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Expressive Therapies Summit: Los Angeles 2021 Registration Site
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2020 FULL PROGRAM SCHEDULE

 

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2020 Full Agenda 3-2  •  2020 ETSLA Title Only Agenda 3-2


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Note: registration for this special training closes 3-14

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  • Wednesday, 04/22/20
  •  

    Pre-Conference Evening Event

    Living Arts Playback Theatre Ensemble: Special Performance
    Plaza A
    Wednesday
    7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

    Armand Volkas, MFT, RDT/BCT

    Witness the magic of Playback Theatre by an ensemble headed by Armand Volkas, an internationally recognized drama therapist. During a Playback performance, audience volunteers are asked to describe stories from their lives. In response, Playback actors empathically and respectfully improvise using movement, song, dance, and spoken word to create a focused, yet multilayered, embodied narrative that represents the heart of the storytellers’ experiences.

    Playback Theatre is used in over 60 countries for education, dialogue, conflict transformation and community building as well as performance. Join us for an exciting and enlightening evening—and learn how Playback Theater can help participants attain broadened perspectives and deeper insight related to any issue or theme.

    And look for the special master class on Playback Theatre being offered at the Summit on Thursday—no acting experience required. Shy people welcome!


    Please Note: This session is open to the public, and offered free of charge, thanks to a generous grant from Patrisha Thomson.

    No CE credits or hours are available.
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
  • Thursday, 04/23/20
  •  

    Thursday Early Morning Wake Up!

    Liquid Flow: Moving Mind, Body & Spirit in Community (TH)
    Plaza A
    Thursday
    8:15 AM - 9:00 AM

    Aleta Hayes, MFA

    Get out of your bed and into your body! Experience the joy of fluid, juicy movement and playful dancing with freedom and ease through Liquid Flow, a combination of dance improvisation, yoga, and Tai Chi. This method is appropriate for beginners, athletes, dancers, and anyone else who wants to develop more grace and fluidity in everyday life. Be prepared for an experience that has been described at previous Summits as “surprisingly fun” and “beyond wonderful”!

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Sound Meditation for Stress Relief & Relaxation
    Pacific B
    Thursday
    8:15 AM - 9:00 AM

    Joshua Miller

    In this constantly overstimulated and fast-paced world, it is important to find effective ways to relax, unwind, and allow our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical selves to integrate the information and experiences that we encounter daily. Anyone spending the day learning at the Summit, for instance, would benefit from just this sort of practice. This 45-minute self-care session is designed to introduce participants to the use of the "sound bath" process for stress relief and relaxation. This experience is designed for people of all ages, including those working with children and young adults. If you are curious to add sound into your practice and experience a new way of accessing the subconscious mind, join us for this brief session.

    Please Note: This experience may elicit a strong emotional response.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Thursday Master Classes

    Art for Access to (and Integration of) Non-Ordinary States
    Plaza B
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Jennifer Allen, LMFT, ATR-BC

    It's been 50 years since Woodstock, and young people are showing renewed interest in the psychedelic experiences of their grandparents; they seek a way to get outside their egos, expand their consciousness, and grow in creativity. This 6-hour master class will explore how to support our clients in integrating their psychedelic experiences. As expressive therapists, we know that there are many different ways to accomplish this, including: working with dreams, meditation, drum journeys, and Holotropic Breathwork. But to truly activate the growth potential of these approaches, it is essential to integrate them into the fabric of daily life. Using creativity—a familiar non-ordinary state—we will engage in an experiential process called Art for Access that incorporates art, writing, the felt-sense, drum journeying, and sharing to explore and integrate non-ordinary states. We will discuss the theory and implications of psychedelic medicine, contraindications, as well as the hopeful outcomes that current research show it to have for a variety of mental health conditions. No previous psychedelic or art experience is required.

    Please Note: This master class, intended only for therapists, may evoke strong content and feelings. Participants are encouraged to bring eyeshades, yoga mat or towel, and a non-ordinary state experience (from dreams, breathwork, or psychedelic experience) to work with.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Attachment-Based Play Therapy for Emotional, Behavioral & Sensory Challenges
    Catalina C
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Tammi Van Hollander, LCSW, RPT-S

    Since children are fluent in the language of play and use toys to tell their stories, play therapy is a natural and powerful communication tool for them. Play therapy allows children to manage anger, express thoughts and feelings, reduce anxiety and depression, and heal the effects of all sorts of trauma. In this daylong master class, participants will learn how to communicate more effectively with children through play, regulate their minds and bodies, and help to collaboratively create a safe space in which to heal. Attachment-based therapies such as Theraplay® activities will be highlighted as ways to heal trauma and create playful, trusting relationships with our clients and their families. Come experience the fun-filled power of play therapy, as combined with other expressive arts approaches. We'll demonstrate how to incorporate creative strategies, including sand trays, bibliotherapy, mindfulness, and others, through active learning and hands-on exploration. Play therapists and their mental health colleagues will leave with a toolbox filled with ready-to-use activities that they can implement immediately in daily practice with children, and also adapt for work with clients of all ages. Get ready to learn and have fun!

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LCAT, LMHC (New York state only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Creating Altered Books in Treatment for Self-Control & Renewal
    Bel Air
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Erin Partridge, PhD, ATR-BC

    An altered book is a piece of mixed media artwork forged from a used, hardbound book that has had new life breathed into it. Rather than starting with a blank page or canvas, the altered book process begins with a book that has already been published—one that the client can then change with color, words, images, and textures, and therein, rewrite their story. This cognitive-emotional-tactile process can be a unique way to work through emotionally-charged topics, allowing a client to discover a new path through stress and difficulty, and can be employed in virtually any clinical setting with clients of all ages. It provides an effective technique for facilitating healing and can enhance a client's emotional development, revealing new strengths. Using a variety of creative processes, such as painting, collage making, stamping, embellishing, and journaling, the client can rewrite any story, especially those over which they feel they have no control. The unbridled freedom of expression to rip out pages, highlight meaningful words, create secret compartments, and construct a new narrative offers the maker a powerful way to craft self-worth and resilience between the covers of any used book, and carry it along wherever they need to take it.

    Registrants should bring along a hardbound book, preferably with stitched binding, for altering.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    		 Fee  Optional 
    Dancing Mindfulness: A Trauma-Informed Multimodal Practice
    Plaza A
    Thursday
    9:30 am - 5:00 pm

    Nicole Allen, MS, LPC, NCC

    Dancing Mindfulness is a multimodal expressive arts practice that can be used in clinical and community class settings. In this approach, the seven primary attitudes of mindfulness are cultivated through the art form of dance: non-judging, non-striving, acceptance, letting go, beginner’s mind, patience, and trust. By channeling core elements of breath, sound, body, mind, spirit, story, and the “fusion” of all of these elements through movement, participants of all ages and abilities can experience increased healing and wellness. Dancing Mindfulness was developed as an integrative trauma-informed approach and is ideal for those who may not respond to traditional therapy interventions. In this 6-hour master class, participants will learn about the foundational principles of Dancing Mindfulness, experience the Dancing Mindfulness practice, and discuss implications for use in clinical practice and community settings. Additionally, we'll consider and discuss ethical implications and multicultural issues. No dance training or experience is necessary.

    Please Note: Because of the personal nature of the Dancing Mindfulness practice, participants may experience emotional reactions to the experiential portion of this class.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Focusing & Art Therapy: Accessing Body Wisdom Through Creative Expression
    Pacific B
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    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 daylong master class, 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.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Introduction to SoulCollage® for Insight & Transformation
    Los Angeles C
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Chantel Zimmerman, SoulCollage® Facilitator Trainer

    Need a break from your work? Immerse yourself for the day in the soul-satisfying process of SoulCollage®, where you'll create a personalized deck of collaged cards. Step inside the images that call to you and realize how simple yet profound this process can be in helping to provide guidance and self-exploration. In the clinical realm, SoulCollage® provides a way to bring people back to themselves, to all their parts, especially if they have been traumatized or compromised. Therapists and counselors find that this structured format for self-expression can open up doors to new understanding. In this hands-on experiential, you'll learn an enjoyable way to access intuition, insight, and transformation through the cards, processing them alone or in a group, while journaling the wisdom these cards impart. No artistic skill or previous experience is necessary.

    Continuing Education Credits TBA
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Journaling with the Brain in Mind
    Catalina B
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Kathleen (Kay) Adams, LPC

    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; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Playback Theatre: A Master Class with Armand Volkas
    Plaza D
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Armand Volkas, MFT, RDT/BCT

    Playback Theatre is an improvisational format in which personal stories told by audience members are transformed into improvised theatre pieces, while supportive others bear witness. A story can be tragic or funny: a childhood memory, a current life dilemma, an anecdote from work or travel, or a vision of the future. The essence of a story is then "played back" by actors and musicians using spoken improvisation, movement, and music. Sometimes a story becomes a myth, sometimes a realistic enactment. Playback Theatre validates and illuminates personal experience. It enables participants to view their lives in new ways within a supportive environment and draws people closer as they recognize their common humanity. Now used in over 60 countries as a therapeutic tool with applications in education, dialogue, conflict transformation, community building, and performance, Playback invites healing through the cultivation of spontaneity, creativity, playfulness, empathy, the capacity for deep listening, and teamwork. In these ways, this 6-hour master class offers skill building for therapists and other professionals. First developed in 1975 by Jonathan Fox, Playback Theatre is now practiced around the world and can be applied in virtually any setting. Shy professionals are welcome, and no prior acting experience is required.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Women, Textiles & Well-Being: Piecing It Together with Creativity, Connection and Community
    Marina
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Rosine Ferber, PhD, LMFT, ATR-BC

    The impact of mental illnesses (depression, anxiety, stress disorders, etc.) weighs disproportionately on girls and women in contemporary cultures.  This 6-hour master class focuses on the psychotherapeutic values of working with fiber arts for mindfulness, mastery, self-expression, and connection. Participants will explore a crosscultural history of the meaning of textiles in women’s lives in the context of gendered mental health disparities.  Participants will be offered multiple hands-on opportunities to foster awareness and experience the ways in which textile practices can help clients (group focus, but applicable to individuals) develop coping skills and stress management techniques, practice mindfulness, and enhance self-esteem to alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. Hand-sewn textile interventions use low-cost or recycled materials that can be used in a wide variety of clinical settings to promote intervention techniques that allow clients to create together as a form of mindful meditation, while witnessing and connecting in each other’s presence. This workshop is appropriate for all mental health professionals. No previous experience with sewing, knitting, or crocheting is required, and glue is available for those who don't wish to sew.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    2-Day Intensives - Thursday

    Diagnostic Drawing Series Training: 35 Years of Assessment Through Art — Day 1
    Newport C
    Thursday, Day 1 of a 2­-Day Training Intensive
    Participants must register for both days to attend
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Kathryn Johnson, PhD, ATR

    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 provides a rich source of material for treatment planning. The DDS is designed for use with people 13 years and older.

    Please Note: There is an additional $25 notebook fee for this 2­-Day Training Intensive

    REGISTRANTS: Please CLICK HERE to download important DDS collection instructions immediately. Review at least 3 weeks prior to training.

    Eligible for 12.0 Clock/Credit Hours (combined total for both days): NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
    Laughter Yoga Leader Training: 2-Day Certification Intensive - Day 1
    Santa Monica B

    Thursday, Day 1 of a 2­-Day Training Intensive
    Participants must register for both days to attend
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Ellen Klein, BSN, RN, CLYL, CLYT 

    Description and CE information forthcoming

    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Social Emotional Arts on a Shoestring for Individuals & Groups in Any Setting
    La Jolla B
    Thursday, Day 1 of a 2­-Day Training Intensive
    Participants must register for both days to attend
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Ping Ho, MA, MPH
    Myriam Savage, PhD, RDT-BCT

    Do you want to bring the healing arts process to settings with limited resources? Do you need to accommodate individuals or groups with differing levels of ability? Are your session lengths unpredictable? In this practical, 2-day training program, you will experience activities in art, movement, music, and writing developed by UCLArts & Healing and its team of creative arts therapists. The 2-day curriculum also includes guidelines on the use of creative arts in therapeutic contexts, communication techniques for creating rapport and preventing resistance, and containment techniques for managing stress responses. Day 1 will focus on writing and art; day 2 on music and movement. Ongoing assessments of the program have shown that this curriculum achieves its intended goals of helping to build connection, evoke positive emotions, bolster resilience, decrease stress and pain, facilitate verbal and nonverbal communication, strengthen the creative vs. illness narrative, and manage grief and loss. The training, which comes with an extensive manual (see below), enables sustainable delivery by care providers and educators in settings with limited resources, including hospitals, nursing homes, schools, shelters, and community clinics. Registration for both days of this training intensive is required.

    *PLEASE NOTE: A hardbound copy of the 250-page manual is available for an additional fee of $60 (special Summit rate). Purchasing the manual is strongly recommended for clinicians or providers who wish to offer this program. Pre-registration for both days, plus purchase of the manual, are required to obtain a Certificate of Completion for this training. To purchase the manual in advance, click here, enter $60 into the donation field, and specify that the payment is for the SEA manual.

    Eligible for 12.0 Clock/Credit Hours over two days:ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT or NBCC Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Thursday Morning Workshops

    Artful Dying: Alleviating Death Anxiety and Finding Closure Through Art, Music & Drama
    San Lorenzo E
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Patricia Jauchler, MS, MA, RDT/BCT

    The fear of death continues to be one of humankind's greatest anxieties. In the medical realm, for instance, this often leads to life-prolonging procedures that are costly, unnecessary, and decrease the patient’s quality of life—as well as their experience of dying. The goal of this 3-hour workshop is to help mental health professionals learn to help their clients with the healthy acceptance of death as a natural part of the lifecycle, while enhancing the quality of life for as long as it reasonably lasts. Participants will explore creative methods to pursue these goals that can enhance their work as clinicians with people of all ages and abilities in virtually any setting . Using art, music, dialogue, storytelling, and dramatic enactments, we will explore the issues relevant to end of life challenges and ways to resolve them within therapeutic contexts. We will illustrate and demonstrate such approaches as reminiscence, legacy work, and other related topics and techniques designed to facilitate peace and acceptance at the end of life.

    NOTE: This session may evoke strong emotional responses. Care will be taken to ensure a safe and sacred space in which to explore feelings around this sensitive subject.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Building Inner Strength & Resilience with Clay: Lessons from Pioneer Art Therapist Edith Kramer
    Los Angeles B
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Susan Ainlay Anand, MA, ATR-BC, ATCS, LPAT
    Lani A. Gerity, DA, ATR

    While working with blind children in New York City, pioneer art therapist Edith Kramer developed a rich repertoire of ideas about the power of using clay in therapy. She also introduced clay work with graduate art therapy students to show them how to use the their sensory modalities to discover new aspects of self and others, as well as to loosen the usual ways of perceiving and responding to the visual world. Kramer encouraged her students—who in turn encouraged their clients—to find “a creative solution to a habitual, often trapped, life.” In this 3-hour workshop, participants will engage in activities that include collaborative and strength-based techniques designed to help them integrate Kramer’s core concepts in working with clay so that they can use it in their clinical work. They will experience first-hand how Kramer used clay to promote well-being, develop inner strengths and resources, and how it can support emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Through these hands-on experiences of interventions that highlight strengths and encourage independence, participants will discover how clay work can optimize daily functioning in their clients' daily lives.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Healing Traumatic Grief & Loss Through Play for All Ages: A Bottom-Up Brain Approach in Three Stages
    Newport B
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Leslie Baker, MFT, NCC, RPT-S
    Mary Ruth Cross, MS, MFT, NCC, RPT-S

    This 3-hour workshop explores the theories of traumatic loss and grief in both youth and adults and how to use play therapy-based interventions to work with them in treatment. Using Perry's “bottom up” model, which explains how the brain reacts to and is effected by trauma, this highly experiential workshop will explore how to process traumatic loss in a brain-wise manner. When the brain is regulated from the “bottom up,” for instance, strategies are geared to start with the brain stem and then calm and soothe other parts of the brain, resulting in more effective treatment and resolution of the traumatic grief- and loss-related issues. We will begin by identifying the differences between traumatic grief/loss and more general grief/loss dynamics. Then we will introduce and discuss play therapy interventions that are specifically tailored to each type of situation. Further, we will explore the three-stage developmental model of grief that has been identified through research to be typical for most people working through grief and loss. Key interventions that are suitable for each developmental stage of the grieving process will be examined and practiced by the group.   

    Please Note: This workshop process will likely be highly emotional since participants will be asked to explore their own response to grief and loss in order to learn how to use these methods in treatment with their clients.

