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2021 Expressive Therapies Summit: East - Registration Site


2021 SCHEDULE OF SESSIONS

NOW 100% VIRTUAL VIA ZOOM!


 
Photo courtesy of Brad Edelman

 175 Sessions • 12 Days • 225 Faculty


ART • DANCE • MUSIC • DRAMA • WRITING
PSYCHODRAMA • SANDPLAY • PLAY THERAPY


IN-DEPTH EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Most sessions are 2-6 hours in duration

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

 


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  • Wednesday, 11/03/21
  •  

    Wednesday through Friday 3-Day Intensive

    2:00 pm  -  2:00 pm
    (Friday, 11/05/21)
    Diagnostic Drawing Series Training: Over 35 Years of Assessment Through Art
    Live via Zoom
    WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm Eastern
    THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm Eastern
    FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5    , 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Eastern

    Kathryn Johnson, PhD, ATR
    Anne Mills, MA, ATR-BC, LPC, LCPAT
    Barry M. Cohen, ATR-BC

    3-­Day Training Intensive 
    Participants must attend all three days to be eligible for CE credits.

    The Diagnostic Drawing Series (DDS) is a standardized three-picture art interview developed in 1982 by art therapist Barry M. Cohen. Not tied to any particular psychological or theoretical model, the DDS was the first art assessment to be systematically correlated with the nomenclature of the DSM. It can be administered individually and in groups with psychiatric and medical populations, where its use has been recommended or required by JCAHO and other authorities. The varied task structure of a DDS elicits valuable content, structural, and process information that, together, can inform clinicians as to the strengths and psychopathology of the subject. Each of the pictures in the Series is rated for the presence of a total of 23 attributes that lead the trained rater toward an evidence­-based assessment. DDSs have been collected and grouped according to the DSM diagnoses of subjects. Studies of the pictures in the diagnostic groups have revealed statistically significant graphic profiles. These graphic profiles show specific commonalities within each diagnostic group and specific distinguishing differences between diagnostic groups. After more than 35 years of international clinical use and empirical research, evidence has accrued that the DDS and the DDS Rating Guide are highly reliable and valid instruments. The DDS also submits a rich source of material for treatment planning. The DDS is designed for use with people 13 years and older.

    This session is open to mental health graduate students and professionals only.

    Please Note: An additional $25 notebook fee is charged for this 3­-Day Training Intensive.

    REGISTRANTS: Please CLICK HERE to download important DDS collection instructions (Review at least 2 weeks prior to training).


    Eligible for 14.0 total Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
  • Thursday, 11/04/21
  •  

    Thursday Master Classes (March 24, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Promoting Ethical Practice Through Clinical Supervision: Considerations for Art Therapists & Others
    Live via Zoom

    Session Full — Wait List Initiated 


    Jessica Fertig ATR-BC, LCAT
    Rosa Lombard, MS, LCAT, ATR-BC

    This 6-hour master class is designed to explore the relationship between ethical practice and supervision, in order to enhance our work as clinicians. Throughout the session, participants will review various supervisory/leadership styles and identify ways to effectively supervise mental health team members in virtually any setting. Components of ethical standards, as per the AATA and ATCB, will also be discussed. Participants will partake in a “living directive” in which they will respond to the verbal content continuously throughout the length of the course using a variety of mixed media. Intermittent breaks from lecture and art making will allow for processing of the non-verbal works of art.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    The Healing Power of Mandalas and the MARI: Focusing on Grief & Loss
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Portland Institute for Loss and Transition

    Session Full — Wait List Initiated

    Evie Lindemann, ATR-BC, ATCS, LMFT


    Symbols and archetypes. Colors and composition. As Jung pointed out, the components of a hand-drawn mandala can hold almost infinite personal significance. This daylong master class will offer both a theoretical and experiential journey into the use of mandalas, with applications to therapeutic contexts. We will review the theoretical underpinnings of mandala practice in the Western world, its historic origins, and the creation of the MARI as developed by art therapist Joan Kellogg. Participants will practice a variety of mandala-making techniques applicable to clinical practice with both groups and individuals in treatment. They will also have the experience of completing the mini-MARI and its use of symbols and colors. Mandala making will focus on three central themes: 1) the flexibility of the mandala shape that can be adapted to a variety of materials and a variety of client issues; 2) applications to grief and loss; and 3) the shape of the mandala itself, the symbolism of the circular shape, and its uses historically and graphically. Poetry and writing prompts will also be incorporated to provide clinicians with other ways to expand on themes that arise in the artwork.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Understanding & Engaging Difficult Parents to Facilitate Effective Child and Adolescent Therapy
    Live via Zoom

    Session Full — Wait List Initiated

    Lily Warner, MPS, ATR-BC, LCAT

    Have you ever wished that you could work with a child/adolescent client without the parent? If so, you’re not alone. Child and adolescent therapy can be particularly challenging because the therapist is essentially working with at least two people: the child and the parent(s). That said, research and experience clearly confirm that parents matter. Not only are they the most important factor in a youngster's emotional-social development, but if they don’t value treatment, parents will remove their child/adolescent from virtually any clinical situation. In this 6-hour online master class, we will clarify the role of parents through the lens of attachment theory and Darwinian principles. We will review and describe the most frequently encountered types of difficult parents encountered in child/adolescent psychotherapy, including: intrusive, intimidating, avoidant, punitive, and inconsistent parents. Next, we will identify common pitfalls of working with difficult parents including avoiding, outshining, complementary and concordant identification, and the trap of the good/bad split. Lastly, we will describe strategies to help us move from a place of reacting to engaging through 1) art-making, writing, and movement to process countertransference, 2) reconceptualizing parents’ behavior in context and 3) highlighting process rather than content when facilitating parent collateral sessions as means of using countertransference productively.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Thursday Master Class

    10:00 am  -  12:00 pm
    Forensic Sandplay Therapy: An Introduction
    Live via Zoom

    Emma Allen, MSc

    Forensic Sandplay Therapy (FSPT) is currently being pioneered in England in a high security hospital and forensic setting, adapted from Kalffian-Jungian approaches. FSPT features a drawer and shadow board methodology and takes account of forensic-related symbolism, where joint dynamic risk interpretations may be applied. This introductory presentation contextualizes the unique clinical setting in which FSPT is offered as an effective way for working with forensic populations, who do not typically respond to traditional psychotherapy approaches. This 2-hour lecture and case study illustrates how Forensic Sandplay provides clients the opportunity to move away from issues of control, threat sensitivity, and critical judgment in favor of spontaneity, creativity, and playfulness, which are all helpful aspects in locating an authentic, renewed, empathic and compassionate, non-offending self. FSPT aims towards the reduction of risk of harm by offering a “securely-protected” symbolic means in which to explore offending behaviour, resilience, control and boundaries, engagement, trust, communication and expressive deficits, self-identity and image, mental health or personality disorder, traumatic experiences and emotional states. Beyond working with forensic populations, this technique can be used by counselors and psychotherapists with individuals or groups who exhibit high risk and other antisocial behaviors.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    **Sandtray Therapists of America will also award credits for this session.


    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Thursday Morning Workshops (March 24, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Assessing Suicide in Children: A Play-Based Approach
    Live via Zoom

    Cheryl Catron, MEd, LPCC-S, RPT-S

    Suicide continues to be a global health crisis. While suicide rates have been historically lower in young people under the age of twelve, deaths by suicide in younger children have been on the rise in the past six years. While many schools and communities have suicide plans in place, few are designed for use with children under the age of twelve or those with cognitive impairments. The use of a play therapy approach to the C-SSRS is evidence-based across the lifespan as an effective way to assess young children and those with cognitive impairments, who do not typically respond to traditional assessments for suicide risk. This rationale for targeting younger children through a play-based approach to the C-SSRS is two-fold. The first reason is to address the gap in available assessment tools for play therapists working with young children. The second rationale comes as a result of this play therapist’s experience: supervisees trained and competent in using the assessment tool with young children increased their confidence in their use of the tool across the entire lifespan. The play therapy strategies presented are appropriate for play therapists and general mental health practitioners to be used in daily clinical work with clients of all ages and abilities.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  12:00 pm
    Family Art Therapy Groups for Building Positive Relationships
    Live via Zoom
    LATIN AMERICAN TRACK: English with Spanish Translation

    Anaïs Lugo-Axtmann, MA, LPC, ATR

    Group art therapy offers families a safe space for the creative expression of emotions, resolution of interpersonal conflicts, and transformation of behavioral patterns in child-parent relationships while deriving pleasure from collaborative art-making. This 2-hour online workshop will explore art therapy-informed interventions that enhance attachment, increase self-regulation, promote trust, and enhance healthy, attuned interactions enabling family barriers of defense to break down during the creative process. Participants will be introduced to the basic theory and benefits of family and group art therapy using lecture, case examples, experiential exercises and discussion.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    10:00 am EST - Talleres de  jueves por la mañana (10:00 am a 12:00 pm)

    Grupos de terapia de arte familiar para construir relaciones positivas 

    En vivo via Zoom 

     

    PROGRAMACIÓN LATINOAMERICANA: En inglés con traducción en vivo al español

    Anaïs Lugo-Axtmann, MA, LPC, ATR

    La terapia de arte grupal ofrece a las familias un espacio seguro para la expresión creativa de emociones, la resolución de conflictos interpersonales y la transformación de patrones de comportamiento en las relaciones entre padres e hijos, asimismo obtienen gozo a partir de la creación artística colaborativa.

    Este taller en línea de 2 horas explorará intervenciones basadas en la terapia de arte que mejorarán el apego, aumentan la autorregulación, promueven la confianza y mejoran las interacciones para hacerlas saludables y sintonizadas para que a su vez, las barreras familiares de defensa se rompan durante el proceso creativo. 

    Los participantes conocerán la teoría básica y los beneficios de la terapia de arte en grupo y en familia mediante conferencias, ejemplos de casos, ejercicios experimentales y debates.

    Elegible para 2.0 horas de crédito de educación continua: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (solo dentro del estado de Nueva York) 

    No es elegible para créditos APT

     

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Focusing & Art Therapy: Accessing Body Wisdom Through Creative Expression
    Live via Zoom

    Seats Just Added!

    Elizabeth Baring, MS, ATR-BC, NCPsyA, LCAT, LP

    Focusing is the process of accessing the body’s wisdom by turning inward and being present to its inner sensations. It was developed by Eugene Gendlin and colleagues at the University of Chicago in the 1960s. According to Gendlin, conscious thoughts emerge from the intangible inner awareness that he called the “felt experience,” which holds the key to psychological resolution. Art therapy is a way of externalizing that experience. In this 3-hour online workshop, participants will be guided through the process of focusing and expressing their felt experience through artmaking so that they can incorporate this effective approach into their clinical practices. Using Laury Rappaport’s interdisciplinary approach called Focusing-Oriented Art Therapy (FOAT®), creative arts therapists, counselors, and psychotherapists of all persuasions will learn how combining artmaking with focusing can be a powerful therapeutic approach for teaching stress reduction, managing emotional regulation, and attaining general well-being for a variety of populations in any number of clinical situations.

    Participants are welcome to take either or both Focusing workshops on this day.


    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Working with Sexual & Gender Minorities in Arts-Based Therapy: An Introduction
    Live via Zoom

    Zachary D. Van Den Berg, MA
    Lyrah Wallace, MS

    This 3-hour online workshop provides an introduction for arts-based therapists, counselors, and other clinicians working with sexual and gender minority populations (SGM). The session will begin with a short overview of the ways mental health care has historically impacted the lives of SGM, and how these legacies might be reenacted in our therapeutic spaces if we do not actively confront them. Participants will discover artful ways they can recognize and resist this inherited position of power, and embrace culturally humble, effective, and expressive treatment methods. Working within a social justice framework, this workshop will highlight ways to continually confront our own implicit biases in order to mitigate unintended harm done through covert micro and macro aggressions towards our clients. All are invited.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Thursday Afternoon Workshops (March 24, Virtual)

    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Color Therapy: Sign Language of the Soul
    Live via Zoom

    Mark Wentworth

    In this 3-hour online workshop participants will have the opportunity to explore color from the perspective of it being the "sign-language of the Soul." Through experiential exercises, we will bring the colors to life and give them shape, voice, and movement. When it is difficult to give voice to challenging and traumatic events, color can become the medium for us to share our story. In this way, it is an effective tool to enhance our work as clinicians, to help us guide our clients in their healing, and discover their true Soul language.

    This session is not eligible for continuing education clock/credit hours.
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Construction Play & Storytelling for Children in Play Therapy
    Live via Zoom

    Leslie Baker, MFT, NCC, RPT-S

    When a shoebox can be a hero and a cardboard tube can be a periscope, the therapeutic potential of random recyclable household materials in a play therapy session is almost endless. This 3-hour workshop will introduce play therapists and others to the concept of construction play, and explore why it’s an important (and thrifty) approach for enhancing clinical work. Incorporating storytelling with this process can heighten therapeutic efficacy with kids in play therapy sessions both in the office as well as in virtual sessions. Parents love it, too! Construction play with storytelling can be integrated into just about any model of treatment, but is especially effective with the expressive arts and play therapies. Play therapists and their colleagues will learn through theory and hands-on participation how to facilitate interventions with recycled household materials. They will discover how to help their young clients to grow through play, and transform their pandemic worries—and all manner of related anxieties and challenges—in the process. All are welcome.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Focusing & Art Therapy: Profound Listening for Creative Solutions to Anxiety & Depression
    Live via Zoom

    Elizabeth Baring, MS, ATR-BC, NCPsyA, LCAT, LP

    Developed by Eugene Gendlin and colleagues at the University of Chicago in the 1960s, Focusing is the process of accessing the body’s wisdom by turning inward and being present to its inner sensations. According to Gendlin, conscious thoughts emerge from the intangible inner awareness that he called the “felt experience,” which holds the key to psychological resolution. Art therapy is a way of externalizing that experience. In this 3-hour workshop, participants will be guided through the process of Focusing and expressing their felt experience through art making so that they can incorporate this effective approach into their clinical practices. The afternoon installment of this workshop will highlight the profound impact of "resonant reflection” in Focusing. This process helps the Focuser find the "more" in the issue or concern they are addressing. Using Laury Rappaport’s interdisciplinary approach called Focusing-Oriented Art Therapy (FOAT®), creative arts therapists, counselors, and psychotherapists of all persuasions will learn how combining art making with Focusing can be a powerful therapeutic approach for teaching stress reduction, managing emotional regulation, and attaining general well-being for a variety of populations in any number of clinical situations.

    Participants are welcome to take either or both Focusing workshops on this day.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  6:00 pm
    Intermodal Transformation of Clinical Narratives: Using Art, Music & More
    Live via Zoom

    Laura Teoli, PhD, ATR-BC, LPC, LCAT
    Hillary Rubesin, PhD, LCMHC-S, LIMHP, CPC, REAT
    Yu-Ying Chen, PhD, MT-BC, LCAT
    Dina Fried, PhD, ATR-BC
    Michal Lev, PhD, LCAT, CMFT

    In this 4-hour workshop, we will demonstrate how transferring among multiple expressive arts modalities can deepen and amplify virtually any clinical issue for enhanced efficacy and insight. This easy-to-learn structure and technique can be used in treatment with clients of various ages and abilities in a variety of settings. The process is inspired by Stephen Levine’s concept of poiesis, which he describes as ‘the act of responding to what is given, imagining its possibilities and reshaping it in accordance with what is emerging.” During the course of the session, group members will be guided towards transformation through expressive play, structuring the session to create safe spaces in which to engage their imagination. Safe “containers” encourage new ways of being, experiencing, and bridging the imaginative encounters that take place back into everyday life. Participants will learn through experience how the expressive arts therapies can help clients to confront and reimagine narratives regarding identity or virtually any other issues blocking their progress in treatment. They will leave the session being able to apply these concepts in their work with individuals and groups. Appropriate for arts specialists and non-specialists alike.

    Eligible for 4.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Social Emotional Learning & Creative Arts: From Naumburg to Teletherapy
    Live via Zoom

    Coryn Nadeau, LCAT, ATR-BC, MA-AT

    In the ever-changing world around us, social-emotional learning is an essential skill to teach our child and adolescent clients. Grounding ourselves in CASEL's key social and emotional learning competencies, participants will have the opportunity to explore and engage in unique experiential strategies involving art media and metaphor to facilitate desired client outcomes. SEL has long been a staple in the educator community; success later in life is linked with early development of these skills. As arts-based clinicians working with children and adolescents, it is critical that we also integrate these competencies into our practices. In this 3-hour online workshop, participants will learn to make the connection between SEL competencies and the benefits of art making. Using a variety of arts media (within in-person and virtual treatment formats), the combination of SEL and art therapy can enhance an adolescent’s understanding of themselves. It can facilitate their capacity for psychological and social growth, and give them a sense of overall well-being. Have any teen clients who could benefit from this powerful combination of approaches? Join us!

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  4:00 pm
    Somatic & Experiential Techniques in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
    Live via Zoom

    Amy Gladstone, PhD, LCSW

    Many of the current clinical models of practice emphasize the role of present moment experience in therapeutic action. The body contains the roots of past experience in present time. When clinicians learn how to pay attention to the messages of the body, they discover that it provides an effective pathway to access hard-to-reach implicit material, as well as an opportunity for profound potential for healing. This 2-hour online workshop will begin with a brief introduction to somatic psychotherapy as it augments and deepens clinical practice. Techniques will be presented and demonstrated using clinical examples. Participants will have the opportunity to experience these techniques through experiential activities, and will gain a sense of how to integrate information gleaned from the body into long term counseling and psychotherapy treatment.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    7:00pm EST - Thursday Evening Keynote

    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    Art Therapy in Mexico & Latin America: Cultural, Clinical & Social Perspectives
    Live via Zoom
    LATIN AMERICAN TRACK: Spanish with English Translation
     Art Therapy in Mexico & Latin America: Cultural, Clinical & Social Perspectives
    Ana Laura Treviño Santos

    Art Therapy literature has been characterized by Eurocentric theoretical and cultural foundations. However, Latin America has a profound cultural, social, emotional, historical, and political legacy, which manifests in its art and is part of the daily lives of its people. In this lecture, we will reflect about this reality and talk about how we can question, name, recognize, resignify and create culturally appropriate paradigms for art therapy, aligning it with our identity.

    Multidimensional Psyche, Society & Therapy: Discovering Latin American Connections
    Eduardo Carvallo
    Over the centuries, Latin American countries suffered not only racial, but also cultural and scientific miscegenation, which has influenced all areas of human expression. Perhaps because of this, the symbolic world still reverberates around us, and the connection with the spiritual and mysterious always feels close. Even in today's technological society, the call to a ritual-filled life, rich with numinous imagery, and the notion of the multidimensionality of the human psyche, are generally taken for granted in Latin America. That is why we find practically all psychological schools represented, and there is a growing interest in "rescuing" elements of art making, traditional medicine, and shamanic practices. It also allows the psychiatric and psychotherapeutic models to be more humane and wholistic. This lecture will illustrate this, featuring the Human Support Network Connection, a day-hospital project based on a comprehensive model aimed at patients in need of psychological, psychiatric, and neuropsychological support developed in Caracas, Venezuela. Its mission was partly based on reducing the use of medications in treatment and providing activities that promotes the recognition and development of strengths, and that favor clients' self-regulation.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    7:00 pm EST - Conferencia magistral del jueves por la noche (7:00 pm a 9:00 pm)

    Arteterapia en México y América Latina: perspectivas culturales, clínicas y sociales en América

    En vivo via Zoom 

     

    PROGRAMACIÓN LATINOAMERICANA: En español con traducción en vivo al inglés

    Arte terapia en México y en América latina: Cultural, clínica y perspectivas sociales.

    Ana Laura Treviño Santos

    La literatura de Arteterapia se ha caracterizado por fundamentos teóricos y culturales eurocéntricos. Sin embargo, América Latina tiene un profundo legado cultural, social, emocional, histórico y político, que se manifiesta en su arte y es parte del día a día de su gente. 

    En esta conferencia reflexionaremos sobre esta realidad y hablaremos de cómo podemos cuestionar, nombrar, reconocer, resignificar y crear paradigmas culturalmente apropiados para la arteterapia, alineándose con nuestra identidad.

     

    Psique multidimensional, sociedad y terapia: descubriendo las conexiones latinoamericanas 
    Eduardo Carvallo

    A lo largo de los siglos, los países latinoamericanos sufrieron no solo un mestizaje racial sino también cultural y científico, que ha influido en todos los ámbitos de la expresión humana. Quizás por esto, el mundo simbólico todavía resuena a nuestro alrededor, y la conexión con lo espiritual y lo misterioso siempre se siente cercana.

    Incluso en la sociedad tecnológica actual, el llamado a una vida llena de rituales, rica en imágenes luminosas, y la noción de la multidimensionalidad de la psique humana, generalmente se dan por sentados en América Latina. 

    Es por eso que encontramos representadas prácticamente todas las escuelas psicológicas y hay un interés creciente en "rescatar" elementos de la creación artística, la medicina tradicional y las prácticas chamánicas. Esto permite también que los modelos psiquiátricos y psicoterapéuticos sean más humanos y con un enfoque holístico. 

    Esta charla ilustra esto, presentando la Conexión de la Red de Apoyo Humano, un proyecto de hospital de día basado en un modelo integral dirigido a pacientes con necesidad de apoyo psicológico, psiquiátrico y neuropsicológico desarrollado en Caracas, Venezuela.

    Elegible para 2.0 horas de crédito de educación continua: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (solo dentro del estado de Nueva York) 

    No es elegible para créditos APT

     



    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    7:00pm EST - Thursday Evening Panel

    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    I Remember Better When I Paint: Film & Panel
    Live via Zoom

    Wendy Miller, PhD, ATR-BC, REAT, LPC
    Judy Holstein
    Berna Huebner, Director

    I Remember Better When I Paint, a documentary film narrated by the late film star, Olivia de Haviland, is the first international documentary about the positive impact of art and other creative therapies on people with Alzheimer's, and how these approaches can change the way we look at that disease. This 54-minute film reflects the significance of museum and art therapy programs as an effective healing treatment for persons living with dementia. It blends the arts and neurosciences, and explores how the arts engage the brain. Art museum and art therapy programs can enhance emotional development for those effected with the disease while supporting generalists and specialists alike who work with dementia populations. Among those featured in the film are noted physicians and Yasmin Aga Khan, president of Alzheimer's Disease International, who is also the daughter of film star Rita Hayworth, who had Alzheimer's. A screening of the full film, directed by by Eric Ellena and Berna Huebner, is presented courtesy of French Connection Films and the Hilgos Foundation. It will be followed by a panel discussion and question period.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Thursday Evening Workshops (March 24, Virtual)

    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    Core Creativity: Deepening the Connection to Your Unconscious
    Live via Zoom

    Ronald A. Alexander, PhD, MFT, SEP
    Urszula Klich, PhD, BCB

    Join us for this 2-hour evening workshop to learn the basic components for how to access core creativity and the resources that reside within. Working with techniques from mindfulness meditation, Ericksonian hypnosis, Somatic Experiencing®, music, and breathing techniques, participants will discover how to open themselves and access innate creativity and resilience. Learning these techniques will help them to develop clinical skills that can help their clients to transform afflicted emotions into positive ones. Together, we will explore the stages of the creative process from a unique developmental perspective, starting with the stage of fertilization and ending with the "core creativity birthing" process. We will then explore how to grow, nurture, and bring to life our creative visions, projects, goals, and dreams. This highly experiential workshop will include approaches that draw upon aspects of dreaming, visioning, trance states, deep meditation, and music. We will also explore skills for helping clients to increase self-awareness, promote insight, and enhance emotional and clinical development. No previous experience with these techniques is necessary, just a sense of trust and the curiosity for seeing, hearing, and experiencing the world with fresh eyes and ears!

