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ART THERAPY + HAPPINESS PROJECT

May 2015 Trauma-Informed, Expressive Arts Therapy News

ART THERAPY +HAPPINESS PROJECTMay 2015 Trauma-Informed, Expressive Arts TherapyNews
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In this Issue...

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2015 ART THERAPY + HAPPINESS PROJECT begins in June! Registration is Open!

An International Creative Community with Art Therapists Janet McLeod (New Zealand), Emily Johnson Welsh (USA), and Cathy Malchiodi (Guest Host/USA).


The ART THERAPY + HAPPINESS PROJECT was so popular in 2013 and 2014, we have planned a new version for 2015. This is a unique opportunity for exploring art making and well-being; no art [therapy] experience required!

We believe that art making can make us "happier" through four positive forces that help us to be more resilient when challenged by life events, big and small. These Four Positive Forces are: Connection, Compassion, Contribution and Courage. We all can use our own Creativity as a positive force that inspires and motivates us to deeply Connect with others, experience Compassion for others and ourselves, make Contributions that are meaningful and life-affirming, and have the Courage to tell our stories and speak our truths.


This online interactive workshop will again focus around the four positive forces of wellbeing exploring new and old creative techniques. Art journaling, mixed media creations, mindful photography and yoga will all be part of the mix! This is a great place to experiment with new materials and techniques that you can then continue to use to increase creativity in your life. New swaps will be introduced that will enable the chance to deeply connect with other creative friends from around the world. Additional material that has been shown through research to increase wellbeing will be added as the year progresses keeping the site alive and full of fresh inspiration to fulfill your creative needs.


We are planning to open the course for participation in June 2015. PLEASE REGISTER EARLY! The course will stay open throughout the rest of 2015, but space is on a first-come, first-serve basis. By registering early, you will give yourself plenty of time to enjoy monthly activities, downloadable materials and regular opportunities for a variety of art swaps with participants around the world. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER...

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3 Days of Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy, Anchorage Alaska, August 19-20-21, 2015! Join us at the BP Center, Anchorage AK [limited seating]

Faculty: Cathy Malchiodi, PhD & Elizabeth Warson, PhD


Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy Level One at the BP Center, Anchorage Alaska, August 2015, Limited Seating Available!


Join us at the beautiful BP Center in Anchorage Alaska for this three-day course presenting the foundations of trauma-informed practice and the latest research and approaches to expressive arts and play, stress reduction and resilience. Participants will learn art therapy and expressive arts therapy strategies and applications to increase their understanding of trauma-informed approaches, enhance resilience in various client populations and reduce stress responses to trauma and loss. Participants will engage in a variety of hands-on experiences using mind-body, mindfulness, wellness and strength-based best practices grounded in emerging research. The essential practices presented in this course can be applied to individuals of all ages and families, groups and communities from a culturally-responsive, trauma-informed approach. By attending the entire three days, participants will learn:


1) the five components of trauma-informed practice;

2) at least five arts-based methods used in culturally responsive, trauma-informed intervention;

3) at least three reasons why sensory-based, arts interventions are essential to reducing the body’s response to stress;

4) at least five aspects that enhance resilience through culturally responsive, trauma informed intervention;

5) at least seven ways to apply course material to work with families, groups or communities that have experienced acute trauma, chronic trauma or intergenerational trauma.


Attendance of the three day sequence qualifies for 18 continuing education credits from the National Board of Certified Counselors [NBCC Provider #6557 and Texas LPC Board] and completion of Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy Level One Certificate; a small additional fee is charged for a continuing education certificate, but your Level One Certificate is included in the three-day fee. Alaska Counseling Association CECs application is pending.


CLICK HERE TO REGISTER and for more information...

Refund Policy for Live Events-- for more information, please click here.

