What Is Expressive Arts Therapy? A Complete Beginner's Guide | East-West Center

Conversations on Healing

with Dr. Magdalene Jeyarathnam

"A space to explore creativity, relationships, emotional wellbeing and the courage to become more fully ourselves."

Conversation #1

What Is Expressive Arts Therapy?

Discovering healing through creativity, imagination and human connection.

Estimated Reading Time: 8–10 minutes

Have You Ever Found Yourself Searching for Words That Wouldn't Come?

Sometimes our deepest emotions cannot easily be expressed through conversation alone. Expressive Arts Therapy offers another pathway into healing through creativity, imagination and reflection.

What Is Expressive Arts Therapy?

Expressive Arts Therapy is a psychotherapy approach that integrates art, music, movement, drama, storytelling, poetry and other creative processes to help people explore emotions, relationships and life experiences. You do not need artistic talent; the emphasis is on expression rather than performance.

Who Can Benefit?

It can support people experiencing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, relationship challenges and life transitions, as well as anyone seeking greater self-awareness and personal growth.

From the Practice of Dr. Magdalene Jeyarathnam

Many people begin by saying, 'I'm not creative.' Yet a simple drawing, story or movement often opens conversations that words alone could never reach. Creativity is a human capacity, not a talent reserved for a few.

A Question to Carry With You

If you could express your feelings today without using words, what colour, image, movement or story would represent them?

More information about the first Expressive arts therapy diploma in India: https://www.centerforcounselling.org/portfolio/diploma-in-expressive-arts-therapy/

Christmas special workshop - Expressive Arts Therapy, December 2020

East West Center For Counselling and Training conducted  a 2 day introductory online workshop on Expressive Arts Therapy, an exclusive Christmas gift for all those who are interested to know of art and its therapeutic effect on them. There was a total of 7 participants who attended this 2 day workshop on Expressive Arts Therapy. 

A chance to help your self uncover parts of “You” through Expressive Arts therapy this Christmas

Website: https://centerforcounselling.org/portfolio/christmas-special-is-here/

SERIES II - Integrating Visual Arts for healing in Counselling Children, October & November 2020

 Integrating Visual Arts for Healing in Counselling

East West Center for Counselling and Training  conducted Series II- Integrating Visual Arts for Healing in Counselling

“A trauma informed approach using arts in counselling with children”

This is a 4 weekend course which was conducted in the month of October and November 2020. The course introduced skills and techniques of using visual art for healing in a trauma informed approach in counselling children. The training paves way to an experiential learning which increased practitioners tool kit for working with children. 

Visual Art and collages give way to understand and expression of the extent of emotions and feelings experienced by the individual or the creator near to perfection than in verbal expressions. Individuals having trouble verbalizing what they are feeling, can mirror their emotions through spontaneous collage. For individuals who are more visually oriented to see and perceive better. Children whose linguistic skill are still developing can use collage to express themselves better. Art is easy, quick, safe and less intimidating to the client who are new or who feel resistant toward Therapy, It does not need specific skill sets, yet tends to be very insightful. It gives the creator a sense of contentment in the end of creating something of themselves which is psychically concrete to feel and see. Facilitates catharsis and self-exploration. 

Facilitators:

Ms. Roshni Bhatia, Artist and Art Therapist (Bangalore, India)

Magdalene Jeyarathnam(Course Director) –  Expressive Arts Therapist and Certified Psychodramatist

Website: https://centerforcounselling.org/portfolio/integrating-visual-arts-for-healing-in-counselling/

Exploring relationships and emotions through arts - June 27th, 2020 | Pride month

East West Center for Counselling and Training, along with Orinam organized a session for the LGBTQI+ community. The topic was on "Exploring relationships and emotions through arts" and it was for 2 hours on 27th June, 2020. It was a part of the Tamil Nadu Rainbow Coalition Pride events 2020. The session had around 15 participants and went really well as all of them got a chance to express their feelings. We wish the community a Happy Pride!

We have ongoing online group therapy sessions for the LGBTQI+ community every Saturday from 11 AM to 1 PM. Contact us to register.