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

    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Integrating Play Therapy & Yoga for Healing Adverse Childhood Experiences
    Plaza C
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Michelle M. Pliske, MSW, RPT-S, LCSW

    As conflict, crisis, and traumatic events become more common in the daily lives of children, child therapists are called upon to bear witness to their young clients' stories, which may hold unspeakable brutality, crime, loss, or terror. Epidemiological studies document the impact on children’s neurophysiology when faced with adverse experiences (ACE’s). According to van der Kolk, for instance, if a child becomes trapped in a perpetual state of survival, the energy and focus is on a fight or flight response or activated neural system creating the inability to leave room for nurture, care, or love. Play therapy offers the culturally competent counterconditioning of trauma to reestablish a child’s sense of power and control in virtually any clinical setting; it is an effective therapeutic agent involving developmentally appropriate means of communication, leading to increased regulation skills and mastery. When considering child mental health and evidence-based interventions, yoga is notably an innovative practice that can help play therapists to ameliorate post-traumatic symptomatology in their clients. Yoga addresses both physical impairments and psychosocial issues including stress, anxiety, and hyperarousal. Combining yoga with play therapy approaches creates an effective foundation for connection and safety within the daily therapeutic process, enhances affect regulation skills, and facilitates cognitive restructuring of traumatic events. In this 3-hour workshop, current neuroscience and trauma research will be reviewed along with play therapy and child yoga techniques. Integrating these embodied and creative approaches is an effective way for therapists and counselors of all types to work with young, traumatized clients who might not otherwise respond to traditional talk therapy approaches.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LCAT, LMHC (New York state only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Justice-Involved Youth and the Arts: A Culturally Responsive, Multidisciplinary, Team Approach
    Catalina D
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Laura Miera, MA, ATR

    Participants in this 3-hour, multidisciplinary workshop, will learn how Homeboy Industries’ summer youth program for at-risk teens connected with local artists and cultural resources, engaged student feedback, and worked collaboratively across disciplines to increase that socially alienated community’s sense of belonging and empowerment. Through a combination of lectures and videos, we’ll teach participants how to build an arts showcase for at-risk youth. We’ll offer creative activities used with our teens impacted by trauma, such as collaborative songwriting, playwriting exercises based on Dr. Seuss, and an art therapist/theater artist’s collaborative Heart Shrine spoken-word activity. Participants will receive guidance so they can build a program such as this one in their own communities.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    SELFY: A Program for Engaging Middle Schoolers in Social & Emotional Activities
    Los Angeles A
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Sarah Young-Sheppard, MSW

    Approximately one in three adolescents reports severe anxiety or symptoms of depression, and suicide is the second leading cause of death in middle and high-school-age youth. Yet supportive resources for these young people are lacking. Social & Emotional Learning For Youth (SELFY) is an eight-session interactive program for middle school youth that teaches social-emotional skills through expressive arts activities. SELFY has been piloted with eight after-school programs in the United States, as well as in South Africa. Across the board, middle schoolers have reported a desire to be engaged in an activity-based program. And upon completion of the program, youth have reported learning things like “It’s okay to open up to people” and “It’s okay to express my emotions.” During this 3-hour workshop, participants will engage in activities from the SELFY curriculum. We'll review the program manual, including evaluation questions, and explore ways to integrate the SELFY program into the classroom and beyond. SELFY can be used by anyone who works with early adolescents. The SELFY program manual can be purchased on site at a special Summit rate of $50

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    The Power of Witness: Improvisational Movement as a Way of Seeing & Being Seen
    Century AB
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 AM

    Fred Sugerman

    Many of us aspire to improved creativity and expression, recognition of our personal truths, and the chance to be more honest and connected with others in our everyday lives. Improvisational movement stimulates these possibilities and related feelings. Sometimes it involves witnessing, sometimes it is being witnessed, and sometimes neither. Most importantly, being seen helps us to perceive ourselves more clearly, deepen the capacity for self-expression, and welcome the essential self. This 3-hour workshop is recommended for participants who crave seeing and being seen, including even those who identify themselves as self-conscious, shy, or are afraid of being either "too much" or "not enough.”

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Therapeutic Gardens for Clinical Settings: Holistic Retreats for All Ages & Needs
    Catalina A
    Thursday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Annette Hatala, OTL/OTD

    Therapeutic gardens can take many forms: a simple planter on the side table of a patient’s hospital bed, some outdoor containers, or dedicated plots of land. Even just walking in the forest and watching a hummingbird drink from a feeder can provide a healing experience through nature. Therapeutic garden activities can be beneficial for most children, teens, and adults—individually and in groups—in virtually any clinical setting. Adaptations are readily available or can be made to meet the needs of clients of various ages and abilities. In this way, meaningful interventions can be introduced and implemented to provide passive or active, holistic, temporary retreats for nearly anyone with physical, emotional, and psychological needs. In this 3-hour workshop, we'll discuss, illustrate, and demonstrate though hands-on experiences the variety of creative ways to introduce garden- and nature-related activities that counselors and therapists can incorporate into their daily work with their clients.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
     

    Thursday Lunch Buffet

    Lunch Buffet in the Cafe (Th)
    Hilton Cafe - Lobby Level
    12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

    A Great & Convenient Lunch at a Reasonable Price    !

    Relax and recharge with your colleagues! Join them in the Hilton Cafe for a lunch buffet including a generous salad bar, choice of multiple entrees, plus a little something for dessert. Beverages on your own.

    Daily $22 ticket includes meal, tax, and gratuity, and is available at this rate only during the online registration process. 

    Attendees who do not purchase tickets online will be able to buy them onsite at the regular Hilton Cafe rate, plus tax and gratuity, based on available seating. Purchase in advance, save almost $9.00, guarantee your seat.


    		  Optional  Closed 
     

    Thursday Lunch & Learns

    Expressive Arts Initiatives for Vulnerable Populations
    Thursday
    1:00 PM - 1:50 PM

    Kate Richards Geller, MA, MT-BC, LCAT
    Kellee Kemp, MFT
    Laura Miera, MA, ATR

    Join three creative arts therapists who are heading up Los Angeles-based initiatives for vulnerable populations, which serve as models for community involvement: art therapist Kellee Kemp of Yetunde Price Resource Center creates programming and provides resource linkage for the under-resourced South Los Angeles community; art therapist Laura Miera of Homeboy Industries offers opportunities for former-gang-involved and previously-incarcerated adults and their families; and music therapist Kate Richards Geller of Urban Voices Project leads a Music Wellness program with people who are currently or formerly living in the condition of homelessness.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Thursday Afternoon Workshops

    Accessing Soul Wisdom Through Jewish Spiritual Practices & Expressive Arts
    Los Angeles A
    Thursday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Edna Miron-Wapner, MA, CAGS
    Nancy Weiss, LCSW, BCD

    Many of us strive toward a sense of wholeness—to reclaim parts of ourselves that have been dulled, suppressed, or dissociated due to the seemingly never-ending stresses in our lives. Integrating spiritual practices with the expressive arts can offer a structure for accessing inner wisdom and restoring a feeling of well-being. In this 3-hour, experiential workshop, participants will be introduced to essential Jewish principles that can be used to frame their experiences. They will learn an approach to self-exploration that can be taught to their clients that features engaging in a multimodal process of imagery, image making, creative writing, and improvisational movement. Using the practices introduced in this workshop can help to open a safe and inspirational portal to the inner world that is structured and enriched by traditional psycho-spiritual activity. Recommended for therapists, educators, and interested others. No familiarity with Jewish practice is required.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Addressing Loneliness Through Movement & Art
    Century CD
    Thursday
    2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

    Julia Vishnepolsky, MA, R-DMT, LMHC, LPCC

    An epidemic of loneliness affects 33% of the American public, increasing their risk of mortality by 30%—about the same as smoking. Loneliness is most often triggered by challenging life circumstances such as grief or chronic illness. Populations that are most impacted are adolescents, young adults, and older adults. These groups are likely to respond with depression, substance abuse, and suicide. In this 3-hour workshop, participants will experience a sample session from a program designed to combat loneliness through movement and art. In this program, each session is developed around a life-issue-related theme and begins with movement and music to encourage participants to express how they feel. Playful discussion is used to generate ideas for thematic artmaking. Case examples will be shared to demonstrate the effective delivery of this program in the community, including the results of outcome measures. In addition, participants will learn about the logistics of setting up a community-based program to combat loneliness, managing a volunteer-supported program, and using movement and art as platforms for advocacy and social change. This workshop is particularly useful for counselors, psychotherapists, and other helping professionals. Addressing Loneliness Through Movement & Art is a program that operates in partnership with UCLArts & Healing.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT or NBCC Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Around the Border: Expressive Therapists Working with Families Impacted by Immigration
    San Lorenzo E
    Thursday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Ana Laura Treviño Santos

    In this art-based workshop, two art therapy professors from the US (LMU) and Mexico (IMPA) will support expressive therapists’ work with immigration informed by their recent research with art therapists working around the US-Mexico border. Participants will integrate current findings emerging from the field of multicultural theory and their own clinical experience through artmaking. All expressive clinicians and educators and are welcome to join this workshop—including psychotherapists, educators, and other community members—since the concepts discussed and creatively explored enhance our clinical work with people impacted by immigration.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Autoregulation and Play Interventions: Healing the Body
    Carmel
    Thursday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Jennifer Lefebre, PsyD, RPT-S

    Many of our young clients are referred to treatment due to rapidly shifting states of arousal, affect, thinking, and/or behavior. Affective disorders, ADHD, sensory processing issues, and developmental trauma may all lead to these dysregulated states. Knowing how to accurately read these cues, and submit appropriate play therapy and other interventions, is key to working with these challenges. Adapting to the environment—and the constantly changing needs and demands on the nervous system—requires very complex processing in the brain, which is not always possible. Depending on the neuro-behavioral state of the brain, a child may need an increased or a decreased amount of sensory input. In this 3-hour workshop, participants will be introduced to movement, sensory, and play therapy interventions to help them learn to strengthen the regulatory capacities of the children with whom they work. They will learn the importance of coregulation in developing a child’s ability to self-soothe, and how to determine which sensory strategies and play therapy interventions are appropriate for differing levels and types of dysregulation.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LCAT, LMHC (New York state only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Finding the Words to Say It: The Healing Power of Poetry
    Newport B
    Thursday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Robert Carroll, MD

    Poetry, whether highly structured or freeform, can provide people with a method of verbal/written communication that might be the only viable way for them to give voice to experiences that are so deeply personal or overwhelming that there is no other way to express them. After 9/11, for instance, poetry sprung up everywhere as New Yorkers sought ways to communicate the shock, horror, and loss that suddenly impacted their lives. In this 3-hour workshop, we will explore ways to facilitate healing, growth, and transformation through creating poetry with individuals, families, and communities. Poetry prompts will be introduced to help participants use this process with clients of various ages and abilities. Topics will include: clinical applications of expressive writing, using the realm of the senses to facilitate the writing process, techniques from the UCLA Poetry and Brain Cancer Project, poetry and breath, and others. Participants will be offered the opportunity to share their writing with the group in a safe, supportive environment. No previous experience writing poetry is required.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Holding Our Clients in Our Bodies: Managing Somatic Countertransference
    Catalina D
    Thursday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Gabrielle Kaufman, MA, LPCC, BC-DMT, NCC

    When we work with clients, particularly through embodied approaches, we become "holders" of their experiences, and our bodies can become carriers of the pain of those with whom we work. In this 3-hour workshop, participants will be taught how mirror neurons and professional empathy can enhance clinical work and effectiveness. Additionally, they will learn new and creative ways to manage and release their own emotional stressors—particularly those that their clients ask them to carry, intentionally or not. Using techniques from movement therapy, journaling, and music, the group will consider the issues of healing the healers, and bring themselves to wholeness, so that they can best help their clients with their healing.
    Please Note: This workshop is likely to trigger some sensitive emotional experiences in the process of teaching professionals how to manage these issues.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Self-Care & Self-Awareness Through Authentic Movement: Facilitating Joy and Healing
    Century AB
    Thursday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Berti Klein, MA, MCAT, MSS, NCC, BC-DMT

    Authentic movement is a self-directed practice of discovery through which body wisdom guides self-inquiry and expression. Simple, yet profound, it can be incorporated by mental health practitioners of all disciplines into their work with populations of all ages and abilities. Authentic movement is inner-initiated and explores spontaneous gesture, movement, stillness, and sound in the present moment. There are no special movements to learn, only one’s own to discover. This is a process of learning to witness oneself, as well as others, from a neutral, aware place. Since cell-level memory and "stuck" emotions can be released and healed through this process, joy and healing often result. In this 3-hour workshop, participants will learn simple, effective ways to help their clients incorporate embodied self-regulation skills into their healing that can enhance mindfulness and contemplative practices, as well as complement somatic psychology, among others. No previous experience in dance or dance/movement therapy is necessary. Come learn how to renew and reconnect so you can pass it on to others!


    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Social-Emotional Learning: An Art Therapy Approach
    Los Angeles B
    Thursday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Suzanne Silverstein, MA, ATR
    Lauryn J. Hunter, LMFT, ATR

    Building on the success of the Cedars-Sinai Share & Care art therapy-focused, school-based program, this 3-hour workshop will introduce and illustrate effective ways to work with elementary and secondary students who may not otherwise respond appropriately in the classroom. A variety of interventions that can be used with young people individually and in groups in a variety of settings will be discussed, illustrated, and demonstrated. Participants will learn how to facilitate art therapy-based activities that promote self-awareness and positive attitudes, as well as self-management of emotions. Interactive activities will include: ice breakers to help students develop empathy and communication, mindful breathing, acts of kindness, and techniques from council that improve social-emotional learning such as the creation of a friendship tree. Case examples from various school settings will be featured.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    Speakers:
    		 Optional 
    The “Wise Body” Approach in Sandplay: A Somatic Process for Traumatized Clients & Others
    Plaza C
    Thursday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Linda Elaine Bath, PhD, LMFT, CST-T
    Patrick Faggianelli, PhD

    As embodied beings, we carry the knowledge of our mind, body, and spiritual wholeness at a cellular, somatic memory level. This is sometimes known as “Wise Body” in Eastern philosophy. In the aftermath of traumatic experience, however, one's innate memory of wholeness can become disjointed or fragmented. Restoration of this unity of consciousness is what Dora Kalff, founder of sandplay therapy, viewed as the essential feature of her method. This 3-hour, didactic and experiential workshop will highlight mindfulness techniques, aikido practices (no prior knowledge or physical dexterity required), and a sandplay case presentation to illustrate theory and deepen therapeutic presence and play therapy skills. Each participant will have the opportunity to engage in these activities to help them develop clinical strategies and enhance clinical effectiveness in working with children and adults who manifest symptomatology in their bodies, particularly trauma- and stress-related illnesses. They will also practice ways to gauge when to stay “in the metaphor,” when to seek a symbolic perspective, and when to manage stress through somatic experiencing of breath, flow, and body movement during the therapeutic session.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only); STA
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Therapeutic Improvisation in Clinical Practice: Individual, Family & Group Approaches
    La Jolla A
    Thursday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Neal King, LCSW

    In clinical practice, we listen closely, we observe body language, then we comment, intervene, or listen some more. In other words, we improvise. Teaching our clients how to improvise in their lives can help them to develop better problem-solving and relational skills. In this highly experiential 3-hour workshop, the theory of therapeutic improvisation will be introduced, demonstrated, and practiced. Challenges to incorporating this approach in counseling and psychotherapy will be discussed. Clinical strategies for structuring this free-form, multisensory approach will be offered to stimulate expression in recalcitrant clients and enable almost anyone to get “unstuck” in their therapeutic work. Join us to discover how to incorporate this fun and powerful tool into your work with individuals, couples, families, and groups of all ages, regardless of your clinical orientation.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Thursday Afternoon Self-Care Session

    Sound Meditation for Stress Relief & Relaxation
    Thursday
    5:15 PM - 6:00 PM

    Joshua Miller

    In this constantly overstimulated and fast-paced world, it is important to find effective ways to relax, unwind, and allow our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical selves to integrate the information and experiences that we encounter daily. Anyone spending the day learning at the Summit, for instance, would benefit from just this sort of practice. This 45-minute self-care session is designed to introduce participants to the use of the "sound bath" process for stress relief and relaxation. This experience is designed for people of all ages, including those working with children and young adults. If you are curious to add sound into your practice and experience a new way of accessing the subconscious mind, join us for this brief session.
    Please Note: This experience may elicit a strong emotional response.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional  Closed 
     

    Thursday Evening Workshops

    Core Creativity: Deepening the Connection to Your Unconscious
    Thursday
    6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

    Ronald A. Alexander, PhD, MFT, SEP

    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!

    This session requires a $39 fee with Summit registration, $79 without.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
    Crafting Healthy Boundaries with Sound & Imagery
    Thursday
    6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

    Stacie Aamon Yeldell, MA, MT-BC, AVPT

    How can a therapist engage in healing work joyfully, without absorbing the energy of traumatized clients? How might a romantic partner immerse herself openheartedly in a healthy relationship with a partner, while preventing "leakage" of her life force and personal power? In this 2-hour evening workshop, participants will learn fun and engaging ways to help themselves and their clients to cultivate healthy "energy hygiene" by undoing the dysfunctional patterns that otherwise keep them chained to old, outdated ways of working, loving, and being in relationship to self and others. The Amontra Mindfulness Method ™ is an evidence-based music therapy method that incorporates meditation, breathing, and activation of the senses, as well as guitar, breath, and vocalizations as primary anchors for grounding and protection in the present moment. This approach combines imagery and lullaby, as well as traditional psychotherapy and energy psychology effective in the treatment of adults and teens with a variety of conditions, such as anxiety, stress, depression, addiction, impulse control, physical pain, depression, and more. Counselors and therapists, who are facing burnout and/or want to learn how to utilize music mindfulness tools for use in treatment with clients, are enthusiastically invited to join us.
    Please Note: Difficult emotional content may arise in the course of this session.

    This session requires a $39 fee with Summit registration, $79 without.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Speakers:
    		Fee  Optional 
    Intergenerational, Intercultural Art & Storytelling for Healing Depression, Anxiety and Isolation
    Thursday
    6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

    Lorraine Campanelli, BS, MS, MSW
    Deborah Mosley, BS, MA

    Immigrants and nursing-home residents both share a high incidence of depression, anxiety, and isolation; this correlation is well documented. The goal of combining these populations into a highly nontraditional treatment group featuring a wide range of disparate ages, cultures, languages, and experiences is to improve the participants’ quality of life by helping to enhance their emotional and educational development. During this 2-hour evening workshop, a trained storyteller will "animate" a book, leading to a discussion of its moral, and how it relates to the participants' own experiences. The group will then engage in an art project relating to that book. They will be asked to discuss their interests and reveal aspects of how they identify themselves. Additionally, a digital presentation will recount the successful results of a unique program such as this one, which provides an effective structure for working with depressed and isolated immigrant and nursing-home residents who are more likely to remain "bottled up" about their feelings, so do not typically respond to traditional psychotherapy approaches.

    This session requires a $39 fee with Summit registration, $79 without.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
    Stressbusting: Writing Through Troubled Times
    Thursday
    6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

    Kathleen (Kay) Adams, LPC

    Have any sort of modern-life anxieties? Let's take a pause, take a breath, and bust some stress! In this 2-hour evening workshop, you'll be given a template for a 1-hour journal group on stressbusting through writing. You will be expertly guided through the experience of creating new relationships with stress through short, structured, sequenced writes. We'll talk about ways you can use this ready-made template with clients and client groups in treatment. You'll leave the workshop with a simple yet powerful tool to share with your clients, students, or group members. And you'll have a valuable new method for your own stressbusting!

    This session requires a $39 fee with Summit registration, $79 without.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
    The Body's Intelligence: Understanding Physical Cues & Sensations
    Thursday
    6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

    Eva C. Glaser, MA, BC-DMT, LPC

    In recent years, a lot of attention has been given to “self-care” in a wide variety of contexts. While essential for us as mental health professionals, defining self-care can be as elusive as finding the time to practice it. This 2-hour evening session will explore how paying attention and attuning to our own bodies can inform our perspectives as clinicians and help us to recognize our needs in providing quality care to our clients. Whether in the aftermath of managing daily crises or seizing an in-the-moment opportunity to identify feelings and sensations rising to the surface of consciousness, we will explore and discuss how paying attention to physical cues provides an effective way to begin identifying what we need in order to take care of ourselves as well as enhance our work as clinicians. Participants will learn ways to use their bodies as sources of restoration and compassion, as well as how to acknowledge and manage pain and discomfort that arises from the work they do. Together, we will engage in a variety of experiential techniques to expand embodied awareness and intelligence . . . and what do with it.

