinar Series."

  • 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 nature-based work and understand the principles that support this integration.

  • Does this course qualify as part of the Nature-Based Expressive Arts Practitioner Certificate Program!

    Yes!

Don't Miss This Chance...Only Offered Once a Year!

The Countdown is On! Register Early for this Popular Live Webinar Series

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