Certificate of Expressive Arts Therapy

Questions before registering? Please read through this page, INCLUDING the FAQs as many of your questions will likely be answered. If you still have questions specific to you, please send us an email at support@instituteforcreativemindfulness.com

About the Expressive Arts Therapy Certification

The Certificate of Expressive Arts Therapy Program requires that participants meet 75 hours of educational requirements and 25 hours of supervision requirements. Read more about supervision requirements and learn about our REAT supervisors on the Supervision in Expressive Arts page. This program is ideally suited for students also wanting to pursue EMDR Therapy Training with The Institute for Creative Mindfulness.

The Institute for Creative Mindfulness offers many online and in-person courses that meet the 75-hour supplementary educational requirement in Expressive Arts Therapy set by the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA). Successful completion of your 75 hours covers the competency areas of group expressive arts therapy process, individual expressive arts therapy process, and approaches to, or styles of, Expressive Arts Therapy in practice and study, i.e., various approaches used by the applicant in integrating multi-arts in therapy.

ICM requires that the 75-hour supplementary educational requirement includes participation in at least one Intensive Training Program and the distance-based Process Not Perfection Book Course. ICM must disclose that the certificate program as a whole is not being offered for NBCC credit, only the qualifying CE program components that are specifically advertised for NBCC credit.

Expressive Arts Therapy Curriculum

The Certificate of Expressive Arts Therapy requires participants to complete 75 hours of educational programming, which must include an intensive training course and the Process Not Perfection book course. Below is the recommended approach to fulfilling the requirements of the Certificate Of Expressive Arts Therapy program.

Step 1: Process Not perfection Book Course

  • Required for certificate track completion
  • 20 total hours, 20 CE Credit hours approved by APA and OSCMFT
  • Distance Based, Study At Your Own Pace
  • Supervisory review with ICM Registered Expressive Arts Therapist
  • Ideal starting place for orientation towards certification

The Process Not Perfection Book Course is an ideal starting place for both those beginning the Expressive Arts certificate program or those who acquired credit hours via previous courses, such as EMDR Therapy Training graduates. You will have the opportunity to select to study with your choice of ICM REAT supervisor for this course, and they can help guide and orient you to the complete process of earning your Certificate of Expressive Arts Therapy with ICM.

Step 2: Select your intensive training Program

At least one of the following intensive programs is required as part of your certificate hours.

Expressive Arts Therapy Module A
Principles of Mindfulness, Movement, and the Expressive Arts

The training itself is 18 hours. An additional 7 hours are awarded upon successful completion of the recommended reading (Dancing Mindfulness: A Creative Path to Healing and Transformation) and a follow-up paper to be reviewed by a supervising REAT. In this independent portion of the study, you are asked to reflect on your personal process with engaging in the integrated expressive/creative arts components in each of the core chapters and discuss multi-modal applications for using the Dancing Mindfulness practice along with 2-3 other expressive arts in a clinical setting. Additionally, you are eligible for separate basic certification as a Dancing Mindfulness Facilitator after completion of this live module. A list of currently scheduled trainings and information on the distance training can be found at dancingmindfulness.com.

Expressive Arts Therapy Module B
Trauma-Focused Approaches to Meditation, Breath Work, and Yoga-Based Somatic Movement in Clinical Settings

The training itself is 18.5 hours and must be taken in person or as an interactive online training as available. An additional 6.5 hours may be awarded upon successful completion of the recommended reading (list of choices provided at the training) and a follow-up paper to be reviewed by a supervising REAT. In this independent portion of the study, you are asked to reflect on your personal process with engaging in the exercises offered in your chosen book and discuss multi-modal applications for using practices explored at the training along with 2-3 other expressive arts in a clinical setting.

Expressive Arts Therapy Module C
EMDR Therapy Training

The training is broken up into Parts 1 and 2, each of which is 21 hours and must be taken in person.  For more information about EMDR training see our EMDR Therapy Training page.

Completion of your EMDR Therapy Training program requires an additional 10 hours of consultation with an ICM EMDR Consultant. You may be able to count these consultation hours towards Expressive Arts Supervision hours when working with a REAT Supervisor who is also an EMDR Consultant. Make sure to check with your Supervisor!

*The trainings themselves are 18 CE credit hours. You can take these courses for 18 hours only, or you can earn up to 25 by writing a Supplementary Paper. The requirements for the paper are listed below.

If you choose EMDR Therapy Training as your intensive, you must follow up with at least one Retreat program from the lists below.

Step 3: Complete Your Remaining Hours with Any of These offerings

Based on your previous selections your will need to complete between 13 to 37 additional educational hours to meet the certificate requirements. This may be accomplished by participation and successful completion of any of the following offerings. Our use of the term hours in this section refers to hours that can be counted towards your total 75 educational hours for the Certificate of Expressive Arts Therapy. Some of these courses do come with accompanying CE credit hours that can be used towards your professional license, although you will need to click on each individual offering for more details.

