Learn more about Professional training in Expressive artsÂ
Join one of our upcoming Information and/or Mini Expressive Arts Session! These are FREE, but registration is required.
Click on the date(s) and time(s) that work for you and sign up to learn more,
Training Program Info Session
You’ve spent years learning how to hold space for others. What if the most powerful tool you could offer was the creative process itself? Join us for a free information session about NWCEAI’s Professional Expressive Arts Training Program — a practitioner-level training designed for Mental Health Counselors, Therapists, and Social Workers, who want to deepen their clinical work through the expressive arts. Learn about our curriculum, our cohort model, and what it means to train in an approach grounded in humanistic, depth-oriented values. We’ll answer your questions, share what this training looks and feels like from the inside, and help you discern if it’s the right next step for you.
Friday May 22 | 8:00 – 9:00am PT – Information Session: Register here
Mini Experiential Workshop: Creative Beginnings
What does it feel like to make something — not to make it well, but simply to make it? In this free one-hour experiential workshop, you’ll be gently guided through poetry, visual art, writing, and somatic awareness in a way that is accessible, playful, and surprisingly revealing. No artistic experience required. Creative Beginnings is an introduction to the heart of expressive arts — the belief that the creative process belongs to everyone, and that something meaningful is always waiting to emerge. Come curious. Leave changed.
Online
Please have some basic art and writing materials available.
Friday May 22| 4:00 – 5:00pm PT – Mini Expressive Arts Session: Register here
Not able to attend one of our live sessions? Join Dr. Sibel Golden as she shares about the training program and rich opportunity to further your training in Expressive Arts!
You can also view the video here.
In All of our Training
The origins of using the arts for healing can be traced back to ancient civilizations, where music, dance, visual arts, and storytelling were integral to cultural rituals and healing practices. These early societies recognized the profound impact of creative expression on emotional and physical well-being. Over time, the therapeutic use of the arts evolved, with significant contributions from various cultures and traditions, ultimately leading to the formalization of expressive arts therapy in the 20th century. Today, the arts continue to play a vital role in holistic healing approaches, promoting self-expression, emotional resilience, and personal growth.
The multimodality and intermodal nature of expressive arts is something that makes the approach unique.
We offer specialized training focusing on individual modalities such as movement, visual arts, music, drama, and poetry. However, our curriculum emphasizes intermodal teaching and experiences, highlighting the distinctive aspect of expressive arts therapy: the ability to seamlessly incorporate multiple art forms within a single session.
What is Expressive Arts Therapy?
Expressive Arts Therapy is a form of therapy that integrates various creative processes such as music, dance, drama, poetry, and visual arts to foster self-expression, exploration, and healing. It encourages individuals to engage in the creative and artistic process as a means of communicating emotions, thoughts, and experiences that may be difficult to express verbally. Through creative expression, people can explore their inner world, gain insights into their feelings and behaviors, and develop new ways of coping with challenges. Expressive arts therapy is not focused on artistic skill or technique, but rather on the therapeutic benefits of engaging in the creative process itself. It is used in therapeutic settings to promote personal growth, enhance well-being, and facilitate healing across a wide range of populations and age groups.
Our theoretical foundation lies in the Humanistic/Existential approach. We integrate insights from various branches of psychology and creativity studies. Our attention extends to the historical and cultural roles of the arts in human existence, tracing its roots beyond Western psychology. Additionally, our work encompasses the spiritual or transpersonal dimension, honoring the holistic framework of Expressive Arts Therapy.Â
What is Expressive Arts Facilitation?
 Expressive Arts Facilitation serves groups, organizations, and individuals. An expressive arts facilitator is skilled in guiding people through various creative processes to promote self-expression, well-being, and personal growth in areas such as leadership, education, community-building, healthcare, and coaching.
Expressive Arts Facilitators offer teaching and consulting across diverse disciplines like education, coaching, healthcare, community-building, organizational development, the non-profit sector, spiritual development, conflict resolution, and more. It’s important to note that while the work that Expressive Arts Facilitators do can be therapeutic, it is not psychological therapy.
Expressive Arts Facilitation work is both multimodal and intermodal. Multimodal means having fluency in multiple creative arts processes, while intermodal refers to the integration of two or more expressive arts modalities (such as visual art, movement, writing, music/sound, drama, etc.).