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    Cross-Cultural Adaptation: Considerations for Arts Therapists Working Abroad
    Live via Zoom

    Julia Volonts, LCAT, ATR-BC

    This 2-hour evening workshop is drawn from the experience of an art therapist's work in Eastern Europe on a Fulbright scholarship. Through case studies and a hands-on art experiential, participants will learn about the stages of cultural adaptations necessary to work effectively as a mental health professional abroad and facilitate cross-cultural work as an art therapist, in particular. The session will highlight the concept of "placement of self" as a clinician in a new environment in order to practice on an international level and create connection to clients of other cultures through art. Parallels will be drawn to working multiculturally in the US, as well.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
  • Friday, 11/05/21
  •  

    Friday Afternoon Workshops (April 22, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Neuroscience, Creativity & Aging: Expressive Arts as Brain Medicine
    Live via Zoom
    Perspectives on Identity and Consciousness in Neurocognitive Impairments: Portraits of the Self
    Angel C. Duncan, PhDc, MA, MFT, ATR - Neuroscience, Aging & Creativity Track Coordinator

    This presentation identifies common clinical misconceptions about identity and self-awareness in neurocognitive impairments, as illustrated by art therapy productions created by people living with dementia. This is important because this population does not typically respond to either traditional artmaking or psychotherapy approaches. Since symptoms of dementia can impair language abilities and impact mood and behavior, case material and research validate art therapy’s place as holistic treatment, particularly with this population. Art therapy approaches demonstrate their treatment efficacy by tapping into subconscious thought and resurfacing memories often thought to be lost. For this reason, counselors and therapists working with dementia populations have recognized art therapy interventions for this purpose, and they also enhance therapeutic relationships in clinical work. Despite neural death, art therapy involvement often confirms that the person is "still there." Art therapy may also lessen the over-reliance on psychotropic drugs frequently used to control symptomatic behaviors, and can be used with individuals and groups in a variety of situations.

    Everyone's Got the Right to Music, And We're Leaving Nobody Behind!
    Dan Cohen, MSW

    We know about the power of music in healing. Many of us have experienced it in our own lives and with those for whom we care. For counselors and psychotherapists working with aging and dementia populations, this lecture will demonstrate the effective healing treatment that music embodies. The volume of research in music is large and growing quickly. The effective healing in treatment of the right music for individuals benefits in daily therapeutic work. Yet older adults, especially those with neurocognitive disorders, average less than 11 minutes of engagement per day in long-term care. Participants will have an opportunity to explore the many ways that generalists and specialists alike can learn to facilitate music’s powerful connection, regardless of the attention given in any given care setting.


    Neuroscience-Informed Art Therapy Theory, Research & Practice 
    Juliet King MA, ATR-BC, LPC, LMHC 

    This lecture will provide generalists and specialists alike with an understanding of the neuroanatomical structures and functions that inform psychotherapeutic intervention and research with aging populations. Theories including neuropsychoanalysis and neuro-counseling, in addition to experimental science such as cognitive science and neuroaesthetics, will be used to underscore the seeming natural synthesis between art therapy and the sciences, leading to a greater understanding of both disciplines and their research and practice applications for neurodegenerative disease and distress. A focus on the therapeutic potentials and practice of creative activity and implications for intervention strategies will be provided, and participants will have opportunities to dialogue about their own personal and clinical experiences using creative approaches when working with others.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Friday Master Classes (March 25, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Spirituality & Creative Expression for Enhancing Resiliency in Psychotherapy
    Live via Zoom

    Joanne Ginter, MA

    Each client enters the therapeutic relationship with a problem centered within their own life story. These stories are comprised of beliefs and values based on cultural, spiritual, and religious experiences and practices. Given the growing diversity of clients and client problems in each of our communities around the world, therapists are being asked to engage in relationship with a diversity of clients with differing cultural and spiritual beliefs and religious practices. This 6-hour master class is centered around the inclusion of spirituality in the healing process. The three main building blocks of resiliency—the self, mentor, and community of care— offer a language and process for therapists to include spirituality into the evocation of resiliency in their clients’ lives. As the resiliency process reframes experiences of trauma, it encourages clients to develop more positive coping in response to life’s many challenges. Combining the principles of narrative and systemic theories, generative trance, Indigenous healing practices, and evocation, participants will be given opportunities throughout the day to identify and understand their own spiritual platform or cultural self and then ways to use the resiliency process to build bridges with clients of differing worldviews. The foundation and activities in this workshop focus on linking the clients’ spiritual practices with more traditional psychotherapy. Activities will include art (including drawing, painting, and writing stories), didactic and group discussion, guided imagery, and creating a grounding object using beads, fabric, or clay.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Friday Morning Workshops (April 22, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    From Conflict to Connection: A Creative Process for Working with Couples
    Live via Zoom
    Session Full — Wait List Initiated

    Bonnie Hirschhorn, NCPsyA, LCSW, LCAT, LP

    In Imago Relationship Therapy, we say that underlying every frustration is a hidden need. Couples build resentments towards each other and easily fall into conflict when these needs are not addressed. Penetrating below the surface frustrations gives people the ability to connect to their deepest feelings and needs. Then they can be empowered to advocate for themselves to get and give the support they need. In this 3-hour online workshop, participants will be led through a creative arts therapy exercise called “ House of Transformation. “ This process can be used with clients in order to restructure stuck patterns into new forms of connection, after which they can turn their frustrations into a powerful tool for growth. Although this workshop is focused on working with couples, it can easily be applied to individuals as well. The theoretical approach featured stems from the facilitator’s training as an Imago relationship therapist, psychoanalyst, and art therapist. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to engage in guided meditation, creative writing, and 3D collage sculpture activities. All metal health professionals are invited to attend.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Learning to Engage Men Through Creativity: Healing the Trauma of Male Identity
    Live via Zoom


    Tim Mewmaw, MS

    Many post-modern men find themselves deeply caught up in conflicting expectations regarding identity, interpersonal boundaries, intimacy and emotions — distortions to male identity that are often exacerbated by multi-generational trauma. In this 3-hour online workshop, participants will explore creative therapeutic approaches such as the use of symbols, picture images, and group activities designed to support men as they move beyond toxic stereotypes and expectations to reclaim their authentic emotions and identities. Part of this process involves supporting them in confronting inappropriate family and cultural myths regarding masculinity that sabotage them. Participants will reflect on their own constructions of male identity while learning ways to responsibly validate their male clients' emotions such as anger, anxiety, and shame. Anchored in an understanding of the neurophysiology of emotion and its relevance to male identity, examples from men’s groups, couples therapy, and case material will illustrate how metaphor and symbols can be used to illuminate the shadow sides of emotions, especially distortions to so-called ‘negative’ emotions. Interactive experiential activities will also demonstrate interventions that can be used with men of all ages to liberate and empower them as well as the communities they inhabit and influence. Everyone is welcome.

    Please note: These experiential activities may bring up emotional experiences for participants.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Making Teletherapy a Relational Experience Using Creative Arts
    Live via Zoom

    Deirdre Cogan, ATR-BC, LPC, ATCS, CTP
    Ryan Carroll, DMT

    Telehealth is increasingly common in today’s healthcare system and is becoming an important resource for creative arts therapists. With increases in affordability and accessibility, teletherapy sessions provide a viable alternative  to  in-person sessions.  While arts-based therapy can be delivered via teletherapy, virtual platforms present unique benefits and challenges, and requires new methods and practices.   For example, the lack of physical proximity between clinician and client can lead to a sense of disconnection and detachment. The solidarity of a group, however, can be a powerful antidote to feelings of isolation when working through a virtual platform. The healing power of movement can be leveraged to activate  the social engagement  system, leading to interpersonal attunement through expressive and receptive experiences.   Visual art expression can act as a holding form for perceptions, thoughts, and emotions. Interpersonal awareness is deepened as participants create, share, and respond to each other’s imagery.  Music  provides  rich, nuanced, and multifaceted opportunities for inter- and intrapersonal exploration. In this 3-hour online workshop, participants  will engage in multimodal experiential activities that can be easily adapted to teletherapy sessions. They will also join in discussions regarding how to design and apply cross-modal interventions that hold space open for a sense of belonging and group cohesion.  Positive growth  most often  occurs  within the context of empowering relationships and a sense of safety and reciprocity. By incorporating arts-based techniques into virtual sessions, clinicians make teletherapy a more collaborative, relational experience.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  12:00 pm
    Modeling Paper Sculptures: A Process & Metaphor for Self-Improvement
    Live via Zoom
    LATIN AMERICAN TRACK: English with Spanish Translation

    Estela Garber, MA, ATCR, BC

    In this 2-hour online workshop, we will use paper to model sculptures with dimension. In this way, participants will learn symbolically to overcome obstacles, challenge traditional paradigms, and reflect on others' nature, considering similarities and differences. Participants will have the option to share individual and group experiences of the creative process with one another. We will use common materials that we have on hand, with a nod to the importance of working within a minimum of economical materials, so necessary in different programs, communities, and parts of the world.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    10:00 am EST - Talleres de Viernes por la mañana (10:00 am a 12:00 pm)

    Modelado de Esculturas de Papel: Proceso y Metáfora para la Superación Personal

    En vivo via Zoom 


    PROGRAMACIÓN LATINOAMERICANA: En inglés con traducción en vivo al español

    Estela Garber, MA, ATCR, BC

    En este taller en línea de 2 horas, los participantes usarán papel para modelar esculturas con dimensión. De esta manera, los participantes aprenderán simbólicamente a como sobrellevar obstáculos, desafiar los paradigmas tradicionales, y reflexionar sobre la naturaleza de otros, considerando similitudes y diferencias. Los participantes tendrán la opción de compartir sus experiencias individuales o grupales de su proceso creativo. Se usarán materiales que tengan a la mano, con un asentimiento a el uso de materiales económicos y accesibles, que es necesario en diferentes programas, comunidades, y partes del mundo. 

     

    Elegible para 2 horas/créditos: NBCC, ATCB, NASW, MFT, SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (solo en el estado de Nueva York)

    No elegible para créditos APT

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Tarot & Visual Imagery in Expressive Arts Therapy Sessions: A Phenomenological Approach
    Live via Zoom
    Session Full — Wait List Initiated

    Suzan Lemont, MA

    The highly visual card decks known as the Tarot are based on archetypal imagery and symbolism. They have been in use since the 15th century, primarily as a supposed system of divination, a fortune teller's tool. Those familiar with its many artistic iterations will recognize that the Tarot deck is a treasure trove of evocative imagery. What they might not realize, however, is that the Tarot deck can be used by almost anyone to deepen their knowledge of themselves and their own particular stories, challenges, preferences, problem-solving skills, and more. Guided by a skilled therapist, these images easily lend themselves to transformative potential using an intermodal expressive arts therapy framework. By adopting a phenomenological approach and letting go of the cards' prescribed/traditional meanings, there are many ways to use the deck in clinical practice to increase awareness of reactions to stimuli, or to explore buried memories or narratives, for instance. In this 3-hour online workshop, participants will be introduced to the theory and practice of using Tarot cards as stimuli for intermodal transfer of its images into creative writing, movement, voice work, and/or dramatic engagement in clinical expressive arts sessions.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    The Heroine’s Journey: A Clinical Approach to Assessing Play Themes in Sandplay
    Live via Zoom

    Roz Heiko, PhD, RPT-S, ISST

    The Sandplay Journey Map offers a model for play therapists and other clinicians to uncover treatment themes in sandplay—such as the Heroine's Journey—and a method to integrate these themes into play and expressive arts therapies. In this 3-hour online workshop, play therapists and other participants will have the opportunity to explore and deepen their understanding of and skills in using this therapeutic approach and its healing potential in treatment with clients of all ages and abilities. We will apply the Sandplay Journey Map to specific case material, and highlight the inherent play therapy themes to more fully understand the process of a sandplay journey from the client’s perspective. Participants will be exposed to didactic and experiential interventions, including video presentation, guided imagery, individual case presentation, experiential and symbol exercises, reflective discussion, and didactic presentation of relevant topics to enhance their clinical work as play therapists, counselors, psychologists, social workers, and arts therapists.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.

    **Sandtray Therapists of America will also award credits for this session.

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Friday Afternoon Workshops

    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Connecting to Our Senses: Facilitating Personal Nourishment in Times of Isolation
    Live via Zoom

    Katerina Evans, ATR, LCPC
    Jill Penaloza, LCPAT, CGP

    When was the last time you really noticed how something felt? Smelled? Tasted? When did you truly listen? When did you truly see? And when did you fully notice and name your own response to your felt experience? As we begin to emerge from our state of isolation (and eventually, we hope, our seemingly chronic anxieties), our senses can support the process of grounding and presence. Unfortunately, most of us have learned to cut ourselves off from this direct experience. In this 3-hour online workshop, developed from experiences of leading a virtual group for women during the height of the pandemic, participants will explore the senses through the use of varied experiential activities including movement, relaxation, and journaling. We’ll have opportunities to share and connect with one another, and we’ll practice the process of interoceptive awareness. This process can be offered in practically any clinical setting and with clients of all ages and abilities.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  6:00 pm
    Expressive Writing & Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Center for Journal Therapy

    Co-Sponsored by The Kint Institute

    Seats Just Added!

    Nancy Scherlong, LCSW, PTRm CJT, M/S

    There are many ways to practice mindfulness – being in the present with moment-to-moment awareness and non-judgement. Join us for this 4-hour didactic and experiential workshop drawing on some of the meditation, stress management, and breath-work practices of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Participants will experience selected poetry and mindfulness writing prompts designed to cultivate and deepen the qualities of attention, acceptance, compassion, appreciation and affirmation, as well as develop an integrated understanding of some of the neuroscience behind various types of writing approaches, and their impact on the nervous system will experience directly the regulating power of responding versus reacting to thoughts and sensate focus interspersed with writing activities and reflective sharing.     Please note: This workshop is an introduction to the concepts of the applied neuroscience of expressive writing and MBSR and does not substitute for training in either.

    Eligible for 4.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  6:00 pm
    Integrating Sacred Modalities of Restoration & Rejuvenation in Client Healing
    Live via Zoom

    Cherie Spehar, LCSW, RPT-S, ACTP

    While self-care may be comforting or soothing, it is often not enough—as we also need self-replenishment to restore and refill what has been depleted. In this 4-hour online workshop, participants will learn tools to aid in self-inquiry and assessment, as well as how to create a personal system of self-replenishment that will support sensory regulation, recalibration, and resilience. This approach adapts the Trauma Stewardship Model and integrates it with a sacred, Earth Medicine perspective—ultimately working with our identities to embody authenticity, depth, and empowered sovereignty. Participants will learn how to adjust their personal strategies and to connect intrapersonally, discovering what supports their spirits as they support others’. They will be able to translate this approach for use with their clients, which is particularly effective for those who are moving from Survivor to Thriver. Participants will also get to create their own Self-Replenishment Plans that they can, in turn, use to help their clients in cultivating self-trust in anchoring, grounding, and centering in their struggles and journeys through the trauma healing landscape.

    Eligible for 4.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    The Healing Power of Children’s Imagination: Fostering Resilience for Challenging Times
    Live via Zoom

    Charlotte Reznick, PhD

    In these pandemic times of extraordinary stress and remote schooling, children need to learn enhanced coping skills like never before. In this 3-hour experiential virtual workshop, therapists and others that work with or care about kids will explore how the power of children’s imagination can help them to reduce the effects of trauma and develop creative coping skills while fostering resilience – during and after crises. Suitable for use in nearly any clinical or home setting, professionals and child caregivers will learn creative techniques to help kids and teens manage and transform many of today’s most challenging issues, including: sleep troubles, somatic complaints, self-harm, irritability/tantrums, worry, fear, anger, and more. Participants will learn how to adapt and adjust this approach in different forms of treatment for clients of different ages, developmental levels, and cultures. Practical exercises will be demonstrated and experienced to help effectively deal with the vulnerability and sadness that so many of our youth are experiencing these days. Participants will be introduced to a toolbox of tried-and-true "imagination skills” to help families in their care to connect with and develop inner resources and wisdom for providing comfort, support, and relief outside the therapy session. This personal skills kit can be incorporated into any treatment plan, and includes a wide variety of creative and fun visualizations (suitable for kids of all ages). Play therapists and counselors, arts therapists and social workers, psychologists and others who work with or care for children and their families will learn when and how to use these simple, yet profound, exercises that can be immediately put into everyday clinical practice.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Friday Evening Workshops (April 22, Virtual)

    3:00 pm  -  6:00 pm
    From Political Turmoil to Natural Disasters: Managing Trauma in Venezuela & Puerto Rico
    Live via Zoom
    LATIN AMERICAN TRACK: Spanish with English Translation

    Steven Frazier, DAT, ATR, LCPC
    Rosalinda Infante
    Urania Domínguez, MA-AT, CCLS, CARP

    Natural Disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and brush fires, along with social turmoil caused by political unrest, massive shootings, police brutality, and the global pandemic have taken a toll at the individual level and at the collective level nearly everywhere around the world. This 3-hour panel and online workshop will focus on the influence of collective trauma as an event that breaks the social fabric and affects societies, communities and cultures. It is presented by three art therapists who lived and worked through the political unrest in Venezuela as well as hurricanes and earthquakes in Puerto Rico. They will share their perspectives and art therapy activities that they used to help clients cope with the trauma.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    3:00 PM EST- Talleres del Viernes por la tarde (3:00 pm a 6:00 pm)

    De Agitación Política a Desastres Naturales: Manejando el Trauma en Venezuela y Puerto Rico

    En vivo via Zoom 


    PROGRAMACIÓN LATINOAMERICANA: En español con traducción en vivo al inglés

    Steven Frazier, DAT, ATR, LCPC
    Rosalinda Infante
    Urania Domínguez, MA-AT, CCLS, CARP

    Los Desastres Naturales, como los huracanes, terremotos, incendios forestales junto con agitación social causada por inestabilidad política, tiroteos masivos, brutalidad policial, y la pandemia global tomó su peaje en un nivel individual y colectivo alrededor del mundo. Este panel de 3 horas y taller en línea se enfocará en la influencia del trauma colectivo que ocasiona un evento que rompe el tejido social y afecta sociedades, comunidades, y culturas. Es presentado por tres Arte terapeutas quienes han vivido y trabajado durante la inestabilidad política en Venezuela, los huracanes y los terremotos en Puerto Rico. Ellos compartirán sus perspectivas y también sus actividades de arteterapia que usaron como intervención para ayudar a sus clientes afrontar el trauma.

    Elegible para 3 horas/créditos: NBCC, ATCB, NASW, MFT, SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (solo en el Estado de Nueva York)

    No es elegible para créditos APT

     

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    7:00pm EST - Friday Evening Lecture

    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    Why Art Therapy is Essential in Dementia Treatment as well as Medical Training: A Neurologist Speaks
    Live via Zoom

    Daniel C. Potts, MD, FAAN

    Neurologist Daniel C. Potts, MD, FAAN, did not always think of the arts as a viable (let alone essential) therapy for people with neurocognitive impairments until his father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In this 2-hour online lecture, Dr. Potts discusses his journey of discovery during which he learned how the healing power of the arts helped to decrease behavioral symptoms often seen in those with dementia while also improving their self-esteem. He was so impressed with his observations, he later founded the Cognitive Dynamics Foundation, a nonprofit supporting research efforts as well as art therapy programs including Bringing Art to Life. Since 2011, this program has been offered as an elective course for medical resident education as well as for psychology and social work students. In addition to explaining why art therapy is critical to the treatment of people with dementia, Dr. Potts will address the research behind his training program for physicians and its proven impact on future medical practices.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Friday Evening Workshops (March 25, Virtual)

    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    Creative Processing of Dreams: An Interactive Workshop
    Live via Zoom
    Session Full — Wait List Initiated

    Robert Irwin Wolf, DPsa, ATR-BC, LP, LCAT

    Following a brief presentation of basic concepts of dream formation, participants in this 2-hour online workshop will learn how dreams can be understood by using a variety of creative processes to reach the unconscious content of dreams. Examples of clinical application of these modalities will be offered. Participants will then be instructed to use art materials to create visual images from their own dreams. Volunteers will then be asked to present their work to the group, which will use a variety of group processing techniques to help the volunteer grasp deeper understanding of their dream. This will be followed by a discussion of how clinicians can integrate these techniques within their clinical work.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    Journal Therapy for Calming Anxiety
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Center for Journal Therapy

    Seats Just Added!