    This session requires a $39 fee with Summit registration, $79 without.


    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
    The Harmonia Practice: Transformative Mandala Practice for Body, Mind & Spirit
    Thursday
    6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

    Lisa Rasmussen, MFA

    The Harmonia Practice incorporates a wide variety of multisensory approaches and expressive arts techniques woven into a transformative mandala-making experience. These include: breath work, yoga, tapping, chakra work, archetypes, creative writing, meditation, creative visualization, witnessing, and essential oils, toward the ultimate goal of harmonizing mind, body, and soul. Integrating these approaches can promote being in the present moment and provide access to the higher creative self. In this 2-hour self-care workshop, each participant will have the opportunity to create a mandala, and then be taught basic tools for discovering how it can be used for sacred healing and empowerment. This practice can also be incorporated effectively by therapists and counselors into their clinical work with a variety of populations.

    This session requires a $29 fee with Summit registration, $59 without.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
    Vajra Breathing & Primordial Mantras to Promote Clarity & Resilience
    Thursday
    6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

    Carry Kim, CYT, CMT, MFA

    For at least the past 7,000 years, Himalayan practitioners have harnessed the powers of breath and mantra to subdue the physical, emotional, and mental "winds" of the body, thereby fortifying the central, indestructible wind at the "center," known as Vajra Wind. Vajra Wind breathwork and primordial mantras mitigate the impact of our thoughts, emotions, and mundane stresses by reconnecting us with our innate clarity and intuition. Rediscovering the pillar of our center harmonizes and balances the dynamic, energetic principles of Yin (subtle) and Yang (active), allowing us to easily withstand the constant changes that are typical of the modern-day life. These ancient practices provide powerful tools that can enable us to skillfully engage the contemporary world with fearlessness, grace, and ease. The aim of this 2-hour evening workshop is to teach participants Vajra Breathing techniques and concise mantras from esoteric Himalayan and primordial tradition. These practices refine and distill the physical body, mind, and emotions, improve the physical flow of blood, and balance the energetics or "qi" of the body. By releasing mental, physical, and emotional patterns that cause contraction, rigidity, and stress, these practices enhance and restore the body's native ability to manifest fearlessness, fluidity, and ease. This approach is beneficial to people of all ages and can be modified to suit any individual's capacities. This self-care session is suitable for anyone seeking to reduce stress, quiet the mind, and balance emotions, while augmenting intuition, fearlessness, and fortitude.

    This session requires a $29 fee with Summit registration, $59 without.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
  • Friday, 04/24/20
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    Friday Early Morning Wake Up!

    A Castaneda-Inspired Shamanic Journey of Breath & Movement
    Pacific B
    Friday
    8:15 AM - 9:00 AM

    Nyei Murez, MA

    Put down that cup of coffee and join us for some simple breaths as practiced by Dr. Carlos Castaneda, whose field work on indigenous cultures of the American Southwest led him to his teacher, don Juan Matus, a Yaqui seer and heir to a Toltec lineage of ancient Mexico. Together, we will breathe through an evolutionary journey from single-celled animals to humans—a progression biologists refer to as phylogeny. Breathing into the positions and movements that evoke this journey, we step outside of our human busyness to access the vast awareness of our nonhuman ancestors and relatives, bringing our parasympathetic nervous systems online, and awakening new inspiration in our daily lives. The ability to breathe, of course, is the only pre-requisite, and all are invited.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Liquid Flow: Moving Mind, Body & Spirit in Community (FRI)
    Plaza A
    Friday
    8:15 AM - 9:00 AM

    Aleta Hayes, MFA

    Get out of your bed and into your body! Experience the joy of fluid, juicy movement and playful dancing with freedom and ease through Liquid Flow, a combination of dance improvisation, yoga, and Tai Chi. This method is appropriate for beginners, athletes, dancers, and anyone else who wants to develop more grace and fluidity in everyday life. Be prepared for an experience that has been described at previous Summits as “surprisingly fun” and “beyond wonderful”!

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Friday Master Classes

    Connecting IFS & Art Therapy Through Creativity, Clay & Collage
    Century AB
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Peggy Kolodny, MA, ATR-BC, LCPAT

    In this daylong master class, we will explore the integration of art therapy principles with Schwartz's Internal Family Systems therapy model (IFS). The goal of IFS is to build internal cooperation and increase "Self-leadership" using eight internal resources: calmness, curiosity, clarity, compassion, confidence, courage, connectedness, and creativity. Art is incorporated to facilitate expression, depict the healing journey, and enhance the clinical work. Discussion of how art therapy integrates with IFS within therapeutic contexts will be examined with emphasis on Jungian theory, particularly the concepts of active imagination and Self. An introductory video will illustrate the concepts of IFS, and case material will demonstrate how the presenter has applied expressive arts to the IFS process with individuals and groups in treatment. Participants will engage in collage and clay activities to explore their own internal parts and Self, and discover firsthand how this process could be used in a variety of clinical settings with a variety of populations. We will practice dialoguing and unblending among parts, which will allow for a somatic understanding of the concepts. IFS essentials will be taught, so no prior knowledge of this approach is needed. Since the art is likely to stir an emotional response, self-care is advised. The speaker, a Level 2 IFS practitioner and art psychotherapist, will encourage mindful breathing and brief meditative states that can be taught to clients using this method. Session participation limited to clinicians only.

    Please Note: This workshop does not count toward an IFS certificate.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Shadow Play: Working with Darker Metaphors in Play Therapy
    La Jolla A
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Jennifer Lefebre, PsyD, RPT-S

    Children who have experienced complex trauma, particularly sexual abuse, often generate themes and symbols representative of their abuse within the play therapy room. These include aggression, morbidity, violence, and sexualized play. This 6-hour master class will introduce play therapists to a Jungian perspective regarding these darker and more challenging themes that emerge when engaging in trauma work. It will demonstrate how therapists can focus on the positive aspects that remain hidden underneath a client's shadow material during play. Participants will learn play therapy interventions that can help children and adolescents express and process these internal emotional states and behaviors. Clinical issues to be addressed include how to work with enuresis, encopresis, hygiene challenges, self-harm, hypersexuality, suicidal/homicidal ideation, and other symptomatic behaviors that are often expressed but rarely discussed in the context of play therapy.

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

    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    SoulCollage® in Clinical Settings: Reflecting Life Stories in Imagery & Journaling
    Carmel
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Cheri Epstein, MA, NCC, ATR-BC, LPAT

    In this daylong master class, we explore the clinical efficacy of SoulCollage® by creating a uniquely personal deck of collaged cards, each one representing an aspect of self or relationship with others. By learning the theory and experiencing the process, participants will begin to understand how SoulCollage® can be used with teen and adult clinical populations in a variety of settings. The dynamic process of selecting and layering images reveals rich metaphorical material from the unconscious that can promote healing through the insights garnered from self-reflection. Throughout this process, intuition guides the maker toward images that are meaningful in their life stories, even though intellectually they might not know why. The cards give visual form to aspects of the maker's personality, relationships, patterns, and energies. Come experience this powerful tool for counselors, therapists, educators, and other professionals seeking to engage the power of images and metaphors in their daily work.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
     

    2-Day Intensives - Friday

    Diagnostic Drawing Series Training: 35 Years of Assessment Through Art (Day 2)
    Newport C
    Friday, Day 2 of a 2­-Day Training Intensive
    Participants must register for both days to attend
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Kathryn Johnson, PhD, ATR

    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 provides a rich source of material for treatment planning. The DDS is designed for use with people 13 years and older.

    Please Note: There is an additional $25 notebook fee for this 2­-Day Training Intensive

    REGISTRANTS: Please CLICK HERE to download important DDS collection instructions immediately. Review at least 3 weeks prior to training.

    Eligible for 12.0 Clock/Credit Hours (combined total for both days): NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Laughter Yoga Leader Training: 2-Day Certification Intensive - Day 2
    Santa Monica B

    Friday, Day 2 of a 2­-Day Training Intensive
    Participants must register for both days to attend
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Ellen Klein, BSN, RN, CLYL, CLYT 

    Description and CE information forthcoming

    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Social Emotional Arts on a Shoestring for Individuals & Groups in Any Setting - Day 2
    La Jolla B
    Friday, Day 2 of a 2­-Day Training Intensive
    Participants must register for both days to attend
    9:30 AM - 5:00 PM

    Kathy Cass, MA, BC-DMT, NCC, C-IAYT, CAHC, AYT
    Karen Howard, RMT, CEAP

    Do you want to bring the healing arts process to settings with limited resources? Do you need to accommodate individuals or groups with differing levels of ability? Are your session lengths unpredictable? In this practical, 2-day training program, you will experience activities in art, movement, music, and writing developed by UCLArts & Healing and its team of creative arts therapists. The 2-day curriculum also includes guidelines on the use of creative arts in therapeutic contexts, communication techniques for creating rapport and preventing resistance, and containment techniques for managing stress responses. Day 1 will focus on writing and art; day 2 on music and movement. Ongoing assessments of the program have shown that this curriculum achieves its intended goals of helping to build connection, evoke positive emotions, bolster resilience, decrease stress and pain, facilitate verbal and nonverbal communication, strengthen the creative vs. illness narrative, and manage grief and loss. The training, which comes with an extensive manual (see below), enables sustainable delivery by care providers and educators in settings with limited resources, including hospitals, nursing homes, schools, shelters, and community clinics. Registration for both days of this training intensive is required.

    *PLEASE NOTE: A hardbound copy of the 250-page manual is available for an additional fee of $60 (special Summit rate). Purchasing the manual is strongly recommended for clinicians or providers who wish to offer this program. Pre-registration for both days, plus purchase of the manual, are required to obtain a Certificate of Completion for this training. To purchase the manual in advance, click here, enter $60 into the donation field, and specify that the payment is for the SEA manual.

    Eligible for 12.0 Clock/Credit Hours over two days:ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT or NBCC Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Friday Morning Workshops

    An Integrative Arts Toolkit for Healing & Creative Growth
    San Lorenzo E
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Patrisha Thomson, MA

    Participants in this highly experiential 3-hour workshop will learn the theory, practice, and benefits of interweaving the expressive arts for enhanced creativity and growth. They will learn how to "travel" from one art form to another in order to engage the whole person in the creative processes that each finds to be most healing. Key to this method is establishing a safe and supportive atmosphere for personal expression through the arts. Working with the voice (in speaking and in singing) will be particularly addressed. The spoken and singing voice, in fact, can be profound tools, especially when introduced in a fun and simple manner. The safe integration of the voice into integrative arts practice can promote acceptance of the whole person and what they offer to the world. These approaches can be used with teenagers as well as adults. Their power is equally evident with those who have been traumatized or those who seek to expand the range of their creative expression for personal growth. Appropriate for clinical settings of all types, even trained artists can benefit. What is consistent for all who partake is the discovery of a new purpose and the confidence that arises through this structured encounter with a variety of art forms and practices.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Attachment and The Invisible String: Playful Activities to Support Healthy Connection for All Ages
    Los Angeles A
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Dana Wyss, PhD, LMFT, ATR
    Pamela Robertson, PsyD, LCSW

    This half-day workshop for art therapists, play therapists, and other clinicians is based on the bestselling children's book The Invisible String and its accompanying workbook, which features activities to explore creativity, inspire imagination, and improve connection. Through a combination of lecture and videos, this workshop will provide an overview of attachment theory and how disruptions in attachment affect youth and families. Participants will then explore creative activities; engage in group discussion to learn ways to increase healthy connection in art, play, and family therapies, incorporate playful activities into their group curricula; and adapt or modify these play-based interventions for different developmental or functioning levels. This material has been field-tested with clients who have experienced complex developmental trauma, with youth who are experiencing commercial sexual exploitation, with military families, and within employee wellness programs in response to vicarious trauma. Arts therapists, play therapists, and their colleagues will learn to recognize healthy and disrupted attachment, and will have new tools to support treatment.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Beyond Difficult Relationships: Helping Women Identify Self-Worth & Create Connection
    Catalina C
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Zelda Lockhart, MA, PhD

    This writing and art workshop explores effective methods for working with clients who have experienced or are currently experiencing unhealthy relationships in their lives. Black feminist themes of self-worth, self-definition, and community connection create the framework for a storytelling technique that is especially applicable to therapeutic work with clients and communities of color, who may benefit from learning more about what causes difficulty in relationships. Through hands-on creative activities, they will be able to identify and explore what they are seeking in future relationships, as well as any healthy elements they will be able to bring to them. The creative techniques presented in this 3-hour workshop evoke literal and abstract representations of self-worth and will prove useful to counselors and therapists who work in almost any setting.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Consultation & Collaboration with Psychiatrists: Managing Your Clients' Varied Needs
    Plaza C
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Kristin Long, RDT, BCT, LCAT, LP
    Scott Palyo, MD
    Paul O'Keefe, DO

    As creative arts therapists, our practices consist predominantly of psychotherapeutic work. However, under certain circumstances, such as when our clients feel unable to engage in life or in the therapeutic process, they may benefit from a psychiatric consultation for medication. The role of medication, in most circumstances, is as an adjunct to the therapy. This 3-hour workshop will explore this transition from a dyadic to a triadic intervention through two case presentations. The two cases begin with weekly psychotherapy with a creative arts therapist that eventually lead to psychiatric consultations. Of the two, only one led to a recommendation for medication management while the other focused on parent coaching. The presenting creative arts therapist and psychiatrist will discuss best practices for referrals, the importance of collaboration, indications for medication management, general psychoeducation about specific medication groups, and a group discussion. Information about medications will be taught in creative ways, including through experiential activities.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Creative Rituals for Processing Grief & Celebrating Life
    Plaza B
    Friday
    9:30 AM – 12:30 PM

    Gabrielle Kauffman, MA, LPCC, BC-DMT, NCC
    Jennie Linthorst, MA, CAPF

    Issues of loss and grief, particularly those connected to the death of a loved one, are among the most difficult to experience, discuss, and process in treatment. In this 3-hour workshop, participants will learn how to build resilience, facilitate healing, and strengthen community through creative expression related to such transitional life moments. Experience how music, movement, and writing can create sacred moments of reflection to honor grief, engender hope, find meaning in loss, elevate spirit, and facilitate closure. We'll begin by taking an embodied musical journey to "express the loss, feel the love, and see the light." Next we'll identify how to facilitate deep writing through inspirational literature. Finally, participants will have the opportunity to summon memories of a lost loved one through symbolic movement. We'll demonstrate how to facilitate group support and sharing as we work our way through these activities.

    NOTE: Not intended as a therapy or self-care session, this professional training workshop is likely to evoke strong feelings.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT or NBCC Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Feeling Seen: Integrating Dance/Movement Therapy Techniques into Dyadic Treatment
    Bel Air
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Eva C. Glaser, MA, BC-DMT, LPC

    Early attachment relationships provide a protective shield to traumatic events and adverse experiences in childhood. Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) focuses on families of children ages birth through five to support dyadic strengths and healing. Of particular interest to therapists and counselors serving families with young children, this 3-hour workshop highlights play and movement, the natural modalities of childhood communication. CPP was designed to build and nurture attachment, and increase shared joy in relationship. Participants will be introduced to the model, while targeting integration of relational movement in clinical practice through interactive exploration. Dance/movement therapy techniques will be introduced to enhance our work as clinicians with all families in trauma treatment, including those in the child welfare system and foster care.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Judgment-Free Conversations About White Privilege & Racial Injustice: Implications for Therapists
    Century CD
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Christine Evans, PhD, REAT
    Chris Zydel, MA

    We’re living at a time when the reality of continuing racial injustice has become undeniable. In this 3-hour workshop, therapists, counselors, educators, and others are invited to join us to learn tools and skills for engaging in challenging conversations with clients and others regarding the dynamics and impact of white privilege and racial injustice. Using multimodal Creative Connection® processes and a person-centered philosophy of empathy, positive regard, and genuineness, we will identify practical, effective methods for tolerating anxieties and building resilience that can help us and our clients to face bias and prejudice—conscious and unconscious. Together we will seek to understand our impact on others and identify the various stumbling blocks to living with them with equality and equanimity. In this way, participants will learn to improve their therapeutic work with people of all backgrounds, and help enhance their clients’ ability to live and interact with others of differing ethnicities, faiths, genders, and backgrounds to help create psychological balance, healing, and social justice for all.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Laugh the Anger Away: Playful & Creative Strategies for Engaging Men in Treatment
    Los Angeles C
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Neal King, LCSW

    Let's face it: Most cisgendered men (particularly those of a certain age) are not ever going to be enthusiastic about making art or expressing themselves creatively in treatment any more than they are going to be "good" at sharing their feelings in order to gain personal insight. In this 3-hour workshop we will identify and address the challenges of engaging men as participants in meaningful counseling or psychotherapy. Participants will learn to identify the differences in the presenting problems and engagement choices made by men in treatment as compared with women. They will gain a better understanding of the psychosocial challenges men face that contribute to this conundrum that results from growing up as boys and sons who then become partners and/or parents. Several effective play-based and creative arts strategies, along with the use of humor, will be taught and rehearsed, which can be used immediately in daily practice. Contraindications for this approach will also be discussed. Mental health and other helping professionals of all orientations are welcome.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Mindful Clay Techniques for Compassionate Clinical Counseling
    Los Angeles B
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Michael A. Franklin, PhD, ATR-BC

    From earth to artistic collaboration, to fire, to stone, to independent object, clay is a material that easily teaches about narrative and transformational change. As we will discover in this 3-hour, hands-on workshop, when clay is mindfully formed it transforms into patiently waiting imaginal narratives composed of contexts, emotions, and unique scenes. These externalized thoughts become perfect contemplative partners for witnessing self-observation and can be effectively implemented in treatment with clients of all ages by specialists and non-specialists alike. No previous experience with clay is necessary.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Open Studio for Emotional Renewal: Social-Emotional Creative Support for All Ages
    Newport B
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Sarah Laing, MAAT, ATR

    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 half-day Summit 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 has been 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; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Phototherapy & Therapeutic Photography: Creative Techniques for All Clinicians
    Catalina D
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Sarah Kremer, ATR-BC, LPCC, PhD(c)

    Phototherapy and therapeutic photography, including easily accessible digital processes, can catalyze psychological growth, clinical communication, and promote change in therapy with adolescents and adults. In this 3-hour workshop, participants will be able to explore these processes. Examples of clinical work with photo-based techniques, such as self-exploration, will be shared to encourage adoption by non-specialist counselors, psychotherapists, and educators working with people of all ages. We'll review a case example featuring a project that brought together adolescents and community members to promote suicide prevention, and was designed to bring awareness to the neurodevelopmental implications for this vulnerable population. After engaging in a hands-on activity related to enhancing mindfulness, we'll consider the benefits of using photo-based research. No photography skills required.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Quick & Creative Therapeutic Art Projects for (Very) Limited Budgets
    Marina
    Friday, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm

    Angel Thompson, BA

    Expressive arts and play therapists are often called upon to do creative work with very limited resources—meaning no supplies and little or no funds to obtain them. This 3-hour workshop is designed to restock the shelves of your "idea store," reengaging budget-minded clinicians (as well as spendthrifts in need of intervention) with the essentials of how to facilitate maximum creativity and engagement using inexpensive and easily-obtained resources. Where can you find free materials (other than in dumpsters)? Are you limited to popsicle sticks and paper clips? We'll review it all, sharing our favorite sources and most effective strategies for making extraordinary things out of pretty much nothing, including making some fun stuff while we exchange ideas in this creative activities swap meet.     Join the Summit Materials Coordinator for this popular Summit session, now available as a book!