Discovering You | Instagam live - June 22nd, 2020

Director of East West Center for Counselling and Training, and Indian Institute of Psychodrama, Ms. Magdalene Jeyarathnam did a live session on Instagram with Idk_series on 22nd June, 2020. Idk_series is the Instagram handle of I Don't Know Series, a TV show, that telecasts in-depth conversations and this was their 50th episode. The topic was "Discovering You" and the discussion was on mental health, arts, using arts for healing and the different courses offered. The questions asked by the viewers were also addressed. Please find the YouTube link of the session: https://youtu.be/B0IsdYOU4FI

Follow us:
Website: https://centerforcounselling.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExpressiveArtsTherapyDiploma/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastwestcenter.for.counselling/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/indian-institute-of-psychodrama-4b0752197/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/east-west-center-for-counselling-training-6b686ab3/

Online Arts Therapy session - June 22nd, 2020

Every Monday we have a group of individuals from various parts of the world participate in our virtual Group therapy, discovering aspects of themselves and safe spaces in this current situation of vulnerability caused by COVID-19. The sessions have been happening from the first week of April 2020 and has been continuing. It happens for 2 hours from 11 AM to 1 PM Indian Standard Time.
Here is one such session conducted by one of our very own student Ms. Lata Sundaram. She is a student of our Joint PG Diploma Course in Psychodrama with TISS and of our certificate course on Expressive Arts Therapy. This video is an excerpt from the session recorded and posted after the approval of the participants.

Contact us to join in our next sessions. Find the YouTube link to the video of the session: https://youtu.be/p43hsk0wrwA
Follow us:
Website: https://centerforcounselling.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExpressiveAr...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastwestcen...
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/east-west...

Love in the time of Corona - An Expressive Arts Online Workshop

Love in the Time of Corona Workshop 

Facilitated by Magdalene Jeyarathnam (India) and Marcia Honig (Israel / Brazil).

At These days, of isolation and imperative distance between individuals, families and social groups, we face a lack of contact and closeness, support and even love. The purpose of the workshop was to enable IAGP members to express their feelings and connect to each other, at those hard moments around the world, due the Covid19. It was a 2 hours session that happened on 4 sundays in April and May. Each of the sessions saw participants from different parts of the world. 

Website: https://centerforcounselling.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExpressiveArtsTherapyDiploma/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastwestcenter.for.counselling/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/east-west-center-for-counselling-training-6b686ab3/

Expressive Arts Therapy certificate course this summer (Online) - May, 2020

East West Center for Counselling and Training organized a 10 day Online certificate course on Expressive Arts Therapy from may 1st to 10th. The sessions were for 3 hours each day. We had 16 participants from 12 different cities across the world. 

The Online certificate course was facilitated by:

Ms. Magdalene Jeyarathnam, Expressive Arts therapist and is a board certified Psychodramatist

Dr. Herb Propper, PhD, TEP, Trainer, educator, and practitioner of Psychodrama

Dr Eric Miller, PhD, MSc, Director of World Storytelling Institute 

Ms. Katia Verreault, Dance Movement Therapist

Ms. Johannah  Preethika E, Counsellor and Internship coordinator

Ms. Shruthi S, Counsellor and Counselling Supervisor

It's been 3 months since the lockdown due to COVID 19 started and we have been experimenting in conducting workshops and certificate courses online since then and it turned out to be very effective. These were some of the amazing feedbacks we received from our students of the May month online certificate courses on Expressive Arts Therapy. 

LOCK-DOWN SPECIAL ONLINE CERTIFICATE COURSE ON EXPRESSIVE ARTS THERAPY - APRIL 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic that led to the lockdown all around the world has put us all in a pause mode. People all over the world have been staying in their houses to help prevent the spread of the disease. 

We, at East West Center for Counselling and Training, planned and arranged for a LOCKDOWN SPECIAL WORKSHOP on Introduction to Expressive Arts Therapy for students and professionals who can make use of this time to learn a new therapy and gain knowledge.

 The workshop had participants from 11 different cities across the world! 

As this was our first venture on conducting workshop online on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had many questions on how do we do an experiential course online? How can Expressive Arts Therapy be done on a virtual platform? Psychodrama, being a group action method, can it be done online with the Director and the group on screen? We found it to be really effective and helped in connecting with one another. These are some of the feedbacks we received from our participants. 

Website: https://centerforcounselling.org/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExpressiveArtsTherapyDiploma/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastwestcenter.for.counselling/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/east-west-center-for-counselling-training-6b686ab3/

Expressive Arts Therapy Promotional workshop at Women's Christain College, Chennai

Various activities were conducted  in the session using Expressive Arts Therapy. Active participation from the Psychology students of Women's Christian College made the workshop more interesting.

Expressive Arts Therapy Workshop, Week 2 - 16/11/2019

In the workshop, different modalities of Expressive Arts Therapy were used namely Storytelling, Drama therapy and Music therapy. The participants had a happy learning experience in the session.

TTK Hospital workshop on 15th November 2019

In the TTK workshop the participates had experiential learning on Expressive Arts Therapy