The planetary evolution of thought, changing perspectives and radical globalization is increasing a sense of self-awareness, self-worth and a need for authentic creative expression. People need an outlet to release stress, emotions and worries as a ‘pill’ is not the answer or the solution to optimum health.

Psychologists, Special Educators, Dancers, Therapists, Social Workers, Parents and Teachers are looking for new avenues and ways to engage and connect to their clients as verbal communication is only effective to a certain level. There is a need in finding creative solutions to tackle social, emotional, and psychological problems, which are going unaddressed and are causing major health problems all over the world.

As the demand for innovations in the field of Mental Health, Education, Healthcare and Social Sector is growing, there is an increasing amount of demand for Holistic practices and methods to aid in healing and recovery. Art Based interventions in Education, Health care, Social Sector and in Communities are becoming a requirement and need of the hour. There is a lack of skill to conduct engaging and meaningful programs where facilitators are trained and equipped to engage with people to conduct art-based interventions for various needs.

This course will explore theoretical foundations for Expressive Art Therapy as a container for transformation, healing, education and self-development. Students will begin their journeys by gaining deep insight and knowledge into self-awareness using bio energetics and somatic work as a foundation. They will explore different modalities of therapeutic and creative expression and learn how Sound/ Music, Play therapy, Clay, Art, Sound and Drama can be used therapeutically in educational and rehabilitation settings for children and adults.

Expressive Art Therapy (EAT) uses different creative arts such as dance, music, visual art, toys/ puppets, music/sound, poetry, clay, nature and various other expressive tools to help a person express or give birth to deep messages arising from the subconscious or the inner voice. It connects to the truest and most honest emotions, which are not given a chance to be heard through purely verbal cognitive analysis and expression as that arises from a controlled perspective on the surface of a human.

The First Module is primarily designed for self-healing and therapy using the arts as a safe container. It is also suitable for anyone looking to explore the magic of the work. In the Second Module, they will gain the experience of conducting and facilitating a session as well as gaining an understanding in core values and ethics of incorporating the arts based interventions as a facilitator. There will be more emphasis in the Second Module on the applications of the work and skills to hold group sessions. They will also receive facilitation practice, paper assignments and will be given pertinent reading materials to back their learning and practice. Post the certification course, students are mandated to conduct 2 workshops which will be supervised by Praanah. This helps them confidently curate and hold sessions for populations of their choice.

If you are a Social worker, Psychologist, Dancer, Artist, Therapist, Special Educator, Teacher or just someone who is curious about how to integrate the Arts for healing and therapy, look no further!