    This session not eligible for credits.
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    The Healing Power of Stones: Play Therapy Interventions That Rock
    Pacific B
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Tammi Van Hollander, LCSW, RPT-S

    Stones and rocks have been sacred symbols since ancient times, and can be used as a powerful healing tool for play therapists and other mental health professionals working with nearly any population, including children and families. In this interactive 3-hour workshop, participants will be introduced to a handful of simple-yet-effective play therapy interventions that can help clients develop a variety of life skills; these range from decreasing anxiety and verbalizing feelings, to fostering resiliency, and making connections. Participants will engage in a variety of hands-on experiences, including: storytelling, bibliotherapy, game play, mindfulness, mandalas, sandtray work, and other rock-and-stone-themed group activities. Case examples will illustrate the healing power of stones through non-directive client-centered play therapy, as well as through directive play therapy interventions. Unplug from the grid, reconnect with nature, and come "rock out" with us!

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only); APT*
    *Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    The Stories They Need to Tell: Therapeutic Writing Tools for Healing & Transformation
    Catalina A
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    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 their work with clients, students, and groups. Based on work with thousands of students, writers, veterans suffering from PTSD, and cancer patients at Mayo Clinic, this 3-hour 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 growth. 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. The speakers will demonstrate how to use two or more writing/storytelling activities from the book The Story You Need to Tell, and participants will learn interactively to apply these activities while creating their own plans to integrate them into treatment and/or education with individuals and groups of any age or ability. No previous experience with writing or storytelling is required.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Victims, Bullies & Bystanders: A Multimodal Play Therapy Approach for All Ages
    Catalina B
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Leslie Baker, MFT, NCC, RPT-S
    Mary Ruth Cross, MS, MFT, NCC, RPT-S

    More and more, play therapists are receiving referrals for children who are being bullied, or those who are bullies. An age-old trauma for school-age children in hallways and cafeterias, the forms and incidences of bullying, which include cruelty, exclusion, and rumor-spreading have grown exponentially due to the blossoming of digital media. Bullying is particularly insidious in childhood because it disrupts brain development, impacting self-regulation and the ability to build connection in relationships. Incorporating play therapy theory, neurosequential brain development theory, and moderate exposure via experiential play therapy techniques such as drawing, sand tray, and drama play, this 4.5 hour master class will provide participants with an integrated approach to the treatment of bullying. In particular, systemic dynamics that perpetuate the cycle of bullying will be examined, including the roles of the victim, bully, and bystander in the process. Multimodal Play Therapy Intervention helps these trauma survivors to discover and develop ways to move forward in connection. Using this approach, clinicians can facilitate healing in relationship with their clients through the use of moderate exposure. This strategy, which can be used in virtually any clinical setting, increases the window of tolerance in bullied clients, and allows their brains to reintegrate trauma via these experiential play and creative arts modalities.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LCAT, LMHC (New York state only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Yoga, BrainDance, and Hanna Somatics: An Integrated Approach
    Plaza D
    Friday
    9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

    Gail Abrams, MA, CMA, RYT-200, RSME

    This 3-hour workshop, suitable for generalists and specialists alike, will apply the somatic modalities of BrainDance and Hanna Somatics to yoga. BrainDance is a framework of movements based on eight developmental patterns that babies move through in their first year. These patterns, essential for efficient, well-integrated movement, wire the central nervous system so the brain can operate at full potential. Patterns missed as a baby (or later) due to trauma, illness, injury, or daily use of the body may cause gaps in physical and neurological development, which may later appear as learning disabilities, behavior disorders, inefficient movement, or speech, balance, filtering, and memory problems. Moving through these patterns can improve or correct problems and optimize physical and cognitive functioning. Hanna Somatics is a form of neuromuscular movement re-education that addresses the root cause of most chronic pain/tension, or Sensory Motor Amnesia [SMA]: the brain and how it senses and organizes muscles and movement. Through a method called pandiculation, the brain and body work together to alleviate SMA, which may cause as much as 50% of chronic pain that results in limited mobility, sciatica, joint pain, postural problems, headaches, shallow breathing, etc. These techniques are suitable for all ages, populations, and abilities because they are adaptable to—and celebrate—the individual. No prior yoga experience is necessary.
    Please bring a yoga mat or large towel if possible.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Friday Lunch Options

    Lunch Buffet in the Cafe (Fri)
    Hilton Cafe - Lobby Level
    12:30 pm - 2:00 pm

    A Great & Convenient Lunch at a Reasonable Price    !

    Relax and recharge with your colleagues! Join them in the Hilton Cafe for a lunch buffet including a generous salad bar, choice of multiple entrees, plus a little something for dessert. Beverages on your own.

    Daily $22 ticket includes meal, tax, and gratuity, and is available at this rate only during the online registration process. 

    Attendees who do not purchase tickets online will be able to buy them onsite at the regular Hilton Cafe rate, plus tax, based on available seating. Purchase in advance, save almost $9.00, guarantee your seat.

    Going to a Lunchtime Lecture Today? 

    Grab-and-Go box lunch options are also available for $20 inclusive of tax and gratuity. Includes sandwiches (GF, too) and salads. Choose your preference during the online registration process. Not available onsite.

    		  Optional  Closed 
     

    1

    Facilitating Awe & Gratitude Practices for Healing: A Multifaceted Approach for Clinicians
    Friday
    1:00 PM - 1:50 PM

    Bonnie Harnden, MA, RDT

    Experiencing awe can increase altruism and decrease entitlement, which is linked to depression and anxiety. In addition, feelings of awe can reduce inflammation, which improves immune function and counteracts depression. Similarly, gratitude can promote feelings of well-being and offer protection from trauma. This 50-minute lunchtime lecture and video presentation will present current research on awe and gratitude, and demonstrate how, when harnessed, they have the capacity to heal the nervous system, enhance resilience, and promote health and wellness throughout the lifespan.

    Eligible for 1.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Friday Afternoon Workshops

    Bio Poems: Self-Witnessing Through Metaphor & Movement
    Bel Air
    Friday
    2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

    Paula Perlman, LMFT, BC-DMT, CLMA
    Diana Rivera, MA, CPC, PhD

    In this 3-hour workshop, you will experience a structured-yet-flexible creative process for expanding both the sense of self as well as the sense of belonging. The session will begin with movement exploration and improvisational exercises to facilitate a free flow of ideas. Next, participants will write a structured “I am” poem with sentence-completion stems such as “I wonder” and “I want.” Finally, working in small groups, participants will have the chance to embody one another’s poems through movement, imbuing the writing with life and enhanced meaning. The techniques presented in this workshop can be used with clients of any age and can be easily incorporated into any therapeutic or educational setting.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Body-Based, Shamanic-Inspired Practices for Therapeutic Interventions
    Plaza D
    Friday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Jennifer Farley, MA, LPCC, BC-DMT

    Throughout history and across the globe, indigenous cultures have developed a variety of methods for promoting well-being, facilitating meaningful connections, and achieving personal healing. Some of these traditional practices can be surprisingly effective when integrated with contemporary mental health approaches. In this 3-hour workshop, we'll explore South American Andean foundational teachings and shamanic practices that can be paired with counseling and psychotherapy strategies to promote client goals and clinical progress. The facilitator, a board-certified dance/movement therapist, will focus on embodied practices as a means to offer clients body-based experiences of connection, growth, and healing. Participants will learn ways in which these physical practices can be helpful for working with individuals and groups to address common themes that arise in virtually any clinical setting. Lecture, demonstration, movement activities, and discussion will be combined to support integration of this material. No previous dance experience is necessary.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Giving Voice: Technology & Song for At-Risk and Special Needs Youth
    Pacific B
    Friday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Rachael Anne Singer, MS, R-DMT
    Ann Noriel

    Reaching at-risk and special needs populations of young people (those experiencing homelessness, in care, incarcerated, diagnosed with mental health/behavioral issues or other disabilities, etc.) is challenging. This 3-hour workshop introduces a technological approach to creating student-generated music and theatre. This method, developed for Southland Sings' My Story, My Voice Poetry to Song program, begins by creating lyrics that get underscored with GarageBand loops as rap, poetry, or spoken word. They can also be vocalized as song. (Singing in this workshop is optional, but will be encouraged.) Originally targeted at general education classrooms, this approach has been adapted for use with individual and groups of children of all abilities, ages 5 to 18. Workshop participants will experiment with a variety of music-making tools, including alternate and augmentative communication technology for nonverbal clients or persons with mobility challenges. Appropriate for generalists and specialist practitioners alike, this workshop highlights both obstacles and solutions to client engagement.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Helping LGBTQ Youth Create Coherent Self-Narratives
    San Lorenzo E
    Friday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Mark Beauregard, RDT-BCT, LCAT
    Kristin Long, RDT-BCT, LCAT, LP

    LGBTQ youth have unique life stories and experiences, often in the context of interpersonal and environmental trauma, that can reinforce silence and impede progress in treatment. They need caring clinicians who can help them to tell their stories, be heard, and craft their narratives in order to live the lives they want. This 3-hour workshop will have participants thinking creatively about the roles of storyteller and listener for both LGBTQ youth and their therapists. The presenters will provide a brief introduction to the life experiences of these young people and discuss how their therapists can become creative agents of change in helping youth express their own stories of hurt, strength, and resilience. Participants will leave with specific examples of arts-based activities to use in fostering coherent self-narratives that can enhance treatment and foster progress.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    In Her Voice: Empowering Women with Vocal Presence
    Plaza B
    Friday
    2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

    Celia Bockhoff, MSW, LCSW, SEP

    A woman’s voice and sense of self may be muted by trauma or hindered by fear due to lack of safety. Vocal presence, an embodied expression of self, is essential in both personal healing and the experience of connectedness. Although some women have begun to break long-held silences, many still feel they are not able to give voice to their own truths. The recovery of vocal presence within therapeutic contexts deepens emotional healing, empowers creativity, and supports self-determination and personal freedom. In this 3-hour workshop, we will explore applications of somatic and sound-healing research. Exercises will focus on the qualities of vocal sounds, including breath work, toning, and the natural “undulation” of deep listening and vocal release. Participants will learn the powerful therapeutic effects of vocal centering, inviting “medicine songs” that comfort and support. The true voice of the Self will be our compassionate guide as we discover how to empower our clients in reclaiming the precious gifts of strength, presence, and aliveness through making their voices heard. Music therapy experience is not required.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Making Termination Meaningful: The Neurobiological Impact of Imagery, Metaphor & Expression
    Plaza C
    Friday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Mary Affee, LCSW, CTS, RPT-S, CFSW, CHC

    The ending phase of clinical work is just as important as the beginning, but can often be rushed or superficial. Perhaps this is because the termination process is fraught with complicated feelings. Whether anxiety, depression, anger, or grief, even the most “well-earned” or “planned” ending to treatment can be stressful for both mental health professionals and their clients. In this 3-hour workshop, we will describe, demonstrate, and discuss how imaginal and figurative language function as a structure for stimulating and processing imagery, symbols, and metaphors. This helps to engage clients more actively and meaningfully in the process of termination, with the added potential of attaining a more fulfilling closure. Tangible takeaways are developed through this creative arts and play-based process, and clients will leave the therapeutic relationship feeling supported and empowered—which can be much more beneficial in the long term than the typical verbal farewell. Participants in this workshop will learn, through lecture and drawing activities, how neurobiology sets the stage for, and then is enhanced by, creative approaches leading to expressive, transformative farewells with clients of all ages, abilities, and cultures in a variety of settings.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Mobile Sandplay for Disaster Relief: The Living Mythology of the Hawaiian Goddess, Pele
    Catalina B
    Friday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Lorraine R. Freedle, PhD, ABPdN, CST-T

    Natural disasters such as wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and volcanic eruptions displace millions of people around the world and cause community-wide, even regional, trauma. This 3-hour workshop introduces the use of mobile sandplay therapy in disaster relief, including practical clinical applications, multicultural considerations, and research findings. Sandplay, an expressive, culturally sensitive, trauma-informed therapeutic method helps children and adults to alleviate symptoms of distress following traumatic events. It provides a tangible, active way to release and metabolize overwhelming emotions. Sandplay was used effectively in response to 9/11 in New York City, after mudslides in Thailand, earthquakes in China and Nepal, as well as in response to the 2011 tsunami in Japan. Group sandplay, when combined with storytelling, has proven effective in improving children’s learning and social development when applied in school settings. Workshop participants will view a short, award-winning documentary called Fire and Sand that examines the firsthand experiences of local sandplay relief therapists and people affected by the 2018 volcanic eruption on Hawai`i Island. Artmaking and discussion will be used to integrate concepts, enhance our work as clinicians, and motivate a call to action. No previous sandplay experience required.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only); STA
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Modeling & Doodling: Simple Techniques for Accessing the Unconscious & Enhancing Relationships
    Catalina D
    Friday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Ruth Guttfreund, MA, RATH

    Often relegated to just "fooling around," plasticine modeling and doodling with drawing materials can provide powerful tools for managing anxiety and unlocking the unconscious in people of all ages. Join us for this 3-hour workshop exploring low-cost and low-skill threshold art techniques, focusing on the therapeutic benefits of working with simple, easily manipulable media. Most mental health professionals working with clients of nearly any age, background, or ability can benefit from experiencing the therapeutic potential of engaging with these nonthreatening techniques and basic materials. In addition to this, participants will also learn ways to uncover visual metaphors that can enhance therapeutic relationships with their clients, probe client family and systemic issues, and promote self-awareness. No artistic skill necessary.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Nature and Culture-Based Healing for Intercultural Resiliency in Kids & Their Families
    Newport B
    Friday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Joanne Ginter, MA

    Therapists working with a greater diversity of clients often find themselves struggling to address the broad spectrum of cultural and spiritual practices needed to understand and intervene competently and effectively with them. This 3-hour workshop will focus on promoting intercultural resiliency in treatment with clients of all ages through healing practices found in nature and within various cultural traditions. We'll draw upon narrative, relational, and systemic theory, guiding therapists to becoming more pluralistic in practice. Through lecture, discussion, and thematic hands-on activities, participants will learn to identify the tenets of intercultural resiliency; how aspects of nature and culture can be accessed to provide the building blocks of resiliency; as well as how to develop a more pluralist orientation in clinical practice. Applicable to all counselors and therapists who work with individuals and families of all ages and abilities.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Play Therapy Essentials for Child Therapists & Educators: Proven Techniques for Success
    Catalina C
    Friday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    April Duncan, MSW, LCSW, RPT

    Play therapy is an evidence-based discipline that helps children of all ages address challenging issues both at home and in school. Play therapists are receiving a growing number of referrals to work with children who are enduing increasingly complicated pressures. Without an appropriate outlet to express their thoughts and feelings, children can struggle with focus and attention challenges, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and more. Play therapy is an evidence-based discipline that helps children of all ages address these issues both at home and in school. This 3-hour workshop will provide play therapists and other participants with an understanding of how to introduce play-based interventions with children from preschool to high school. Play therapists will have an opportunity to review and practice a range of specific play techniques and activities. We'll explore play-based interventions to address treatment goals such as decreasing impulsivity and increasing focus and attention. Additionally, play therapists will learn to construct "story stones" that can be immediately implemented in any setting, explore different sensory processing systems, as well as ways to promote sensory integration in the playroom & classroom. 