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Trauma-Informed Practices and Expressive Arts Therapy Institute

The Trauma-Informed Practices and Expressive Arts Therapy Institute is dedicated to providing professional education that promotes greater understanding of creative, trauma-informed practices. The Institute offers continuing education courses and workshops and convenient distance learning courses for mental health professionals and master's and doctoral students. Courses emphasize approaches that are based on best practices, integrative methods and current research in expressive arts, creative arts, and trauma-informed care and complement mind-body, somatic, sensory integration and neurodevelopmental methods of trauma intervention. We believe that the expressive arts approach in particular is essential to many individuals' trauma recovery and are an important part of integrative health care. The Institute's supports a vision for advanced understanding and education in creative methods of therapy and promotes the value of these approaches as complementary to mind-body, sensory-integration and neuropsychology approaches to trauma-informed care, psychotherapy and wellness.

Children Talk About the Power of Mindfulness

Enjoy this wonderful film that interviews children about their experiences with stressful thoughts and feelings and how mindfulness practices have helped them.
"Just Breathe" by Julie Bayer Salzman & Josh Salzman (Wavecrest Films)
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Resilience and Children | Harvard Graduate School of Education

When confronted with the fallout of childhood trauma, why do some children adapt and overcome, while others bear lifelong scars that flatten their potential? A growing body of evidence points to one common answer: Every child who winds up doing well has had at least one stable and committed rela­tionship with a supportive adult. Read more at Harvard School of Education...
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Intergenerational and Historical Trauma...Important to Trauma-Informed Practice

A person's experience as a child or teenager can have a profound impact on their future children's lives, new work is showing. Rachel Yehuda, a researcher in the growing field of epigenetics and the intergenerational effects of trauma, and her colleagues have long studied mass trauma survivors and their offspring. Their latest results reveal that descendants of people who survived the Holocaust have different stress hormone profiles than their peers, perhaps predisposing them to anxiety disorders. Read more at Scientific American...
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A Music Therapy Activities Wiki...

If you want to understand more about music therapy, here is a brief article with links to music therapy activities and the practice of music therapy. For non-music therapists, this is a great resource to expand your knowledge of this vital, dynamic field of practice, research and inspiration. Click here to read more on Psychology Today...
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Free Downloadable Articles on Expressive Arts and Trauma-Informed Practice!

Enjoy a variety of downloadable articles and links to a variety of topics with an emphasis on trauma-informed practice and expressive arts therapy, play therapy, mind-body approaches and neurobiology-focused concepts. Check back often for new articles and resources; also visit Books for more information on published materials on a wide variety of topics including art therapy, creative interventions, mindfulness, positive psychology, counseling, and play therapy. Find out more here...
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Learn About Expressive Arts Therapies Here...

Creative interventions and creative art therapies have been formalized through the disciplines of art therapy, music therapy, dance/movement therapy, drama therapy or psychodrama, poetry therapy, and play therapy, including sand tray therapy. Each discipline has been applied in psychotherapy and counseling with individuals of all ages and particularly children for more than 50 years. Art, music, dance, drama, and poetry therapies are referred to as “creative arts therapies” and "expressive arts therapy" because of their roots in the arts and theories of creativity. These therapies and others that utilize self-expression in treatment are also called “expressive therapies” (Expressive Therapies, Malchiodi, 2005, Guilford Publications). Expressive therapies are defined as the use of art, music, dance/movement, drama, poetry/creative writing, bibliotherapy, play, and sand tray within the context of psychotherapy, counseling, rehabilitation, or medicine. Additionally, expressive therapies are sometimes referred to as “integrative” when used in combination in treatment. Read more here...
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Creative Interventions with Traumatized Children, 2nd Edition, Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, Editor

Rich with case material and artwork samples, this volume demonstrates a range of creative approaches for facilitating children's emotional reparation and recovery from trauma. Contributors include experienced practitioners of play, art, music, movement and drama therapies, bibliotherapy, and integrative therapies, who describe step-by-step strategies for working with individual children, families, and groups. The case-based format makes the book especially practical and user-friendly. Specific types of stressful experiences addressed include parental loss, child abuse, accidents, family violence, bullying, and mass trauma. Broader approaches to promoting resilience and preventing posttraumatic problems in children at risk are also presented. Available from Guilford Publications, Self-Esteem Bookstore, Amazon and more.