Non-Compulsory Intensives

Expressive Arts Therapy Module D

16 total hours

In addition to attendance at the retreat held every spring, participants must also complete a supplementary paper or submission demonstrating how you utilized three or more expressive art forms during the retreat and how you plan to implement your learning in clinical settings. Standard CE credit hours available for certain retreat sessions. For more information click HERE.

Expressive Arts Therapy Module E

16 total hours

In addition to attendance at the retreat held between Thanksgiving and Christmas, participants must also complete a supplementary paper or submission demonstrating how you utilized three or more expressive art forms during the retreat and how you plan to implement your learning in clinical settings. ​For more information click HERE.

Distance Based Courses

This is Dr. Marich's original Introduction to Expressive Arts Therapy course that many people take for an overview of the fundamentals. This version of the course, taught in 2021, is available on-demand through PESI, LLC.  For more information and to register, please click HERE.

 Dancing Mindfulness: A Creative Path to Healing and Transformation

12 total hours

A book course sponsored by Curious.com with supplementary reaction piece required for submission. Start course here >>>

*NOTE: This course can only be counted if you did not use the Dancing Mindfulness Facilitator Training Intensive (Expressive Arts Therapy Module A) toward your hours.

Hours vary by course.

ICM's online distance learning platform offers a variety of options that fulfill the education requirements for the Certificate of Expressive Arts Therapy. View courses here >>>

You may count up to 2 courses or retreats/pilgrimages offered by Abbey of the Arts, an expressive arts based ministry and program operated by our associate Christine Valters Paintner, Ph.D., REACE. The Abbey of the Arts offers a variety of programming, both online (courses, virtual retreats) and in-person (pilgrimages, retreats). Depending on the length of the course, retreat, or pilgrimage, you can be awarded 8-16 hours for each program you select (contact us for specific details on transfer of hours).

Please visit the Abbey website to browse your options. A brief reflection paper submitted to your REAT supervisor discussing clinical applications of the content you studied in the course is required for the hours to count.

Live Online or In-Person Courses

Any conference presentation you may have attended with Dr. Marich on Dancing Mindfulness, creative mindfulness, or trauma-informed interventions where the expressive arts were implemented (consult with your supervisor for courses that qualify and exact transfer of hours). Click HERE for a full calendar of public appearances and conferences by Dr. Marich.

You may request to have up to 12 hours of coursework from another expressive arts education program transferred in to this certificate program for the completion of your 75 hours. All requests for transfers will be individually evaluated.

*For those enrolled in Dancing Mindfulness Facilitator Training or Yoga For Clinicians.*

The purpose of supplemental reaction papers (which can include other submissions of expressive media such as video, audio, or visual art forms) is to assess your ability to analyze the information received during a course and demonstrate your ability to implement this learning in a clinical environment.

The overall learning objectives for the supplemental reaction papers on which you will be evaluated are:

  1. To describe three key points of learning from the primary experience (e.g., attending an intensive or retreat; reading a book or taking an approved supplemental course)—lower levels of Bloom's taxonomy
  2. To report your personal experience with working through at least three or more exercises described in the supplementary reading for an intensive, or in the case of a book course, the book itself. Emphasis expected to be placed on the multi-art nature of your participation with these exercises—lower levels of Bloom's taxonomy
  3. To introduce a brainstorm of how you would apply the concepts that you learned in the main course or reading alongside three other expressive arts forms; this objective is especially important if the intensive or course you took (or the book you read) focused primarily on one expressive art form—lower/middle levels of Bloom's taxonomy
  4. To propose a plan for implementing elements of your brainstorm into a clinical setting in concert with evidence-based clinical modalities (e.g., DBT, CBT, experiential, Gestalt, EMDR therapy) in both individual and group settings. This objective can be met using step-by-step instructions for implementation, similar to a handout you may give a group—higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy
  5. To recommend, in conclusion, at least two ideas of how you would integrate other expressive arts forms into an intensive training experience (in the case of Dancing Mindfulness & Yoga for Clinicians); for books or other courses, you may also make recommendations for how the author or course leader could have integrated expressive arts forms they didn't consider or how they may have emphasized integration of the expressive arts more robustly– higher levels of Bloom's taxonomy

Length of reaction papers/projects: Generally your work is evaluated in terms of quality rather than quantity; as long as the objectives are being met in a way that reflects the Bloom's taxonomy expectation, you have "passed" that objective. All objectives must be met/passed for the credit to be granted. If there is a problem with the quality as assessed by Dr. Marich, specific feedback will be given and you will be given a chance to recreate/resubmit.