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LCAT, LMHC (New York state only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Pongo Poetry Project: Written & Spoken Word to Heal Trauma in Vulnerable Populations
    Marina
    Friday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Elnur Gajiev, PsyD
    Richard Gold, MA

    For 23 years, the Pongo Poetry Project has provided healing poetry programs in detention centers, homeless shelters, state psychiatric hospitals, and other sites. The consistent theme in our authors' poetry has been childhood trauma, including abuse, neglect, and exposure to violence. In 1,300 surveys and 5 pilot studies, the outcomes show that our writers are addressing core issues, feeling better after writing, continuing to write, and finding new purpose for their lives. The topic of this 3-hour workshop, which teaches the Pongo methodology, is important because of the dire circumstances in vulnerable populations. For example, in the juvenile detention population that Pongo serves, the group is 84% youth of color, and these youth suffer from childhood trauma, have not received treatment for their trauma, are not in school, are frequently gang-involved, are often substance users, and are facing long prison sentences. And these youth and their families are some of the people most victimized historically by social injustice. The goal of the session is to teach skills that the participants can use immediately to provide healing poetry to vulnerable populations. The participants will learn the history, outcomes, and rationale for Pongo, and then they will learn several teaching techniques in hands-on practice. The skills learned are applicable for work with both youth and adults, including people who do not typically respond to traditional approaches. These skills are appropriate for clinical practice in institutional, agency, and private practice settings.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Teaching Empathy Through Art Therapy
    Century CD
    Friday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Amy Pfenning, MPS, ATR, CZT

    Empathy is a skill that many of our clients did not learn when they were young. With an increase in bullying and more clients entering the criminal justice system, there's an even greater need for clinicians to be able to teach this skill. Art therapy is an effective and nonthreatening way to help clients learn about empathy and compassion. In this 3-hour workshop, participants will see examples of artwork from forensic patients who are notable for their lack of empathy. Participants will be introduced to several art therapy directives that can help clients in any setting get more in touch with their own feelings, practice feeling empathy for others, and encourage them to act kindly and compassionately. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to participate in some art therapy exercises for enhancing empathy.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    The Personal Hope Book: A Container of Resilience for Teens & Adults
    Los Angeles A
    Friday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Erin Partridge, PhD, ATR-BC

    Research has shown that storytelling in treatment is an effective way to promote resilience. Art therapists can enhance this effect by teaching their clients how to create books expressly for this purpose. For instance, quotes that refer to aspects of hope and hopefulness invite clients to prioritize positivity and can function as a touchstone regarding happiness and well-being. Further, adding imagery to the quotations within the book format can enable the therapist and client to collaborate on defining the meaning of hope, as well as identify the characteristics of successful treatment together. In this 3-hour workshop, we will explore the use of a structured set of directives in a curriculum designed to instill hope and resilience in clients of all ages. Participants will learn about, and engage in, the process of creating a personal book of hopeful content. Treatment applications across several different populations and settings will be explored and discussed. No previous bookmaking or art therapy experience is required.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Working with Masks in Therapeutic Environments: Identities & Intersectionality
    Los Angeles C
    Friday
    2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

    Kamran Afary, PhD-RDT
    Pam Dunne, PhD, RDT/BCT

    People often express dissatisfaction with their roles when they feel too constricted, fixed, or handed down in a way that blocks them from meeting their goals at home, at work, or in treatment. As counselors, therapists, and helping professionals, how might we enable our clients to envision their preferred roles in life—and do so creatively and with intentionality? Using masks, poetry, and games, we'll demonstrate how narrative and narradrama ideas about preferred and intersectional identities offer specific skills that counselors and therapists can use in their daily work. For instance, narradrama and intersectionality exercises guide participants in exploring identities that are still emerging or have been lost due to lack of recognition. We'll introduce exercises that will help participants to encourage their clients to envision and create environments where they can define and enact their preferred roles. This process will provide insight into enhancing self-awareness and self-image, and facilitate attunement in relationships with others. Throughout this 3-hour workshop, participants will learn specific yet creative exercises that illuminate these theories and concepts. Small groups will explore new ways of working with masks to help clients and others to better align their values with their roles and identities. No previous drama experience required.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Friday Afternoon Self-Care Session

    Sonic Shavasana: Sound Bath & Drum Massage for Integrating Summit Experiences
    Friday
    5:15 PM - 6:15 PM

    Diana Wallace

    Participants in this 1-hour late afternoon workshop will be given space to lie down to receive the four basic elements of music (melody, harmony, rhythm, and silence) to integrate their day of Summit learning. Join us to get rejuvenated and revitalized! It's best to bring a yoga mat, pillow, and/or blanket to maximize comfort, if you are able.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional  Closed 
     

    Friday Evening Workshops

    Heart-Centered Movement for Healing & Transformation
    Friday
    6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

    Sophia Kozak, MA

    Can change be facilitated through spontaneous, expressive movement? In this 2-hour evening workshop, participants will be introduced to the theory of Dance from the Heart, a 7-step, yet simple, structure designed to help guide teens and adults toward identifying and manifesting a vision for their future through movement. When given permission to move in a free-form manner, they discover ways to get themselves "unstuck" from the dysfunctional behavioral and thought patterns holding them back. A helpful adjunct to more traditional talk therapy, this largely nonverbal, body-based approach can be used by mental health and other helping professionals (as well as educators) who work with traumatized populations, for instance, in a variety of settings. Dance from the Heart can also promote social transformation practices through "radical embodiment." Open to all, no dance experience is required to participate in this workshop.

    This session requires a $39 fee with Summit registration, $79 without.

    Eligible for 2.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
    Rhythmic Release: An Afro-Peruvian Percussion & Dance Experience
    Friday
    6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

    Gino Gamboa
    Diana Soto

    Afro-Peruvian music has its roots in the communities of black slaves first brought to the Peruvian coast in the 16th century. As it developed through the 20th century, it drew on Andean, Spanish, and African traditions. Come join us for a fun workshop in which we will create our own Afro-Peruvian rhythm ensemble. Participants will have the opportunity to use traditional instruments including the cajon, fajita, donkey jaw, carrasca, tamborete, and checo. They'll also learn the festjo, a joyful, African-influenced dance. No special experience or talents are required—everyone is welcome!

    Not eligible for CE Credits

    This session requires a $29 fee with Summit registration, $59 without.
    Faculty Bio(s):
    Speakers:
    		Fee  Optional 
    The Stories We Tell in Treatment: How Culture & Creative Expression Enhance Best Practices
    Friday
    6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

    Asia Moore, MSW
    Julyssa Guevara, ACSW

    Culture, an essential aspect of every story, is more than just the backdrop or setting through which the characters experience their lives—it is a continuously evolving, dynamic element that is as nuanced as any of the clients we serve. So, in many ways, culture is as important a component in our clients' stories as are their loved ones, personal backgrounds, and value systems. In this didactic and experiential, 2-hour evening workshop, we will assess what it means to engage in ongoing cultural humility and responsiveness in virtually any clinical setting. By integrating multiple creative approaches, we will work collaboratively to develop a toolbox with specific strategies that address the complex needs and experiences of clients from all walks of life. Participants will have the opportunity to not only place culture as a setting and character within their own life stories but, more importantly, they will also learn how to meaningfully invest their own cultural capital into the lives of their clients, colleagues, and ultimately themselves.

    This session requires a $39 fee with Summit registration, $79 without.

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

    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
    Transformative Writing for Grades 3-12: Silencing Inner Critics, Finding Their Own Voices
    Friday
    6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

    Paulette Greenhouse

    Kids have inner critics too. Join us to learn a proven creative writing method that guides students through a process that playfully supports them in silencing the internal messages that keep them from being at their best. Participants in this 2-hour evening workshop will be introduced to the 916 Ink Method and program structure, and learn how this method addresses student and community needs. They'll participate in writing exercises and learn about "setting the room" to transform the standard classroom space. We'll also explore how to use storytelling as a method for promoting healing, self-discovery, and empowerment within a safe space that fosters student creativity. Come learn how we get children and teens to challenge themselves as they find their own ways of being in the world.

    This session requires a $29 fee with Summit registration, $59 without.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
    Visual Art Journaling for Contemplation & Clinical Reflection
    Friday
    6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

    Susan Anand, MA, ATR-BC, ATCS, LPAT
    Lani Gerity, DA, ATR

    This 2-hour evening session will provide a relaxed environment in which Summit participants can use art materials to process the event along with the new information they learn there. Keeping a visual art journal can be a wonderful way to record personal experiences, thoughts, and feelings. For this reason, the visual art journal offers a creative, portable tool for processing material learned in a conference. In this evening workshop, we’ll use basic office supplies and found materials to create a simple book structure, then work on a variety of “directives” from Cohen et al's workbook Managing Traumatic Stress Through Art and other sources. Participants will be encouraged to discuss their experiences with the process and look at possible adaptations for using visual arts journals like these to treat groups and individuals with whom they work. Also, a downloadable “zine,” featuring a variety of book-making structures will be provided to registrants to take home with them. Suitable for mental health professionals as well as educators. No prior experience (or artistic talent) is required.

    This session requires a $29 fee with Summit registration, $59 without.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
    Yoga of Joy, Vajra Breathing, Primordial Dance: Promoting Intention, Relaxation & Resilience
    Friday
    6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

    Carry Kim, CYT, CMT, MFA

    Seeking to reduce stress, quiet the mind, or enhance the capacity for joy? Participants in this 2-hour evening workshop will learn practices from the Yoga of Joy system, which derives from Himalayan traditions and is comprised of mantras, mudras (hand gestures), breathwork, body postures, visualization, and intention. Primordial Dance will be offered to help restore fluidity and enhance the spontaneous expression of yin, the feminine principle of energy. These approaches are beneficial for people of all ages and can be modified to suit individual capacities and needs. By releasing mental, physical, and emotional habits and patterns that cause contraction, rigidity, and stress, these practices augment and restore the body's natural state of freedom, fluidity, grace, and ease.

    This session requires a $29 fee with Summit registration, $59 without.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
  • Saturday, 04/25/20
  •  

    Saturday Early Morning Wake Up!

    "Vini-Style" Yoga Therapy: An Introduction
    Pacific B
    Saturday
    8:00 AM - 8:45 AM

    Kathy Cass, MA, BC-DMT, NCC, CIAYT, CAHC, AYT

    Viniyoga is an ancient Sanskrit term that implies differentiation, adaptation, and appropriate application. Delay that bagel this morning and take 45 minutes to learn about—and experience—this yoga therapy-informed type of yoga, which offers a more individualized and therapeutic approach!

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Liquid Flow: Moving Mind, Body & Spirit in Community (SAT)
    Saturday
    8:00 AM - 8:45 AM

    Aleta Hayes, MFA

    Get out of your bed and into your body! Experience the joy of fluid, juicy movement and playful dancing with freedom and ease through Liquid Flow, a combination of dance improvisation, yoga, and Tai Chi. This method is appropriate for beginners, athletes, dancers, and anyone else who wants to develop more grace and fluidity in everyday life. Be prepared for an experience that has been described at previous Summits as “surprisingly fun” and “beyond wonderful”!

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Saturday Master Classes

    Books and Bookmaking in Psychotherapy
    La Jolla B
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

    Malissa Morrell, MA, ATR-BC, MFT

    Many art forms and media are used in therapeutic contexts, but books are unique in their ability to hold stories, provide sequencing and order, and provide a safe container for emotional content in treatment. When therapists and clients make books together, they open the door to infinite options for creating therapeutic growth and change. This daylong master class will explore therapeutic book-making. Participants will learn step-by-step instructions for making about six unique book structures, and will explore the clinical value of each structure. Each of these book structures can be simplified to be made in virtually any clinical setting, because you will learn to make them with standard office supplies. Each participant will walk away with multiple book samples and knowledge of how the structures can be modified to meet individual client needs, regardless of age or ability. Because book content is contingent on the choices of the participants, there is some chance that this content could elicit a strong emotional response.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    DIR/Floor Time®, Play & Movement for Autism Spectrum Disorder: Integrating Theories & Treatment
    Pacific B

    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

    Esther B. Hess, PhD
    Rachael Anne Singer, MS, R-DMT

    This 6-hour master class offers play therapists and other clinicians an interactive opportunity to learn strategies from the work of a play therapist and a dance therapist who work with children and adolescents who have Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Play therapists and other participants will learn about the developmental/relational therapy model called DIR/Floortime. Workshop presenters will encourage them to think about and discuss adaptations of this model after observing footage of clients engaged in dance/movement therapy. Play therapists and other participants will also learn ways to support stress response states, as well as to improve self-regulation and engagement through movement, in children with autism. They will also learn ways to integrate dance/movement therapy techniques with DIR/Floortime® for working with children on the spectrum. Additionally, play therapists and other participants will be invited to present their own cases for consideration according to this multimodal treatment model.


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

    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Discovering Dream Wisdom: An Exploration Through Art & Journaling
    Carmel
    9:00 AM – 4:30 PM

    Nancy Weiss, BCD, LCSW

    Dreams hold the power to surprise, delight, terrify, and heal. This daylong master class introduces a structured, 6-step, 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'll capture the dream’s unfolding wisdom in both images and words. Combining dreamwork, 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 along a journal or small notebook.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Existential Sand Therapy with Adults: Depth, Authenticity & Differences
    Marina
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

    Dee Preston-Dillon, MA, PhD

    Existentialism in psychotherapy focuses on life's most anxiety-provoking issues and how they can provide us with the impetus for change and fulfillment. The existential approach to sand therapy is one that enables the client to pursue these far-reaching themes, but with a level of depth and authenticity that might not be attainable with Jungian or Rogerian sandplay protocols. Toward this goal, existential sand therapy provides clinicians with specific ways to conceptualize and respond to powerful expressions of intensity and complexity in their clients' scenes that can release emotional blocks that typically interfere with treatment goals. This can result in transforming unproductive perceptions of self and others, thereby moving treatment forward. In this daylong master class, case examples will illustrate existential themes in sand scenes. Participants will engage in sand work to learn how this integration of metaphor and active imagination can help their clients process existential issues. Clinicians will be prepared to safely facilitate this process. Previous sand therapy experience is beneficial, but not required.

    Please 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 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Facilitating Drum Circles: A Master Class for Clinicians & Educators
    Plaza A
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

    Helen Dolas, MS, MT-BC
    Dan Walsh, MS, MT-BC
    John Fitzgerald

    Rhythm is a powerful and versatile tool for engaging groups in an exploration of their relationships with themselves and with others. In this daylong master class we will learn the fundamentals of facilitation philosophy, tools, techniques, and debriefing method appropriate for counselors and therapists for use with clients of all ages and abilities. Building on these fundamentals, you will be able to develop your own program—even integrate other modalities, such as movement, role play, and visual arts—into a personalized approach that will enhance your clinical and community-building work with clients and groups. No previous drumming experience is necessary. Just bring your heartbeat, we'll supply the drums.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT or NBCC Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    One-Canvas Process Painting: An Exploration of the Trauma Continuum
    Los Angeles B
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

    Paige Asawa, PhD, MFT, ATR-BC

    This daylong master class introduces participants to working with the trauma continuum—symptomatology stemming from single-episode incidents to natural disasters, complex, ongoing multiperpetrator abuse, terrorism, or even war—through single-canvas process painting. Trauma theories and intervention models are explored, including the neurological, somatic, and sensorimotor sequelae of trauma. Participants will experience firsthand the spontaneous, complex reflective processing, the focused attention to imagery, and will learn to recognize latent content appearing in these paintings that parallel the phenomenology of the trauma continuum. Key definitions and constructs gain emotional vibrancy in relationship to the single-canvas painting. Additionally, the painter's awareness is transformed through a sequential layering process that invites psychic tension and insight as it facilitates the integration of personal meaning via this trauma-informed, art-based approach.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    The Bodymap Process: A Somatic Art Intervention for Healing What the Body Holds
    Bel Air
    Saturday
    9:00 AM – 4:30 PM

    Darcy Lubbers, PhD, MFT, ATR-BC

    Pain, grief, shame, anxiety, regret, hope, love, inspiration, defeat, rage, heartache, exhaustion. The body carries within it a record of our life experiences, and the experiences that remain unprocessed can impede our sense of well-being and ability to function. At the same time, the body’s innate wisdom can be harnessed for deep physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Participants in this 6-hour workshop will be introduced to, and invited to engage in, aspects of the Bodymap Process, the first structured and scalable use of bodymapping, which was developed and researched by the presenter. In this process, a life-size (actual or symbolic) outline of one’s body is created, and the felt sense is engaged as an internal reference point for spontaneous, visual art expression within this container, utilizing a variety of media. In this way, various themes can be explored and resolution of problematic symptoms facilitated. This technique is particularly effective in working with traumatized clients, individually or in groups. Moreover, guidelines for establishing safety will be offered, along with case material and applicability to a variety of clinical populations.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Saturday Morning Workshops

    Council & the Arts: Storytelling and Empathic Listening for Enhanced Connection to Self and Others
    La Jolla A
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Camille Ameen

    Council is a mindfulness practice based on ancient, indigenous dialogic practices that bring participants into a circle to share and witness stories. Doing this allows the "wisdom of the circle" to emerge. Through attentive, nonjudgmental listening and giving voice to personal stories, Council fosters social-emotional learning. It deepens self-awareness and nurtures self-expression, self-management, resilience, respectful relationships, team building, and community engagement. In this 3-hour introduction to council, participants will learn about the origins and fundamental elements of this dynamic practice. We will engage in community-building games that facilitate physical and vocal self-expression. We will explore the process of creating a safe space for seeing and being seen. We will participate in councils around stories we hold from the past and present moment. We'll then integrate the council experience into short theater presentations and visual art, in order to deepen the insight, honor the story, and embody it. Council is being utilized in the California prison system, public and private schools, corporations, and social justice organizations worldwide. This compassion-based model can be effectively incorporated into group clinical situations with populations of all ages, abilities, and needs. No previous experience required.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Effective Group Facilitation Skills: Lessons from Inside the Singing Circle
    Plaza D
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Kate Richards Geller, MA, MT-BC, LCAT

    How does one maintain a sense of self and purpose while facilitating process from the middle of a group? When it comes to leading groups, not all of us are natural-born facilitators. We might get anxious, overly active or passive, or self-conscious, making it difficult for the group to achieve its designated goals. This 3-hour workshop will allow us to enter into that moment together, and explore how to think (and feel) on our feet while taking in the overall experience—as well as all the details and individual participants during the group. Participants will have the opportunity to lead a song or an activity and receive in-the-moment coaching regarding how to manage feelings of vulnerability, awkwardness, and other unproductive thoughts and reactions that typically interfere with making the intended connections. This work is applicable to all mental health professionals "conducting" groups with clinical populations of any age or focus. Whether you feel confident or terrified about leading groups, this workshop will offer an opportunity to try and observe the art of Being rather than Doing as an approach to effective and engaging group facilitation. The ultimate goal in our interventions is connection.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Group Sandtray Therapy: Managing Miniatures & Metaphors with Multiple Clients of All Ages
    Los Angeles A
    Saturday
    9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

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

    Most expressive therapists are familiar with the benefits of working with the sandtray therapy format. Using symbolic miniatures within a sand-filled "arena" has proven highly effective in working with clients in individual play therapy and other treatment disciplines across all developmental stages with a wide variety of issues. Not everyone knows that it is also possible to do sandtray work with groups and families. For play therapists, arts therapists, or others who would like to expand their sandtray therapy practice, this 3-hour workshop will illustrate and demonstrate how the work is introduced, modified, and managed when applied to group-specific interventions. Play therapists and other participants will learn how to execute those adaptations while maintaining the integrity of the sacred space endemic to sandtray practice, including dealing with the varied metaphors and interactions when more than one “hand” is involved in the sandtray scenario’s creation. Advanced play therapy "reflecting" skills will enable participants to understand how to keep group work moving forward, even in clinically challenging moments. This session is appropriate for practicing clinicians only.

