CLINICAL EXPRESSIVE ARTS THERAPY INTENSIVE 2 YEAR PROGRAM 

For who?                                

We can use Arts in therapy with all populations: it is very helpful with children (even with severe disturbances), adolescents benefit from Arts in therapy as it does not necessarily require verbal involvement, and Arts in therapy make fantastic sublimation for all sorts of trauma and crises. A large group of attendees are addressed: psychologists, coaches, trainers, HR managers, special education teachers, social workers.

Targets of the Program

Participants of this program will fulfill 120 hours each year through 4 intensive workshops every three months. Studies will combine both theoretical and experiential phases. By the end of 2 years, participants will have gained 240 teaching hours of intensive qualifications in the field of Expressive Arts Therapy which includes many levels and various creative tools useful for improving human life and mission, and additional 32 hours of intensive mentoring workshops and supervision held by Slovenian Professional Team in monthly meetings in subgroups.

Graduates of the program will be encouraged to initiate Expressive Arts Therapy Centre (C.E.A.Th.C.) which will be theoretically based on the spirit & studies of this program. Each Marathon/Intensive workshop will be held from Friday from 15.00 to 20.00 and Saturday and Sunday from 09.00 to 18.00 (30 pedagogic hrs.) and also monthly meetings for practice in subgroups with facilitators and assistant of Dr. Avi Goren Bar and supervision. (48 pedagogic hrs.). This program is accredited by 9 from 21 points in Haifa University as a part of Master Expressive Arts Program.

Expressive Arts Therapy programe

All courses are based on theoretical understanding with immediate experience and lots of practical exercises which require full cooperation from participants.

Basic concepts and Creation Axis

This experiential workshop demonstrates how Arts Therapy operates. Attendants will actually experience the Artistic Therapeutic Process: The use of Plastic Materials initiate a Psychological Process which enables experiencing a “Dual Path” while working either from the Conscious into the Unconscious level, or vice versa from Unconscious into Consciousness level. We shall learn the healing power of “Aesthetic Distancing” and learn the flow chart in Arts Therapy where an issue creates a starting point towards a whole creative process which ends up with new coping insights. The Creation axis – A Diagnostic and Interventional tool in Creative Arts Therapies Based on: Goren-Bar, A. (1997) The Creation Axis in Expressive Therapies, The Arts in Psychotherapy, An International Journal, Pergamum Press, 24(5), pp. 411-419. Every Creative Process may be divided into six stages: Contact, organization, Improvisation, Main-Theme, Elaboration and Conservation. By knowing to identify these stages in Art Therapy session, the therapist can obtain diagnostic data on the client and therefore can better attune him/herself to the client’s needs. At this workshop we shall learn the Creation Axis and experience its potential.

Gestalt Arts Therapy

This workshop exposes the participants with Six Gestalt Therapy Principles applied to Arts Therapy: Holism, Awareness, Here &Now, Figure & Ground, Pragnanz and Polarities. Each of these principles is applied into Arts Therapy. The activation and revival of Art Objects, created by the client in arts therapy, promote a therapeutic process and bring about new visioning for repeated issues. This workshop is very demonstrative and applicable.

Jungian Concepts

The psychology of C.G. Jung and his followers make solid theoretical background for Arts Therapy. Attendants will learn basic Jungian concepts such as: Conscious & unconscious, Persona, Shadow, Animus & Anima, Hero and many other Archetypes and Symbols. We shall explore Greek Mythology as a dictionary for Human Psyche and all this wisdom will be applied for the analysis of Arts produced by the learners throughout the workshop. In addition we shall also explore “The Way of the Dream” in Jungian approach and it’s relevancy to Arts Therapy.