    Kathleen "Kay" Adams, LPC, PJTR

    Anxiety is a pandemic within the pandemic of COVID. Journal therapy is a powerful tool for anxiety management. In this 2-hour evening workshop, you'll work with carefully crafted writing prompts to discover the power of focused writing for clients of all ages and stages of treatment. Participants will learn self-regulation skills, develop competencies in self-understanding, re-framing, and cultivating better-feeling thoughts. Case studies are formed from a year-long program concluded August 2021. You'll leave with both clinical and experiential evidence that journal therapy is an accessible anxiety management resource for both therapists and clients. Come ready to write! Please note: We will be writing about your own life experiences involving anxiety, in very short (5-7 minute) writes. If this does not present an acceptable level of risk, please choose your own prompt or take a 5-minute break.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    Power, Privilege & Oppression – Creative Arts Therapy from an Anti-Oppressive Framework
    Live via Zoom

    Jennifer Herbert, LCAT, ATR-BC
    Typhani Carter, LCSW

    The negative effects of trauma and violence have significant impacts on those who navigate these challenges every day, and they are magnified when people seek support from helping professionals who engage them using an oppressive lens in therapeutic or clinical work. It is understood that in doing so, art therapists and clinicians can create a therapeutic environment that limits the participant’s ability to engage in a trusting, supportive and authentic interaction, and to truly utilize the relationship between practitioner and participant as a vehicle for critical reflection, transformation, and effective healing in treatment. This 2-hour online workshop will explore the constructs of power, privilege, and oppression within the context of self and the clinical relationship, as well as the impacts that these constructs have on the participant’s growth and resiliency. Participants will be encouraged to develop a lens of society that is holistically aware of human interactions, and how various stakeholders contribute to the dynamic systems of oppression, including ourselves. We will also reframe the traditional notions of engagement, assessment, and intervention using an anti-oppressive lens, and will provide opportunities for all counselors and therapists to further expand how they use themselves in clinical practice to best support those that they serve. Professional and personal growth, skills of culturally/contextually competent practice, processing of charged issues, and use of "self" are focal points for this session.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    Symbols & Rituals in the Management of Loss: Art Therapy in the Treatment of Grief
    Live via Zoom
    LATIN AMERICAN TRACK: Spanish with English Translation
    Luz Maria Rodriguez Barbosa

    In this 2-hour online workshop, participants will explore rituals as creative processes to transform pain and facilitate cognitive restructuring. Together, we will carry out a photographic composition activity using our mobile phone cameras and pair that with a writing exercise related to that image. This workshop is designed for all mental health professionals, and especially for primary and secondary caregivers who have lost a loved one.

    This session is not eligible for continuing education clock/credit hours.

    7:00 PM EST- Talleres del Viernes por la noche (7:00 pm a 9:00 pm)

    Símbolos y Rituales en la Gestión de Pérdidas: Arte terapia como tratamiento para el dolor

    En vivo via Zoom 

    PROGRAMACIÓN LATINOAMERICANA: En español con traducción en vivo al inglés

    Luz Maria Rodriguez Barbosa

    Durante este taller de dos horas, los participantes explorarán rituales como proceso creativo para transformar dolor y facilitar la reestructuración cognitiva. Juntos, realizarán una composición fotográfica usando su cámara de teléfono móvil  acompañado con un ejercicio de escritura relacionado a su imagen. Este taller está diseñado para  profesionales en el área de salud mental, y en especial para cuidadores primarios o secundarios que hayan perdido un ser querido.

    Esta sesión no es elegible para créditos de Educación Continua. 

     

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    The Future Projection: A Trauma-Informed Psychodrama Technique
    Live via Zoom

    Heidi Landis, LCAT, RDT-BCT, TEP

    J. L. Moreno’s psychodramatic technique of the future projection is one that allows the protagonist to step into or witness a scene that has not yet been experienced. The ability to look forward, rehearse, and/or imagine different possibilities can help those stuck in a seemingly fixed traumatic narrative move forward with containment and safety. In this highly experiential 2-hour online workshop, participants will have the opportunity to experience the use of the future projection as a trauma-informed intervention exploring interpersonal and intrapsychic ways of working. Participants will learn how to scaffold the intervention to allow the protagonist a sense of safety and control. In addition, time will be provided to explore how this technique might be integrated into the participants' own scope of practice. No previous psychodrama experience is required.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
  • Saturday, 11/06/21
  •  

    Saturday Master Classes (March 26, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Journaling with the Brain in Mind
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Center for Journal Therapy

    Kathleen (Kay) Adams, LPC
    Deborah Ross, LPC, CJT


    The effects of journal writing on the brain appear to be similar to those of mindfulness meditation—creating receptive states for neurological firing and rewiring. In this 6-hour master class, the coauthors of Your Brain on Ink: Neuroplasticity and the Journal Ladder guide an inquiry into the journal’s role in enhancing self-concept, identity, sensory awareness, and mindful self-determination that can be incorporated by mental health professionals in a variety of settings with populations of all ages and abilities. Throughout the day we’ll weave writing processes designed with the brain and therapy in mind. Before and between these “writes,” we’ll introduce presentations, conversations, and case studies about the journal as self-object, the neurological power of handwriting, and why it’s important to write “badly" in those gift-quality, too-beautiful-to-write-in journals. We’ll focus on sensory experiences that deepen the neural connections that writing activates. Particular attention will be paid to how writing intersects with brains rendered differently abled from birth, traumatic injury, or aging.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Touch Drawing for Clinicians: Opening the Way for Insight & Healing
    Live via Zoom

    Deborah Koff-Chapin, BFA
    Shemaya Blauer, MSW, LCSW
    Susan Arnsten-Russell, OTR/L

    Touch Drawing, a vehicle for expression in people of all ages and abilities, fosters a natural emergence of images, allowing inner sensations to be externalized and given form. Here's how it works: Place a sheet of paper over wet paint and move your fingertips upon it. Lift the paper to see imprints made by the pressure of your touch. Beginning with cues from body awareness, successive drawings emerge from a range of sources including emotional release, dream-like states and mindful awareness. Multiple drawings can be created in a single session, and when the series of drawings is complete, they provide a record of your inner journey. The images can then be reflected upon in writing or through witnessing, as in a therapeutic setting. In this daylong master class, participants will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in this powerful and restorative process. The Polyvagal theory will be woven into this highly experiential day, demonstrating how Touch Drawing can inform and support an individual’s adaptation to safety, emotional regulation, and connection with others. Intermodal arts such as music, movement, and writing will enhance the experience and assist in integrating the drawings created. Participants will also practice the skills of witnessing with a partner in breakout rooms. Presentations and group discussion will focus on how Touch Drawing can be incorporated into a range of therapeutic processes, its applications with a variety of populations and its use in different settings.

    NOTE: Having the right materials for Touch Drawing is essential! Please CLICK HERE to read this information ASAP, and gather (or CLICK HERE to order directly) the needed materials ahead of time. 


    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Just Added - Please download THIS handout before the workshop!
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Saturday Morning Workshops (March 26, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Anti-Oppressive Practice in the Expressive Arts Therapies
    Live via Zoom

    Katrina Curry, MA, DVATI, RYT, LMFT

    A rising groundswell of social action for change has arisen in recent years: for racial justice, for Indigenous healing and self-determination, for climate justice, for queer and trans liberation, for deepening awareness of and protest against violence against women and girls. As clinicians invested in healing work, we need to become more skillful in our understanding, movements, and interruptions of dynamics of power, oppression, and privilege that weave through culture, our clients' lives, our own lives, and the therapeutic relationship. Oppression is collective trauma, yet it is also often isolating, can be internalized, and can easily be repeated in therapeutic settings. This 3-hour online workshop will facilitate awareness and understanding of social justice in expressive arts therapy practices, and help to deepen participants' skills in anti-oppressive practice (AOP), leading to more effective healing for our clients. AOP and related skills are appropriate for use in all clinical settings, for all counselors and therapists, and with clients of all ages and abilities.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Filmmaking as a Therapeutic, Phone-Based Modality
    Live via Zoom

    Session Full — Wait List Initiated 

    Mia de Bethune, MA, ATR-BC, LCAT, SEP
    Kyle McKeen, MA

    This 3-hour online workshop aims to explore the range of possibilities for filmmaking within the therapeutic alliance. A medium once reserved for film school graduates and Hollywood studios is now accessible to everyone with a smartphone. A practical skill that can be adapted for use with numerous client populations, filmmaking is a medium that younger generations, particularly, gravitate towards for self-expression and communication in the age of social media. Short forms of filmmaking have flourished on TikTok and Youtube, and these will be explored along with the ethical implications of using new media in treatment. Techniques such as camera angles, shot types, and editing methods using cell phones will be taught with an emphasis on emotional expression and coping skills. Participants will take an active role in the shooting and editing their own videos using in-phone apps; they will explore how to bring an internal perception to their external world. Somatic exercises will be used for warm-up and non-digital alternatives will be offered for those who feel "technologically challenged." We will also discuss the therapeutic benefits of filmmaking from narrative, depth psychology, and somatic perspectives.

    Please note: Prerequisites may be required in the form of video or still images brought to the class and instructions for installing editing apps.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Mexican Huipil-Making for Connection: Integrating Textiles & Embroidery in Clinical Practice
    Live via Zoom

    LATIN AMERICAN TRACK: Spanish with English Translation

    Gabriela Osorio, MA

    The embroidery, the weave, the threads, the needle, the fabrics, the colors...the action of building, creating, and representing our world. What connects us with ourselves, what hurts us, what we leave behind, what we lost. Translating those concepts and feelings into something that can be worn enables us to feel, connect, and celebrate that we are alive—with a new, "second skin." Participants in this 3-hour online workshop will create a traditional blouse (a Mexican huipil) after learning two types of stitches, and will elaborate their own design from 5 questions that will help them to reflect upon and deepen the symbolism behind each of the stitches. We will review different examples of embroidery- and textile-based activities, and how each can be used in clinical practice. Additionally, the history of embroidery and community projects in Mexico—where embroidery has great relevance and significance for culture and emotional expression—will be briefly reviewed."

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    10:00 AM EST- Talleres del Sábado por la mañana (10:00 am a 1:00 pm)

    Taller de Elaboración de Huipil Mexicano para conexión: Integrando Textiles y Bordado en Práctica Clínica

    En vivo via Zoom 

    PROGRAMACIÓN LATINOAMERICANA: En español con traducción en vivo al inglés

    Gabriela Osorio, MA

    El bordado, el tejido, los hilos, la aguja, la tela, los colores.. La acción de construir, crear, y representar nuestro mundo. Lo que nos conecta con nosotros mismos, lo que nos duele, lo que dejamos atrás, lo que perdimos. Traduciendo esos conceptos y sentimientos en algo que podamos vestir nos permite sentir, conectar, y celebrar que estamos vivos- con una nueva segunda piel. Los participantes de este taller en línea de 3 horas, crearán una blusa tradicional (un Huipil Mexicano) después de aprender 2 tipos de puntadas, y elaborarán un diseño personal guiado por 5 preguntas que les ayudarán a reflexionar y profundizar el simbolismo detrás de cada puntada. Revisarán diferentes ejemplos de bordado y actividades con textiles, y como cada una puede ser aplicada en práctica Clínica. Adicionalmente, la historia del bordado y proyectos comunitarios en México- donde el bordado tiene gran relevancia y significado en la expresión cultural y emocional- será discutido brevemente. 

    Elegible para 3 horas/créditos: NBCC, ATCB, NASW, MFT, SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (solo en el estado de Nueva York)

    No elegible para créditos APT

     

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue & Burnout: The Impact of Clinical Work on the Clinician
    Live via Zoom

    Jennifer Herbert, LCAT, ATR-BC
    Typhani Carter, LCSW

    Working with traumatized populations in virtually any clinical setting can have a tremendous impact, and creative art therapists and other clinicians working with clients who have been exposed to trauma and violence are at serious risk. Vicarious trauma exposure, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout are all types of psychological distress that can have a major impact on clinicians' level of functioning at work as well as at home. It should be noted that these symptoms in the office can have significant ethical implications if clinicians are not able to perform at capacity when working with traumatized clients in their caseloads. In this 3-hour online workshop, each of these four types of psychological distress will be defined and examined in greater depth as it pertains to clinical practice. Participants will spend time defining and exploring the tenets of self care and the use of art making in supervision and in personal practice to manage this particular range of psychological distress. Together, we will conceptualize art making as an effective self-care practice and explore ways that creativity can foster resilience in clients, as well as for clinicians as a parallel process. Special consideration will be given to supervision practice and techniques that feature art making.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Working Effectively with Offensive Clients: Managing Countertransference & Other Challenges
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Thomas Jefferson University, Art Therapy

    Kara Rothschild-Rode, MS, LPC, ATR-BC
    Courtney Brensinger


    It's possible to be faced with a particularly challenging (or unlikeable) client at any point in your career; sometimes, it's an entire population or age group of clients. In this 3-hour online workshop, we will explore the vicissitudes of working with exceptionally challenging clients and populations, acknowledge the unique challenges of this work, and hold space for workshop participants to reflect on their own struggles with these issues. We will talk specifically about working with the forensic population. While not all clinicians work with this group, virtually all therapists treat clients who have experienced trauma in their lives, and most work with clients who have been subjected to some sort of abuse. Some therapists also treat clients who have been (or are) both victim and perpetrator, as is common within the forensic population. In this way, we will be touching on working with people who might be unpleasant, unlikeable, and/or difficult to work with. In addition to having significant mental illnesses, they might also have intellectual disabilities, come from underserved populations, and also have been disadvantaged in multiple aspects of their lives. Throughout this workshop, we will interweave lecture with reflection as we explore strategies for self-care. In short, we will focus on our countertransference to working with very unsettling clients. We will introduce art activities and creative writing prompts that can be used to process responses to them in a way that isn’t often encountered in traditional supervision.

    Please note:There is potential for this workshop to be triggering to those with unresolved trauma histories of their own.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Saturday Afternoon Workshops (April 23, Virtual)

    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Making Virtual Music: Telehealth Techniques & Strategies for Non-Specialists
    Live via Zoom

    Angela Guerriero, PhD, MT-BC
    Gregory Perkins, MT-BC

    Drawing upon many years of experience in developing music interventions for clients with a variety of mental health diagnoses, as well as developmental and intellectual disabilities, this 3-hour online workshop is designed for counselors and psychotherapists (non-music therapists) who would like to learn how to integrate virtual music-based techniques and strategies that can be used in a telehealth/teletherapy model. We'll feature strategies such as creating body percussion, virtual drum circles, and song-writing techniques using basic software and apps. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in specific techniques to accompany other types of clinical interventions, including ones that will focus intentionality for facilitating music-enhanced relaxation. Regardless of the clinical population they are working with, participants will come away from this session with a solid understanding of effective virtual music-based strategies. They'll learn take-home techniques that will expand their toolkit and enable them to thoughtfully incorporate music into online practice.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Queer(ing) Creative Arts: Drama Therapy with the LGBTQIA2S+ Community
    Live via Zoom

    Kamran Afary, PhD, RDT
    Dana Sayre, MA, RDT
    Jessica Bleuer MA, MEd, PhD(c), RDT, OPQ 

    This 3-hour online workshop intends to further professional skills for creative arts therapies practitioners, as well as knowledge and scholarship regarding the use of creative arts therapies (specifically drama therapy) with LGBTQIA2S+ individuals. While no previous experience with drama therapy is required, it would be most helpful if participants have at least basic (101 level) knowledge of LGBTQIA2S+ issues and concerns. The workshop will begin with an overview of each presenter's body of work serving LGBTQIA2S+ communities, and review relevant research in the field. Participants will be introduced to the use of drama therapy and narradrama with prison populations (including sex-positive non-binary gender explorations), and the application for drama therapy in education and community organizations, including intersectional approaches that incorporate Disability Justice with LGBTQIA2S+ issues. Then we'll engage in several drama therapy exercises, divided into 20-minute breakout sessions to explore each exercise in turn. Participants will have an opportunity to synthesize and contextualize their experience of the breakout rooms with 30 minutes of sharing back to the group as a whole. The final 30 minutes of this evening workshop will be reserved for questions and group processing to include: lessons learned/created, and ways to take these techniques forward with them into their own work and process.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  6:00 pm
    Self-Injurious Behaviors: Supporting Empathy, Understanding, and Treatment
    Live via Zoom

    Dana Wyss, PhD, LMFT, ATR-BC

    Have you ever wondered what motivated someone to mutilate their own body to express overwhelming emotions? What hurt could cause such destruction and isolation of the self? At a time when they need to be most connected, they perpetuate disconnection through self-injury, which others often perceive as horrific. And have you ever noticed how mental health providers and clients' families respond to self-injury with shame, disappointment, horror, and helplessness? For some self-mutilators, the act of shedding blood creates an immediate sense of connection to the inner body — blood is considered the essence of life. Self-injury typically begins in early adolescence and can become more frequent over time. Documented self-injury occurrences have significantly increased in recent years, and the isolation and anxieties of the pandemic has not helped. In fact, service providers are equally at high risk due to their own feelings of PTSD, depression, hopelessness, compassion fatigue, and burn out. This 4-hour online workshop is an inspiring exploration of the impact that self-injury has on individuals, their families, and service providers. Weaving between the literature, anecdotes from clinical experience, and experiential exercises, providers will learn increased empathy and understanding so that they can provide skilled treatment to those who are suffering. Additionally participants will have the opportunity to create plans for maintaining their own wellness while working with such a challenging issue.

    Eligible for 4.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Spirituality, Creativity & Dreamwork in Psychotherapy
    Live via Zoom

    Leanne Domash, PhD
    Jarred Sharrar, MA, RDT

    As our culture and circumstances constantly evolve, our treatment approaches can get worn and tired, and new clinical problems arise in search of inspired solutions. We need to be able to re-conceptualize our methods to promote effective, contemporary healing. By engaging in a variety of experiential exercises, participants in this 3-hour online workshop will learn how dreamwork, spirituality, intuition, unconscious communication, and various arts forms can be integrated and incorporated into daily clinical work with individuals and groups in treatment. This session, which incorporates art, drama, visualization and more, is designed to expand the creative and imaginative capacities of clinicians and their clients. Live demonstrations of Embodied Imagination, a dreamwork technique, will be given. Designed to remove psychological blocks, it can help clients to change dysfunctional patterns. The value of spirituality in relation to psychotherapy will also be explored. Interactive group exercises, including breathing techniques, will help clinician-participants learn to engage their patients in restorative, therapeutic processes. Participants will also be guided through artmaking activities and interactive techniques that can enhance screen-based communication and teletherapy work.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Supporting Black & Latinx Youth Experiencing Racial Using Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy
    Live via Zoom

    April Duncan, DSW, LCSW, RPT-S
    Yuvi Rattigan, LCSW, RPT

    Black and Latinx youth spend their childhoods navigating negative race-based experiences due to the impact of systemic racism. Their daily interaction with microaggressions, prejudice, discrimination, and racism can lead to race-based stress that, left untreated, can easily evolve into racial trauma, which can be seen in the playroom and office. Research has found that racial trauma can lead to an increase in anxiety, depression, and suicidal behavior in Black youth; limited research exists on the effect of race-based stress on the psychological well-being of Latinx youth, however. This 3-hour online workshop will explore the signs of race-based stress and racial trauma in Black & Latinx youth along with fun and creative interventions to use in individual, group, and family play therapy. We'll explore cognitive behavioral play therapy techniques for use in treatment with clients exhibiting signs of trauma, grief, or suicide due to racial trauma. Mental health professionals from a variety of disciplines who work in a variety of settings will be able to benefit from learning these play therapy techniques for engaging Black children and their families in the healing process. Participants will leave this workshop with a better understanding of how to use play therapy in virtually any setting to help Black children and families address the stress of racial trauma in America.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  6:00 pm
    Trauma, Neurobiology, and Sensory Interventions: Designing Effective Arts-Based Strategies
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Thomas Jefferson University, Art Therapy

    Seats Just Added! 

    Denise Wolf, MA, ATR-BC, ATCS, LPC

    This 4-hour online workshop will begin with an overview of the prevalence of trauma in the adult population based on the seminal Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) studies. A brief history of trauma theory as it applies to normative attachment will also be reviewed. Next, participants will receive an overview of neural development as it applies to trauma, looking specifically at Perry’s theory of bottom up and top down regulation strategies. The impact of sensory activities on the brain will be explored in relationship to areas of brain functioning through both didactic and experiential arts-based methods. The importance of relationships on brain development will be examined, with an emphasis on the value of the therapeutic relationship as it pertains to brain growth and recovery. Sensory systems will be identified, and participants will complete a sensory inventory as it pertains to a client in their clinical practice. Specific arts-based sensory interventions will be identified, and participants will work in small groups to complete a Sensory Strategy plan that they can implement in their practice towards the effective amelioration of the symptoms of trauma. This workshop will especially benefit counselors and therapists working with adolescent and adult traumatized clients for whom cognitive-based approaches are not effective.

    Eligible for 4.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Saturday Master Classes Workshops (April 23, Virtual)

    3:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Bibliotherapy & Artmaking: Combining Stories and Images for Emotional Expression
    Live via Zoom
    LATIN AMERICAN TRACK: Spanish with English Translation

    Martha Nieto de Alba, PsyD, ATR

    In this 2-hour online workshop, participants will get a brief introduction to the practice of bibliotherapy. They will also have the opportunity to engage in a hands-on activity in which they will learn to use stories in counseling and treatment along with art making. By responding to the stories graphically, rather than with words, emotional expression is facilitated and enhanced through non-verbal response. Additionally, participants will learn the basics of how to select and recommend particular types of stories to the parents or guardians of their young patients so that they can establish an attachment and bond with them.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    3:00 PM EST- Talleres del Sábado por la tarde (3:00 pm a 5:00 pm)

    Biblioterapia y Creación Artística: Combinando Historias e Imágenes para Expresión Emocional 

    En vivo via Zoom 

    PROGRAMACIÓN LATINOAMERICANA: En español con traducción en vivo al inglés
    Martha Nieto de Alba, PsyD, ATR

    En este taller en línea de 2 horas, los participantes tendrán una breve introducción a la práctica de Biblioterapia. También tendrán la oportunidad de participar en una actividad manual en la cual ellos aprenderán a usar sus historias de asesoramiento y tratamiento junto con creación de arte. Al responder a las historias gráficamente, en vez de con palabras, la expresión emocional es facilitada y mejorada a través de respuestas no verbales. Adicionalmente, los participantes aprenderán las bases para seleccionar y recomendar historias particulares para padres o guardianes de sus pacientes, que facilitará establecer un vínculo con ellos. 

    Elegible para 2.0 horas de crédito de educación continua: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (solo dentro del estado de Nueva York) 

    No es elegible para créditos APT

     

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    7:00pm EST - Saturday Evening Special Event

    7:00 pm  -  8:30 pm
    TOWN HALL - Mourning, Meaning, and Celebrating Together: An Expressive Way Through the Pandemic
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by The Kint Institute, Portland Institute for Loss and Transition, Center for Journal Therapy & UCLArts & Healing

    Kickoff of the 2021 Grief & Loss Track

    Robert Neimeyer, PhD
    Stacie Aamon Yeldell, MA, MT-BC, AVPT
    Nancy Scherlong, LCSW-R, PTR, CJT, M-S
    Sharon Strouse, MA, ATR-BC, LCPAT
    Evie Lindemann, ATR-BC, ATCS, LMFT
    Jody Wager, MS, BC-DMT
    Catharine DeLong, Music-Thanatologist

    The past year and a half has changed our lives forever; virtually everyone alive has been touched by the upheavals and traumas it has wrought upon our lives. There were some "silver linings," of course. Overall, however, loss has been pervasive on many levels, leaving us anxious, powerless, sad, and/or angry. How to make meaning of living through a time such as this one? What can we do as creative mental health professionals so that we don't allow our own issues to taint our work? Join us at this 90-minute virtual Town Hall gathering. Hosted by faculty from some of our co-sponsoring organizations, they'll welcome the global Summit community and guide us in doing what the Summit has always done: Enable us to Meet, Create & Learn. Additionally, we'll call upon their accumulated expertise to make space for grieving the people and parts of our lives that have been lost . . . and celebrate the healing power of the expressive arts, and the great potential of the times that are yet to come.