    Please note: Participants working with sandtray may experience strong emotions, but grounding and containment strategies will be continually highlighted and practiced in this didactic and hands-on workshop.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LCAT, LMHC (New York state only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Interconnected Drama Therapy: A Developmental Model for Healing Trauma & More
    Plaza C
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Dimitra Stavrou, LPC, RDT

    Just as trauma interrupts and alters continuity of consciousness, it can also significantly alter one's personal development. This 3-hour workshop will introduce, illustrate, and demonstrate a short-term therapeutic process based on five developmental themes (infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and third age) through embodiment and metaphor. In this approach, drama therapy methods are interwoven with mythology, symbols and their social representations, ethnography, performance art, and community ritual. Applicable to generalists and specialists alike, this process can enhance emotional and clinical development for individuals and groups of clients of all ages and abilities who have experienced trauma or are at-risk. Participants will be able to define and distinguish among embodied self-awareness, embodied intersubjective awareness, and conceptual awareness—and explain how they relate to clinical practice with clients exhibiting post-traumatic symptomatology. No previous drama therapy experience required.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Love, Letters & Art: Forging and Repairing Healthy Attachments
    Century AB
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Ericha Scott, ICAADC, ATR-BC, REAT

    Because ubiquitous psychological issues such as trauma, loss, compulsivity, and disordered attachment styles can negatively impact our ability to express love fully, it is no surprise that unexpressed love has become rampant in contemporary society. So we reach for a greeting card when we need to express our love to a cherished person on a special occasion. It's an easy solution, since the message provided is typically generic and emotionally nonthreatening. As a result of unexpressed love, people suffer with a remarkable amount of suppressed grief, which in turn fuels increased psychic numbing and emotional distancing from the very people "closest" to them. The simple-to-follow structured process and creative techniques that we'll introduce, discuss, and practice in this 3-hour workshop include: drawing, journaling, writing haiku and a love letter. Although they may evoke intense emotions, these therapeutic exercises can be used within a variety of clinical contexts with individuals, groups, and couples of all ages. Join us to improve your "love letter literacy," and help your adult clients work toward greater connection and enhanced intimacy!

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Making Mandalas & Wish Dolls for Enhanced Focus and Emotional Wellbeing
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Barbara Drucker, MFA

    Mandalas are designs that are traditionally used as meditation aids. Often circular in form, they contain symbols and geometric configurations that represent wholeness or unified energy. Wish dolls are small, handmade figures made from fabric, yarn, and thread that represent a symbolic image, typically related to the maker. Each of these practices offers a way to focus the maker’s mind and feelings, calm down, and open up to new insights and ideas. This 3-hour studio art workshop will be useful for teachers, counselors, and therapists working with students and clients of all ages seeking to teach these techniques. Although supplies will be provided, participants are encouraged to bring along pieces of fabric, buttons, or trims that are meaningful to them and that can be incorporated into their wish dolls. Previous experience is not required to participate in this workshop, which will explore the relationship between intuitive art making, creative process, mindfulness, and emotional well-being.

    Not eligible for CE credits.
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Optimum Learning: Drawing Out the Best in Your Brain
    San Lorenzo E
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Jon Pearson

    Drawing is a tool for the brain, for literacy, for memory, and for higher-level thinking. Students who can picture their thinking can read faster, write better, and retain information longer. In this lively and interactive 3-hour workshop, you will practice simple, rapid-drawing methods that can turn ideas into images, books into mental movies, and daydreaming into reading comprehension. Drawing, followed by voicing imagination of things seen or not seen, can build focus, curiosity, flexibility, originality, and elaboration of ideas. In short, you will learn how to get students to daydream into a subject rather than out of it. Moreover, this process builds a growth mindset that embraces mistakes as possibilities and not failure. This session is for educators and others who would like to benefit personally from “off road” thinking that begins with drawing.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Reaching Resistant Clients of All Ages Through Art: Techniques for Success
    Century CD
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Erica K. M. Curtis, LMFT, ATR-BC

    Need to find an effective strategy (or two) to help you and "that" client move forward in your work together? In this 3-hour hands-on workshop, participants will practice arts-based interventions to help both clinician and client adopt a friendly stance toward the resistance that prevents the client from connecting in therapy. Participants will examine a variety of underlying factors that contribute to “resistance,” ranging from a mismatch in approach to well-established protective mechanisms that keep the client feeling emotionally and relationally safe. This workshop will provide practical skills for arts therapists and nonspecialist counselors and psychotherapists working with clients of all ages and abilities in virtually any clinical setting.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Scribble & Wiggle: A Neurosequential Art Approach to Trauma Across the Lifespan
    Newport B
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Peggy Kolodny, ATR-BC, LCPAT

    This highly experiential workshop for counselors and therapists working with traumatized adult clients will integrate neurosequential and EMDR concepts into art therapy approaches as they pertain to clinical practices. Dr. Bruce Perry developed the Neurosequential Model of Therapy (NMT) in working with child trauma survivors, and this presenter has modified his highly effective healing model to enhance trauma-informed work with adults. Creative interventions will follow bottom-up neurodevelopment in this 3-hour workshop's experientials, incorporating Kagin and Lusebrink's Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) concepts as well. The playful quality of the selected art directives further support mindfulness, grounding, emotional regulation, and learning new resource skills for use with individuals and groups in treatment.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Spoken-Word Poetry Therapy for At-Risk Youth & Adolescents
    Catalina C
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Elnur "El" Gajiev, PsyD

    Adolescence is a time of seeking one's voice and, in doing so, one's truth. This resounds in particular for youth who are at risk of developing or worsening conditions related to their mental health. Spoken Word Poetry offers an avenue for discourse, exploration, and resolution of many of the complexities that arise during this critical period of development. Although the use of Spoken-word poetry as a therapeutic modality in various clinical contexts is relatively new within the expressive therapies, key insights have been noted in initial designs and implementations. During this 3-hour workshop, we will explore the psychological factors involved in spoken-word poetry as a therapeutic framework, and the tangible means by which clinicians and practitioners of all sorts (educators, youth leaders, etc.) can use this structure to provide effective care for adolescents in need. No prior experience with poetry is necessary; in fact, the less poetry you know, the better, as we'll be delving into the experience of youth who engage in spoken-word poetry Therapy with little to no experience of their own.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Superheroes to the Rescue: Fighting Trauma & Anxiety in Clients of all Ages
    Catalina B
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    April Duncan, MSW, LCSW, RPT

    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 3-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 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only);APT**
    **APT CE only available to mental health practitioners
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    The Very Image of Health: Somatic Visualization Protocol for Adults & Children
    Los Angeles C
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Gilah Yelin Hirsch, BA, MFA

    This 3-hour workshop explores an effective method for blending art and science in empowering adults and children to become proactive in their own healing. This protocol has been used with groups of children in cancer treatment (who may not typically respond to traditional approaches), as well as with groups and individual clients of all ages with many illnesses and concerns, across a wide variety of clinical settings. Key to the protocol is naming, reclaiming, and owning illness in the client’s body, to engender transformation from the outside in and the inside out. Medical patients, particularly children, are often kept in the dark about their disease and where it is located in their bodies. Locating, tracing, reconstructing and decorating a paper body offers effective healing in treatment. Participants can expect to fully experience the visualization protocol, incorporating manipulation of a skeleton model, bibliotherapy with medical texts, art-based exploration of body tracings, and sharing transformation in the group.

    Not eligible for CE credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Treating Psychosis & Mood Dysregulation Using CBT, DBT, and Action Methods
    Plaza B
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Dana George Trottier, MA, LCAT, RDT/BCT
    Mary Kate Roohan, MA, LCAT, RDT

    We'll begin this 3-hour experiential workshop with a brief overview of acute psychosis and mood dysregulation, tracking the symptomatic trajectory from early transient episodes to severe, persistent mental illness. Engaging in embodied empathy exercises will aid workshop participants in understanding the difficult lived experience of clients suffering with these disorders. And at the start of each experiential activity, participants will be introduced to the theoretical models that ground relevant clinical choices and treatment interventions. These will include: the integration of role theory with DBT; the use of projective techniques to support behavioral change; and spontaneous play in the practice of CBT for psychosis. In this way, participants will be provided with a blend of didactic and experiential learning to ground future treatment choices.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Twelve-Step-Inspired Art Therapy Directives for Group & Individual Recovery
    Newport C
    Saturday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Anna Pirkl, MA, MFT, ATR, LAADAC

    Art therapy techniques can be used to explore and strengthen the addiction recovery process for adolescents and adults, whether individually or in groups. This 3-hour workshop features art directives inspired by 12-step programs designed to help clients externalize and internalize principles for recovery. Counselors and psychotherapists working in virtually any setting will find the approach presented to be of interest, since it can also help clients who are not members of 12-step programs discover insights, too. Intended as a respectful homage to the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), these strategies can enhance both emotional and cognitive development. Since art making can be a bit threatening—or triggering—for some clients, learning to create safety through structure and thoughtful use of materials will also be explored.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Saturday Lunch Options

    Lunch Buffet in the Cafe (Sat)
    Hilton Cafe - Lobby Level
    12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

    A Great & Convenient Lunch at a Reasonable Price    !

    Relax and recharge with your colleagues! Join them in the Hilton Cafe for a lunch buffet including a generous salad bar, choice of multiple entrees, plus a little something for dessert. Beverages on your own.

    Daily $22 ticket includes meal, tax, and gratuity, and is available at this rate only during the online registration process. 

    Attendees who do not purchase tickets online will be able to buy them onsite at the regular Hilton Cafe rate, plus tax, based on available seating. Purchase in advance, save almost $9.00, guarantee your seat.

    Going to a Lunchtime Lecture Today? 


    Grab-and-Go box lunch options are also available for $20 inclusive of tax and gratuity. Options include sandwiches (GF, too) or salad plus chips and drink. Choose your preference during the online registration process. Not available onsite.

    		  Optional  Closed 
     

    Saturday Lunch & Learns

    12:30 am  -  1:20 am
    Art Therapy Credential Recertification: How & Why Continuing Education Credits Count
    Saturday
    12:30 PM - 1:20 PM

    Ruth Xilomen Rios, MFA, ATR-BC, LMFT

    Art therapists are often enthusiastic learners that pursue continued education to nurture themselves and to enhance their work as clinicians. These motivations are well-matched to ATCB recertification regulations and processes that are designed to ensure art therapists’ continued competency throughout their professional careers. Every 5 years, Board Certified Art Therapists (ATR-BC), generalists and specialists alike, require 100 hours of Continuing Education Credits (CEC) to meet recertification standards. Art therapists who hold the additional credential, Art Therapy Certified Supervisor (ATCS), must earn 10 of their 100 hours on supervision theory and techniques. Fortunately, the ATR-BC Recertification Standards (ATCB, 2013) and the ATCS Application Handbook (ATCB, 2019) provide detailed information about eligible content and appropriate providers for continuing education credits that may be accrued. Traditional educational experiences such as attendance at professional workshops and presentations are only type of activity that may qualify. Exhibiting in a juried art exhibit or obtaining supervision from an ATCS on regarding your own ATCS supervision skills are other options for obtaining continuing education credits. During this lunch and learn presentation, ATCB recertification standards and qualifying continuing education activities will be outlined and explored. Additionally, methods for vetting and tracking your CEC activities will be provided.

    Eligible for 1.0 Clock/Credit Hours: ATCB ONLY
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    The Power of Guided Imagery to Heal: A Dynamic Approach
    Pacific A
    Saturday
    12:30 PM - 1:20 PM

    David Gordon, PhD

    Guided imagery shares a sisterhood with the expressive arts. In this lunchtime lecture, learn how dynamic techniques in guided imagery can enhance possibilities for interacting with imagery and unearthing revelation.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional  Closed 
     

    Saturday Afternoon Workshops

    Client-Focused Art Assessments and the ETC: Observation, Report Writing & Treatment Planning
    San Lorenzo E
    Saturday
    1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

    Denise Malis, PhD, MFA, ATR-BC, LMHC
    Dawn Burau, ATR, SpEd, LMHC

    This 3-hour workshop is designed for all counselors, therapists, and art therapy practitioners who are interested in honing their observational and assessment skills related to artmaking processes and productions in the therapeutic context. While most formal art therapy assessments understandably rely upon validated instruments to understand artworks, informal assessments are typically based on the cumulative experience of the art therapist. In this workshop, a client-centered framework will be used to navigate a more informal approach to art therapy assessment using Kagin and Lusebrink's Expressive Therapies Continuum as its structure. Combined with a relational approach, client and therapist gather information in three ways: observing the formal elements of an artwork to facilitate reflections, understanding the client’s use of materials and process, and synthesizing observations for the primary therapist in the narrative report. The integrated narrative report can be used in clinical practice for assessment and treatment planning with different populations and ages. Recommended for mental health professionals only.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Craftivism: Creativity-Based Activism for Clients, Clinicians, and Others
    Newport C
    Saturday
    1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

    Aimee Levine Dickman, OTR/L, SEP

    This 3-hour workshop introducing craftivism will incorporate both a discussion and a hands-on exploration of how handcraft can be incorporated into a gentle form of activism. We will discuss what it means to be a craftivist; share examples of work by crafters, artists, and makers all over the world; share stories from the Los Angeles craftivist group; mind map ideas; and make crafts with an activist purpose. All are invited.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Creative Conflict Resolution: Games & Embodied Multimodal Approaches for Varied Settings
    Plaza D
    Saturday
    1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

    Pam Dunne, PhD, RDT/BCT

    Conflict is unavoidable, but not everyone is comfortable facing it, let alone managing it. In this 3-hour workshop, attendees will learn cutting-edge, multimodal, creative arts and performance art methods for working with conflict resolution based on current research and neuroscience. We'll discuss and explore the themes of conflict and power; identify a variety of problem-solving, action-oriented strategies; and work as a collective or in small groups to solve a problem or navigate a specific challenge within real or imagined circumstances. Through creative games involving a wide variety of strategies—including repetition, reflection, chance, short scripts, embodied dialogue, and relational/transformational art—participants will discover how to help the populations they serve experience openness, develop creative problem-solving skills, understand the dynamics of conflict, and make informed decisions that align with their future goals. Exploring these methods will help illuminate physical and social awareness of how power and conflict function within a specific setting, relationship, or story.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    De-Stress for Success: Mind-Body Approaches Incorporating Breath, Sound & Movement
    Plaza C
    Saturday
    1:30 PM - 4:30 PM


    Christina Gonzalez Ritchie, MT-BC

    Learn to use simple, specific creative arts-based interventions incorporating breath, sound, and movement to calm the nervous system and prevent accumulation of stress. These strategies will include integrative techniques such as drumming for expression, acupressure points for relaxation, and tai ji- and qi gong-based movement that can be taught to clients and incorporated in their daily self-care regimens. These techniques are applicable for working with people of all ages and diagnoses in clinical and community settings, as well as in schools. Participants will learn strategies for facilitating sound healing with instruments, vocal toning exercises, and other music therapy-based interventions that foster relaxation and enhance stress management. The tools demonstrated and taught in this session will empower practitioners and clients alike. No previous music or music therapy experience is required.


    Not eligible for continuing education credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Digital Media Arts: Therapeutic Interventions for Adolescents & Others
    Catalina C
    Saturday
    1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

    Jeffrey Jamerson, MA, PhD
    Jennifer Hoit, LMFT, ATR

    Digital media technology is an evolving force that permeates many aspects of our lives. For today's youth, navigating this world is second nature, but traditional therapy is not keeping pace with it. This highly experiential workshop is designed to give participants hands-on experience in using digital media art with students and clients. Learn about apps, software, and new media resources for creative expression, and explore how to use these resources as a therapeutic intervention when working with clients. Learn how narrative and story creation can be augmented through the medium of digital media art.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Expanding the Capacity for Joy: Awe, Gratitude, and the Resilient Nervous System
    Los Angeles A

    Saturday
    1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

    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 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; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits

    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Helping Children to Say Goodbye: Play Therapy for Grief & Loss
    Catalina B
    Saturday
    1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

    Lyla Tyler, MS, LMFT, RPT-S

    As child therapists, and especially as play therapists, we know that children use play to relive their grief experiences and to gain mastery over the trauma caused by the death of a loved one. In this 3-hour workshop, play therapists and their colleagues will learn how to use an approach that is developmentally structured, relationship-focused, strengths-based, and contextually grounded to differentiate between a child's normal grief reaction and a complicated or traumatic bereavement. Participants will learn play therapy techniques that can be used for both assessment and treatment. Case examples and experiential activities will add to the workshop experience, sending play therapists and others home with play therapy techniques and activities to use with children ages 3 to 18 years old.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Imaginal Mindfulness for Sound Clinical Practice
    Los Angeles C
    Saturday
    1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

    Michael A. Franklin, PhD, ATR-BC

    This 3-hour session will introduce an innovative paradigm for relating to clinical material. Imaginal mindfulness combines imaginal psychology with mindfulness meditation and art processes to enhance observation skills necessary for listening to and following intrapersonal and interpersonal narratives. As we will explore in the workshop, when applied to daily therapeutic work, art-based imaginal mindfulness enhances client-therapist attunement by respectfully engaging the context, mood, and place of image-based material. Furthermore, this practice reveals how art serves as a primary form of intelligent, absorbed attention when focusing on clinical details. Thoughts, somatic sensations, and related histories exponentially expand awareness when observed from a perspective that consciously honors images. This presentation illustrates and demonstrates how archetypal attunement to both therapist and client imagery is essential for sound therapeutic work in virtually any clinical setting.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
    Immigration & Empathy: Building Community Through Creative Writing and Movement
    Century AB
    Saturday
    1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

    Jennie Linthorst, MA, CAPF
    Regina Klenjoski, BFA, BBA

    Now, more than ever, we need fresh tools to bring communities together in order to increase empathy and lessen the divide around the topic of immigration. Based on a successful series of community workshops funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and Mid-America Arts Alliance, this 3-hour workshop will provide participants with a community artmaking opportunity that brings immigrants and non-immigrants into a safe space where they can explore their own stories and be heard by others. Using poetry therapy techniques, workshop participants will be guided in writing a poem about the places, people, foods, and personal journeys they associate with the theme of "home." After being led in simple warm-up exercises designed for participants of all abilities, they will then be supported in creating movement sequences from the written poetry, offering a physical expression and embodiment of their memories and emotions. The workshop will culminate in a sharing and reflective discussion on the themes discussed, as well as with the theory and practice of this approach with immigrants and in other treatment contexts and settings. All are welcome.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Quick Collages for Clients of All Ages: Piecing Together Possibilities
    Catalina D
    Saturday
    1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

    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; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Raising Connected, Happy, Successful Kids Through Art
    Century CD
    Saturday
    1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

