Author Archives: Sibel Golden

Nature-Based Expressive Arts & WTH is Biophilia?

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” -Rachel Carson I dig my heels into the balmy sand, feeling connected to and grounded by the solid land beneath me. The sound of waves crashing on nearby rocks before receding resolutely back into the […]

Healing Though Expressive Arts

Healing through Expressive Arts By Sarah Engelskirchen-Bugler, MA, LMHC “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” This quote by Thomas Merton illustrates that art is a powerful tool not only for self-discovery but also for developing a profound sense of wonder, imagination, and creativity. For as long as humans […]

Soul Collage® for Therapists: A Powerful Method for Supervision

SoulCollage® is a creative and transformative process, in which you create your own personal deck of collaged cards, using your intuition and imagination. Seena Frost, a Marriage and Family Therapist in Watsonville, CA developed it by uniting her passions for spirituality, psychotherapy, and creativity. You can learn more about SoulCollage® at http://www.soulcollage.com. If you are already familiar with […]

Happy New Year from Sibel Golden

Happy New Year! from Sibel Golden   The need and desire for the arts to take a vital role in individual and collective wellness throughout all aspects of society is clear. NWCEAI applied this mandate to everything we achieved in 2022, and will continue to do so going forward. All our workshops, training, and outreach […]

Our Picks for Holiday Gifts that Inspire Creativity!

Our Picks for Holiday Gifts that Inspire Creativity! We hope you’ll find this curated selection of gifts inspiring, unique, and meaningful. From all of us at Northwest Creative & Expressive Arts Institute, have a peaceful, light-filled, and healthy holiday season. We’ll see you in the New Year! Art Supplies  Whether you’re thinking about getting some […]

Walking the Talk: An Interview with Training Program Alumna, Jessica Johnson

It was a joy to get to know clinical social worker and training program alumna, Jessica Johnson. She shared how she has been applying her learning experiences in the Professional Expressive Arts Therapy Training Program in her work as a therapist, and in her own life. Suzan: So when did you graduate from the training […]

The Journey to Becoming an Expressive Arts Therapist: An Interview with Cleopatra Bertelsen

I recently had the privilege of interviewing Cleopatra Bertelsen as my first of a series of interviews with current cohorts, or graduates of the NW Creative & Expressive Arts Professional Training Program. Here is what I learned from this vibrant, compassionate force in the field. By Suzan Alparslan Suzan:  First I’d like to just get […]

Creative Inspiration from our Mixed-Media Artist!

This year, we are so happy to welcome our first ever Artist-in Residence, Caitlin Dundon! Caitlin Dundon is a mixed-media artist and calligrapher with over 20 years of experience. She teaches at mixed media and calligraphy conferences throughout the United States and Canada and has taught at Art & Soul Mixed Media Retreats (Portland, OR, […]

Creative Journal Writing: A Self-Care Practice

“Writing practice brings us back to the uniqueness of our own minds and an acceptance of it. We all have wild dreams, fantasies, and ordinary thoughts. Let us feel the texture of them and not be afraid of them. Writing is still the wildest thing I know.” ~Natalie Goldberg, Wild Mind: Living the Writer’s Life […]

Art & Eating Disorders

Art & Eating Disorders: Expressive Arts Therapy in the Treatment of Eating Disorders Eating disorders (ED) and body image issues affect 20 million women and 10 million men in the US alone. No doubt, as a clinician, you have already worked with someone who is affected by eating disorders, or you will. I have focused […]