    This session is not eligible for continuing education clock/credit hours.

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
  • Sunday, 11/07/21
  •  

    Sunday Master Classes (March 27, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Private Practice Essentials for Creative Arts Therapists: What They Don't Teach You in School
    Live via Zoom

    Seats Just Added!

    Reina Lombardi, LMHC-QS, ATR-BC, ATCS

    While graduate schools prepare us to provide clinical treatment, they rarely teach the necessary skills for launching and building a solo clinical practice. This primarily didactic 6-hour master class is for you if you are thinking about launching your own practice, or if you are new to the world of private practice. Participants will learn business planning basics, such as how to determine an appropriate business structure and how to estimate start-up expenses. Attention will be given to understanding the clinical relevance of having a "money mindset" in private practice, and how to calculate your desired income, as well as set your schedule and fees, based on your expense estimate. We will briefly discuss ethical and legal considerations for successful integration of telehealth into practice. Marketing is another essential skill that is important to develop—especially if you don't already have a long list of potential clients—and it's an activity that is likely the most intimidating aspect of practice-building for most. Various marketing strategies will be presented and—since we're therapists, after all—how to determine which strategy might fit best with your personality style. We will also touch on critical legal issues you'll need to consider if you are going to hang out your own shingle. Participants will leave the session with a realistic sense of what it takes to get started (and be successful) in private practice, along with practical guidelines and tools to get them headed on their practice-building journey.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Sunday Morning Workshops (March 27, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Helping Gender Diverse Clients Make Meaning Following Trauma
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by The Kint Institute

    Mark Beauregard, RDT-BCT, LCAT
    Kat Lee, MA, RDT, CCLS

    Transgender, non-binary, and gender diverse clients experience significantly high rates of trauma, often due to systemic and cultural biases related to gender conformity. When amplified by the experience of trauma, navigating one’s gender identity in an invalidating, ciscentric world can be destabilizing. The chaos of both experiences colliding can create confusion for both client and therapist. Where do these narratives overlap? Where do they diverge? Through a combination of discussion and experiential learning, participants will navigate how to help clients story their gender narratives and traumatic experiences in order to make meaning and experience integration in this 3-hour online workshop.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Liberating Joy from Loss Through Prescriptive Memory-Making & Dyadic Creativity
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Portland Institute for Loss and Transition

    Seats Just Added!

    Nancy Gershman, LMSW


    When working with a client’s memory, how do we locate the fleeting, joyful bits so often overshadowed by loss that no new insights can emerge? In this 3-hour workshop, the memory artist and clinical social worker who developed Dreamscaping will introduce her novel technique for arriving at the memory our client needs in order to move from isolation to re-integration in the world. This playful approach begins with excavating a client’s most precious memories—then joining the client there to figure out ways to enhance or build a new (prescriptive) memory from lived experience so that it becomes the place where healing can happen. Through case studies, learners will discover how prescriptive memories are compounded in a client’s imagination, resourcing only the most reliably positive, felt-sense memories and images as unmet (and unrealized) needs are uncovered. In ensemble Dreamscaping, counselors and therapists will get an excellent sense of what it takes to be an assured memory artist in mental health care, capable of leading your client to new sources of courage and humor based on their personally-developed imagery. Implications for using this method with adult populations (traumatic grief and non-death related loss) and in clinical settings (hospice) will be addressed.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  12:00 pm
    Mandalas, Mind & Body: An Epigenetic and Psychoneuroimmunological Perspective
    Live via Zoom
    LATIN AMERICAN TRACK: Spanish with English Translation
    Gisela Garcia
    Thanks in part to being popularized in the west by Jung, mandalas (circular formats) are considered extraordinary non-verbal therapeutic tools that can reflect the contents of the unconscious. This 2-hour online workshop will illustrate and demonstrate how drawing mandalas can generate benefits in mind and body, based on principles of epigenetics and psychoneuroimmunology. In this session, in addition to reviewing results from an investigation of mandalas drawn by people with fibromyalgia, in which improvements in emotional states and the reduction of physical pain in patients were evidenced, participants will have the opportunity to engage in a mandala making exercise for facilitating self-expression and enhancing self-knowledge.

    This session is not eligible for continuing education clock/credit hours.

    10:00 am EST - Talleres del Domingo por la mañana (10:00 am and 12:00 pm)

    Mandalas, mente y cuerpo: una perspectiva epigenética y psiconeuroinmunología 

    En vivo a través de Zoom

    PROGRAMACIÓN LATINOAMERICANA: En español con traducción al inglés
    Gisela García


    Gracias en parte a que Jung las popularizó en Occidente, las mandalas (formatos circulares) se consideran como herramientas terapéuticas no verbales extraordinarias que pueden reflejar los contenidos del inconsciente. 

    Este taller en línea de 2 horas ilustrará y demostrará cómo dibujar mandalas puede generar beneficios en la mente y el cuerpo, basado en principios de epigenética y psiconeuroinmunología. 

    En esta sesión, además de revisar los resultados de una investigación de mandalas dibujados por personas con fibromialgia, en la que se evidenciaron mejoras en los estados emocionales y la reducción del dolor físico en los pacientes. Los participantes tendrán la oportunidad de realizar un ejercicio de elaboración de mandalas para facilitar la autoexpresión y mejorar el autoconocimiento.

    Esta sesión no es elegible para horas de créditos de educación continua.

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Sand Therapy: Existential Depth and Clinical Competency
    Live via Zoom

    Dee Preston-Dillon, PhD

    The depth and power for healing can be a profound experience when using symbols in sand with clients of all ages and abilities. What competencies enhance our work as clinicians, anchoring depth and meaning, ethics and practice? How does the therapist learn to achieve insight, hone practices to process trauma, while maintaining the integrity of the experience? How do we attune to existential work, validate the depths of meaning, recognize constraints to freedom, confront injunctions against authenticity, and honor cultural identity? This 3-hour online workshop will demonstrate essential clinical skills including resonance—a practice of mindful presence and deep empathy; amplification reflecting back layers of meaning—spoken and when there is no voice; a heightened awareness of safety and boundaries; attunement to projections and an acquired language of symbols and metaphor. We'll practice waiting in silence and ways to energize a vibrant active imagination. Our emphasis will be on the ritual of practice, the flow of intuitions, firing of the brain, presence of heart and breath, and sensibilities to facilitate and process symbols in sand. An experiential workshop, volunteers may experience strong emotions with process of symbols in sand. Our priority is safety.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Sunday Afternoon Workshops (April 10, Virtual)

    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Art Journaling for Joy: Facilitating Resilience through Creative Expression
    Live via Zoom

    Seats Just Added!

    Nadia Paredes, MA, LMFT, ATR

    Want to experience a new tool for creative expression that promotes emotional self-awareness? In this 3-hour online workshop, participants will learn how to develop their own introspective art journaling practice for centering and resilience that they can, in turn, teach to their clients. Through examples of various journal exercises involving a combination of diverse art materials with simple color and movement practices, participants in this session will be introduced to and explore quick-and-easy strategies for building a positive emotional climate in difficult situations. No art or writing skills required.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Connecting with the Playful Inner Child Through Vocal Psychotherapy
    Live via Zoom

    Diane Austin, ACMT, LCAT
    Allison Reynolds, LCSW-R, LCAT, MT-BC
    Jenny Hoi Yan Fu, LCAT, MT-BC

    We enter the world as spontaneous beings, curious and creative, and the sounds we make express this. As children continue to grow and develop, they are affected by the spoken and unspoken messages from the significant people in their lives. Caretakers may be too preoccupied with their own wounds, to really be present to nurture and form healthy attachments with their children. Home environments may lack structure, easily becoming unpredictable and inconsistent. Children who grow up in dysfunctional family environments often become hypervigilant, in order to survive. The child who has “adult children” for parents, has to grow up too fast and misses important developmental stages. As a result, children lose their ability to play because they do not feel safe. In order to allow our spontaneous, creative selves to emerge we need to feel nurtured, protected and secure. In virtually any clinical setting, when working with a “parentified” client, therapists have to be able to connect to their own ability to “play.” Vocal psychotherapists need to companion their clients to places where their needs were not met and provide reparative experiences. The ability to vocally “play” with some clients may lead to a positive regression in service of the self. Vocal Psychotherapy is the use of the breath, natural sounds, vocal improvisation and dialogue within a client/therapist relationship to promote intrapsychic and interpersonal change and growth. This workshop focuses on connecting with our innate ability to play through sounds, movements and vocalizations, in order to enhance our work as clinicians. Experiential exercises and audio examples will also be used to illuminate methods used in Vocal Psychotherapy, including Vocal Holding and Free Associative Singing.  

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    Trauma-Informed Art Therapy Interventions for Adolescent Groups: Virtual Connections
    Live via Zoom
    Just Added!
    Wanda Montemayor, LPC-S-AT, ATR-BC, ATCS, RPT-S

    Participants in this 4-hour online workshop will be introduced to a number of digital sites in addition to other more traditional art activities that they can use with traumatized teens when working online in groups. These effective tools for working with adolescents impacted by anxiety and loneliness during the pandemic help to foster connection and relationships within the group by stimulating dialogue through virtual and high touch art activities. Discussion will also include practical tips for forming and maintaining online art-based treatment groups for adolescents and others. All mental health professionals are welcome.

    Eligible for 4.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Underneath Your Clutter: A Journal Therapy Workshop
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Center for Journal Therapy

    Seats Just Added!

    Carolyn Koehnline, MA, LMHC


    It isn’t just full-blown hoarders who struggle with overpacked spaces and schedules affecting the quality of their lives. In virtually any clinical setting you are likely to find clients who are burdened by clutter in one or more areas of life. Beneath that clutter there may be questions of identity, blurred boundaries, inner conflicts, unhelpful beliefs, and stuck or buried emotions. Simply stated, clutter is both a practical challenge and a metaphor for any obstacles blocking growth and emergence. Journal therapy can be incorporated effectively into a gentle approach that supports safe, effective, meaningful processing and symbolic releasing of objects and commitments. In this 3-hour online workshop, participants will learn a gentle approach to clutter clearing that incorporates journal therapy-informed writing processes. Counselors and therapists will learn how clients can use writing to access regular doses of self-compassion, encouragement, clarity, and personalized guidance as needed. Focus will be placed on practices and writing processes that are both practical and symbolic and that supply structure, evidence of progress, emotional safety, clarity, and encouragement. Participants will come away with a fresh approach to facing up to clutter, and a collection of journal techniques that can be woven easily into daily clinical work.

    Please note: Participants will be trying out various writing processes and there is the potential of stirring up intense emotions. However, choices will always be offered. Sharing of writing will occasionally be invited and completely optional.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Sunday Morning Workshops (April 24, Virtual)

    3:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    High Complexity Infertility Treatment, Art Therapy & Mindfulness
    Live via Zoom
    LATIN AMERICAN TRACK: Spanish with English Translation

    Patricia Manubens, MA

    Women and/or couples who face the challenges of highly complex treatment involved in assisted reproduction face at least 3 years of struggle and failures. During this protracted time, insecurity, fears, and emotional exhaustion can undermine the very results they hope to achieve. Based in work done at the Human Reproduction Clinic of the University of Valparaíso in Chile, we will explore how to offer emotional support through art therapy and mindfulness activities. Participants will learn the therapeutic objectives for doing this work, Specifically, the goal is to enable clients to face their embryo transfer(s) with focused attention and lower stress levels. Together we will engage in an experiential activity using dough or plasticine made at home (or with store-bought clay). These materials facilitate direct contact with our senses of touch and smell, thus triggering unconscious feelings, and should be done with an understanding of how this process can be used effectively with positive results.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    3:00 PM EST- Talleres del Domingo por la tarde (3:00 pm a  5:00 pm)

    Tratamiento de infertilidad de alta complejidad, arteterapia y atención plena 

    En vivo a través de Zoom 

    PROGRAMACIÓN LATINOAMERICANA: En español con traducción al inglés
    Patricia Manubens, MA

    Las mujeres y/o parejas que navegan los desafíos de un tratamiento de infertilidad de alta complejidad involucrado en la reproducción asistida, enfrentan al menos 3 años de luchas y fracasos. 
    Durante este tiempo prolongado, la inseguridad, los miedos y el agotamiento emocional pueden socavar los resultados que esperan lograr. 
    Con base en el trabajo realizado en la Clínica de Reproducción Humana de la Universidad de Valparaíso en Chile, explicaremos cómo ofrecer apoyo emocional a través de actividades de arteterapia y mindfulness.
    Los participantes aprenderán los objetivos terapéuticos para realizar este trabajo, específicamente, el objetivo es permitir que los clientes enfrenten su(s) transferencia(s) de embriones con atención enfocada y menores niveles de estrés. 
    Juntos participaremos en una actividad experimental utilizando masa o plastilina hecha en casa (o con arcilla comprada en la tienda) ya que estos materiales facilitan el contacto directo con nuestros sentidos del tacto y el olfato, desencadenando sentimientos inconscientes. Este proceso debe hacerse con una comprensión sobre cómo este proceso se puede utilizar de manera efectiva con resultados positivos.

    Esta sesión no es elegible para horas de créditos de educación continua

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
  • Thursday, 11/11/21
  •  

    Thursday Master Classes (March 24, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Addressing Attachment Trauma with all Ages Using Sand-Based Play Therapy
    Live via Zoom

    Marshall Lyles, LPC-S, LMFT-S
    Tammi Van Hollander, LCSW, RPT-S

    Clients of all ages affected by attachment trauma appear in every play therapist's caseload—all clinicians', actually—though this specific type of wounding has often gone unnamed and unexplored. The lived experiences of those not yet healed from attachment trauma varies widely; however, most clients have internalized judgments from those in their lives who have criticized behavior and emotional symptoms without showing compassionate curiosity as to their origin. As a result, exploring these wounds and their resulting patterns in play therapy and other modalities needs to be executed with gentleness and safety. Sand therapy, a particular form of expressive play therapy, provides such an opportunity as the client is empowered to structure the timing and intensity of their meaning making during their interaction within the sand tray. As contact with these affected parts manifests, the play therapist has the sacred task of providing corrective experiences facilitated by the healing power of metaphor. Staying connected to the therapeutic powers of play and play therapy's clinical theories ensures ethical compliance during this delicate process. This 6-hour master class will explore, illustrate, and demonstrate theory while providing hands-on experiences for play therapists and their colleagues. No specialized knowledge of sand therapy is required.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    An Archetypal Art Therapy Approach to Tending Grief: Uncovering the Mysteries of Brokenness
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Portland Institute for Loss and Transition

    Josie Abbenante, ATR-BC, LPAT
    Linney Wix, PhD, ATR-BC


    When grief permeates individual lives and the global psyche, lingering in the moment invites the unfolding of mystery. When the heart is broken, when life as we know it is shattered, what does the Brokenness want from us? Bringing our attention to the loss happening in and around us gives meaning to our individual experience of what is broken. This lingering with loss, through art making and writing, invites the mystery to reveal itself in image and metaphor. Using the tools defined by Hillman, Berry, Romanyshyn, Lopez-Pedraza, Watkins and others in the field of archetypal psychology, participants in this 6-hour master class will reflect on their images, learning to see and hear the metaphors in the Brokenness. While each participant’s grief will be honored through making and writing, the images themselves will tend the sadness. In teaching this approach with clients, these same processes encourage the lingering, slowing down and paying attention necessary to tend the heart of their own grief.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Children of Divorce: Play Therapy & Expressive Arts Strategies for Living in the Divided Kingdom
    Live via Zoom

    Ann Beckley-Forest, LCSW, RPT-S

    In this 6-hour master class intended for play therapists and other clinicians who work with children, we will explore and demonstrate current best practices in prescriptive and child-responsive play therapy to help young clients in families with a high level of disruption and conflict among the adults, including in divorce. Working from a framework of trauma-informed play therapy, we'll examine how to apply the clinical approaches of play therapy innovators to the large population of children affected by divorce. Providing safety in the play therapy session and opportunities for children to use the play therapy environment to cope with loyalty conflicts helps to bind their anxieties and allows healing to begin. There will be opportunities in this play therapy workshop to use puppets, sandtray, and bookmaking as creative modalities for healing. Certain of the experiential play therapy activities may be upsetting to some, and participants should make their own choices about what to share.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Clay Work for Safe Risk-Taking, Enhanced Expression & Trust-Building
    Live via Zoom

    Hope Irion, LCAT, LPC, ATR-BC
    Abbie Kasoff

    As art therapists learn early in their training, clay is one of the most perfect art media to use in treatment. But it can also be one of the most emotionally charged media too. For this reason, learning to work responsibly with clay in therapy is important, especially for counselors, therapists, and other non-specialist helping professionals. What makes clay unique among art media is that it can hold its own form, therefore is ego-enhancing. Clay can "take" whatever a client does to it, be it poking, stroking, pinching, pounding, or rolling. Because it is infinitely malleable, it is ideal for working out and working through energies and issues in treatment. In this 6-hour master class, participants will be introduced (or reintroduced) to the therapeutic benefits of clay in clinical work. They'll learn how to employ clay in treatment with clients who feel "stuck" or are suffering from the aftereffects of trauma, grief, or loss. We'll also spend some time exploring how to use clay to strengthen relationships between dyads and among family members, and to build trust within groups. Additionally, we'll identify several unique ways to verbally "process" clay work in treatment. The Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) will be our guiding structural model. Because it is a such a potent medium for authentic expression and risk-taking, participants should be aware that some of these activities might elicit strong emotional reactions, which in themselves, can be an effective way to learn about the responsible use of clay in treatment.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    The Personal Hope Book: A Container of Resilience for Teens & Adults
    Live via Zoom

    Erin Partridge, PhD, ATR-BC

    Finding, holding onto, and connecting to the idea of hope has never been more relevant as the world experiences a global pandemic. Clients have to find ways to cope with their clinical and therapeutic concerns as it intersects with the larger narrative of fear and anxiety worldwide. Counselors and psychotherapists must learn to adapt their practices along with protecting the health and safety in their own lives. Research has shown the efficacy of using storytelling in treatment as a way to promote resilience. Creating a book filled with personal responses to hopeful quotations enables the therapist and client to collaborate on defining the meaning of hope as well as the characteristics of successful treatment. In this 6-hour master class, we will consider the meaning and impact of hope and investigate the use of a structured set of directives in a curriculum designed to instill hope and resilience in clients in individual or group treatment as well as in professional and community settings. Participants will learn about, and engage in, the process of creating a personal book of hopeful content, as well as an easy-to-learn bookbinding process. Participants will learn how to bring the Personal Hope Book activity into their work with clients of all ages and abilities, including those unable to read or verbalize. No previous bookmaking or art therapy experience required.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    6:30pm EST - Thursday Evening Workshops

    6:30 pm  -  8:30 pm
    Drumming Together to Enhance Creativity & Confidence
    Live via Zoom

    Dan Walsh, MS, LCAT, MT-BC

    This 2-hour evening workshop will provide attendees with a first-hand experience of participating in a facilitated drum circle using drums, body percussion, and voice. Intended to elicit creativity and confidence in those who wish to incorporate drumming into their work with clients, drum circle facilitation techniques are easy to incorporate into any clinical or educational setting. Participants will have opportunities to practice facilitating the group using these techniques spontaneously. This workshop is appropriate for all clinicians and educators whose work would benefit from a drumming-based structure for enhancing alliances with clients of any age who might otherwise have difficulty connecting or flourishing using more traditional treatment approaches.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    6:30 pm  -  9:30 pm
    Emotional Agility and Art Therapy
    Live via Zoom
    Mariya Keselman-Mekler, ATR-BC, LPC

    In this 3-hour evening workshop, participants will learn how to use the framework of emotional agility and creativity for working with adolescent and adult clients, and on their own. Ways to facilitate emotional agility, build resilience, improve wellness, shift perspective, enhance our work as clinicians, and discover ways to support clients in aligning their actions with their values will be introduced through theory, demonstration, and hands-on experience. Together, we will use ourselves as tools to explore this science-based approach introduced by Dr. Susan David. According to her, emotional agility is a way to “be in the moment, changing or maintaining our behavior in ways that align with our intentions and values. The process isn’t about ignoring difficult emotions and thoughts. It’s about holding these emotions loosely, facing them courageously and compassionately, and then moving past them to make big things happen in your life.” Participants in this workshop will be using the art process and discussion to identify practical clinical integration of this concept with counseling and art therapy theories for use with individuals and groups in treatment to support emotional development and wellness. No previous art experience is necessary to participate.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    6:30 pm  -  9:30 pm
    Spiritual Art Therapy: Connecting the Mind/Body/Spirit in Practice
    Live via Zoom

    Ellen Horovitz, PhD, ATR-BC, LCAT, ERYT 500, C-IAYT

    Traditional psychotherapies consider the bodily presence of both the patient and the therapist, but have focused predominantly on verbal communication between the mind of the therapist and the mind of the patient/client. Now, the scientifically-minded thinkers in the psychotherapy community are moving toward a convergence of ancient and modern mind-body practices that provide non-invasive techniques for studying autonomic, neuroendocrine, and emotion regulatory systems. The more we understand the modes of action that underlie the observable effects of specific mind-body techniques, the better we will be able to adapt such practices for prevention and treatment of a vast array of mental and somatic conditions associated with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and stress-related medical conditions. In this 3-hour experiential and didactic workshop the above-mentioned concepts will be explored, and participants will gain an understanding of how to use spiritual art therapy with clients and develop a mind/body/spiritual practice. They will learn the parameters for working with clients in a spiritually-oriented therapeutic session as well as when and why to use the Belief Art Therapy Assessment with them. Differences between spirituality, religiosity, faith, belief and their application in a therapeutic context will be clarified as will knowing when to invoke spirituality, mindfulness and body-oriented therapeutics in a clinical session (including touch). Video case material and slide-based lecture will illustrate and concretize the above concepts. Participants should dress comfortably and will need to be ready to participate in both art making and body-oriented movement.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    6:30 pm  -  9:30 pm
    Superhero Grief: Secret-Identity and the Transformative Power of Mask Making
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Portland Institute for Loss and Transition

    Jill A. Harrington, DSW, LCSW
    Sharon Strouse, MA, ATR-BC, LCPAT


    This 3-hour evening workshop will harness the power of the visual arts to provide psychoeducation on loss and identity as well as teach the art-assisted grief therapy technique of mask-making. Fictional case studies will include exploring modern-day superhero narratives to highlight the challenges these characters encountered in the aftermath of profound loss and the subsequent impact to their identities. Participants will be provided opportunities for individual and group processing on metaphorical learning and its use in grief counseling. In addition, experiential learning will provide participants with an opportunity to explore and express an internal landscape and piece together a personal and/or professional experience of loss. We will examine the creative process of making and shaping what is given, and engage mask-making through a creative experience and deep personal process work to enhance learning. At the core, this session will provide psychoeducation, increase counselor self-awareness, teach creative techniques in assisting the bereaved’s ability to embrace grief as a transformative process, and foster posttraumatic growth through the use of modern superhero grief narratives.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
  • Friday, 11/12/21
  •  

    Friday Master Classes (March 25, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    “True” DBT with Art Therapy: Structured Treatment for Troubled Teens and Their Families
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Thomas Jefferson University, Art Therapy

    Seats Just Added!

