Expressive Arts, Mindfulness, and EMDR Therapy: A Comprehensive Course for EMDR Therapists: Homestudy

12 CE credit hours


Expressive arts therapy is an approach to psychotherapy with roots in indigenous cultures and a rich history of evolution within modalities such as Jungian, person-centered, and Gestalt psychotherapies. Defined by its emphasis on the multi-modal process of healing (exploring many combinations for creativity rather than relying on just one art form), the strategies of expressive arts psychotherapy can prove useful to trauma therapists practicing in a variety of modalities. In this dynamic, self-paced course, participants are oriented to the fundamentals of expressive arts therapy history and approach. Participants are then instructed in how to facilitate an expressive arts process to teach the clinical concepts of grounding and managing emotional affect through widening the window of distress tolerance. Both grounding and widening the affective window of tolerance are vital practices in trauma-focused care. Participants will develop an enhanced respect for how to foster client creativity in working with these concepts and their clinical intricacies. The role of creativity and the practice of making art are also discussed as mechanisms of action in processing traumatic experiences and promoting post-traumatic growth.

The content is then directly translated to EMDR therapists for implementing expressive arts strategies in EMDR therapy Phases 2 and 7 with specific focus on how dual attention stimulus can be used to strengthen connection to expressive/creative resources. The great volume of writing and case material on using creativity to developmentally tailor the standard EMDR protocol for children is also reviewed and referenced in this discussion. Participants will brainstorm how to implement content from the overall workshop to EMDR therapy case conceptualization and treatment planning within the scope of the AIP model.

This is a hybrid, self-paced distance learning course, comprised of reading material and video content. This is an intermediate level course. Completion of all modules, a course evaluation, and post-test is required to receive CE Certificate. Course evaluations are administered after completing all course modules. The post-test is comprised of true/false and multiple choice questions and requires a passing mark of 75%, and is administered after completion of the course evaluation. Upon passing the post-test, participants are able to download their CE certificates.

This course was first published April 2019. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at [email protected] 

You have 180 days to complete a homestudy course from the time that you sign up. After 180 days, you will be assessed a $25.00 administrative renewal fee to access and complete the course.  


Objectives

After this workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. Describe the origins of expressive arts therapy (e.g., indigenous traditions, historical threads in Jungian analysis, person-centered psychotherapy, and Gestalt psychotherapy)
  2. Define expressive arts therapy and explain its nature as a multi-modal, multi-art process
  3. Explain the concept of grounding and why teaching it to clients is relevant in trauma-focused care
  4. Implement an expressive arts process to teach grounding in a clinical setting (individual or group), using at least three creative art forms
  5. Explain the concept of distress tolerance and why teaching it to clients is relevant in trauma-focused care
  6. Implement an expressive arts process to expand distress tolerance in a clinical setting (individual or group), using at least three creative art forms
  7. Develop a treatment plan appropriate for the clinical setting in which the participant works, utilizing expressive arts approaches alongside the participant’s primary approach to psychotherapy
  8. Implement at least three art forms in the expressive arts tradition in Phase 2 for the purposes of grounding and widening affective window of tolerance, strengthening skills with dual attention stimulus as appropriate
  9. Define mindfulness and explain the justification for teaching clients mindfulness skills as part of EMDR therapy preparation
  10. Apply no fewer than 4-6 mindfulness strategies to clinical practice, respecting the idea that expressive arts practices can be done mindfully for added creative variation in adapting to client needs
  11. Explain how mindfully applied expressive arts strategies can assist EMDR therapists in managing abreaction and dissociation within EMDR therapy sessions
  12. Briefly summarize the literature and case studies reviewed in the course on the value of implementing both mindfulness and expressive arts therapy strategies into execution of the standard protocol, especially as an assist in working with complex trauma
  13. Strategize how to include expressive arts therapy approaches into individualized closure (Phase 7) plans for clients, explaining how the process can be vital for managing affect in between sessions and overall distress tolerance/containment
  14. Explain and implement how creativity and expressive arts approaches can be used to developmentally tailor the standard EMDR therapy protocol for children

Presenter(s)