    Erica K. M. Curtis, LMFT, ATR-BC

    Learn simple and practical art therapy-based tools to help children and teens understand and express their emotions, communicate nonverbally when words aren’t working, build connections with others, confront fears and anxiety, and much more. Engage in hands-on art activities to promote creative problem solving and inspire the development of novel ideas for addressing challenging behaviors at home, school, or in therapeutic settings. Participants in this 3-hour workshop will also practice facilitating creative interventions to shift energy in children, contain escalating behaviors, and respond to traumatic stress reactions. Attention will be given to help therapists teach parents to incorporate "art therapy trade secrets" in the home. Based on the speaker's recently published, coauthored book, The Innovative Parent: Raising Connected, Happy, Successful Kids through Art, this workshop is relevant to generalists and specialists alike who are working with children and teens in virtually any setting.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Silent Disco for Mindfulness, Advocacy & Connection: A Rooftop Experiential for Facilitators and Fun
    Rooftop
    Saturday
    1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

    Julia Vishnepolsky, MA, R-DMT, LMHC, LPCC

    Founded by this workshop's leader, a registered dance/movement therapist, the Wave Movement is a guided community dance experience held outdoors to inspire connection between self, community, and the natural world. It’s playful, fun, and freeing, but also deeply introspective. As music and directives stream into headsets, participants are taken on a movement journey that catalyzes individual and collective transformation by guiding them into deeper states of presence, expression, and mindfulness. The result is a greater sense of freedom, belonging, and purpose for the participant. The Silent Disco headset allows participants to have a choice between deep experiences in solitude and a sense of belonging through community. The Wave is more than just a dance experience, it also is used as a “fun-raising” and advocacy platform that promotes social responsibility by raising awareness—and funds—for charities. In this 3-hour outdoor session, participants will join in a Wave Movement experience on the roof of the Hilton; learn basic dance/movement therapy fundamentals; and learn how to use this structure with their own community for advocacy. Those who are interested will be able to learn how to start up their own Waves, and will gain the prerequisite hours for training to be a facilitator. For more information, visit www.thewavemovement.com.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Tales from Inside: Drama Therapy with Justice-System-Impacted Populations
    Plaza B
    Saturday
    1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

    Elizabeth Malone Alteet, MFA, RDT
    Kamran Afary, PhD, RDT
    Marianne Shine, MA, RDT
    Lynn Baker, MA, RDT

    Clients who are impacted by the justice system (persons and family members who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated, going through the immigration system, involved in foster care) may not respond to traditional verbal counseling or psychotherapy approaches due to personal challenges or the vicissitudes of living within the system. In this highly experiential and collaborative workshop, therapists, educators, and artists are invited to explore drama therapy methods and tools to enhance their clinical work with individuals and groups in treatment. Combining didactic presentations on best practices and interviews with experts in the field, along with practical exercises and collaborative visioning, participants will have the opportunity to practice presence and learn to create theatre from stories by child, teen, and adult clients impacted by the justice systems.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Saturday Late Afternoon Panel

    Burning Questions: A Consultation Session with UCLArts & Healing Faculty
    Pacific B
    Saturday
    4:45 PM - 5:45 PM

    Ping Ho, MA, MPH
    Camille Ameen
    Jessica Bianchi, EdD, ATR, LMFT
    Kathy Cass, MA, BC-DMT, NCC, C-IAYT, CAHC, AYT


    Wondering how to get your foot in the door or create an opportunity? How to engage reluctant participants or resistant group members? How to manage groups that need self-regulatory skills? How to work with neurodiversity and learning differences? How to responsibly facilitate expressive arts work without a degree or credential in it? Bring your burning questions about specific situations to this consultation with a panel of UCLArts & Healing faculty. We will all learn from each other!

    Not eligible for CE credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Saturday Evening Special Celebration

    World Music at the Summit: Our Fourth Annual Celebration
    Plaza BC
    Saturday
    6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

    Ava Nahas, World Percussionist and Drummer
    John Fitzgerald, Drum Circle Facilitator

    Immerse yourself in an embodied experience of rhythms from the Middle East and North Africa, featuring the amazing Ava Nahas. Intertwined with solo moments by our featured artist, we will drum and dance along with soul-stirring rhythms in a spontaneous jam session facilitated by John Fitzgerald. Join us for a dynamic, rhythmic journey and experience the full range of expression and sensation that is unique to group drumming. The evening will begin at 6:30 pm with a buffet supper, followed by the start of drumming at 7:00. Join us for this one-of-a-kind celebratory experience at our extraordinary fourth annual LA Summit!

    $45 Fee includes "lite" buffet • Guest tickets available • $50 at the door

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
  • Sunday, 04/26/20
  •  

    Sunday Early Morning Wake Up!

    Liquid Flow: Moving Mind, Body & Spirit in Community (SUN)
    Sunday
    8:00 AM - 8:45 AM

    Aleta Hayes, MFA

    Get out of your bed and into your body! Experience the joy of fluid, juicy movement and playful dancing with freedom and ease through Liquid Flow, a combination of dance improvisation, yoga, and Tai Chi. This method is appropriate for beginners, athletes, dancers, and anyone else who wants to develop more grace and fluidity in everyday life. Be prepared for an experience that has been described at previous Summits as “surprisingly fun” and “beyond wonderful”!

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Mindful Meditation for Embodied Presence
    Pacific B
    Sunday
    8:00 AM - 8:45 AM

    Stephanie Nash, MFA

    Stephanie Nash will guide a mindfulness meditation journey through sensory experience, including restful and flow states, to bring a sense of embodied presence and ease.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Rapid Drawing Processes to Get to the Heart of Thought
    Plaza C
    Sunday
    8:00 AM - 8:45 AM

    Jon Pearson

    Begin your day by learning a simple way to tap into deeper layers of thinking that are unconscious and visual. In this Four Square process, you will choose a word that is important to you (or that you use frequently). Usually, it’s a word like “courage,” “hope,” “gratitude,” or “love.” Then you will make four rapid drawings about what the word means to you—drawing first, and thinking about it later. This quick, eye- and mind-opening process bypasses cognition to get to the "heart" of what the word means to you, intuitively. This session is for anyone who wishes to get beyond routine thinking to a deeper level: therapists, educators, clients, anyone.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Sunday Master Classes

    Arts-Based Treatment for Women with Trauma Histories & Substance Abuse Disorder
    Pacific A
    Sunday
    9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

    Deirdre Cogan, ATR-BC, LPC, ATCS, CTP
    Laryssa Creswell, EdD, MT-BC
    Kate Stanley, MMT, MT-BC
    Rebekah Messenger, MMT, MT-BC

    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, 6-hour master class, 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 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Dance/Movement Therapy: Transformation Through the Healing Art of Dance
    Plaza A
    Sunday
    9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

    A Wonderful Introduction to Dance/Movement Therapy!

    Marcia B. Leventhal, PhD, CMA, BC-DMT

    Dance/movement therapy is a powerful discipline for eliciting profound change in a variety of clinical populations and settings. In this 6-hour master class, elements that create the core dance aesthetic will be explored, allowing participants to discover the evolution of these components into catalysts for personal growth and development in treatment. How these core elements become the foundation and basis for nonverbal communication will also be demonstrated, and a model of dance/movement therapy will emerge. Incorporating these techniques into clinical work by nonspecialists, as well as the importance of getting professional training in dance/movement therapy will be addressed. We will also explore how dance therapists use this discipline for dealing with core psychodynamic issues, along with relevant clinical outcomes, in treating issues such as mood management and separation/individuation. No previous dance/movement therapy experience is required.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    De-Escalation of Aggression and Symptom Management Through Art
    Century CD
    Sunday
    9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

    Dana Wyss, PhD, LMFT, ATR
    Pamela C. Robertson, PsyD, LMFT

    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 the helping professionals who support them. Unfortunately, many therapists, parents, and teachers have come to rely on reactive methods of behavioral management that often perpetuate aggression. This unproductive cycle can further impact attachment and the capacity for self-regulation. In this 6-hour master class, 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 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Fundamentals of Sandplay Therapy: Miniatures and Symbols in the Free & Protected Space
    Plaza D
    Sunday
    9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

    A Wonderful Introduction to Sandplay!

    Antoinette Eimers, PsyD, MFT, CST-T
    Adele Marie Luttrell, LMFT

    When we feel safe enough to play, we open the door for psychic healing. This daylong master class will introduce participants to the basic foundations of Kalffian sandplay therapy and how this form of play therapy heals. Participants will be provided with an overview of the therapeutic use of miniatures, starting with the original form of sandplay based on Jungian theory. Other play therapy and sand tray therapies based on psychodynamic theory will be presented, as well as how therapeutic miniatures have been used with and without sand. In addition to this overview, we will engage in experiential exercises using miniatures exploring symbols, as well as reviewing a case presentation that illustrates a child’s healing from trauma through play therapy and sandplay. Participants will have the opportunity to explore the ways that working with sand and symbols within a container can provide an effective form of healing, whether in a sequential treatment process, a stand-alone experience, or adjunct therapy. This powerful play therapy modality can be used with individuals and groups of all ages in a wide variety of clinical settings, including: schools, hospice facilities, crisis environments, and trauma centers.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only); STA; APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Puppet-Assisted Relationship Therapy: Group Social Skills Training from 6 to 60
    Catalina D
    Sunday
    9:00 AM - 4:30 PM

    Anne Pesacov, PhD, LCSW, LMFT
    Cathi Long

    People living with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) struggle with relational difficulties throughout their lifespan. In this 6-hour master class, participants will learn to use Puppet-Assisted Relationship Therapy as a tool for teaching social skills in groups of children, adolescents, and adults with ASD. Puppet characters, named for functional skills, bring to life techniques to navigate the social world, including topics such as turn taking, opening up concrete thinking, emotional regulation, conflict resolution, making friends, and independent living skills. This technique is useful for all counselors and therapists working in agencies, private or school settings, and may be applied to other populations where social skills are deficient.

    Eligible for 6.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Sunday Morning Workshops

    Artful Grieving: A Creative Multimodal Approach to Grief Work with Children & Teens
    Los Angeles A
    Sunday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Patricia Jauchler, MS, MA, RDT/BCT

    This 3-hour experiential workshop explores ways to engage children and teens in grief work to enhance involvement and promote healing and rebuilding after the loss of a loved one. Attention will be paid to exploring activities appropriate to developmental stages. We will discuss and demonstrate a 3-step approach featuring warmup, action, and closure that incorporates experiences with music, art, and drama;to guide children and teens through their grief and beyond. Appropriate for all mental health professionals working with young people.Please note: This workshop may evoke strong feelings. Special care will be implemented to create a safe environment within which to work.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Cultural Humility from the Inside Out: A Clinical Approach to Addressing Bias
    Newport B
    Sunday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Vivian Chavez, MPH, DrPH

    Cultural humility is a framework for use in clinical practice to develop awareness, recognize bias, and address power imbalances on interpersonal and institutional levels. This 3-hour workshop introduces verbal and nonverbal communication skills to counteract hierarchical dynamics that separate people from one another. Using techniques from Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed, participants will explore and uncover the social conditioning of oppression that lives within each of us. Applicable for any counselor or therapist working within virtually any clinical setting, this workshop challenges each of us to witness ourselves from the inside out, and thereby, enhance our daily clinical practices. We will explore cooperative forms of interaction to discover and un-stick unwanted patterns of action and thought around power and empowerment for ourselves and our clients.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Drama Therapy: Rituals & Story for Intergenerational and Sociocultural Healing
    Bel Air
    Sunday
    9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

    A Wonderful Introduction to Drama Therapy!

    Cynthia Holloway Kelvin, PhD, RDT

    This 3-hour workshop offers an experiential overview of the drama therapy process to heal intergenerational or sociocultural issues in the therapeutic setting or classroom. It will include a multimedia presentation followed by hands-on experience. Participants will learn ways to explore how intergenerational and sociocultural events impact the daily experience of their clients. They will also learn how to support clients and communal healing through structure (warmup, central activity, and closure), rituals, story, and key techniques, such as the use of distancing and witnessing. The workshop will include a performance ritual in which participants will reflect on discoveries as well as set intentions for continued social action. All mental health professionals, educators, and interested others are welcome.  

    CE Eligibility pending
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Guided Imagery in Treatment: A Dynamic Approach
    Los Angeles C
    Sunday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    David S. Gordon, PhD

    Guided imagery in healing dates back to ancient times across many cultures. These practices vary in their level of client interaction with imaginal content. This 3-hour workshop will focus on a dynamic, right-brain-oriented form of guided imagery that is useful for accessing emotionally difficult material and can be adapted to many clinical, educational, and artistic settings. We will discuss techniques for efficacy and safety, such as the critical role of the therapist in tracking a client's imaginal process, and how therapist analysis can interfere. We will explore the use of symbols combined with metaphorical language, as well as the interpretation and evaluation of imagery from different psychotherapeutic perspectives. Participants will learn the basics of how to implement guided imagery techniques in their clinical practices as a means to facilitate healing and foster behavior change with people of all ages.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Introduction to Trauma-Informed Care Through Art: A Creative Toolbox for Working with Children
    Carmel
    Sunday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Anna Reyner, MA, ATR, LMFT

    Children communicate thoughts and feelings through art long before they express them in words. Drawing and painting are powerful activities that offer children a sense of discovery and control. Their artwork can reflect cognitive and social emotional development, as well as other factors. Participants in this 3-hour workshop will be introduced to essential theory and principles of art therapy than can help them work more effectively with children who are undergoing everyday stress, as well as those who have experienced more serious trauma. Clinicians and educators will gain an understanding of the basic skills and knowledge required to provide responsible, effective art activities that encourage authentic self-expression and build trust in treatment and in the classroom. They’ll learn about the emotional and behavioral impact of “media variables” when using art materials, as well as the neurological impact of sensory experiences during art making. We’ll discuss the do’s and don’ts of interpreting children’s artwork, as well as review some of the typical graphic indicators of stress and conflict in their art. All are welcome. No previous experience with art therapy is required.

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

    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Laughter Yoga for Everyone!

    Sunday
    9:00 AM – 12:00 PM


     Ellen Klein, BSN, RN, CLYL, CLYT

    The ability to be open-minded, mentally agile, imaginative, and generative of possibilities is often the first thing to "go" when we are under the overwhelming pressures of work, family, relationships, and a myriad of other responsibilities. Come experience the transformative power of laughter yoga as it uplifts mood and energy almost instantaneously! Participants will learn warm-up exercises to prepare the body and mind to laugh voluntarily and unconditionally, learn about the therapeutic benefits of laughter, engage in laughter yoga, breathing exercises and breathwork, and hear about its application to various populations. We'll engage in gentle stretches, a cardiovascular workout at your own pace, and the heartened social connections that develop when we laugh. Generalists and specialists will discover this fun, effective way to work with clients who do not typically respond to traditional psychotherapy approaches.

    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Myth & Metaphor in Healing: Listening to Images, Writing for Soul
    Los Angeles B
    Sunday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Josie Abbenante, ATR-BC, LPAT

    Pioneer art therapist Janie Rhyne taught us to listen, to focus. She would guide us, through a process of describing, toward an understanding of the dialogue between art and Self. She knew the gift of staying with the artwork, teaching us ways to focus in the artmaking and, thus, to facilitate effective healing in therapy. In post-Jungian archetypal psychology, James Hillman and Patricia Berry describe the importance of "sticking with the image." When we listen to what presents itself, whether in our art or our lives, we make room for soul. In this 3-hour workshop, we discover metaphor through myth, art, and writing. Myth provides us with the means to leave our daily world in order to make meaning of our everyday lives. The art deepens the focus. When we trust the art and story, we arrive at the heart of the matter. As Hillman wrote, “We breathe, expand, and let go, and something comes in from elsewhere....The daimon in the heart seems quietly pleased....It’s in touch. " When working with clients, we can offer the same process, encouraging them to trust the image, listen for metaphor, and be in touch with the heart.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Repairing Broken Attachment with Clients of All Ages: Multisensory Play Therapy Strategies
    Marina
    Sunday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Ellen H Saul, MS, LP, CST-T

    Based on the "In Touch Again" approach of Agnes Bayley, multi-sensory play therapy activities that follow stages of brain development will provide play therapists and others with a framework for assessing what may be missing in the path of attachment with their clients across the life-cycle. We’ll explore specific strategies to allow/enable/empower children and adults to repair traumatic experiences or experience missing developmental pieces in the context of relationship. Play therapists and other participants will learn, through didactic and experiential presentation, how to integrate this work with clients of all ages and different clinical needs in counseling, play therapy, and other approaches. Play therapists and other participants will also be given opportunities to reflect on the experience from mindfulness and somatic perspectives. Areas covered in this 3-hour workshop will include the use of transitional objects, reawakening the senses, and containment of feelings. Clinically-oriented discussion will illuminate the relevance of these topics to play therapy practice and work with clients throughout the lifecycle.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only); STA
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Self-Regulation for At-Risk Children Through Nature-Based Play: SEEDS
    Catalina C
    Sunday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Gabriela Alejos, MSW
    Victoria Lloyd, MEd

    SEEDS is a family-based intervention program for young children facing early adversities, including trauma, loss, and prenatal exposure to substances. It leverages the five-senses, nature-based learning, and play, to grow children’s self-regulation skills and build positive parent-child relationships. In this 3-hour workshop, participants will learn how using music, art, and outdoor activities—under the guidance of supportive facilitators—can help parents and children learn how to regulate emotions and behaviors. They will practice activities that can be easily integrated into work with children and/or parents in treatment, either separately or together. Participants will come away from this workshop with a working understanding of the guiding principles of the SEEDS model, ideas for how to customize the demonstrated activities for their own purposes, and strategies for creating new activities in daily therapeutic work, in educational settings, or in the home.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Shifting the Body to Shift Perceptions
    La Jolla A
    Sunday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Stephanie Nash

    In this highly experiential, 3-hour workshop, participants will have the opportunity to explore how movement and positioning of the body can affect their thoughts and feelings. Specifically, they will discover that, by using mindful awareness techniques, they can literally “re-wire” unhelpful patterns of thinking, feeling, and moving. And as participants gain insight into conscious/unconscious judgments they make of others based on observed body language and facial expression, they will also gain insight into how simple shifts in physicality (including facial and vocal) can affect their mood, energy, thoughts, perceptions, judgments, and communications. This surprisingly playful approach promotes enhanced awareness, openness, presence, and connectedness. Counselors, therapists, and educators will be able to use the lessons learned to teach their clients how to shift unhealthy patterns in their daily lives, thus promoting progress in treatment.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Unlocking the Unconscious Through Music Using the Song Tapestry Method
    Newport C
    Sunday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Stacie Aamon Yeldell, MA, MT-BC, AVPT

    Have you always wanted to incorporate music therapy techniques into your practice, but don't feel "qualified" or just don’t know how to do so? This highly interactive, 3-hour workshop focuses on the song tapestry method, which can be incorporated into treatment by expressive arts specialists as well as counselors and psychotherapists. Applicable in virtually any clinical setting and with most clinical populations, the creation of a musical map through song can: facilitate clinical assessment; break through resistance; name, validate, and process difficult emotions; address group dynamics; and build community within therapy groups. Songs fitting themes of power, safety, return, and connection access individual and group unconscious processes, thereby enhancing clinical development. Participants will have the opportunity to experiment with crafting song tapestries in community during this workshop. All are welcome; no musical training required!