We are aware that navigating this collage of options can be confusing. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have specific questions.

Supervision Requirements

  • 25 Hours of Individual Supervision

In addition to 75 education hours, the Certificate of Expressive Arts Therapy also requires 200 clinical hours guided by 25 hours of individual supervision. Program participants must complete their supervision hours with an ICM Expressive Arts Supervisor. More details and links for supervision registration and payment are available at the link below.

Continuing Education

Many of the courses offered in the Certificate of Expressive Arts Therapy program are eligible for continuing education. For more information about CE credit hours offered please check the individual event pages, accessible through the Expressive Arts Therapy training schedule here.

CE approvals vary for different components of the program. For more information on CE credit approvals, please see Continuing Education Approvals.

View the Select Calendar of Expressive Arts Therapy Programs

A quick reference of live trainings held by Dr. Jamie Marich or affiliates that can be counted towards the certification in Expressive Arts Therapy.

Eligibility for the Certificate of Expressive Arts Therapy Program

A masters or doctoral degree

A masters or doctoral degree in a clinical mental health-related field (e.g., counseling, marriage & family therapy, social work, psychology) is required. Although it is not required, it is strongly preferred that you are in active clinical practice and working with clients.

Master's level students

Master's level students may be permitted to take the course if The Institute for Creative Mindfulness receives a letter of recommendation from a faculty member ahead of time. Requests and letters of recommendation can be sent to:  support@instituteforcreativemindfulness.com

Medical Professionals

Medical professionals (e.g., nurses, physicians) are also eligible to take the course if they possess a clinical master's or doctorate degree and if their primary specialty is within mental health.

Chemical dependency professionals

Chemical dependency professionals with a master's degree or higher may also be eligible to take the course. Pastoral/Christian counselors, and art/music/dance therapists may also be eligible if they can show sufficient clinical content on their Master's level transcripts. In these three specialty scenarios, prior approval is required from the Institute for Creative Mindfulness. In cases of these special circumstances, all cases must be made in writing with supporting documentation directly to The Institute for Creative Mindfulness. You can send your request to: support@instituteforcreativemindfulness.com

Diversity & Social Justice Scholarship

The Institute for Creative Mindfulness offers professional clinicians who are actively working to promote social justice in their circles of work and influence. Anyone in financial need who envisions a compelling use for our trainings to promote the value of social justice may apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, you do not need to complete the curriculum in any particular order. However, we strongly encourage trainees start with the Process Not Perfection Book Course because it offers an opportunity to connect with an ICM REAT Supervisor who will help guide and orient you through the process of successfully completing the curriculum. Upon registering for the book course, a REAT supervisor (most likely Irene Rodriguez) will be in touch with you via email to go over details on the rest of the program and will set up a time to talk if needed. If you are already a student in one of our other programs (e.g., EMDR Therapy training, Dancing Mindfulness, Yoga for Clinicians), please contact Irene Rodriguez directly to review program requirements: irene@mindfuljourneycenter.com.

While you are not eligible for the certificate of expressive arts therapy, we have trainees of all backgrounds attending expressive arts courses such as Dancing Mindfulness Facilitator Training, and our Expressive Arts Retreats.

Our courses may additionally count toward's the International Expressive Arts (IEATA's) Registered Expressive Arts Consultant and Educator (REACE) credential.

We do not offer a "lump sum" pricing for the program unless an organization or a person approaches us directly to ask for a quote because they are being funded by an outside source. It is easiest for you, if paying individually, to "pay as you go" for the various required courses, intensives, and supervision fees. The fees of these courses can depend on what you choose. On average, people end up spending about $3500.00 for the program.

Our program allows you to complete any variety of major clinical trainings are part of your educational requirements: the full EMDRIA-approved EMDR Therapy Training (which we teach with attention to mindfulness and the expressive arts), the Dancing Mindfulness Facilitator Training, or Yoga for Clinicians. All of these programs are designed with a strong trauma-focused angle. Thus, completing the Certificate of Expressive Arts Therapy with the Institute for Creative Mindfulness equips you with skills for trauma-focused practice beyond only the expressive arts. Many of our students also report liking the autonomy and independence to "design your own program" as you go.

Yes. With all of our major intensives and retreats moving over to online options due to COVID-19, the entire program can now be completely remotely.

If you are not familiar with using travel sites for booking, please contact the training provider directly at the site where you book. If you are stuck in this process, please contact us.

Each module of the Certificate for Expressive Arts Therapy curriculum may have its own CE credit hours associated with it. Please see the Select Calendar of Expressive Arts for which CE credit hours apply to your training. For more information on continuing education approvals, please click HERE.