ICM Founder & Director Jamie Marich

Dr. Jamie Marich (she/they/we) began her career as a humanitarian aid worker in Bosnia-Hercegovina from 2000-2003, primarily teaching English and music. Jamie travels internationally teaching on topics related to trauma, EMDR therapy, expressive arts, mindfulness, and yoga, while maintaining a private practice and online education operations in her home base of Akron, OH. Marich is the founder of the Institute for Creative Mindfulness and the developer of the Dancing Mindfulness approach to expressive arts therapy. Marich is the author of EMDR Made Simple: 4 Approaches for Using EMDR with Every Client (2011), Trauma and the Twelve Steps: A Complete Guide for Recovery Enhancement (2012), Creative Mindfulness (2013), Trauma Made Simple: Competencies in Assessment, Treatment, and Working with Survivors, Dancing Mindfulness: A Creative Path to Healing and Transformation (2015), and Process Not Perfection: Expressive Arts Solutions for Trauma Recovery (2019). Marich co-authored EMDR Therapy & Mindfulness for Trauma-Focused Care along with colleague Dr. Stephen Dansiger in 2018, and their new book with Springer Publishing Healing Addiction with EMDR Therapy: A Trauma-Focused Guide released in 2021. North Atlantic Books published a revised and expanded edition of Trauma and the 12 Steps in the Summer of 2020, and they released The Healing Power of Jiu-Jitsu: A Guide to Transforming Trauma and Facilitating Recovery in 2022. Her latest release with North Atlantic Book, Dissociation Made Simple: A Stigma-Free Guide to Embracing Your Dissociative Mind and Navigating Life came out in January 2023. She has three more projects in the works with North Atlantic Books, including her personal memoir about surviving spiritual abuse called You Lied to Me About God, due out in Autumn 2024. The Huffington Post published her personal story of being out as a clinical professional with a dissociative disorder in May 2023. The New York Times featured Marich’s writing and work on Dancing Mindfulness in 2017 and 2020. NALGAP: The Association of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Addiction Professionals and Their Allies awarded Jamie with their esteemed President’s Award in 2015 for her work as an LGBT advocate. The EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) granted Jamie the 2019 Advocacy in EMDR Award for her using her public platform in media and in the addiction field to advance awareness about EMDR therapy and to reduce stigma around mental health. Jamie also sits on the editorial board of the EMDR Journal of Practice and Research, and she was the 2008 winner of the Poster Research Award at the EMDRIA Annual Conference.

Continuing Education Approvals

The Institute for Creative Mindfulness is approved by the following organizations to offer 12 continuing education (CE) credit hours for this course:

The Institute for Creative Mindfulness is an approved provider of continuing education in EMDR Therapy by the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). Course Approval: #10002-DL32.

As of April 26, 2023, The Institute for Creative Mindfulness is no longer approved to sponsor HOMESTUDY continuing education for psychologists. If you registered for this course before April 25, 2023, you are eligible to receive continuing education for this HOMESTUDY course. Please contact our office at [email protected] if you need verification of registration date. 

The Institute for Creative Mindfulness is an approved provider of continuing education by the State of Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board (OCSWMFT) for counselors, social workers, and marriage/family therapists. Approval: #RCS091306

This course is no longer eligible for NBCC, ASWB, or APA Credits as of August 8th, 2024.

A General Note About Approvals

Please also note that APA-approved sponsors are accepted by many state boards, such as California BBS and major licensure boards within the state of Pennsylvania. In both of these cases, separate paperwork does not need to be filled out. Many state boards also accept out-of-state providers, which is why our Ohio approvals appear on every training. In some states, pre- or post-program approval forms must be sent, and you are responsible for checking into the rules of the licensure board in your state as to what is required. Please let the Institute for Creative Mindfulness know if you need support documentation in any way for these pre or post-program approval applications.

Course Completion & CE Certificate Information

Completion of all modules, a course evaluation, and post-test is required to receive CE Certificate. Course evaluations are administered after completing all course modules. The post-test is comprised of true/false and multiple choice questions and requires a passing mark of 75%. Upon passing the post-test and completing the course evaluation, participants are emailed their CE certificates.

After paying for this course you will receive an email from Thinkific to complete your registration and receive access to your course dashboard.

You have 180 days to complete a homestudy course from the time that you sign up. After 180 days, you will be assessed a $25.00 administrative renewal fee to access and complete the course.

Course Curriculum

    1. Description

    2. Objectives

      FREE PREVIEW

    3. Continuing Education Approvals

      FREE PREVIEW

    4. Suggested Materials and Approach

    5. Course Outline

    1. Module 1: Introduction to Expressive Arts Therapy

    1. Grounding and Trauma Care: Background

    2. Practice 1: Grounding Tree Visualization

    3. Practice 2: Tree Pose

    4. Practice 3: Moving the Branches

    5. Practice 4: Gush Art

    6. Practice 5: Taking it to the Page

    7. Practice 6: Hold Your Ground

    8. Reflection Questions Following Grounding (Process 1)

    1. Distress Tolerance and Trauma Care: Background

    2. Practice 1: Container Visualization

    3. Practice 2: Making a Container

    4. Practice 3: Composing a Playlist

    5. Practice 4: Listen to Music You Don’t Like

    6. Practice 5: Embrace-Release-Embrace

    7. Practice 6: Taking it to the Page

    8. Reflection Questions Following Distress Tolerance (Process 2)

    1. EMDR Therapy & Expressive Arts: Orientation for EMDR Therapists

    1. Mindfulness and Trauma Care: Background

    2. Practice 1: Traditional Mindfulness Sampler

    3. Practice 2: Yogic Breathing Techniques with Expressive Innovations (Marich & Dansiger, 2017)

    4. Practice 3: Mindful Movement

    5. Practices 4 & 5: Mindful Containment with Coloring Pages & Gush Art

    6. Practice 6: Composing a Mindful Playlist

    7. Practice 7: Taking it to the Page

    8. Reflection Questions Following Mindfulness (Process 3)

Course details

  • $255.00
  • 38 lessons
  • 0 hours of video content

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