Self Psychology & Object Relations

This advanced workshop is based on the theories of H. Kohut, D. Stern and C. Bollas – three of the leading theoretician in Self Psychology. Relying on D. Winnicott and M. Klein, these contemporary theories enable us understand how human beings develop emotions, dependency, friendships, hostility and many other human relationships and feelings. In Clinical Expressive Arts Therapy, the creating of an “Artistic Product” is done in a “Triple Psychodynamic Space”: (1) The Client- artist, (2) The Participant Observer – Therapist and (3) the Artistic Product. Expressive Arts therapy is mostly a pre-verbal experience which regresses the client into non-verbal memories in early childhood. Therefore Clinical Expressive Arts Therapy, in Self Psychological terms, creates a domain for the reconstruction of the Self. This experiential workshop deepens our understandings of the psychodynamic process held in Expressive Arts Therapy in terms of Object relations and Self cohesiveness.

Family Art Therapy

Is a simulation where all family’s drawbacks and advantages emerge while creating Arts. The process of decision making, obeying to authority, parents vs. children, rhythm, collaboration, opposing vs. coalition, envy, destruction, compliment and punishments – and many other “family issues”- can be elaborated when the family is invested in an artistic process. The seminar will teach Family Therapy theories applied to Family Arts Therapy. Parallel issues in Couple Therapy will be discussed as well.

Group Creative Arts therapy

How do Group Therapy concepts and group processes displayed in a Group Arts Therapy. How do we lead a Group Arts Therapy for Adolescents, Widows, Cancer Patients, Addicts, Delinquents, and Post Psychotic etc. What is the uniqueness of a group which uses Arts and how do we apply Arts in order to promote a group therapy process. These issues will be discussed in length, clinical examples will be presented and experiential tasks will be held and discussed.

Diagnosis through Arts

This seminar will relate to the Diagnostic Thinking throughout the process of Creating Art. There are two phases of observation in each Artistic Activity: the “HOW” and the “WHAT”. How – relates to the technique, the style, the organizational level, the Doing, the visual – motor skills etc… The “What” relates to the content level, the conflicts, drives, fantasies, the story, fiction and wishes. It is the Expressive Arts Therapist’s responsibility to comprehend both phases of the client’s work. This seminar grants the participants with the skills to understand better the artistic products of his/her clients.

Psychotherapy

Transference, Counter transference, Process and Rejection. This supervisory workshop exposes the learners with classical issues which characterize the unique process of Expressive Arts Therapy. How do we give an Artistic Feedback, how do we deal with transference during an artistic activity, what do we do with profound feelings aroused on the therapist side observing the art work of his/her client, what do we learn from the client and his /her artistic work, should we create our own art in the presence of our client etc. Members of the seminar will bring their own dilemmas and will work in couples representing clients and therapists.

Group work under supervision between the modules

You will get also assistant supervision during the programme and will be obliged for smaller group work (mini workshops held by Slovenian team) in between the modules for deeper understanding and implication of daily use of new learning’s. Dates for this part will be addressed on module.

Staff, Teachers and Tutors

Dr. Avi Goren Bar, Ph. D., embodies nearly 40 years of extensive experience in dealing with the sense for a Change. With his clinical background both as certified Clinical and Educational Psychologist and accredited Expressive Arts Therapist he brings to his consulting work tremendous amount of human resource knowledge. Avi is specializing in Jungian Coaching in Companies and Organizations applying Jungian Psychology, Gestalt Therapy and Clinical Expressive Arts Therapy. Dr. Goren-Bar is running three qualifying programs in Europe. Dr. Avi Goren Bar Ph.D. is clinical and educational psychologist, a very experienced clinical therapist, a gestalt therapist, certified and registered therapist and supervisor of the intermodal expressive therapy and master for use of »Expressive Arts Therapy« and psychodynamic therapy. He is member of the European Association for Gestalt Therapy – EAGT. His professional achievements and experience are greatly appreciated and approved and accredited by the Israeli Ministry of Health, Expressive Arts Therapy federation and also International Coaching Federation.

Team of assistants and facilitators: Andreja Anžur Černič, Jasna Knez, Julija Pelc, Tatjana Dobnikar, Leo Ivandič, Judita Ledić, Brane Krapež, Mojca Leben in Tine Papič.

Program cost, where to apply