    Katie May, NCC, LPC, DBT-LBC
    Kaitlin Babyak, MA, ATR-BC, LPC
    Hannah Heffner, ATR-BC, LPC
    Samantha Rock, MS, CTRS
    Emma Werner, LPC intern


    Research has shown that DBT is highly effective in treating emotion dysregulation in the adolescent population. Unfortunately, the downside to the emerging popularity of DBT is that many therapists will inject a skill into a session and say they are "doing DBT." This leaves clients feeling defeated when it doesn't work as promised and may inadvertently reinforce the clients' belief that something is wrong with them. It's also a recipe for therapist burnout. In this 6-hour masterclass we will focus on providing the framework for delivering concrete skills and structured treatment for adolescent clients and families with adherence to the evidence-based model. Delivered properly, and with the inclusion of middle path skills developed for parents and adolescents, this comprehensive model of DBT treatment is ideal for working with impulsive and reactive teenagers and their families. Through didactic presentation, video case material, creative practices, and role plays, we'll illustrate and demonstrate foundational theory of true DBT, explain how to assess and engage teen clients individually, incorporate art into the process, and maintain fidelity to the model. We'll provide templates, scripts, and handouts for working with parents of adolescents in DBT, how to engage them in treatment, and how to structure the home environment for success without triggering parental shame and defensiveness. Participants will experience a DBT group format and learn highly engaging, creative strategies that keep “difficult" teens coming back for more! No previous DBT experience is necessary.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Doll Making in the Treatment of Traumatic Loss
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Portland Institute for Loss and Transition

    Sharon Strouse, MA, ATR-BC, LCPAT
    Sarah Vollmann, ATR-BC, LICSW


    Dolls have a universal and timeless appeal. Ancient civilizations created them to ward off illness, promote fertility, and ensure abundant crops. Dolls have been infused with the wishes, fears, and hopes of their makers, and have served as powerful talismans of transformation. In this daylong experiential master class we will explore the clinical benefits of doll making in expressive arts and psychotherapy. Case studies will illustrate the effectiveness of doll making in the treatment of grief and traumatic loss. The class will be strongly anchored in meaning reconstruction as well as in attachment-informed grief therapy. Art therapy dolls will be presented as valuable vehicles for the telling and reworking of one's narrative of loss, and for the exploration of an identity that has been impacted by grief. They will also be viewed as important transitional objects that can support an ongoing connection with the deceased. Master class participants will have the opportunity to create their own dolls. They will be able to tailor the directive as they see fit, perhaps to commemorate a lost loved one or to create a symbol of self. The group will reflect on their doll making process and discuss its potential use in a variety of clinical settings with individuals and groups, particularly in the treatment of bereaved patients of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Sewing skills are not required.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Earth Medicine: Partnering with the Natural World to Facilitate Healing
    Live via Zoom
    Seats Just Added

    Cherie Spehar, LCSW, RPT-S, ACTP

    Do you have clients who are deeply connected to nature, or might benefit from more interaction with the natural world and its healing capacities? If so, join us as we journey into a sacred, yet practical, understanding of eco-healing modalities. We’ll explain, illustrate, and explore Earth Medicine principles that participants will learn to work with—symbolically and practically— in the therapy room. This 6-hour master class will include introductions to basic eco-medicine pillars, and engage the senses in nature-centric activities that will transform your clients' experience of healing. In addition to these “anchors” of practice, participants will learn about the Life Wheel, an Earth Medicine model. This approach to healing draws upon aspects of trauma, trauma identities, and psycho-spiritual practices to work through the Shadow and the Medicine of each of the directions. Participants will be able to offer this framework to their clients, as well as learn how to incorporate other expressive arts strategies such as sandtray and Journal Therapy into the process. This highly experiential day will feature techniques to use in counseling and psychotherapy with clients, including: Medicine/mojo bags, working with nature’s cycles and the four directional elements, creating natural healing altars, and integrating the correspondences of stones, plants, and animals as tools to release, recalibrate, and restore their healing narratives. If you seek creative ways to support your clients using the magic and medicine of the earth, its elements, seasons, and related healing symbolism, this is the class for you!

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    From Resistance to Resilience: Dynamic Arts Approaches for Reaching Difficult Clients
    Live via Zoom

    Lucy Barbera, PhD, LCAT

    When a client's words are not available or forthcoming in treatment, the creative arts provide safe, respectful, and expressive communication tools that help give them a "voice." Learning how to facilitate a variety of nonverbal methods to help your clients express their feelings, gain perspective on their issues, imagine alternatives, and plan future healing action, will empower and enhance your clinical practice, enabling you to "see" clients' inner worlds, offering clarity and insights. Participants will leave this master class able to: determine which creative arts modalities to offer and when; invite clients to participate in expressive arts activities as well as engage with clients in joint art activities; find new ways to witness the creative arts-making process and sensitively discuss the art created, helping clients to find its meaning and message for themselves. In sum, specialists and non-specialist practitioners alike will learn new ways to help their clients diminish resistance to therapy while fostering their resilience and self-reliance.

    NOTE: This highly experiential session might elicit strong emotional responses from participants.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Intermodal Intuitive Painting: Embracing Uncertainty Through Play, Writing, Movement & Courage
    Live via Zoom

    Katerina Evans, MA, LCPC, ATR
    Jill Penaloza, LCPAT, CGP

    Intermodal intuitive painting, as it will be explained, demonstrated, and practiced in this daylong masterclass for clinicians, is a process of connecting and re-connecting to our inner knowing. Learning to listen within, rather than seeking feedback from outside. It’s an opportunity to achieve compassion, focus, and mindful presence by facing the inner critic's negative messages and opening to our innate rhythms and wisdom. Intuitive painting is also a wonderful way to play with materials and take creative risks. Participants in this 6-hour master class will have the opportunity to explore their relationship to perfectionism, give voice to their inner dialogue through journaling, and practice embodied movement. We'll open our windows of tolerance as we explore color, line, and shape. As taught in this session, intermodal intuitive painting can be used in treatment with clients to help them face and explore a variety of psychological challenges. Fun yet powerful, it can easily be incorporated into group and individual settings with a variety of populations.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Internal Family Systems (IFS) & Art Therapy for Working with Loss & Enhancing Resiliency
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Portland Institute for Loss and Transition

    Peggy Kolodny, MA, ATR-BC, LCPAT
    Salicia Mazero, MA, ATR, LPC, CED
    Amanda Bechtel, MS, ATR-BC, LCPC, LCPAT


    In this daylong master class, we will explore the integration of art therapy principles with Schwartz's internal family systems therapy model (IFS) for use by expressive arts therapists, counselors, and psychotherapists in virtually any clinical setting. The goal of IFS is to build internal cooperation and increase "self-leadership" using eight internal resources such as curiosity, compassion, and creativity. An introductory video will illustrate the concepts of IFS, and case material will demonstrate how the presenters have applied diverse art-making and sand trays to the IFS process effectively with individuals and groups in treatment. Participants will have the opportunity to create somatic body-maps and clay sculptures to explore their own internal parts and Self in response to the profound impact of the recent pandemic to help them learn first-hand how this process can enhance treatment for all ages. Quiet art-making will include practicing an IFS technique called "internal dialoging" that fosters somatic understanding of the concepts. Participants will be given the option to discuss their artwork and process it with the group. IFS basics will be taught, so participants do not need prior knowledge of this approach.

    Please Note: This session does not count toward an IFS certificate. Both facilitators are board-certified art therapists trained in IFS. Strong emotions may emerge in this process.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    6:30pm EST - Friday Evening Workshops

    6:30 pm  -  8:30 pm
    Introduction to Laughter Yoga
    Live via Zoom

    Jason Jedrusiak, CYT

    Laughter Yoga is for everyone. If you can laugh, you can do it (regardless of fitness or mobility level). In this method, “fake” laughter soon turns into real, contagious laughter, releasing stress-relieving endorphins and effecting wonderful physiological and psychological benefits–similar to traditional yoga, but with less demand on the body. This 2-hour evening workshop will blend yoga breathwork with laughter exercises for a process that builds community, inspires playfulness, and that can be paired with any kind of play or creative arts therapies. Join us to take a break from the relentless stresses of the past year!

    This session is not eligible for continuing education clock/credit hours.
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    6:30 pm  -  9:30 pm
    Reflections on Mirror Exposure Therapy & Art for Treating Clients with Eating Disorders
    Live via Zoom

    Rebecca Lyn Grewe, ATR-BC, LPC, CEDS

    Many traumatized clients, especially those who engage in disordered eating behaviors, have difficulty looking at themselves. Not just metaphorically, but literally, especially in the mirror. And though using mirror work in treatment is not particularly well-known among generalists, it is not always indicated; this is especially the case if the clinician is not trained in this practice. So how do you know if your client could benefit from mirror work, and when might your client be prepared to face their own reflection? Mental health professionals participating in this 3-hour evening workshop will be introduced to the theory and practice of mirror exposure therapy (MET), varied approaches toward mirror work, plus art directives that will support the client during and following their MET sessions. We will highlight beneficial messages for using MET with clients and their families during treatment, as well as helpful tips to prepare your office for working with clients diagnosed with an eating disorder. Grounding techniques will be practiced and opportunities to engage in experiential art directives will be provided, as will strategies to limit and increase exposure in MET. Participants will have a chance to gain insight on the impact of looking into the mirror themselves as well as learn helpful topics to explore with their clients during the MET process. Contraindications will be discussed, and adequate time will be provided for group reflection and discussion.

    Please note: If you are actively struggling with body image distortions or other distorted beliefs in regard to appearance or eating behaviors, please do not select this experiential-educational workshop. While looking into the mirror can elicit new perspectives for healing, it can also stimulate very strong feelings and reactions.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    6:30 pm  -  9:30 pm
    Spirituality, Empathy & Intuition: Creative, Careful Management of Personal Transformation
    Live via Zoom

    Ellen G. Horovitz, ATR-BC, LCAT, E-RYT500, C-IAYT
    Jennifer Catlin, MS, CHt, CYT
    Cherie Spehar, LCSW, RPT-S, ACTP, Discussant

    In this 3-hour lecture presentation/interchange among colleagues/workshop, clinical work with highly-sensitive, empathic clients will be explored in terms of a variety of non-traditional treatment approaches along with ethical considerations. In particular, the needs of clients who have undergone Spiritually Transformative Experiences (STEs) will be addressed, with a focus on the challenges of meeting them safely and responsibly. In addition to art therapy, a variety of other treatment approaches will be discussed, including hypnotherapy, mindfulness, and somatic strategies; these will be illustrated via case material. Participants will also learn about the differences in behavioral presentations between STEs and Near Death Experiences (NDEs), and their impact on treatment. An experiential activity will include somatic and visualization explorations, and participants are invited to dress comfortably. Join us for some mind-expanding ideas and discussion, infused with thoughtful consideration about when (and when not) to venture into this territory in treatment, and when to refer out to a specialist.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
  • Saturday, 11/13/21
  •  

    Saturday Morning Workshops (April 23, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  12:00 pm
    A Primer of Sandplay, Sandtray & Sand in Therapy: Comparing Clinical Approaches & Competencies
    Live via Zoom

    Lorraine Freedle, PhD, LCSW, ABPdN, CST-T 
    Dee Preston-Dillon, PhD
    Linda E. Homeyer, PhD, LPC-S, RPT-S
    Daniel Sweeney, PhD, LMFT, LPC, RPT-S, Discussant


    Over the past decade or so, more and more play therapists and other clinicians have started collecting miniature figures and objects, encouraging their clients to place them into vignettes within containers of sand. But what then? How many of us who work enthusiastically in this creative format really understand the distinctions between Kalffian Sandplay, Play Therapy’s Sandtray, Narrative Sand Therapy, or the other approaches to using symbols in sand? And how many play therapists or their colleagues have sought formal training in one or more of these approaches? This 2-hour online conversation among "Sand Specialists" explores the use of sand and miniatures in counseling, play therapy, and the expressive therapies. In particular, participants will learn to distinguish among these varied approaches, focusing on clinical skills, therapist training, cultural factors, limits and benefits for clients, scope of practice, research, and potential effects on the play therapist and other clinicians. Most importantly, the goal of this session is to be informative, to help reduce misinformation, misunderstanding, and misuse of sand in play therapy and other clinical contexts—as well as to address the divides among professional "factions" that hinder our fullest understanding of these very powerful approaches in the treatment of our clients of all ages. Non-specialists are welcome, too!

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.     

    **Sandtray Therapists of America will also award credits for this session.

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Saturday Morning Workshops (March 26, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Ethics of Advocacy & Social Justice for Clinicians
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Thomas Jefferson University, Art Therapy

    Rachel Brandoff, PhD, ATR-BC, ATCS, LCAT
    Jacqui Johnson, LPC, MS, NCC, CCMHC, PMH-C


    There is a growing discussion of the importance of advocacy within the helping professions. Advocacy was built into the ACA counselor code of ethics in 2014, and other professional organizations mention it in blogs, newsletters, journal articles, and editorials. The concept of the clinician as a blank slate is antiquated; we are humans, too, with values, beliefs, and ideas about social justice and equity, and we too often see these principles lacking in the world. Perceived lack of time, lack of awareness, and lack of know-how are some reasons given for lack of advocacy by mental health professionals. Some clinicians also lack an understanding of how they can appropriately advocate in their communities and country, while still maintaining their other ethical principles. Clinicians can advocate in all clinical settings and within every clinical population. This 3-hour ethics workshop will explore values around advocacy and how individual social justice initiatives can coexist with the work that we do. Using a model presented by Goodman, et al., participants will create a visual exploration of their own advocate identity, including issues pertaining to "internal grappling" and building the advocacy relationship. We will explore advocacy at the micro and macro level, and as it benefits individual clients, systems, and the culture at large. Attention will be given to where clinicians can direct their focus pertaining to effective advocacy, healing in treatment, and emotional development. This workshop is open to clinicians in any professional discipline who would like to engage in raising their understanding of advocacy in helping professions, and engage in art making and discussion around this theme.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Facilitating Shadow Work Through Expressive Arts Therapy: Superheroes in the Dark
    Live via Zoom


    Ramona Skriiko, MSEd, LPCC, SEP, REAT
    Peyton Cram, MSEd, LPC, REAT

    We often encounter clients who enter into treatment with what narrative therapy refers to as "problem-saturated stories." These stories typically feature victimization, powerlessness, learned helplessness, and despair. As clinicians, part of our job involves helping our clients to transform these narratives into stories of growth and empowerment. One very effective way to do that is to introduce the concept of the superhero origin story. In this 3-hour workshop, participants will be introduced to a process that can help their clients discover strengths, overcome weaknesses, and make choices to take empowered action in their lives. They will learn how to facilitate the creation of a superhero origin story, including a variety of expressive arts techniques, for working with clients of all ages in individual or group therapy settings. No artistic experience is required.

    Please note: Because of the personal nature of these arts therapies practices, participants may experience emotional reactions to the experiential portion of this workshop.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Giving Parts Voice Through Poetry: Inspiring the Inner Community to Speak
    Live via Zoom

    Marshall Lyles LMFT-S, LPC-S, RPT-S

    When combining poetry with parts work, a space opens in which the outer world can momentarily pause, allowing different inner voices to feel empowered and share their perspectives on pain and the potential for repair. In this 3-hour workshop, participants will learn how the ancient art of poetry has been incorporated into modern therapeutic approaches. In addition to reviewing recent research, poetry strategies and prompts for accessing different components of memory networks—giving attention those that may have become compartmentalized—will be explored. Methods for welcoming those parts back into relationship with the inner community will be demonstrated and discussed. No poetry or creative writing talent is required to attend or benefit from this session. Since we will be working online, participants should keep in mind that the experiential component of this work can stimulate strong emotional reactions.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Into the Dark Night of the Soul: A Restorative Framework for Working Through Trauma & Transition
    Live via Zoom

    Seats Just Added!

    Linda Abrams, LCSW-R

    Across time and cultures, engaging with the Dark Night of the Soul has referred to the exploration of inner aspects of our selves that are hidden, no longer feel vital, or seem inauthentic. This process is often prompted by one or more annihilating events (trauma, loss, severe illness, relationship crisis, etc), plunging us into anguish, grief, and suffering (dis-ease). This can send us on a quest to sort out the debris of a "past life,” while seeking a vision for a life not-yet-born. In this 3-hour workshop, participants will learn to integrate psychotherapeutic process with concepts drawn from indigenous cultures, mystical and shamanic perspectives, and creative expression in search of ways to restore authenticity. The session will begin by identifying a narrative framework for soul care, differentiating therapeutic stories that heal from those that sicken. Next, we will explore the four tasks of the Dark Night as they pertain to working with issues in counseling and psychotherapy. Activities will include storytelling, shamanic journeying, visionary art making, and journaling. This session is especially appropriate for counselors and therapists treating clients working with grief and loss, chronic illness, trauma, addiction, and life transitions issues.

    Participants who wish to further explore this approach and these themes are invited to also register for the Creative Visioning workshop in the afternoon.

    Please note: Due to the nature of Dark Night material, sensitive or uncomfortable issues might arise during this session.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Quick Collages for Clients of All Ages: Piecing Together Possibilities
    Live via Zoom

    Josie Abbenante, ATR-BC, LPAT

    Art therapists confronted with clients' often-heard claim, “but I can’t draw,” adopted collage making as a psychologically and artistically nonthreatening alternative to spontaneous drawing and painting. Quick collages offer therapists and their clients a unique pathway for discovery through the process of collecting shapes, colors, and images from disparate personal and mass media sources, then assembling these fragments together into a new whole. This 3-hour workshop will teach participants ways to explore issues in treatment, such as change, loss, and family and relationship dynamics through quick collage techniques. Portals to further exploration, visual stories, and expressive vocabularies emerge from these easy-to-make artworks, enhancing the possibility for insight and setting the stage for future work in therapy. This workshop is appropriate for clinicians working with people of all ages and abilities. No formal art training or talent is required.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Supporting People with Sensory Issues: An Insider's View
    Live via Zoom

    Stephen Shore, EdD

    The inclusion of sensory issues in the narrative of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5), suggests greater formal recognition of sensory processing dysfunction as a characteristic of the autism spectrum. Following a brief introduction of the presenter, who is an autistic professor of special education at Adelphi University, this 3-hour workshop opens with an activity giving participants a sense (pun intended) of what sensory overload may feel like to a person on the autism spectrum. Focus then turns to the neurology of sensory processing and how dysfunction contributes to sensory issues that many on the autism spectrum experience. Using personal examples from the presenter, others on the autism spectrum, and case studies, the next portion of the presentation examines what teachers, social workers, professionals in allied fields, and others supporting those with autism will notice when sensory processing dysfunction occurs for an individual in school, at home, at work, and in the community. These observations are followed by easy-to-implement, practical solutions for developing accommodations to help these individuals regulate their sensory system. The workshop closes with a review of the numerous books, DVDs, equipment, and assessment instruments such as the Sensory Profile by Winnie Dunn and Catana Brown that are available for helping to support a person with autism in determining their sensory profile in order to develop appropriate accommodations and treatment for ameliorating sensory issues.

    This session is not eligible for continuing education clock/credit hours.
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    The Dance of Engagement: Embodiment Tools for Enhanced Presence, Trust & Insight
    Live via Zoom

    Jody Wager, MS, BC-DMT

    The embodied therapist mindfully connects to present moment experiences by focusing into the wisdom of the body and attuning to the somatic sense of self and other. This practice becomes more complicated and challenging when working with others from a distance, notably via telehealth/teletherapy. In this 3-hour workshop, a dance movement therapist will lead participants through a range of expressive dance, movement, and integrative art activities intended for exploring embodiment and attuning with others, both in person and when working virtually. Since it is believed that the embodied therapist uses the connection with her body to gain information about herself and her relationship with her client, this workshop will provide participants with the opportunity to discover, develop, and trust their innate ability to "attend" empathically, respond authentically, and translate non-verbal experiences into cognitive insights. Experiential body/mind exercises based on dance/movement therapy principles will be used along with didactic presentation to integrate a more embodied approach to traditional psychotherapy theory and practice. This workshop is ideal for the beginning clinician starting out as well as the more seasoned practitioner seeking new ways of gathering information and "being with" their client.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Trauma-Informed Digital Art Therapy with Adolescents
    Live via Zoom

    Kendra Carlson, MAAT, ATR-BC, LCAT

    In this 3-hour workshop, participants will learn how to support adolescents in their daily struggles, and help them to safely exercise their independence, share experiences with others, and work collaboratively. Achieving these skills contribute to post-traumatic growth: becoming stronger emotionally and functionally—as well as creating meaning in the wake of tragedy—are benefits of engaging in an expressive pathway. Leveraging person-centered care and narrative theory, digital art therapy facilitates literacy for self-awareness, affect identification, emotion regulation and communication. As a result, the honest, resilient, and compelling voices of adolescents invite and educate us as viewers of their digital creativity. Come gain a better understanding of the impact of trauma and how helping professionals can encourage trauma-related self-expression in their clients of all ages. Participants will gain hands-on experiential knowledge about these trauma-informed interventions through digital group creation. No specialized technical skills, experience, or software is required.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Using the Soror Mystica Deck© in Art Therapy: Engaging the Mystical Sister Within
    Live via Zoom

    Abbe Miller, PhD, ATR-BC, LPC
    M Reim Ifrach, CEDCAT-S, REAT, ATR-BC, ATCS, LPC, NCC, RMT, LCAT

    Opening portals via visual stimuli has the potential to re-enchant questioning, thoughts, perceptions, and feelings—all of which can be directed into new art making. Participants in this 3-hour workshop will be introduced to the 75 cards of the Soror Mystica© deck. Two art therapists will explore how stimulation from simple card pairings and more complex spreads can be adapted for various populations in art therapy, then use them to stimulate response art as participants make their own card. This will facilitate engagement at another level of experiential learning, simulating how the technique might be used in art therapy practice. Original artwork created with El Duende Process Painting (Miller, 2012) techniques, reflect and share wisdoms that draw upon transpersonal, art therapy, archetypal, anthropological, aesthetic, and feminist-spirituality theory, akin to Frost’s SoulCollage© process. Working with the cards provides participants with an opportunity to explore relational aesthetics on intra-, inter-, and transpersonal levels. At least two cards are selected and then layered to transform the imagery, covering and revealing new meanings.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Saturday Afternoon Workshops (April 23, Virtual)

    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Courageous Visioning: Guided Journeying & Artmaking for Creative Transformation
    Live via Zoom

    Linda Abrams, LCSW-R

    Visionary art-making has opened doorways to perception since ancient times, transmitting images and totems for deep healing of mind, heart, body, and spirit. In the words of contemporary visionary artist Alex Grey, “The creation of art can be an alchemical process transforming gross material into spiritualized substance. Each object labored over can become a healing device, a clear transmitter of spiritual power, because it has been carefully handmade with devotional energies...Artworks that are labored over with soul-centered love energy become a battery of transcendence.” In this 3-hour workshop appropriate for both new and experienced counselors and therapists, participants will be given a brief overview of visionary art, defining and describing its historic, cross-cultural, and contemporary role in soul work, personal healing, and cultural transformation. Together we will explore visionary art-making within two specific traditions that can be incorporated into clinical practice: Amazonian shamanic soul retrieval, and Grey's model of art-making as a “battery of transcendence." Participants will first experience a guided journey before creating their own visionary art for facilitating healing. Our remaining time together will be spent practicing how to co-create and guide journey work and visionary art-making for safe, effective treatment with a variety of adult populations.