Scenes from a Recent Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy Training!

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Join Us for an Online Course or Live Event!

In the last two years, thousands of participants have attended our live events or taken our online courses in expressive arts therapies and trauma-informed practice! Our online and live event courses will enhance your skills with children, adolescents, and adults and increase your practical knowledge of how to apply arts therapies, play therapy, neuroscience, somatic and mind-body approaches, mindfulness practice and resilience building. In particular, they will introduce you to trauma-informed art therapy [art-based methods along with specific play-based and expressive therapies techniques] and how to apply practical strategies to your work with children and adults who have experienced a wide variety of traumatic events and other challenges. Trauma-informed work is based on best evidence-based practices that are enhanced by specific applications creative interventions and somatic approaches. These courses are appropriate for mental health and healthcare professionals and graduate level students. Unlike workbook approaches, these courses are designed to help practitioners learn to learn “how to think” and determine the best approach for each child or adult.


The goal of these presentations is to introduce the participant to expressive arts and play therapy activities designed specifically for children and families who have experienced traumatic events or loss, with an emphasis on resilience. See this page for more information!

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Expressive Arts Therapy, Play Therapy and Attachment

If you are looking for a comprehensive resource on how and why expressive arts therapies/creative arts therapies and play therapy are key approaches in addressing attachment problems, this book vividly shows how these methods can help children recover from experiences of disrupted or insecure attachment. Leading practitioners explore the impact of early relationship difficulties on children's emotions and behavior. Rich case material brings to life a range of therapeutic approaches that utilize art, music, movement, drama, creative writing, and play. The volume covers ways to address attachment issues with individuals of different ages, as well as their caregivers. Chapters clearly explain the various techniques and present applications for specific populations, including complex trauma survivors
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Art Therapy and Positive Psychology

Positive Psychology and Trauma-Informed Practice: Is There a Connection between Art and Happiness?

Does the creative process of art making make us happier? The connection between artistic creativity and happiness is a slippery topic at best. After all, what about all those less-than-happy ending stories about artists with depression or other emotional challenges? Doesn't art come from emotional pain? But there is a growing body of research that underscores the contrary, that art has a powerful effect on us in positive ways. To read more about the evidence, seePsychology Today, "Art and Happiness: Is There a Connection?" Also, if you are a member of the LinkedIn community, see the networking group, "Positivity+Happiness Art Therapy" to join in the discussion with other professionals. Read more about Art Therapy and Positive Psychology here...

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Expressive Arts Therapy | Creative Arts Therapies

The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) (Foa et al, 2009) provides a comprehensive summary of the role of the creative art therapies, including art therapy, in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The ISTSS statement underscores the growing interest the relationship between the creative arts therapies and the brain, including how the brain processes traumatic events and the possibilities for reparation through art, music, movement, play, and drama therapies.

Creative interventions have been formalized through the disciplines of art therapy, music therapy, dance/movement therapy, drama therapy or psychodrama, poetry therapy, and play therapy, including sand tray therapy. Each discipline has been applied in psychotherapy and counseling with individuals of all ages and particularly children for more than 50 years. Art, music, dance, drama, and poetry therapies are referred to as “creative arts therapies” and "expressive arts therapy" because of their roots in the arts and theories of creativity. These therapies and others that utilize self-expression in treatment are also called “expressive therapies” (Malchiodi, 2005). Expressive therapies are defined as the use of art, music, dance/movement, drama, poetry/creative writing, bibliotherapy, play, and sand tray within the context of psychotherapy, counseling, rehabilitation, or medicine. Read more here...