Join Us for a Two Day Learning Experience! Plus Three Hour Live Webinar (Join Us Live or Watch at Your Own Convenience)

With Institute Faculty Dr. Cathy Malchiodi and Dr. Elizabeth Warson

Welcome to a one-of-a-kind in-person event in Santa Fe, New Mexico (The Land of Enchantment). This 15 hour continuing education offering is being held in downtown Santa Fe. The focus of the training is on the intersection of expressive arts therapy practice and how we can repair and restore through creative approaches and the imagination-- movement, mark-making, playfulness, curiosity, "sounding," writing, and more. And on how we can repair, rejuvenate, and restore ourselves via self-expression and through a variety of hands-on experientials and practices. 

This special course is part of our programming for those who are interested in working toward your EXAT, EXA-CE, or REAT designations. But the course also welcomes all practitioners, coaches, and facilitators who are interested in experiencing and adding expressive arts therapy to your work or self-care. We hope you join us!

Please register early! This course has limited seating! Upon registration, you will receive a Welcome Letter with the details of the exact location and the venue. And we will be posting more information to this course page and to a course site where you will be able to access materials and resources before, during, and after our time in Santa Fe. You will also receive a Certificate of Completion that you can submit as evidence of your continuing education hours (NBCC) or professional development.



Let's Experience the Uniqueness of Expressive and Creative Practices

And Enjoy the Value of "Flow" and "Fun" in Our Work and Self-Care

Learn more about this Polyvagal Theory inspired model-- Expressive Arts Therapy and the Autonomic Nervous System. This model emphasizes "capacity" to experience more than fight-flight-freeze, but also "creative flow" and "fun" (enlivenment, joy, excitement) as part of our nervous system experiences.


General Information

We will continue to update this section as needed to address your questions and add information about the event.

  • Meeting Times: May 15 and 16: 9:30 am--4:30 pm with one hour for lunch; prior to the event we will have live three hour webinar to prepare you for the in-person event and get you started on meeting our participants! Date and time for the live webinar to be announced shortly. A replay will be available on the course site.

  • Course Site: You will have access to an extensive course site with additional resources and downloadable articles and PDFs. We will begin to open the course site on April 1, 2025 so you can get a head start on your experience at your convenience. At the end of the course site, there will be a required evaluation to get your final Certificate of Completion with your CE and professional development hours.

  • Lunch: Lunch is included in your registration!

  • Location: La Fonda Hotel in downtown Santa Fe, on the "square." This is a wonderful setting that is within walking distance of shopping and restaurants, several museums including the Georgia O'Keefe Museum. .

  • Accommodations: We recommend that if you are coming from out of state that you secure your hotel or AirBnB/Vrbo as soon as possible. Santa Fe is a popular destination! There are many places to stay in the area and we will have a list of some of the more popular ones on the course site.

  • Travel: Santa Fe does have an airport and regional jets fly in regularly from many major airports. You can also fly into Albuquerque (a larger airport) and take a shuttle or train to Santa Fe.

  • Travel Insurance: We always recommend that you obtain travel insurance in case of emergency or if you find yourself having to cancel your travel plans. While we do not expect this event to be cancelled, the world is unpredictable so please consider that in your own planning.

  • Refunds. If you cancel your registration by April 1st, 2025, you will receive a 75% refund plus a small service charge. After April 1st, there are no refunds. However, we will give you a credit for the complete amount of your registration fee that you can apply to any Institute webinar series, online course, or future event within the next 24 months.

  • Scholarships: Because this is an in-person event, we cannot offer scholarships due to the costs of running this event.

What is Bilateral Movement

Gain Competency to Practice Bilateral Movement, Drawing, Tapping, and More

While we will cover many components of expressive arts therapy in this in-person even, one area we will emphasize is "bilateral movement." This not only gentle, easy, accessible physical movement (standing or in chairs), but also mark-making and drawing, "sounding," and even writing with both hands, and more! We are looking forward to taking you through the integration of bilateral movement and drawing approaches with expressive arts therapy and sensory processing. If you are also an EMDR practitioner, learn more about how bilateral approaches complement and supplement your work with people of all ages. Experience and understand individuals' capacities for this work; the pacing, positioning, and processes along the continuum of movement, sounding, rhythm, mark making, tapping, play, and even writing in our upcoming webinars and live courses. You will gain a foundation for these practices in your work and self-care. If you have completed other brief training in bilateral drawing or painting, this course takes you beyond seated work and introduces you to embodied cognition, reflexive convergence, restorative embodiment, sensory processing, and the reparative experiences that are part of expressive arts therapy. And this training is open to all, not just EMDR practitioners (who certainly are a big part of our community). We encourage coaches, facilitators, artists, and educators to join and learn!
Butterfly Drawing Bilateral

Institute Faculty and Director

Institute Faculty Cathy Malchiodi PhD

Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, LPCC, LPAT, ATR-BC, REAT is a research psychologist, a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist, and a licensed mental health counselor. 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.

Institute Faculty

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.

Continuing Education and Professional Development


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. 

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.


Make Your Reservations Early

There are many options for accommodations in the Santa Fe area

Booking.com, Expedia, and other online reservation services are good places to begin your search for Santa Fe hotels. There are many that are walking distance to the square. There are also many rental properties within walking distance or a short car or Lyft/Uber to the La Fonda on the Square. But be sure to make your reservations early! Santa Fe is a popular destination because of its culture, sights, shopping, cuisine, and access to multiple museums and destinations like Meow Wolf (a funhouse of visual and other delights). 

Webinars, Courses, and Events

Join One of More of Our Expressive Arts Therapy Offerings

  • $100.00

    Bilateral Movement Desensitization and Resensitization Certification Program

    The in-person course in Santa Fe is a special opportunity to fulfill one of the 15 hour courses on bilateral work through expressive arts therapy. To read more about this program, go to landing page for this Certification Program.
    Join the Program

  • $190.00

    Expressive Arts Therapy: The Foundation Course

    Buy Now

The Countdown is On!

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