    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Four Paths to Wholeness Through Expressive Writing, Poetry & Compassion
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Center for Journal Therapy

    Marianela Medrano, PhD, LPC, CPT

    In this 3-hour workshop, participants will learn four paths to facilitate a mindful connection to wholeness, which will lead clients to enhance their psychological flexibility. The fundamentals of biblio/poetry therapy and mindfulness will be examined and practiced, including writing and mindful meditations to get out of emotional and mental “stuckness” and into a renewed sense of being in the present moment. Since our clients have the capacity to free themselves of psychological pain by learning to reframe and embrace changing perspectives, the following four paths will help them in the process. In the first, we compassionately as well as critically examine ourselves through writing. In the second, we strive to discern the true meaning of the story we tell about ourselves in the context of our history. In the third path, we write in order to reinvent ourselves. In the final path, we cultivate kindness toward the self through contemplative and meditative compassion-based practice. Suitable for all mental health practitioners, as well as others in educational and community settings, this technique can be easily integrated into daily practice.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Integration of Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) & Art Therapy
    Live via Zoom

    Maggie Ritnour, ATR-BC, LMHC, LCAT

    Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO DBT), developed by Dr. Thomas Lynch, is an empirically based therapy supported by more than 20 years of research. It effectively treats disorders characterized by excessive self-control, referred to as overcontrol. The counterintuitive idea behind RO DBT is that it is possible to have self-control. Maladaptive control is often discreet in its expression and can be missed as problematic by helping professionals. RO DBT targets and treats the impact of social isolation. One can not simply think their way out of behavior change. Instead, via skills that activate the parasympathetic nervous system ventral vagal complex (referred to as the “social safety system”), a person can put their body into a place to be receptive to new information while sending social signals of openness. This ultimately facilitates a behavior change and leads to increased opportunities for emotional connection and new perspectives. Participants in this 3-hour workshop will be taught basic RO DBT theory, understand the importance of RO DBT in working with clients who are emotionally lonely, and gain a working familiarity with fundamental RO DBT skills. Through slides, video clips, role-plays, participation without planning exercises, art invitations, and short journal prompts, new assessment and treatment interventions will be introduced, illustrated, and demonstrated. As a side benefit, this experiential workshop will encourage participants to become more open and flexible when working with clients and in their own lives.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Psychodramatic Art Therapy: Expressive Imagery in Action
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Hudson Valley Psychodrama Institute
    Ning-Shing Kung, ATR-BC, TEP

    This 3-hour workshop is designed to teach specialists and generalists alike how to use action methods to deepen work in art therapy, and how to use art therapy to facilitate and augment psychodrama. Psychodrama and art therapy are both expressive arts disciplines that can both be used with individuals and groups. Psychodrama encourages direct expression using role play, movement, metaphor, and words. Art therapy focuses on the expression of thoughts, memories, and feelings in visual imagery through engagement with art materials. Psychodrama provides embodiment to the relationship between artist and art work, and between group members and each other. It offers opportunities to deepen and embody these relationships further in a variety of ways. Often in art therapy, makers speak to or about their artwork. Using the technique of psychodramatic role reversal, the art work can respond! Simply put, psychodrama can be used by art therapists and their clients to put the artwork into action, giving it voice, movement, and furthering communication and understanding between the art maker and the artwork. Art therapy can be used by psychodramatists as a warm up to action and as a way for group sharing. For instance, when direct interpersonal expression becomes threatening in the middle of a psychodrama, a brief art activity can meet the participant's need for expression in a safe, non-verbal way.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Sharing Our Identities in Clinical Practice & Supervision: What Therapists Need to Know
    Live via Zoom

    Daniel Blausey MA, ATR-BC, LCAT
    Yasmine Awais MPHIL, ATR-BC, ATCS, LCAT, LPC

    How do we start addressing identities in clinical practice and supervision? Should the client initiate discussion or should the therapist bring up identities? Thoughtful identity awareness includes our professional (e.g., art therapist, psychotherapist, counselor, supervisor, supervisee) and personal identities (e.g., gender, race, sexual orientation, ability) that influence the therapeutic and supervisory relationships. Similarly, talking about the social location of clients in supervision is acceptable, but what about the identities of the supervisor and/or supervisee? Who starts the conversation — the supervisor or the supervisee? In either case, it can feel like a waiting game, with the client, therapist, supervisor or supervisee wanting these discussions but not knowing where to start. Or perhaps speaking about identities are being avoided due to discomfort or fear of doing something wrong. The risk of not explicitly speaking about identities can negatively impact the work. Therapy may remain at a superficial level; and in the supervisory relationship, not discussing identities can trickle down to daily clinical work. This 3-hour workshop intends to shine light on the unspeakable, removing the taboo nature, encouraging participants, whether clinicians, supervisors or both, to start the conversation because of the inherent power held. Exploring our identities and social location, participants will focus on their impact in clinical work with clients and in supervision with the supervisor and/or supervisee. As part of the workshop, which is appropriate for counselors and therapists of any discipline or stage of their career, participants will engage in artmaking to better grasp the benefits of discussing matters of identity in supervision.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  6:00 pm
    Superheroes to the Rescue: Fighting Trauma & Anxiety Through Play Therapy for All Ages
    Live via Zoom

    April Duncan, DSW, LCSW, RPT-S

    Sometimes we're able to help our clients using talk or artmaking, dance or drama, writing or music. But other times, when problems seem insurmountable or symptoms get scary, it takes a superhero to get the work done. Luckily, most of our clients—regardless of age or ability—have superheroes within who can come to their rescue! In this 4-hour workshop, we'll review superhero narratives and imagery, and explore the variety of ways that using the concept of an inner superhero can facilitate clinical progress in clients at all ages, not just with kids or teens. In particular, we will discuss how play therapists and other helping professionals can integrate superhero-themed play and artmaking activities to combat anxiety and depression in clients across the lifespan. To do this, participants will learn how to identify personality traits that can inspire the formation of an inner superhero to serve as the central metaphor for powerful management and transformation of symptoms. Come learn a fun, functional play therapy concept and technique that can be used in group and individual work in virtually any type of clinical setting.

    Eligible for 4.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    The Great Turning: An Ecological/Spiritual Approach for Bridging Personal & Planetary Consciousness
    Live via Zoom

    Daniel Summer, PhD, ATR-BC, LCAT

    Many expressive arts therapists, as artists and healers, seek to achieve not only internal balance with themselves and connection with those who are suffering psychologically, but also pursue a holistic relationship with the natural environment. This 3-hour evening workshop is inspired by the writings of environmental activist Joanna Macy and author N. K. Jemisen, among others, whose work has featured the concept of the "Great Turning” which posits the need for a shift away from an industrial growth-oriented society to a more harmonious, life-sustaining form of civilization. Given the many imbalances highlighted by the recent pandemic, it has become increasingly clear that society is teetering at a critical point that begs for global reconceptualization of environmental, institutional, and hierarchical systems. This can also be seen as a parallel process for individuals and communities who face intrapsychic instability and other forms of emotional turbulence. This workshop seeks to introduce an expressive format for working with these personal and planetary themes in treatment. Participants will be encouraged to embrace compassion and develop symbolic, personal, and sacred meaning through engaging with natural art materials as they create an ecological landscape. Conducted through the lens of art therapy as social action, this workshop incorporates aspects of positive psychology and a holistic approach designed to empower individuals and communities. In addition to connecting participants with nature, engaging with this process and these materials can enable them to explore major life cycle themes symbolically, including creation, birth, growth, and decay and incorporate them meaningfully into their clinical work.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
  • Sunday, 11/14/21
  •  

    Sunday Master Classes (March 27, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Accessing the Sacred: Making Ex-Votos & Devotional Art in Therapy
    Live via Zoom

    Michelle L. Dean, MA, ATR-BC, CGP, LPC

    There are many sacred moments in a psychotherapy experience in which ritual can be employed as a token of acknowledgment. Devotional paintings and objects, such as ex-votos, are made for a public site or shrine to serve a ritual purpose or express gratitude. They can be seen across many cultures and are universal to human art making. Ex-votos are typically used for vows, thanks, or wishes. They are visual prayers, and represent the moment of greatest need, not the cure. With their structured schemas, ex-votos and other devotional art forms may be helpful in reflecting on traumatic situations. Ex-votos provide the symbolic power to express multiple human dimensions from the illustrative individual story to the shared collective experience of humility and resilience united by sobering accounts of miraculous recoveries from illness, addictions, accidents, family feuds, and other disasters. In this 6-hour master class, participants will learn about the history and structuring devices of various devotional art forms, and have an opportunity to create devotional art. Workshop participants will gain an understanding as to how these art forms can be respectfully incorporated into a psychotherapy practice that grounds the process in historically and culturally sensitive ways.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Multimodal Altered Books for Sexual Trauma: Creating a Healing Journey Via Imagery, Story & Movement
    Live via Zoom

    Katerina Evans, ATR, LCPC

    If you alter a book, do you alter yourself? We arrive in this world with pre-written scripts and pages. Some of our pages often feel like they’ve been written by someone else. What happens when we choose what goes and what stays? When we choose to alter? When we take ownership of the story we tell — and of the way we tell it? Trauma alters our perception of self and how we tell our stories. Using an existing book as our canvas, participants will play with altering, adding, removing, painting, journaling, and more to reclaim the narrative of who we are and who we choose to be. In this daylong master class, we’ll explore stages of healing from sexual trauma and how to apply those to the process of creating an altered book. Themes of preparation, creating safety and containment, empowerment and choicefullness, play, freedom of expression, rebellion, and identity will be explored and examples will be shared. Altered books can be used with most ages and populations, in clinical and community settings, with individuals and groups, in supervision, and for personal growth. No previous art experience required. Beginners and advanced learners are welcome.

    Please note: Information shared may be triggering so we will incorporate self care and the window of tolerance throughout the day.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Sunday Morning Workshops (March 27, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    A Shore Thing: Journals, Nature & Creativity in Play Therapy for Grounding, Connection, Resilience
    Live via Zoom

    Cherie Spehar LCSW, RPT-S, ACTP
    Tammi Van Hollander LCSW, RPT-S, CTC-S

    Nature-based play therapy is a doubly-powerful healing tool. Particularly in this stressful time of pandemic restrictions and precautions, being outside is not only emotionally healing—but necessary—to keep us and our clients physically safe. Thanks to the Summit's special location this year, we’ll aim to be wiggling our feet in the sand and listening to the waves roll in as we explore ways for play therapists and other clinicians to engage with the ancient forces of sea and shore in this 3-hour workshop. Join us for an exploratory, experiential session to learn some of our favorite techniques designed to bring these archetypal images and metaphors to life through thoughtful, mindful, and soulful play therapy activities. They will not only soothe and strengthen your spirit, but provide you with new tools to help your clients meet their therapeutic goals. Additionally, participants will learn ways to integrate journal therapy with play therapy and mindfulness techniques to super-charge healing by cultivating resilience and deepening connection with the natural world — all through metaphor — in image, writing, and play. Learn four or more creative interventions that play therapists, counselors, and psychotherapists can use in daily clinical practice. BYO beach towel and dress accordingly (and bring a scarf and earmuffs, too, just in case)!

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Arts-Based Treatment for Women with Trauma Histories & Substance Abuse Disorder
    Live via Zoom

    Deirdre M. Cogan, ATR-BC, LPC, ATCS, CTP
    Laryssa Cresswell, EdD, MT-BC, LCPC
    Ryan M. Carroll, DMT

    We cannot facilitate deep, lasting change for women who abuse substances until we find ways to address their trauma histories. Research estimates that 80% of women pursuing treatment for substance use disorders report physical and sexual assault histories. Clinicians who provide trauma-specific care to women with serious mental illnesses have long known that words are not enough, and expressive therapies offer an alternative approach for clients who do not typically respond to traditional psychotherapy methods. Cross-modal creative arts therapies promote grounding and multisensory experiences. Further, the interplay between expressive therapies and cognitive reprocessing can create a therapeutic space for self-awareness and expression. In this multidisciplinary, 3-hour workshop, we will explore theories of arts-based treatment approaches, as well as the intersection of trauma, serious mental illness, and substance use for women. Participants will participate in cross-modal experientials that integrate art and music to show how potent combined modalities can be when leveraged to explore painful memories and transform their meaning. Participants will also participate in discussions regarding how to design and apply interventions to foster self-agency and awareness in their clients, facilitate recovery from addictions, and promote post-traumatic healing.

    Note: This workshop may evoke strong emotional responses and is intended as professional training, not therapy. Although a safe space will be created for learning and sharing, participants are responsible for their own self-care.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    DBT with Art Therapy: An Introduction
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Thomas Jefferson University, Art Therapy

    Seats Just Added!

    Denise Wolf, MA, ATR-BC, ATCS, LPC


    Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), an evidence-based treatment, was developed by Marsha Linehan in the 1990s specifically for working with parasuicidal and chronically suicidal clients typically diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. It is currently being used to treat a variety of other populations, including patients with trauma histories, eating disorders, and addictions. It has also been adapted for the treatment of emotionally dysregulated adolescents. This empirically validated treatment has been shown to help patients reduce suicidal and self-harm behavior, reduce frequency of hospitalizations, keep them engaged in therapy, and decrease substance use. DBT blends cognitive and behavioral interventions with acceptance-based strategies derived from mindfulness. A primary therapeutic task is to foster a balance of acceptance of the client with a focus on change. Clients are taught a number of specific skills including mindfulness, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, middle path, and distress tolerance. Problematic behaviors are addressed in therapy using behavioral chain analyses and are hierarchically targeted. This 3-hour overview will include the introduction of DBT theory, stages of treatment and targets, modes of treatment, and each of the four skills modules. Participants will learn through lecture, experientials, small group discussion, and case presentation how to incorporate DBT concepts into both individual and group clinical practice. Clinical vignettes that apply DBT theory to art therapy practice will be highlighted through case narration and client artwork.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Grief Work Using Karuna Cards, Soul Cards & More
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Portland Institute for Loss and Transition

    Claudia Coenen, MTP, CGT, FT


    All counselors, psychotherapists, and helping professionals encounter grieving clients. This 3-hour workshop will introduce the use of Karuna Cards, a deck of creative ideas for working with grief and difficult life situations. Soul Cards, a deck of touch drawing images by Deborah Koff-Chapin, will offer imaginable responses that can shift the narrative of grief. After a discussion of the benefits of looking through the creative lens for grief work, participants will have the opportunity to respond to provocative imagery and prompts that invite journaling, drawing, or collage. These tools encourage a different view of grief, opening to deeper insight. Activity sheets that can be used with clients for reflection and response will be presented. Participants will have the opportunity to work with these tools and share their insights in this workshop, while learning how to use them in clinical practice with a variety of clients.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Relationships and Emotional Well-Being: A Mapping Tool for Individual & Group Therapy
    Live via Zoom

    Jennifer Salimbene, MSSW, LCSW-R, CASAC, CDAC, TEP

    Clients often come to therapy because they have been hurt and/or disappointed in their past or present relationships. The Social Atom is a tool counselors and psychotherapists can use with clients of all ages and abilities to help them map their relationship worlds. Social Atoms help clients see the impact their relationships have on their emotional well-being, self-confidence, and ability to achieve their goals. In the process, clients are able to identify which relationships to hold on to, which might need changing, and which ones to let go. Social Atoms can be used by generalist and specialist mental health professionals in virtually any clinical setting as well as with individuals and groups. They are often created using paper and pencil, but have even more impact when put into action. This 3-hour workshop will show participants how to use pencil and paper Social Atoms with their clients as well as how to put these social atoms into action, as well as when and why to use them in the course of treatment.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Sex Positivity: Integrating a Sex Positive Approach in Therapy & Supervision
    Live via Zoom

    Daniel Blausey, MA, ATR-BC, LCAT

    Shifting social and cultural discourses on sexuality continually inform our attitudes, beliefs, interventions, assessments, and ways of engaging within therapeutic contexts. This 3-hour workshop provides a sex-positive framework for all counselors and therapists to actively encourage and invite sex positive approaches into the therapeutic and supervisory setting. A sex positive framework respects the biological, psychological, social, and emotional elements of a client’s functioning, instills therapeutic confidence, and offers a safe boundary for client and therapist. Awareness of personal sexual values, beliefs, and histories is pivotal when a therapist is adopting a sex positive approach that promotes optimal care and reduces unintended client harm. This awareness helps to reveal our biases — whether fully conscious or not. Participants will be introduced to clinical and educational content integrated through artmaking to foster learning and exploration in a safe, fun, and non-judgmental space. They will have the opportunity to discuss working with countertransference and bring awareness to their comfort/discomfort in verbally and artistically exploring sexual terrain for use in treatment with clients. Finally, we will identify ways to support clients of all ages and abilities in speaking more freely about sexual explorations, curiosities, and difficulties.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Sunday Afternoon Workshops (April 10, Virtual)

    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Activating the Life Force: Nature Archetypes & Intermodal Arts for Spirit, Comfort and Connection
    Live via Zoom

    XiaoChuan Xie, LCAT, BC-DMT

    Nature archetypes such as water, wind, wood, rock, and fire connect our modern lives to our ancestral and existential selves. Thus, when bringing these powerful symbols into expressive arts therapies group sessions, they activate each member's life force and bring comfort to their souls. Participants in this 3-hour workshop will be led through an intermodal expressive arts therapy experience that contains chi-gong-based movement and vocal warm-ups, music-structured movement improvisation, drawing, as well as creative writing. By embodying basic nature elements in various arts forms, clinicians will learn how to help their clients to access the natural force that transcends mere physical existence, connecting them with higher energies, known by such names as Chi, spirit, soul, and others. Theory and efficacy of this practice will be illustrated by case material from a long-term care setting, where it is used to enhance the residents’ energies and quality of life. Group discussion will focus on exploring other settings and uses of this structured group approach with varied populations. No previous expressive arts experience is required. All healthcare professionals are welcome!

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Hip Hop Therapy: An Introduction for Expressive Therapists
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Thomas Jefferson University, Art Therapy

    Jacqui Johnson,LPC, NCC, CCMHC, PMH-C
    J.C. Hall, LMSW, EXAT
    Elliott Gann, PsyD


    Hip Hop culture is more than just listening to rap music; it promotes social consciousness and serves as an audible protest to structural racism and anti-Blackness. It is deeply connected to the struggle for self-determination, political activism, raising public consciousness, and collective healing within the Black community. Hip Hop therapy is a “nontraditional approach” that integrates widely accepted modalities including music, narrative, and mindfulness interventions. This approach centers cultural relevance and connects both youth and adults to mental health treatment; it bridges the gap in a way that many other interventions are unable to do. Hip Hop therapy encourages participants to tell their story from a strength-based perspective that allows them to reframe the social narrative that has been forced on them. This 3-hour workshop will not train participants to be a hip hop therapist, but it will give them an understanding of how to examine and explore its therapeutic relevance. Participants will learn how to invite a client’s connection to Hip Hop into the therapeutic space in a way that is both healing and empowering. All are invited.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Stepping into Positive Change Through Future Projection
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Hudson Valley Psychodrama Institute
    Regina Sewell, MEd, LMHC, PCC, CP

    It can be a real challenge for some of our clients to imagine a future in which they have successfully made positive changes. A Future Projection is a powerful experiential structure that allows them to step into their own future to imagine the life they want and explore how to get there. While negative consequences may be the impetus to make initial behavioral changes, sustainable change requires a belief that something better is actually possible. But thinking alone is not enough; change requires action. The Future Projection structure helps clients envision a sober lifestyle and allows them to experience a taste of hope through action. This helps ground them in the possibility of sustainable change. Future Projection can be used with individuals and groups in treatment. This 3-hour workshop will show participants how to facilitate the Future Projection Technique for helping clients increase their motivation to internal change by identifying and embracing more positive qualities, thereby enhancing emotional development for increased success in treatment.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Symbol & Metaphor in the Mind's Eye: The Neuroscience of Projection
    Live via Zoom

    Tim Mewmaw, MS

    How can therapists support effective healing from trauma without contesting the cultural frame in which the trauma took place? Creative and projective work with symbols greatly expands access to neurological networks where the trauma is nested. The symbol becomes the space—a safe container—in which the client can explore their experiences, their personal culture, and reclaim lost or stolen parts of themselves. Clients, and too often clinicians as well, are prevented from engaging in this transformational process by both internal and external judgments. This 3-hour workshop offers tools for validating and disarming the internal critic through an examination of the basic neurophysiology that underlies the creative process. Much more than merely pictures and toys, symbols become the conduit for powerful and transformative work with clients of all ages and populations. This session will include immersive experiential work to demonstrate the power and depth that can be safely accessed through symbols and used with individuals, couples and groups in treatment.

