Creativity and Madness Conferences

In this 1889 self-portrait, Vincent van Gogh presents himself with striking intensity

Painted during his recovery at the asylum of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy, this is one of his final self-portraits. The paint itself seems to swirl around him, alive with restless energy. Vivid blues, violets, and flashes of orange pulse with movement and emotional force.

His gaze is steady. His brushes and palette held close. Van Gogh was in the depths of personal struggle, and he was still creating.

The contrast between his gaunt appearance and the vibrancy of the canvas tells its own story: creativity can be a lifeline. A source of meaning, resilience, and self-expression, especially when life is at its most difficult.

How has creativity supported you through difficult times?

🎨 Self-Portrait (1889), Vincent van Gogh | National Gallery of Art

Triumph from Tragedy: The Power of Hope, Tenacity, and the Beauty of Resilience
Cindy E. Rutter, RN, BSN, LMFT & Jill Sproul, MS, RN | 1 CE/CME Hour

Explores the psychological, physical, and social dimensions of burn injury recovery, highlighting the profound challenges of trauma, identity reconstruction, and reintegration after life-altering injury. This session also examines the essential role of peer support, clinical care, and resilience in long-term healing for survivors and their families.

Cindy Rutter, RN, BSN, LMFT and Jill Sproul, MS, RN bring decades of lived experience as burn survivors and distinguished leaders in burn care.

Their work spans clinical practice, nursing leadership, psychotherapy, advocacy, and the development of peer support programs that have transformed burn recovery nationally.

🎨 Join us for the 2026 Creativity and Madness: Psychological Studies of Art and Artists event

July 30–August 2, 2026 • Live on Zoom

Earn 28 CE/CME Hours
ACCME | APA | ASWB | NBCC
AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ 🩺

✨ Workshops available

(3 CE/CME hours per workshop)

Choose one, two, three, or all four!

🔗 Visit our website for more details: https:
www.creativityandmadness.com
or click the link in our bio

Love in Action: The Therapeutic Power of Apology and Forgiveness
Deborah Levinson, LCSW | 1 CE/CME Hour

Explores apology and forgiveness as essential tools for relational healing and emotional growth. Drawing on decades of clinical experience, this session examines how meaningful apologies, genuine forgiveness, and effective conflict resolution can help repair relationships, strengthen connection, and support lasting change in couples and families.

Deborah Levinson, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker, author, and educator with more than forty years of experience working with individuals, couples, and families. Her work focuses on grief, relational healing, life transitions, and the transformative power of apology and forgiveness in clinical practice.

🎨 Join us for the 2026 Creativity and Madness: Psychological Studies of Art and Artists event
July 30–August 2, 2026 • Live on Zoom
Earn 28 CE/CME Hours
ACCME | APA | ASWB | NBCC
AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ 🩺

✨ Workshops available (3 CE/CME hours per workshop)
Choose one, two, three, or four workshops.

🔗 Visit the website for more details: https://www.creativityandmadness.com or click the link in our bio

In this 1865 study, Claude Monet depicts his future wife, Camille Doncieux, alongside his friend and fellow painter, Frédéric Bazille, in a sunlit outdoor scene that would later become part of his ambitious painting Déjeuner sur l'Herbe.
Created as a preparatory work, the painting captures a fleeting moment with remarkable energy and freshness. Monet applied paint quickly using short, expressive brushstrokes, allowing the landscape to emerge through light, color, and movement rather than precise detail.

Sunlight filters through the trees overhead, creating shifting patterns across the ground and illuminating the figures' clothing. Even as a study, the work reveals Monet’s growing fascination with the effects of natural light and his desire to capture the immediacy of lived experience.

What can unfinished works teach us about creativity, observation, and the artistic process?

Artwork: Bazille and Camille (Study for "Déjeuner sur l'Herbe") (1865) by Claude Monet
Source: National Gallery of Art

The Frame as Witness: Visual Storytelling as a Catalyst for Empathy
Dr. Karen Bekker & Matthew Septimus | 1 CE/CME Hour

Explores how photography can deepen empathy, amplify marginalized voices, and enhance understanding of the social and cultural factors that shape mental health. Through documentary portraits and visual storytelling, this session examines the role of photography in bearing witness to trauma, resilience, social justice, and the human experience.

Dr. Karen Bekker is a licensed psychologist, researcher, and educator whose work spans clinical psychology, trauma, disability advocacy, and the psychology of art. Matthew Septimus is an award-winning photographer whose documentary and portrait work has focused on capturing human stories, fostering social connection, and bringing visibility to underrepresented communities.

🎨 Join us for the 2026 Creativity and Madness: Psychological Studies of Art and Artists event
July 30–August 2, 2026 • Live on Zoom
Earn 28 CE/CME Hours
ACCME | APA | ASWB | NBCC
AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ 🩺

✨ Workshops available (3 CE/CME hours per workshop)
Choose one, two, three, or four workshops.

🔗 Visit the website for more details: https://www.creativityandmadness.com or click the link in our bio

In Parau na te Varua ino (Words of the Devil) (1892), Paul Gauguin combines Tahitian mythology with European artistic traditions to create a work filled with symbolism and mystery.

The standing figure evokes themes of innocence and transformation, while the masked figure is associated with an evil spirit. Rather than offering clear answers, Gauguin invites viewers to explore questions of identity, belief, and the unseen forces that shape human experience.

How does art reveal meanings that words cannot fully explain?

Artwork: Parau na te Varua ino (Words of the Devil) (1892) by Paul Gauguin
Source: National Gallery of Art

Jungian Active Imagination and the Ofrenda Ritual: Symbolic Healing in Complicated Grief
Dr. Angelina H. Rodriguez, PhD, LPC-AT/S, ATR-BC | 1 CE/CME Hour

Explores the therapeutic power of the ofrenda ritual through the lens of Jungian psychology, active imagination, and symbolic artmaking. This session examines how ritual, creativity, and archetypal imagery can support grief integration, emotional healing, and renewed connection with loved ones who have passed.

Dr. Angelina H. Rodriguez is a depth psychologist, psychotherapist, and board-certified art therapist with more than two decades of clinical experience. Her work integrates depth psychology, art therapy, dreamwork, and mindfulness, with a particular focus on grief, healing, and the transformative role of symbolic expression.

🎨 Join us for the 2026 Creativity and Madness: Psychological Studies of Art and Artists event
July 30–August 2, 2026 • Live on Zoom
Earn 28 CE/CME Hours
ACCME | APA | ASWB | NBCC
AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ 🩺

✨ Workshops available (3 CE/CME hours per workshop)
Choose one, two, three, or four workshops.

🔗 Visit the website for more details: https://www.creativityandmadness.com or click the link in our bio