“Expressive arts help students to learn and think critically and creatively.”
This quote by Martha McCaughey, a Registered Expressive Arts Consultant and Educator (REACE), illustrates the vast possibilities expressive arts tools can provide to individuals of all backgrounds. Not only does Northwest Creative and Expressive Arts Institute offer a Clinical Path Training Program for therapists and social workers wanting to incorporate creative expression into their sessions with clients, but NWCEAI has also developed a Facilitator’s Track for those who want to utilize expressive arts for innovative purposes ranging from teaching students in schools, to rehabilitation in healthcare settings, to social justice advocacy work and community building.
Expressive arts are not solely for processing, healing, or expressing in a therapeutic environment. In fact, the expressive arts can serve as a powerful vehicle for personal and professional growth in educational environments, leadership areas, social development, health and wellness programs, coaching, and other social and emotional learning spaces.Regardless of the setting, an Expressive Arts Facilitator role is to lead others in utilizing the expressive arts for learning, personal growth, improved well-being, and self-expression.
Martha McCaughey, PhD, faculty in our training program, has a background in sociology and women’s studies. She has integrated visual journaling with students to help them reflect more deeply and intentionally about their relationship to technology, their bodies, and mindfulness. For example, in one of her courses, Living in the Digital Age, Martha challenged students to analyze and monitor their technology usage in order to design a set of goals and practices aligned with a “tech diet.” Martha facilitated expressive arts principles by encouraging students to employ visual journaling as both a daily practice and a presentation tool to process and display their findings rather than relying solely on technology. In addition, Martha leads workshops at Northwest Creative and Expressive Arts Institute for anyone interested in incorporating visual journaling for their personal or professional growth and development.
As someone who has gone through the process of becoming a Registered Expressive Arts Consultant and Education through the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association, Martha notes that Northwest Creative and Expressive Arts Institute’s Facilitator’s Track “provides opportunities to develop one’s expressive arts practice and philosophy as well as to gain hours for pursuing the REACE credential.” As part of the REACE application, individuals are required to cultivate a philosophy about the function and purpose of creative expression based on personal experience, document intermodal expressive arts practice and facilitation, and demonstrate extensive knowledge through arts-based research, study, and training.
For anyone interested in learning how to become Expressive Arts Facilitators, Martha advises folks to “be intentional, welcoming, and encouraging.” Martha also recommends “providing structure and prompts to those who need it and adapting techniques depending on comfort level, skill, and needs.” For example, Martha suggests tailoring expressive arts techniques for beginners by “limiting and labeling materials so as to not overwhelm participants and demonstrating how to use supplies by modeling how to make marks and observing the differences between permanent versus water soluble tools.” In order to promote accessibility, Martha also proposes “providing examples, tips, tricks and possibilities as well as having items to trace and stamp to make the process more approachable and appealing for beginners.”
The most vital aspect of expressive arts facilitation is to promote focusing on the act of creation itself rather than the outcome in order to fully reap the multitude of expansive benefits.
Keep an eye out for future visual journal workshops hosted by Martha McCaughey, PhD at Northwest Creative and Expressive Arts Institute as well as upcoming information sessions about the Expressive Arts Facilitator’s Track Training Program held through the month of September.
Applications are available! For questions or additional information, please reach out to Northwest Creative and Expressive Arts Therapy Institute directly at info@seattlearttherapy.org. We look forward to connecting with you soon!
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