    Please note: Symbol and metaphor work can elicit strong emotional responses.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
  • Thursday, 11/18/21
  •  

    6:30pm EST - Thursday Evening Workshops

    6:30 pm  -  9:30 pm
    BREEMA for Trauma Treatment & Somatic Self-Care
    Live via Zoom

    Angela Porter, MA, MFT
    Alexandra Johnson, MD
    Matthew Tousignant, MA, CMT


    In this 3-hour online evening workshop, we will explore the role of the body as support for connection, presence, and transformation in the therapeutic relationship. By placing emphasis on the experience of the practitioner, we will explore somatic transference and countertransference and discover how to create a safe, yet dynamic and supportive, relational field in psychotherapy that holds both client and clinician. By cultivating coherence between body and mind using Breema, a dynamic, nurturing, interoceptive practice, we will discover that the body, even in trauma, is our greatest ally, and catalyst for movement towards healing and transformation. Body-mind connection supports the therapist to be present. Presence invites both the client and therapist to contact and move from that within themselves which is inherently whole. Issues of compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, stress, and burnout are mitigated. A tangible atmosphere of empathy, acceptance, non-judgment, and aliveness is nurtured by practicing trauma informed/somatically resourced psychotherapy. No prior experience is necessary. We will be moving, stretching, bending, leaning and using our bodies.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    7:00pm EST - Thursday Evening Lectures

    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    Neuroaesthetics: The Science of the Arts
    Live via Zoom

    Susan Magsamen, MAS
    Margaret S. Chisolm, MD

    The human brain is uniquely wired for art: whether we behold or create, the arts can change our brains in powerful ways. In this 2-hour evening lecture for generalists and specialists alike, we will introduce the field of neuroaesthetics, which explores how the brain responds to art. Understanding the neurobiological benefits of participating in the arts can help advance effective healing in treatment. Participants will learn about recent discoveries in neuroaesthetics research and how they might apply those findings to improve outcomes in patient mental health and wellbeing and enhance emotional development.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    Round 2: Mandalas & The Quest — Viewing the State of the World Through the Lens of the Great Round
    Live via Zoom

    Carol Thayer Cox, REAT, ATR-BC-retired

    Our fragmented and chaotic world is no longer recognizable to us. Disease, divisiveness, destruction, and death seem to pervade the globe. In our fatigue and aloneness, we suffer from overwhelming feelings of sorrow, sadness, compassion, fear, and anger. As we seek ways to mitigate the misery, we long to make sense of it. Jung described how the mandala, an archetype of the Self, manifests at times of crisis, when there is a need for structure and centering. As creative arts therapists, we turn to creativity and imagery as a way to navigate toward wholeness and balance for all our clients, regardless of their challenges. What if we could observe our world as if it were someone in therapy, one who is in the throes of experiencing the inherent challenges of being on what James Hollis calls "two great mythic cycles. . .the Quest and the Great Round?" Perhaps by examining the mandala images that abound in contemporary media, we can find some clues. This image-rich online presentation proposes a way to explore our world through the lens of a Jungian-inspired mandala theory, grounded in art therapy. The blueprint of the Great Round helps to explain how states of consciousness interact and influence each other, and illustrates how our world is attempting to re-align and re-center itself. Storyteller Robert Johnson has been quoted as saying, "Nature would act on the human world in the same way that the collective unconscious could act on the ego when it is dangerously out of alignment. . .so life could order itself around a new center.” This global perspective found in the wisdom of the Great Round provides us with hope that healing for our ailing world is not only possible, but ultimately imminent. Join us for Round 2 of this visual assessment of how the patient, our planet, is faring . . . one year later.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    PLEASE NOTE: This visually rich presentation will be of interest to those who will be attending for the first time, as well as those who attended last year.

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
  • Friday, 11/19/21
  •  

    Friday Master Classes (March 25, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Aspects of Images in Psychotherapy: A Jungian Exploration Through Fairytale, Myth & More
    Live via Zoom
    Seats Just Added!

    Mark Dean, MFA, MA, ATR-BC, LPC

    A tendency exists for us to think of images as objects that possess a given expressive content. But within the direct therapeutic context such a conceptualization is woefully inadequate. Imaging is an essential function of human consciousness, one that operates in a far more profound and complex manner than may be understood through a reduction of its nature to terms meant to describe a material order or circumscribed meanings. Images function as organs of awareness, rendering visible important aspects of the natural world and actively mediating and guiding our relationships with it. In this 6-hour online master class, we will explore three different instances of image, a fairytale, a myth, and a case example, for us to explore just how images function in organizing, mediating, and transforming internal psychic states as described by Jung and others. According to Christou, it is image that allows us to relate to what is truly psychological and forms the very basis of the psychotherapy process. Such an awareness will not only enhance our therapeutic process in any clinical setting for therapists and counselors alike, but will open doors for personal growth and development as well.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Humanistic Play Therapy & the Power of Presence: Re-Centering on What Matters for Healing
    Live via Zoom

    Nicole Allen, MS, LPC, RPT, NCC
    David Crenshaw, PhD, ABPP

    As the needs of children and youth from diverse backgrounds become increasingly complex, play therapists are called to practice from the most evidence-based approaches in play therapy. An unintended consequence of this shift in the world of play therapy is that the power of the therapeutic presence is often sacrificed for new procedures and skills, which may decrease the likelihood of deeper long-lasting healing in treatment. In this 6-hour online master class on humanistic play therapy, participants will be reminded of the power of “being” with clients of all ages and abilities and of the importance of conceptualizing play therapy cases with the unique needs of each youth in mind. Participants will be invited to engage in experiential activities to illustrate the power of presence in play therapy as well as group discussion regarding specific case examples and ethical considerations when working with clients of varying intersecting identities in play therapy.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Friday Morning Workshops (April 22, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Aggression & Resistance in Children Impacted by ASD: Strategies for the Playroom & Beyond
    Live via Zoom

    Esther B. Hess, PhD

    This 3-hour workshop offers play therapists and other clinicians an interactive opportunity to learn strategies from a play therapist who specializes in working with children and adolescents who have Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Participants will be introduced to the dynamics behind such worrisome behaviors such as aggression and active resistance in children on the spectrum, as well as play therapy-based strategies that promote calming, boundary recognition, and developmental growth. Play therapists and other participants will also learn ways to support stress response states, as well as to foster self-regulation and engagement in children with autism. Theory and techniques from DIR/Floortime® for working with children on the spectrum will be featured in this workshop. Additionally, play therapists and other participants will be invited to present their own cases for consideration according to this treatment model. Appropriate for play therapists and other mental health professionals alike.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Art Therapy & Art Education: How Their Figure-Ground Dynamic Can Transform Conflict into Creativity
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Thomas Jefferson University, Art Therapy

    Lisa Kay, EdD, ATR-BC


    Art education provides a theoretical foundation that has, in a variety of ways, influenced the development of art therapy. Several the founding practitioners of art therapy, in fact, began their careers as art educators. This 3-hour workshop will focus on the foundations, similarities, and distinctions between art therapy and art education, and how each discipline can inform the other in daily clinical/educational practice. We will also demonstrate the use of Visual Notes, an art making and self-reflection method for exploring therapeutic interactions incorporating poetic reflections. Participants will learn how this process can be an antidote for stress, a self-care practice, and a way to stay connected to their creative source. We will discuss how figure-ground considerations can help clients translate conflict into creativity while developing an artistic self-care practice to manage stress. Visual notes—informed by the tenets of both art education and art therapy—provide an ongoing record of aesthetic insights that can enhance professional and personal growth and development for therapist and client.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Art Therapy in the Treatment of Addiction & Trauma: A Neuroscience-Informed Approach
    Live via Zoom
    Seats Just Added!

    Patricia Quinn BFA, MS, LCAT, ATR-BC, NBCCH

    The frequent co-occurrence and challenge of identifying pre-existing trauma in addiction presents an obstacle to recovery from substance misuse, and other addictive disorders. Art therapy has long been used as an effective clinical intervention for substance use disorders (SUD). It brings forth inner experiences and engages the creative response, which can be restorative following trauma. It has a similar impact on the effects of addiction on the body, mind, and emotions. Because art therapy is effective in uncovering and/or exploring underlying trauma, it also engages clients actively in their own recovery. This 3-hour online workshop will feature a review of recent neuroscience theory and research regarding how art therapy provides novel sensory and motor experiences that aid in cognitive restructuring and integration of traumatic experiences in a bilateral way. This promotes a sense of flow, according to Lusebrink and Hinz, who described it as "...a state of highly focused attention associated with feelings of satisfaction and joy" that contributes to post-traumatic growth. Neurological tests done during art therapy confirm that artmaking can favorably influence the structure and chemistry of neurobiology for the treatment of trauma; it produces a calming state and engages the medial prefrontal cortex, which reduces amygdala activity. From among the various expressive approaches effective in daily therapeutic work with these populations, participants will have the opportunity to engage in an art exercise for a first-hand experience of art therapy.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Co-Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Creating Safe Harbors Through Psychodrama for Safety, Containment & Self-Compassion
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Hudson Valley Psychodrama Institute
    Rebecca Walters, MS, LMHC, LCAT, TEP

    Creating a sense of safety is the first step in helping clients address deep wounds and trauma in virtually any clinical setting, individual or group. Before we ask them to reveal themselves and their lives, we need to help them achieve a sense of being safe: with us, with one another (in a group) and with themselves. Techniques from psychodrama can enhance our work as clinicians as we guide clients to effective healing. Sociometric exercises, scene setting, concretizing personal strengths, the use of guided imagination and role reversal can all be used with clients in person or online to help develop the safety required to take risks to address their pasts, explore their present and move into their desired future. This 3-hour online workshop offers all counselors and therapists skills to integrate experiential methods into their own work.

    Please note: This is NOT a personal growth workshop. However, we will be practicing psychodramatic techniques. Please be aware that because this workshop includes experiential work, it has the capacity to elicit strong/sensitive personal/emotional issues.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Expanding the Capacity for Joy: Awe, Gratitude, and the Resilient Nervous System
    Live via Zoom


    Seats Just Added!

    Bonnie Harnden, MA, RDT

    Current research points to the healing capacities of awe, wonder, and gratitude, and that positive emotions have the capacity to promote health and support the regulation of the nervous system. Drama therapy, with its focus on embodiment, is an effective modality for harnessing the power of positive emotions to create a deeper, more embodied experience. This 3-hour online workshop will explore the use of Peter Levine’s trauma resolution therapy, Somatic Experiencing, and the current research on awe and positive emotions. Through drama therapy exercises, we will explore the research in embodied ways with the goal of expanding our capacity for experiencing grace and joy, as well as developing more robust nervous systems. We will also learn tools to help our clients build more resilient and regulated nervous systems. This workshop has an innovative format that combines theory, performance, and experiential exercises aimed at enhancing clinicians' emotional development. Participants will also explore the theory and research through experiential exercises. This novel, engaging format will be woven throughout the course of the session.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  12:00 pm
    Serious Game Tools, Digital Therapy & Play for Enhancing Self-Knowledge
    Live via Zoom
    LATIN AMERICAN TRACK: Spanish with English Translation
    Mariela Diaz-Pinilla

    Serious games are resources for promoting learning and behavior change. In this 2-hour online session, participants will learn how they fit within the field of psychology, counseling, and coaching. Topics such as the difference between being playful, engaging in serious play, and gamification will be discuss and demonstrated. Together, we will explore these approaches, and identify their characteristics and potential for creating effective interventions with clients. We will discuss the principles of intervention and the levels of transformation that are associated with the use of games in treatment. Participants will learn the basics of how to use serious games in their daily clinical work.

    This session is not eligible for continuing education clock/credit hours.

    10:00 am EST - Talleres del Viernes por la mañana (10:00 am a 12:00 pm)

    Herramientas de juego serias, terapia digital y juego para mejorar el autoconocimiento

    En vivo a través de Zoom

    PROGRAMACIÓN LATINOAMERICANA: En español con traducción al inglés
    Mariela Díaz-Pinilla

    En este taller en línea de 2 horas, exploraremos el potencial y los beneficios de utilizar "    Serious Games" en los procesos de asesoramiento y psicoterapia. 
    Abordaremos temas como la diferencia entre juegos divertidos y serios y su gamificación. Exploraremos la conciencia, el empoderamiento y la acción a través del juego en los procesos terapéuticos. Además, veremos las contribuciones de herramientas virtuales y las de juego serio para usarlas en procesos de tratamiento personal y de cómo utilizarlas como terapeuta digital responsable utilizando herramientas de juego serio.

    Esta sesión no es elegible para horas de créditos de educación continua

     

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Friday Afternoon Workshops

    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Memory Mining, NeuroSmidgens, Photavia & Other Brain-Healthy Cognitive Techniques for Older Adults
    Live via Zoom

    Angel Duncan, MFT, ATR
    Roger Anunsen
    Joseph Hausch

    In this 3-hour online workshop, participants will be taken through a photography and brain stimulation experience that serves as an effective healing treatment for those living with a neurocognitive impairment. For counselors and therapists working with dementia populations, art therapy approaches are offered as an extension to this program, as well. These approaches have been proven to be highly effective for working with dementia populations, who do not typically respond to traditional psychotherapy approaches. The speakers will share stories from three decades of working together developing these activities and invite participants to join in some of the many creative games and brain-healthy cognitive techniques that challenge the brain into stimulating the entire senses.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Open Studio for Enhanced Balance: Intuitive Art & Writing with Groups of All Ages
    Live via Zoom

    Sarah Laing, MAAT, ATR
    Patti Vick, MFA

    Developing a sustainable creative practice is a simple and effective way to release stress, restore empathy, and create balance and congruence within our personal and professional lives. Art & Renewal is the title of a program designed to support social workers, counselors, therapists, educators, medical professionals, body workers, first responders, community organizers—any helping practitioner whose work is high stress, emotionally demanding, and prone to burnout. This 3-hour online workshop, which incorporates basic art materials and reflective journaling, invites participants to engage in the Open Studio process of intuitive artmaking and writing within a small group format. Participants will have an opportunity to create and share in an environment of supportive non-interference. They will learn how this art therapy method can be used with a wide range of clinical populations, ages, and abilities. We'll discuss how this method is adaptable according to the needs of the group and can enhance emotional development. In addition to providing some background on our studio and practice, our most recent social-emotional learning art curriculum for Pre-K and K-8 (which will be highly informative for counselors and others working with school populations) will be presented.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    The Stories They Need to Tell: Therapeutic Writing Tools for Resilience
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Center for Journal Therapy

    Kathleen (Kay) Adams, LPC
    Sandra Marinella, MA, MEd


    Our narratives matter; they define who we are. For this reason, stories are invaluable tools for counselors, therapists, and educators to use in virtually any clinical setting. Based on work with thousands of students, writers, veterans suffering from PTSD, and cancer patients at Mayo Clinic, this 3-hour online workshop will feature inspiring stories that demonstrate five effective ways that personal stories and writing can be used in clinical treatment to support healing and resilience. Participants will be able to identify three significant findings from recent neuroscience that explain how writing our positive stories can lead to creating healthier, happier, and more resilient identities. We will demonstrate how to use three or more writing/storytelling activities, and participants will learn interactively to apply these activities to enhance their work with clients or students of all ages and abilities. No previous experience with writing or storytelling is required.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    6:00pm EST - Friday Evening Workshops

    6:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    Untangling Intergenerational Trauma & National Identity: The Ghosts of Our Nations’ Pasts
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by The Kint Institute

    Jessica Lochte, MA, AthR, R-DMT, LPC

    This 3-hour online workshop invites its participants to face the intergenerational ghosts that may be haunting the nation they belong to. Using Germany as an example, participants will explore the concept of intergenerational trauma and how it can become a defining marker in the collective memory of a nation, influencing large-group violence and/or collective silence between its citizens. Using Vamik Volkan's insights into large-group psychology and Brené Browns Shame Resilience Model, participants will explore the traumatic cycle citizens of countries with unresolved large-group trauma might find themselves in, as well as discover an approach to start resolving it.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Please note: This session begins at a unique time. 
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    7:00pm EST - Friday Evening Lecture

    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    Leaning In & Leaning Out: The Somatic Dance of Intuition
    Live via Zoom

    Terry Marks-Tarlow, PhD

    Beginning in infancy, each baby develops a rhythm of engagement (alert interest in the physical and social environment) and disengagement (rest and recovery needed). Attuned caretakers follow babies’ leads to establish attachment patterns that persist throughout life. This 2-hr evening workshop explores developmental origins of intuitive styles—whether we ‘lean in’ or ‘lean out’—that unconsciously color every social interaction. We will examine roots of attachment styles within early proto-conversation and other forms of childhood play. By learning to identify our own leanings, including their advantages and pitfalls, we can use conscious intentions to modulate these processes that normally fly under our radar.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Friday Evening Workshops (March 25, Virtual)

    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    Don't Panic! Integrating Brief Strategic Therapies & Art for Regulating the Nervous System
    Live via Zoom
    LATIN AMERICAN TRACK: English with Spanish Translation

    Mónica Ventura, MA, Psy

    The sensations of a panic attack can be hard to express through words alone, as fear—being the most primitive of our emotions—involves mind and body in such a reactive and instinctive sequence, moving so quickly, that it bypasses any rational thought. In this 2-hour online session, we will explore techniques and benefits of using art therapy for treating panic attacks using a bottom-up processing approach. We will also consider the mechanisms and intended solutions for working with panic attacks from a Brief Strategic Therapy standpoint, examining how effective this approach could be for working with this particular problem. Further, we will illustrate and demonstrate specific art therapy techniques that help patients to tolerate the sensation of fear progressively—without trying to force it to stop—since that type of intervention paradoxically intensifies the symptom. Additionally, other art therapy techniques will be introduced with the objective of shifting the patient’s attention in order to interrupt the panic attacks, thereby regulating the nervous system. These techniques can be taught to clients as resources they can use outside a therapy session when these panic situations arise.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    7:00 pm EST - Talleres de viernes por la noche (7:00 pm a 9:00 pm)

    ¡Que no cunda el pánico! Integrando breves terapias estratégicas y Arte para la regulación del sistema nervioso

    En vivo a través de Zoom

    PROGRAMACIÓN LATINOAMERICANA: En inglés con traducción al español
    Mónica Ventura, MA

    Las sensaciones de un ataque de pánico pueden ser difíciles de expresar solo con palabras, ya que el miedo, siendo la más primitiva de nuestras emociones, involucra la mente y el cuerpo en una secuencia reactiva e instintiva, moviéndose tan rápido que pasa por alto cualquier pensamiento racional. En esta sesión en línea de 2 horas, vamos a explorar técnicas y beneficios de usar Arteterapia para tratar los ataques de pánico utilizando un enfoque de procesamiento de abajo hacia arriba.También consideraremos los mecanismos y las soluciones previstas para trabajar con los ataques de pánico desde el punto de vista de la Terapia Breve Estratégica, examinando qué tan efectivo podría ser este enfoque para trabajar con este problema en particular. Además, ilustraremos y demostraremos técnicas de arteterapia específicas que ayudan a los pacientes a tolerar la sensación de miedo de manera progresiva, sin intentar forzar a detenerse, ya que ese tipo de intervención paradójicamente intensifica el síntoma. Además, se introducirán otras técnicas de arteterapia con el objetivo de desviar la atención del paciente para interrumpir los ataques de pánico regulando así el sistema nervioso.

    Estas técnicas se pueden enseñar a los clientes como recursos que pueden utilizar fuera de una sesión de terapia cuando surgen estas situaciones de pánico. 

    Elegible para 2 horas/créditos: NBCC, ATCB, NASW, MFT, SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (solo en el estado de Nueva York)
    No elegible para créditos APT

     

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    Interactive Games for Joy & Connection
    Live via Zoom

    Camille Ameen

    Get active and have fun in this interactive, 2-hour, online evening session where you will learn games, ice breakers, and other activities for joyful connection with friends, family, and others. These non-judgmental, creative activities—adaptable for online or in-person—can also be used in meetings or workshops to introduce a topic, art form, or curriculum. They are helpful in building connections, unifying the field, recalling and embodying joyful resources in times of stress, and keeping groups engaged. Most of the tools participants will learn can be easily adapted for any age group or clinical setting, and are great for circle practices.

    This session is not eligible for continuing education clock/credit hours.

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    TFCBT and the Expressive Arts: Integrating Approaches for Enhanced Treatment of Traumatized Clients
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by UCLArts & Healing


    Nadia Paredes, LMFT, ATR


    This primarily didactic 2-hour evening session is for expressive arts therapists and others who are interested in learning about Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT) and how to apply its principles to their clinical practices. Participants will learn how to build upon their expressive arts knowledge base, experiences, and skills to translate basic TFCBT concepts into art-based, expressive strategies for counseling and therapy. Case examples will be drawn from emergency preparedness sessions, work with elders suffering from post-traumatic symptoms resulting from domestic violence, and immigration-related experiences will illustrate how understanding the different stages of TFCBT can help clinicians to design thoughtful, effective, and expressive prevention and intervention strategies for working with nearly any population of clients. Designed for clinicians, but no previous TFCBT or arts therapies experience required.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    7:00 pm  -  9:00 pm
    Trauma & Aging: Considerations for Creative Arts Therapists
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by The Kint Institute

    Brian Harris, PhD, MT-BC, LCAT
    Liisa Murray, MS, MT‐BC, LCAT

    During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen record deaths and unprecedented loss among aging populations in the United States. As we look at the traumas facing aging individuals today, we can identify specific considerations that may help creative arts therapists understand how to best approach our work. This 2-hour online evening workshop will help participants gain insights into challenges that many older individuals face such as grief, loss, body decline, ageism, and life in institutions. Facilitated discussion and creative exploration will guide participants toward developing engaging, dynamic, and depth-oriented experientials. The workshop will emphasize ways for creative art therapists to help support the full humanity and personhood of older individuals.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
  • Saturday, 11/20/21
  •  

    Saturday Master Classes (March 26, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Introduction to SoulCollage® in Clinical Practice: Pathway Towards Self-Illumination
    Live via Zoom

    Mindy Jacobson-Levy MCAT, ATR-BC, LPC, HLM PAATA

    Art therapy is a psychotherapeutic process involving the use of images and personal narratives for processes ranging from exploration to integration. Collage is a mainstay method in art therapy, and SoulCollage® is a 2-step collage making process featuring the creation of numerous 5” x 8” cards combined with journaling for "soul discovery." Each card represents an “energy” that is a guide, helper, or opponent; all cards collectively comprise one’s personal SoulCollage® deck. Following the naming of each card and subsequent written dialogue, the card creator speaks from the “voice" of the card to access answers to personal questions and challenges. This structured approach makes SoulCollage® a user-friendly method that readily facilitates introspection and self-illumination. In this 6-hour online master class, participants will be invited to explore the exciting realm of SoulCollage® “in community.” Case material will be shared as it pertains to the integration of personal SoulCollage® creations within individual psychotherapy treatment, as well as for clinically reflective artmaking by the therapist. We'll also address the benefits of facilitator training for therapists. Participants will leave this fun and energizing session with the beginnings of their own SoulCollage® deck!