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Vibrant Transformations: Creative Embodiment & IFS
    Century AB
    Sunday
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Adrienne Glasser, RDMT, LCSW

    This 3-hour workshop offers an expressive approach to using the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model to enhance our work, as both counselors and therapists. IFS can aid us as clinicians to uncover our common parts and to free our authentic Self, so we are able to work directly with our own transference and countertransference. This workshop addresses themes such as attachment wounding and relational healing, as well as emotional regulation and co-regulation as they affect clinical practice, and we will explore tools to aid clients and therapists alike in accessing the Self in treatment to support the therapeutic relationship. Appropriate for those new to IFS, as well as those seeking a deeper dive into core IFS concepts, participants will be guided into the IFS model though forms of creative embodiment such as: meditation, art, movement, role-play, group ceremony, guide work, and music.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Sunday Lunch Buffet

    Lunch Buffet in the Cafe (Sun)
    Hilton Cafe - Lobby Level
    12:00 pm - 1:30 pm

    A Great & Convenient Lunch at a Reasonable Price    !

    Relax and recharge with your colleagues! Join them in the Hilton Cafe for a lunch buffet including a generous salad bar, choice of multiple entrees, plus a little something for dessert. Beverages on your own.

    Daily $22 ticket includes meal, tax, and gratuity, and is available at this rate only during the online registration process. 

    Attendees who do not purchase tickets online will be able to buy them onsite at the regular Hilton Cafe rate, plus tax, based on available seating. Purchase in advance, save almost $9.00, guarantee your seat.

    		  Optional 
     

    Sunday Lunch & Learn

    How to Craft an Effective Proposal: What Works and What Doesn’t
    Sunday
    12:45 PM- 1:15 PM

    Barry M. Cohen, MA, ATR-BC
    Ping Ho, MA, MPH

    Learn how to inspire others with your words, whether you want them to attend your program, accept your conference proposal, or approve your grant application in this 30-minute, interactive lecture. Conference co-chairs Barry Cohen and Ping Ho will share their expertise in crafting successful descriptions, based on many years of experience in program development and marketing. Attendees will also learn a simple format for writing effective, measurable learning objectives.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Sunday Afternoon Workshops

    Art in Mind-Body Medicine: Bringing the 7 Creative Types Alive
    La Jolla A
    Sunday
    1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

    Deanna Minich, PhD, FACN, CNS, CN, IFMCP

    Studies in mind-body medicine demonstrate that creativity can influence healing on many levels. For instance, evidence suggests that patients who engage in arts-based activities have reduced hospital stays and enjoy enhanced vitality. Additionally, these benefits can translate to virtually any clinical setting. While the scientific literature focuses primarily on structured, traditional activities such as music, visual art, movement, and expressive writing in treatment, alternate ways can provide opportunities to be creative, and even to think more creatively about being creative. In this 3-hour workshop, participants will learn about and explore the seven creative types, each type associated with a color and theme to reinforce the connection. After completing a questionnaire, participants will be able to identify their own personal strengths and creative type. A variety of activities will bring this model alive through art expression, dialogue, dyadic interaction, and role-playing. Participants’ experiences and insights will enable them to guide their clients in this process, as well as furthering their progress in treatment.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Comics as Clinical Intervention: Bibliotherapy, Artmaking, & Ethics
    Los Angeles C
    Sunday
    1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

    Erin Partridge, PhD, ATR-BC
    Devlyn McCreight, LPC, NCC
    John Pollard

    Comics, used as a clinical intervention, present unique opportunities and challenges when integrated into the therapeutic practices of generalists and specialists alike. Graphic medicine is the umbrella term for the use of these sequential art forms (ordered, illustrated storytelling) in patient care, primarily as psychoeducation, clinical bibliotherapy, or art-based interventions. This 3-hour workshop will include a review of current research on the use of published and client-created work of challenging clinical material, countering the notion that sequential art forms can only be sources for entertainment or humor. While some contemporary scholarship has focused on the use of comics with specific client groups (persons with eating disorders, older adults, survivors of trauma, etc.), we will engage in activities appropriate to virtually any clinical setting—including those with limited materials or safety restrictions. We will dive into the ethical considerations of using multidisciplinary work, applying this medium into traditional models of psychotherapy, as well as specific ethics within the discipline of art therapy. Participants will have ample opportunity for hands-on exploration of this approach from an art therapy perspective as it pertains to its ethical use in their own clinical setting.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Digital Interventions for Children & Teens: Social Emotional Learning, Creative Expression, and More
    Plaza C

    Sunday
    1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

    Martha Rand, LCSW, SSW, CGP, ACSW

    Digital Arts for Social-Emotional Skills in Middle School Classrooms & Counseling

    Today’s middle school students are constantly criticized for having their heads buried in one type of screen or another. What if there was a way to use these digital devices to help young people navigate decision-making that will also support social emotional health? In this 3-hour workshop, participants will learn techniques for using digital devices with groups and individuals in counseling to enhance emotional awareness, foster social-emotional skills, develop character, and improve behavioral health. By providing a structured, hands-on opportunity to practice with their own screens, participants will be able to learn practical, digital arts skills that they can use in their clinical work with people of all ages and abilities in a variety of settings.

    Framing Feelings: Digital Art Therapy & Video with Children

    Kendra Carlson, MAAT, ATR
    Laki Vazakas, MA

    Young patient artists at the Children’s Psychiatric Inpatient Service of Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital reframed their feelings into works of art that grace the unit’s walls. An effective way for working with behavioral health patients, who do not typically respond to traditional approaches, designed frames through which they viewed their surroundings from unique perspectives. By creatively expressing themselves through photography, video and digital art they captured moments in time that represent their emotions. Children gain mastery over their world while affirming positive connections. Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence’s Mood Meter was utilized as the basis for color exploration and as a pre-/post- efficacy assessment. This scale expands emotional literacy by assigning words and colors to moods that informed the patients’ palettes. In framing their feelings to enhance emotional development, children experience that affect states are shifting and dynamic. Through naming, exploring, and visualizing, children learn to cope with their feelings, rather than being controlled by them. 


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

    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Empowerment Through Metaphors: Writing Toward Resilience During Challenging Times
    Catalina B
    Sunday
    1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

    Tresha Faye Haefner, MA

    How do we help others feel safe, courageous, or empowered in the face of major struggles, often beyond our control? In this 3-hour workshop, participants will explore metaphors and patterns of resilience in the works of Mary Oliver, Maggie Smith, Armine Iknadossian, Chaun Ballard, Joel Francois and others, as they pertain to both personal and social struggles. Drawing on the work of Louise De Salvo in her book Writing as a Way of Healing, participants will also practice finding meaningful materials and creating metaphors for their own resilience in the face of personal and social conflict. This workshop is appropriate for educators and all counselors and therapists to use in their daily work with adolescent and adult clients in a variety of sessions.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Enhancing DBT with Poetry & Art for Individuals and Groups
    San Lorenzo E
    Sunday
    1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

    Yvette Duarte, MFT, ATR, DBT-Linehan Board Certified Clinician

    Enhancing social-emotional development is a key aspect of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT). This 3-hour workshop explores the ways in which creative interventions, specifically poetry and art therapy techniques, dovetail into an existing DBT treatment framework with individuals and groups. Open to all counselors and therapists seeking expressive methods for working with adolescent and adult clients, this 3-hour workshop features a case presentation, highlighting the use of art therapy, DBT, and poetry in group and individual treatment to illustrate theory and demonstrate efficacy of this approach. No previous experience with DBT or expressive arts required.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    In Our Mind's Eye: Exploring the Group Therapist's Role Through Visual Imagery & Movement
    Bel Air
    Sunday
    1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

    Donna Newman-Bluestein, BC-DMT, CMA, LMHC

    When working with a client in counseling or psychotherapy, where do you envision yourself metaphorically? In your mind's eye, are you beside the client? Leading from in front? Bringing up the rear? How do you see your role as a group therapist: as a guide . . . shaman . . . vessel . . . witness? Does your role shift within a session, from session to session, or not at all? In this 3-hour multidisciplinary workshop, we will engage in artmaking (drawing, collage) to help us explore and identify the roles that are most meaningful to us as clinicians. We will then extend and deepen these images through simple movement structures, thereby attuning to and consciously clarifying these images. If creating images does, indeed, allow clients to externalize their feelings, build connections between their inner and outer worlds, and provide motivation for change, would they not do the same for us as clinicians? In this workshop, counselors and psychotherapists working with populations of all ages and abilities—particularly in groups—will have the opportunity to examine their beliefs and styles, so that they can clarify and integrate the resulting insights toward being more effective in their daily clinical work as they promote progress in healing.

    CE eligibility pending
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Making Messy Art: The Power of Paint and Collage for All Ages, Abilities & Settings
    Los Angeles B
    Sunday
    1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

    Anna Reyner, MA, ATR, LMFT

    We disconnect from our left brain “logical” selves when we engage in art activities and immerse ourselves in the realm of right brain sensations, emotions, and pre-verbal memories. In facilitating this shift, sensory art activities enable clients of all ages and ability levels to gain access to unconscious content as well as enhance their emotional integration and healing. In this 3-hour workshop, we'll engage in fun, hands-on "messy" art experiences with a wide variety of fluid paint media and a multitude of sensory collage materials that are suitable for work with individuals and groups of all ages. Learn about the latest neuroscience of art and brain development and view a slide show on the how and why of sensory art experience, as well as the neuroscience behind its efficacy in mental health treatment. Have fun, learn practical skills to use in schools and clinical work, and explore an unforgettable "wild" art experience!

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    NaturePlay Therapy for Children, Teens & Families
    Catalina C
    Sunday
    1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

    Jamie Lynn Langley, LCSW, RPT-S

    This 3-hour workshop will provide play therapists and other participants with an introduction to NaturePlay Therapy, a type of play therapy that incorporates engagement with nature as an intervention for child, family, and group play therapy, as well as for clinical self-care. There is a growing body of evidence showing support for time in nature as emotionally beneficial, especially for children. However, children and families are often more out-of-touch with nature than ever before. Nature has a unique yet accessible playroom full of nature's "toys" that can provide effective healing opportunities as part of the therapeutic powers of play for therapists to utilize and draw from. Integrating nature-based therapeutic play and expressive activities (that can often be adapted for use indoors when needed) will assist children and their caretakers as well as therapists to improve resiliency, overcome adversity, enhance relationship quality, and to grow and thrive emotionally.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LCAT, LMHC (New York state only); APT**
    **Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Poetry, Writing & Weaving to Foster Strength, Resilience, and Community
    Century AB
    Sunday
    1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

    Ingrid Tegnér, MSW, M/S, CAPF

    A weaving is always stronger than any of the individual components that comprise it. In this interactive 3-hour workshop, we will weave poetry, writing, and tactile materials "together" toward an exploration of the meaning, nature, and benefits of community in relation to healing and wellness. Starting with centering and grounding activities, we will create a safe space to explore our feelings and define the kinds of communities that are most meaningful and valuable to us. Next, we will harness that energy to share our discoveries with the group. Then, by combining poetry reading, journal writing, and weaving practice, we will access inner resources to establish a sense of embodied resilience, and open ourselves to inclusivity and community-building. We will also look at how to create an action plan based on this process that can be used in our clinical practices. Everyone will be invited to share their writing, but how and what gets shared will be a personal choice. No prior writing or weaving experience necessary, and all are invited to attend.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		Fee  Optional 
    Pregnancy Loss & Grief: Healing Through Ritual & Eco-Art Therapy
    Newport B
    Sunday
    1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

    Ellen Speert, ATR-BC, REAT

    The emotional impact of pregnancy loss through miscarriage, still birth, or abortion is unusually difficult to process as it brings together the two most powerful human experiences: birth and death. In the United States, although parents come together in the joy of birth, they are typically left isolated in their grief, since friends and family feel uncomfortable and ill-equipped to address sensitive issues around loss, and few (if any) indigenous or religious resources are available to help process the pain. As therapists know, the suppression of grief can exacerbate and/or prolong mourning. Rituals around this very specific type of grief, however, can help with healing. In this 3-hour workshop, a brief overview of perinatal loss in the United States, along with information on the Buddhist ritual of Mizuko Kuyo (“the water child memorial service”), will be presented. Western iterations of these ritual practices, performed in a group, can include poetry, artmaking, and singing. Breathing in the scents of nature calls upon the eco-art therapy process. Participants will have the opportunity to explore firsthand how these activities can be incorporated into their clinical practices when working with bereaved parents individually and in groups. Intended for mental health professionals only.

    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; MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Reaching Uncommunicative, Resistant & Nonverbal Clients Through Music Therapy Strategies
    Pacific B
    Sunday
    1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

    Dan Walsh, MS, MT-BC

    Clients who are uncommunicative or nonverbal can be challenging to work with for clinicians of any discipline. Clients' outward behaviors are often a result of them feeling that they are not being heard, and can be interpreted by clinicians as resistance. Unfortunately, this failure to connect and communicate can perpetuate a cycle that impedes progress toward therapeutic goals. In this 3-hour workshop, we will introduce music therapy-based strategies to overcome these obstacles to treatment, including mutual drumming and improvisations of music familiar to the client. Participants will also learn ways to empathize with and incorporate music that they are not familiar with...or even find aversive. Concepts such as the iso-principle, attunement, and resonance will be taught as pathways for connecting with clients' presenting affects and emotional states. Participants will be given opportunities to apply these principles while facilitating group and individual experiences. Time will also be set aside for participants to discuss how goals—such as affect regulation, reality orientation, and effective self-expression—can be achieved using these strategies. This workshop is appropriate for all clinicians and educators seeking a creative means of connecting with those they serve that they perceive as the most resistant.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Reclaiming Artistic Passion & Joy After Professional Training
    Newport C
    Sunday
    1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

    Aimee Levine Dickman, OTR/L, SEP

    In the pursuit of becoming an artist, were you taught with cruelty in the name of achieving excellence? Did learning technique come at the cost of losing connection with your own creative instincts? Does the practice (or business) of therapy keep you from returning to the passion of your creative pursuits? Please join us at this 3-hour workshop, where a panel of artists who have become therapists tell their stories of rediscovering artistic joy and expression. Participants will have the opportunity to share their own stories experientially, through a Long Table Performance structure, using spoken and written word, drawing, and/or movement. Applicable to all counselors and therapists—especially expressive arts therapists—invested in enhancing your work as clinicians, supervisors, and artists. All are welcome at the table!

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Rehearse for Life: Creative Approaches to Therapeutic Alliance
    Marina
    Sunday
    1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

    Bradford Bancroft, RDT, LMFT

    Join us to learn and practice new approaches for transforming difficult clinical interactions into effective treatments. Using role-play, music, art, and movement, participants in this 3-hour workshop will have multiple opportunities to develop new clinical skills from theory, practicing in this safe, experimental environment. Together, we will explore technological and analog tools that can enhance therapeutic alliance with group members or individual clients of all ages and abilities. By literally rehearsing for our clinical life, we increase our ability to stay focused and intentional in our daily therapeutic work, thereby avoiding some of the burnout and compassion fatigue that face generalists and specialists alike. Incorporating play- and music-based mindfulness techniques to reduce client (and clinician) anxiety, these new approaches can improve the quality of our therapeutic interactions, therefore our clients' progress. Case material scenarios will be playfully re-enacted in order to, metaphorically, re-write the scripts of our clinical practice.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    Sensory Strategies: Cognitive, Affective & Physiological Benefits of Aromatherapy and the Arts
    Plaza B
    Sunday
    1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

    Gina Simonelli, MA, LMHC

    This 3-hour, multimodal workshop introduces the benefits of incorporating aromatherapy to facilitate a deeper and more embodied treatment experience with clients of all ages and varied diagnoses. Research has shown that combining aromatherapy with expressive arts approaches can heighten emotional, mental, and physiological responses when seeking to promote mindfulness, decrease stress and anxiety, improve mood, increase energy, stimulate memories, and enhance cognitive functioning through counseling, psychotherapy, and other healing contexts. Theory and research from the field of complementary medicine regarding the use of essential oils in mental health will be taught, and participants will have the opportunity to experience the integration of aromatherapy with expressive movement, art, and music approaches. Additionally, they will learn the essential tenets of how to employ aromatherapy effectively in their daily work with clients in a variety of mental health settings.

    Eligible for 3.0 Clock/Credit Hours: NBCC, ATCB; NASW, MFT; MFT; APA, CPA; SWNYS, LMHC, LCAT (New York state only)
    Not eligible for APT Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
    To Be Fully Alive: Gentle Somatic Yoga®
    Carmel
    Sunday
    1:30 PM – 4:30 PM

    Kimberly Freesh, CYT, CYTT, AHP

    Imagine life in a pain-free body, ready to say "yes" to whatever life brings. In this 3-hour self-care workshop, we will explore ways to counter the negative effects of unhealthy response patterns built up in the body over time. While these have the power to "hold us hostage" physically, mentally, and emotionally, Gentle Somatic Yoga® (GSY) can counteract them by releasing tensions, and renewing/restoring healthy movement patterns. Participants will learn about this process through lecture, demonstration, discussion, and self-exploration. They will have ample opportunity to practice GSY techniques in order to solidify their discoveries. This dynamic approach can be used in conjunction with most therapeutic models and in just about all treatment contexts. It is appropriate for work with clients of all ages and abilities, is particularly effective with cancer patients, as well as working with anyone who is experiencing motor/muscular amnesia, like desk-bound workers whose habitually poor computer posture eventually results in pain. Know anyone like that?

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
     

    Sunday Afternoon Closing Ceremony

    Closing Celebration
    Pacific A
    Sunday
    4:45 PM - 5:15 PM

    Julia Vishnepolsky, MA, LMHC, R-DMT

    Reflect and connect in an epic movement experience with Silent Disco headset technology. Celebrate the power of creative community and return home from the Summit feeling fully present and alive.

    Not eligible for CE Credits
    Faculty Bio(s):
    		 Optional 
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