Expressive Arts&Psychology in Action Slovenia

ded on the premise that everyone is capable of making meaningful art and that the process and/or product is always helpful to the client. Expressive art asks for low skill, high sensitivity approach. All our groups and sessions are held so that any person, regardless of their artistic talent or previous experience (not technique-oriented), can enter into the process.The clients are guided by us into their senses and their sensitivity to create art work. We observe together without judgement and critique at what has been created. There are often educational and/or instructional components to the art creating that are naturally imbedded within the session. The clients are the experts of their art and therefore they will let meaning emerge through a reflective process that assists the client in discovering their own resources. This analyses gives careful attention to what is actually there on the page, in the song or dance, and allows for the whole experience to touch the client. Images, colours, movements are not coded to any external meaning other than the client’s own experience. As Art there can be used: visual arts, painting, sculpturing, music, drama and theatre, writing, storytelling, nature, dance/movement and can usually incorporate more than one modality into a session. More than one art making modality (intermodal) brings more of the senses into play, which is used to receive more information about an image, and/or to facilitate where the images are leading the client. The therapist is knowledgeable in the language of all these art modalities and how they interrelate with each other and/or the client. In expressive arts we practice that the making and finding what arrives with reflection is a process and a healing act. Creating art with sensitive awareness is a similar process as that of creating our lives. We can use Arts in therapy with all populations: it is very helpful with children (even with severe disturbances), adolescents benefit from Arts intherapy 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 in 2 year program gain 240 hours of intensive qualifications in the field of Expressive Arts Therapy. 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 Module/ workshop will be held from Friday from 15.00 to 21.00 and Saturday, Sunday from 9.00 to 18.00 and include also monthly meetings for practice in subgroups with assistant of Dr. Avi Goren Bar in supervision. Basic concepts in Expressive Art Therapy (Creation axis – A Diagnostic and Interventional tool in Expressive Arts Therapy)
2. Using Art, Music and Movement as Expressive Arts Therapy ( The Model of Modulations between Modalities)
4. Jungian Concepts Applied to Expressive Arts Therapy
5. Self Psychology and Object Relations Applied to Expressive Arts Therapy
6. Psychotherapeutic issues in Expressive Arts Therapy : Transference, Countertransference, Process and Rejection
7. Family & Couple Expressive Arts Therapy
8. Group Processes in Expressive Arts Therapy
9. Diagnosis Through Arts
10. Supervision and monthly meetings in subgroups for practice with assistants of dr. Avi Goren Bar

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Basic concepts
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.