    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:30 pm
    Jungian Analytical Play Therapy in Depth: Treatment & Transformation of a Sexually Abused Toddler
    Live via Zoom

    John "JP" Lilly, MS, LCSW, RPT-S

    Children typically introduce significant material in play therapy sessions through metaphors and images that are rich with symbolic content, and it's a play therapist’s responsibility to understand it in a way that makes sense regarding the child’s symptoms and behaviors. Sometimes play therapists recognize that something significant is happening in the session, but are not be able to articulate what the symbolic activity or imagery signifies. This 6-hour online master class will focus on helping play therapists and other clinicians who work with young children to better understand symbolic expression in the play/therapy room by exploring how they develop complexes, as described by Jung. Symptoms will be viewed as “roadmaps” to the more deeply-seated complexes that develop in children, and, thereby, lead to a structured method for treatment. The dynamics of play therapy sessions will be examined using Jungian concepts to more fully comprehend what is being communicated by child clients through their play and creative expression. This session will focus on the case of one young child, looking into the dynamic relationship between her conscious behavior in play therapy and her deeper, unconscious formulation of complex related material as indicate by the toys she selects and themes she introduces. A deeper look into this particular case will enable even seasoned play therapists to discover a richer understanding of childrens' play in clinical sessions in general.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Saturday Morning Workshops (March 26, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Dancing Mindfulness: An Introduction
    Live via Zoom


    Jamie Marich, PhD, LPCC-S, LICDC-CS, REAT, RYT-500, RMT
    Nicole Allen, MS, LPC, RPT, NCC

    Dancing Mindfulness is a multimodal and intermodal expressive arts practice that can be implemented in virtually any clinical setting or community class setting to teach attitudes of mindful living. Although originally developed by Marich for group-based use, the practice has evolved for many as an avenue for cultivating a personal, experience-based mindfulness practice. By moving with core elements of breath, sound, body, mind, spirit, story, and the “fusion” of all of these elements through movement and other expressive forms as appropriate, participants of all ages and abilities can experience increased healing and wellness. Although she acknowledges that she did not invent Dancing Mindfulness (as dance and mindful practices are two of the oldest healing forms on the planet), Marich developed the Dancing Mindfulness practice as an integrative trauma-informed approach that can adapt both expressive and mindful practices to meet the needs of various groups. The practice, which emphasizes the skill of dancing with uncertainty, is ideal for those who might not otherwise respond to traditional therapy approaches. In this 3-hour workshop, experience the Dancing Mindfulness practice and its foundational attitudes and elements, and discuss implications for clinical practice and community settings, especially during our modern times. Additionally, this workshop addresses ethical implications and cultural responsiveness. No dance training or experience is necessary.

    Please note: Due to the personal nature of the Dancing Mindfulness practice, participants may experience emotional reactions.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Exploring Taboo Topics with African American Families: Challenging Generational Patterns
    Live via Zoom

    Tami Harris, MFA, PhD, MAAT, ATR-BC, FCC, LMHC
    Monica Butler, MA

    This 3-hour online workshop provides two making-in-the moment art therapy directives that focus on topics that persons-of-color, individually and as a community, shy away from discussing in treatment. In particular, these include sexual abuse, mental illness issue of any sort, and homosexuality. One might say that these topics are typically "swept under or the rug" or "kept in-house" for most Black families, and can have a negative effect on members of that community that can last for generations. In this session, we'll illustrate aspects of this issue by presenting artwork and other types of communication that have been presented and verbalized in treatment sessions. This workshop will also provide the opportunity for non-persons-of color to address counseling issues related to implicit bias as well as the challenges to establishing therapeutic rapport in cross-racial counseling and psychotherapy. All are welcome.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Post-Traumatic Growth Through Expressive Writing
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Center for Journal Therapy

    Anjana Deshpande, LCSW


    This 3-hour online workshop introduces the Adams-Ross method of managing trauma through expressive writing. It also considers the concept of growth vs. resilience, and how writing can become an "expert companion" in a trauma survivor's life. Participants will engage in three or four writing exercises, along with clinical explanations of how and why each works. They will gain a deeper understanding of how trauma impacts an individual, and how to initiate the healing process, as well as how trauma survivors can create a "79-cent therapist," using a method popularized by Adams. Participants will be able to identify the qualities of therapeutic writing that promote post-traumatic growth and understand how writing can help expand their clients' windows of tolerance. This workshop is suitable for clinicians of all persuasions and skill levels.

    Please Note: This material might elicit strong reactions and so is not appropriate for attendees still experiencing traumatic symptoms.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Responding to High-Risk Behaviors in Traumatized Adolescents
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by The Kint Institute

    Seats Just Added!

    Craig Haen, PhD, RDT, CGP, LCAT, FAGPA
    Allyn Sitjar, MA, RDT, LCAT

    Adolescence is an exciting time of discovery and daring, as well as paradox. Teens experience superior health and peak immune functioning at the same time that they face heightened mortality due to a roller coaster of emotions, which can manifest in risky behavior, substance abuse, self-harm, sexual experimentation, and careless driving. There is a developmental mismatch that informs these paradoxes, as teen brains are primed to pursue novelty and social reward without having a fully developed braking system. Sensation seeking activities in the context of faulty impulse control can quickly devolve into a tightrope walk between high risk and healthy discovery. In this 3-hour online workshop, we will explore the challenges for adolescents in navigating through choices, temptations, and consequences. Utilizing a multi-model approach, this experiential workshop will integrate drama, art, music, and creative writing with key clinical points in order to promote an understanding of teens from the inside out. Exploring the everyday mini-worlds of 21st century teens, we will offer a multi-tiered approach to problem-solving risky behavior while also keeping the doors to adventure and discovery open.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Tele-PLAY Therapy: Creative Virtual Interventions for Connection
    Live via Zoom

    Sophia Ansari, LPCC, RPT
    Cheryl Catron, MEd, LPCC-S, RPT-S

    Play therapists seek to meet children "where they are" and communicate in a familiar, comfortable language. Nowadays, technology is the common language for most kids, and much of pandemic life—including play therapy—takes place on Zoom. Fortunately, play therapy strategies can be effectively modified to cultivate the therapeutic effects of attunement, co-regulation, and trust in a virtual play therapy session. In this 3-hour online workshop, play therapists and their colleagues will learn how to connect with children within their digital worlds. By doing this, the play therapist facilitates a non-threatening, familiar environment for healing that supports rapport building, exploration, and creative expression. Play therapists and other clinicians will be introduced to creative and engaging play therapy interventions that build rapport, facilitate communication, foster personal strengths, and cultivate a sense of connection and belonging in virtual settings. They include: movement and regulation, interactive play therapy games in PowerPoint/Google Slides, as well as green screen activities, virtual board games, doll house, virtual LEGO®, and mindfulness techniques. We will also discuss how to creatively include caregivers to extend support between play therapy sessions. Play therapists and other mental health professionals at all levels are welcome to attend.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Using Songs Within A Trauma-Informed Treatment Framework
    Live via Zoom

    Maya Benattar, MA, MT-BC, LCAT

    Trauma deeply impacts peoples’ capacity for connection and relationship, and songs can have immense value in clinical work for music therapists and generalists alike in addressing these issues. For instance, working with songs through a trauma-informed framework can help provide rich opportunities for safety, remembrance and reconnection — key needs of all trauma survivors. This 3-hour online workshop will begin with a brief overview of foundational trauma concepts, as well as an interactive discussion about the different types of songs described in Daniel Levitin's The World in 6 Songs. Participants will then engage in a multi-modal, multi-part song-based experiential activity that can be used with clients and for deepening therapeutic insight/processing. No previous experience with music therapy necessary; appropriate for all counselors and therapists.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Saturday Afternoon Workshops (April 23, Virtual)

    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Bridging the Gaps: Connecting & Communicating Across Differences Through Image, Metaphor and Story
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by The Kint Institute

    Nancy Scherlong, LCSW, PTR, CJT, M/S
    Robin Stone, LMHC, PLLC

    Connecting and communicating across differences has its challenges—particularly when we are bridging the gaps in our perception or relationships. We often seek to be heard and validated, to understand and be understood, to increase opportunities for positive and healing conversation and to accept and move easily through times of transition. But when others (and life in general) do not respond in kind, we have opportunities to recognize and challenge irrational beliefs that hold us back and to engage in ways of thinking and being that are more effective. Join us to learn how to use images and words to communicate across differences that clinicians can use in connecting with their clients, as well as teach their clients to use with others in their lives.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Pongo Poetry Project: Written & Spoken Word to Heal Trauma in Vulnerable Populations
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by Center for Journal Therapy

    Co-Sponsored by UCLArts & Healing

    Shaun McMichael, MAT
    Elnur Gajiev, PsyD
    Richard Gold, MA


    Finding one’s voice through the power of poetry can be as natural as unlocking a door. In this immersive 3-hour workshop, experienced Pongo Poetry Project Mentors will give you the keys. Participants will learn to step into the role of a Poetry Mentor, able to guide others in a safe, fast, effective, and replicable process of creating a poem — something beautiful out of previously unarticulated emotions and complicated memories. They will learn to observe and practice Pongo’s fill-in-the-blank (FITB) technique — a supported pathway to facilitating poetry with participants having significant barriers to self-expression. Ground yourself in Pongo’s 26-year-old method used primarily with teens incarcerated, homeless, or in treatment, the majority having experienced profound traumas such as child abuse and racial oppression. Discover why program evaluations and pilot studies have shown that participants in Pongo Poetry workshops experience a decrease in craving for alcohol and the symptoms of post-traumatic stress, while experiencing an increase in resilient attitudes and moments of awareness and insight that they continue to reflect upon for years to come. All are invited.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Sing Like No One Is Listening: Transmuting Trauma Through the Healing Power of the Voice
    Live via Zoom

    Stacie Aamon Yeldell, MA, MTBC, AVPT

    SEATS JUST ADDED!

    This 3-hour online workshop will take participants on an exploration of music therapy and the healing power of the voice. In this fun, engaging, and highly interactive session, they will learn how the clinical application of the voice can be used to treat trauma in clients of all ages and abilities, in virtually any clinical setting. Incorporating fun and easy chants, as well as evidence-based music and vocal psychotherapy interventions, such as vocal holding and call and response activities, participants will also have the opportunity to unlock and uncover unconscious singing myths. This process will demonstrate to participants how simple it is to teach a client how to rebuild the relationship with their own voice in a non-threatening way. Designed for all counselors and therapists, generalists and specialists alike, this workshop is geared to those who wish to learn three vocal psychotherapeutic interventions that can help clients build intimacy with self and others. No singing or musical skills required.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
  • Sunday, 11/21/21
  •  

    Sunday Master Classes (March 27, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  5:00 pm
    Improvisational Movement as Somatic Psychotherapy in the Treatment of Trauma
    Live via Zoom

    Katrina Curry, MA, DVATI, RYT, LMFT

    In this daylong master class, participants will be introduced to the use of movement as somatic psychotherapy for effective healing in the treatment of trauma. Accessible for all counselors and therapists, diverse adaptations of this approach will be provided for using movement as somatic psychotherapy in virtually any clinical setting. Neuroscience frameworks will be taught experientially, to support participants' understanding. They will deepen their understanding of movement as somatic psychotherapy through lenses of Porges' polyvagal theory, relational alchemy, attunement, resonance, modulation, titration, and resourced embodiment. Clinicians will learn strategies for enhancing their work in the challenging work of trauma treatment, acquiring specific tools (as well as a map) for learning how to "improvise" while using this approach. Participants will be exposed to a multitude of ways to make use of movement in treatment with their clients.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:00 pm
    Jungian Sandplay Therapy for Expressive Therapists: An Introduction to Theory & Practice
    Live via Zoom

    Lorraine Freedle, PhD, LCSW, ABPdN, CST-T

    In the community of expressive arts therapists, C. G. Jung’s statement, “often the hands know how to solve a riddle with which the intellect has struggled in vain,” is intimately understood. This 6-hour online master class is designed to introduce the basic theory and practice of sandplay therapy as developed by Dora Kalff, based on the theories of C.G. Jung and deeply influenced by Eastern philosophy and religion. Intended for a wide range of counselors and therapists, the class will introduce this modality for working with clients of all ages and abilities, especially those for whom traditional talk therapy has not been effective. We'll begin with an exploration of the key tenets of sandplay therapy and video demonstrations illustrating sandplay practice techniques with children and adults. We will then discuss the healing power of symbols and archetypes, including an embodied symbol study. The tools of sandplay will also be explained, including the container of the sandtray, the elements of sand and water, as well as the miniature collection. Their practical aspects, clinical significance, and archetypal meaning will be explored. Finally, we will explore how sandplay therapy promote neurodevelopment through the lens of Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics—from sensory to affective to cognitive processing.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.     

    **Sandtray Therapists of America will also award credits for this session.


    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  5:00 pm
    Repairing the Broken Bowl: The Ancient Art of Kintsugi & COVID-Age Healing
    Live via Zoom
    SESSION FULL — Wait list initiated

    Christa Brennan, LCAT, ATR-BC, CASAC, LPC

    Broken Bowl is a daylong online experiential master class based on the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi and the ancient practice of kintsugi. Wabi-sabi is an aesthetic that embraces the imperfect and transient, and kintsugi is the painstaking practice of repairing broken pottery with gold. These approaches treat the cycle of breakage and repair as a part of an object's history rather than something to be discarded or disguised. The maker must move through a process of confronting change, accepting change, and deciding how to move forward with what is left. This creative approach to grief therapy will merge expressive arts with attachment theory, trauma theory, thanatology and Neimeyer’s constructivist theory of meaning making. Participants will learn how to confidently use the Broken Bowl process with a variety of populations, facilitating resilience, and illustrating the phases that span from loss to restoration. Join us for this deeply personal experience where you will learn about attachment, integration, resiliency, and how to make meaning out of brokenness. Be mindful that this process is likely to bring up strong emotions surrounding loss and care is taken to preserve the safety of the group. Participants are asked to bring a journal.

    Please note: Due to materials shipping requirements for this session, registrations are limited to those residing in the continental United States unless early written permission is solicited from the instructor.

    *Session fee includes cost for supplies needed for session, as well as shipping of supplies to registrant.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Sunday Morning Workshops (March 27, Virtual)

    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Creating & Fostering Safe Virtual Therapeutic Spaces for Trauma Populations
    Live via Zoom

    Missy Hall, MA, LCAT, MT-BC

    Virtual sessions have necessitated a shift in trauma-informed care in order to assure safe, responsible practice in unconventional therapeutic spaces. What happens when the theoretical third person in sessions becomes the literal person in the room? This 3-hour online workshop will use a single case study to review, consider, and discuss how to safely adapt trauma-informed interventions to include caregivers/family members who have shared traumatic experiences with our patients/clients. It will address the importance of creating safe transitional spaces in order to help our clients re-story reenactments and process relational trauma while minimizing the risk of retriggering caregivers/family members with PTSD.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Culturally Humble Intermodal Arts Interventions for Trauma Healing
    Live via Zoom

    Ebony Williams, MA, MFA, LMFT

    In this session, we will explore the various ways in which different art forms (intermodal) can come together to create interventions to support client healing from a range of traumas. These interventions offer space for clients of all ages, identities, and culture to build or further develop key social, emotional, and cognitive skills needed to access resilience and navigate adverse experiences. Through hands-on engagement using drawing, music, writing, and movement, participants will be able to apply these tools to their work supporting those who are seeking support and healing along their journey.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Incorporating Graphic Medicine into Your Practice: Ethical Guidelines for Therapists
    Live via Zoom

    Katharine Houpt, LCPC, ATR-BC

    Cartoonists have a long history of contesting ideas of normalcy through representing lived experiences that challenge prevailing medical treatment and systems. Counselors and therapists of all varieties can enhance their work by learning about graphic medicine, a field of study and growing interdisciplinary movement that seeks to resist objective universalism in healthcare through the medium of comics. In graphic medicine, comics creators combine words and images to communicate a multiplicity of subjective health and disability experiences in their social and political contexts. Participants in this 3-hour online workshop will learn about the graphic medicine movement, survey its various applications across fields, and see examples of mental health themes throughout graphic medicine. Ethical dilemmas around representation and accessibility will be explored. Participants will engage in brief exercises to promote comfort in simple cartooning techniques, and learn a comics directive that can be translated for therapeutic use in practice with clients. No experience or skill in comics or drawing is needed.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Me @ the Museum: Using Fine Art to Spark Meaning & More with Young Children
    Live via Zoom

    Kathryn Snyder, ATR-BC, LPC

    The use of artist-produced works and the museum space with children in art therapy is just beginning to be discussed, though many of us in clinical practice have been considering objects, images, collections, and aesthetic movements when we develop clinical activities. Work in the museum sphere is ripe for opportunities to help children to explore identity, personal expressive forms and identification, critical thinking, and other imaginative ways of developing personal meaning. This 3-hour online workshop will look at images from art history far and wide to consider how we can bring art history and museum-based practices into our clinical work, especially with children.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    10:00 am  -  1:00 pm
    Music as Medicine at the End of Life
    Live via Zoom

    Catharine DeLong

    Music at the bedside brings beauty, intimacy, and comfort to individuals approaching the end of life. It may invite a sense of the sacred into a space where fear and grief often reside. This 3-hour online workshop is appropriate for clinicians, therapists, and others who are curious or wish to be more comfortable working at the end of life threshold. Participants will experience elements of the work of a certified music-thanatologist. We will discuss the most effective uses of live vocal and instrumental, as well as recorded, music for palliative individuals and their loved ones, in addition to instructions for generating the best musical sound quality via ZOOM and WebEx. The workshop will include personal stories, film and listening samples, as well as a demonstration of synchronizing the music with the patient’s respiration to create a sense of companioning. Catharine DeLong, who will lead this session, brings her extensive experience to this session as a contemplative musician, music-thanatologist, freelance harpist, end-of-life educator, and hospice chaplain to support patients and families, and to help them encounter the dying process as a natural passage. A rare opportunity for mental health professionals and others.

    This session is not eligible for continuing education clock/credit hours.
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
     

    Sunday Afternoon Workshops (April 10, Virtual)

    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Biblio/Poetry Therapy: A Nuts & Bolts Introduction to Theory and Practice for Clinicians
    Live via Zoom

    Sherry Reiter, PhD, LCSW, PTR-M/S, RDT-BCT

    What is poetry therapy? Why does it work? The practice of poetry therapy (aka. Bibliotherapy) encompasses poems, stories, journaling, films, cartoons, and musical lyrics. It may be applied as a primary therapy or a complementary therapy to other therapy approaches. Therapists and counselors should not overlook the treasury of wisdom and creativity at their fingertips to enhance emotional and therapeutic work. In this 3-hour online workshop, participants will view the major theories, including the facilitator’s ten principles of transformative writing, as well as the work of Hynes & Hynes-Berry, Mazza, and Adams. They will have a first-hand experience of this powerful tool as they experience examples of poems and writing prompts. No writing skills required. All are welcome.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  6:00 pm
    De-Escalation of Aggression and Symptom Management Through Art
    Live via Zoom

    Dana Wyss, PhD, LMFT, ATR-BC
    Pamela C. Robertson, PsyD, LCSW

    Aggression toward self and others usually serves to gain, regain, or maintain control, so a trauma-responsive approach is key when working to de-escalate this behavior. Recent studies regarding adverse experiences in childhood have demonstrated the impact of early trauma, not only on clients but also on their families in later years, as well as on the helping professionals who support them. Unfortunately, many therapists, parents, and teachers have come to rely on reactive methods of behavioral management that perpetuate aggression. This unproductive cycle can further impact attachment and the capacity for self-regulation. In this 4-hour online workshop, we will begin with a brief review of the concepts of fight, flight, freeze, and fawning. Next, we will explore activities that address the capacity for self-control, illustrating the difference between responding and reacting. Finally, the facilitators will guide participants through creative art activities that support symptom management and de-escalation of aggression in response to common symptoms like depression, frustration, fear, and anxiety. We'll demonstrate effective art-based approaches that can be used with individuals and groups, and explore how to establish sustainability, comfort, and safety while doing this work. Sufficient time will be allotted for questions as well as case and group discussion.

    Eligible for 4.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  6:00 pm
    Discovering Dream Wisdom: An Exploration Through Art & Journaling
    Live via Zoom
    Co-Sponsored by UCLArts & Healing


    Nancy Weiss, BCD, LCSW

    Dreams hold the power to surprise, delight, terrify, and heal. This 4-hour workshop will introduce a structured dream tending format that helps access images, energies, and emotions to enhance emotional development by integrating dream-based insights into the waking world. In dyads, participants will explore a dream or powerful image, with the intent of deepening understanding and inner knowing, rather than making interpretations. Then, through an adapted SoulCollage® format and writing exercises, they will capture the dream’s unfolding wisdom in both images and words. Combining dream work, collage, and expressive writing invites discovery on a deeper level, and provides participants with a captivating, deeply personal illustration of a dream’s essential healing nature. This session will prepare counselors and therapists to use the dream-tending process with clients, particularly those who do not typically respond to traditional approaches. Participants are encouraged to bring collage materials as well as a journal or notebook.

    Eligible for 4.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
    2:00 pm  -  5:00 pm
    Modeling & Doodling: Simple Techniques for Accessing the Unconscious & Enhancing Relationships
    Live via Zoom

    Ruth Guttfreund, MA, RATH

    Often relegated to just "fooling around," doodling with drawing materials can be a useful tool for managing anxiety and anger, promote concentration, and staying in the Here and Now. Plasticine modeling in small scale is a non-threatening, easy way of working with powerful metaphors that can enhance introspection and self-awareness. Both doodling and plasticine modeling can be used with people of all ages and abilities. Most mental health professionals working with populations of different ages and backgrounds can benefit from experiencing the therapeutic potential of engaging with these non-threatening techniques and basic materials. Join us for this 3-hour online workshop exploring low-cost, low-skill threshold art techniques focusing on the therapeutic benefits of working with simple, easily manipulated media. No artistic skill necessary.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York State only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Presenter:
    		Fee  Optional  Closed 
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