NEW THERAPEUTIC WORKSHOPS & GROUPS

“We have two minds. One thinks, the other knows. The mind that knows goes back many lifetimes. This is the mind of the one heart, of all things: the trees, the plants, the clouds, the rivers, the mountains. The more time you spend with this mind, the more you will see Spirit around you.”

~Forrest Hayes~

I am very excited to announce that Heather Good MSW, RSW and I are collaborating on bringing workshops and small therapeutic groups that bring together Earth-Based Wisdom/Shamanic practices, integrated with Internal Family Systems and Expressive Arts.

A bit about Heather:
Heather is a Registered Social Worker, Registered Yoga Therapist with the international Association of Yoga Therapists,  an Applied Shamanic Practitioner and Depth Hypnosis Practitioner.

To learn more about Heather's beautiful approach to her therapeutic work
- click here:

Release Stress | Mental Health Expert | Hypnosis | Yoga Therapy | Heather Good, MSW RSW — Heather Good

In our workshop series below,  we will be supporting participants to: 

👉Engage in breathing practices for grounding and regulating the nervous system 

👉Learn tools to connect to inner resources 

👉Develop relationship with parts through creative engagement 

👉Work with an issue that’s important or causing difficulty using IFS and Depth Hypnosis 

👉Connect with a like-minded group/ community of support 

2 SPACES LEFT! 

Stewards of Soul:
Cultivating Sustainable Practices
Use the 12 hours towards professional development, continuing education, and/or professional ethics for caring for ourselves as helpers.

Dates:  June 6 - 8, 2025
Time: Friday 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m, Saturday 10:00 - 5:00, Sunday 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Location: 57 Bearspaw Summit Place
Cost: $750 on or before March 1, 2025 & $800 after

Description:

Being in service of the human heart is a courageous act.  Though understated in mainstream world, there are hidden costs to the provider of care.  Where do we go to be witnessed and heard, to replenish what is offered?  A place that honours the "sacred" in this act of service?  How do we maintain stewardship of our own soul with integrity?  This weekend retreat is designed for those who are called and/or long to practice from a deeper, more soulful place. 

It is with almost 40 years of service, that I bring these offerings to those in service of others; for those starting out and those in the work for many years.  Regardless of how long we have been in practice, our soul needs honouring, space to breathe, and time to play. 

Our guides will be poems, nature, inner knowing/muses and artful invitations blending expressive arts with Internal Family Systems (IFS).  We will have space to witness one another, and cultivate small practices that guide and support our stewardship of soul tending for ourselves as helpers. 

**Please note, this 12 hour workshop could be used towards art therapy, expressive arts, and/or social work professional development hours.

**Lunch is provided on Saturday.  Accommodations separate.  

Three Day Training in Body-Focused Expressive Arts Therapy for Traumatized Children and Adolescents

Carmen Richardson MSW, RCSW, RCAT, REAT

Overview: This three day training will provide participants with a comprehensive framework for treating traumatized children & teens. This four- phase, resource-oriented model is grounded in attachment theory, the psychophysiology of trauma, CBT, and expressive arts therapy. It is based on Carmen’s book, “Expressive Arts Therapy for Traumatized Children and Adolescents: A Four-Phase Model”.

Training Objectives: To provide a practical, structured framework that guides assessment & treatment processes. To learn structured, arts-based, sensory interventions to effectively treat key trauma reactions and promote self-regulation. To increase clinical skills such as working with a resource-oriented lens, tracking client sensory processes, & working with the body, art & relationship.

Training Dates: July 14 - 16, 2025
Time: 9:00 - 5:00
Cost: $750 on or before June 1, 2025  & $800 after
Location: 57 Bearspaw Summit Place 
Payment Methods: e-transfer to carmenr@telusplanet.net

About the four-phase model: “Although rich with creative activities, the author quickly establishes that these are not to be approached as a ‘recipe’ of activities to pick and choose from, but as strategically placed activities to support the larger picture of helping children develop the resilience needed to experience posttraumatic growth.  The structured framework helps to ensure a process that is safe, but it also provides the flexibility necessary for following the child’s creative processing and use of varied activities at a pace that is safe and tolerable.”

William Steele, PsyD, MSW
Founder, The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children

ADVANCED* TRAINING IN
EXPRESSIVE ARTS AND TRAUMA THERAPY

CHARTING A COURSE:

NAVIGATING AND ACHIEVING SAFE TRAUMA PROCESSING
THROUGH THE EXPRESSIVE ARTS THERAPIES

**This advanced training is for practitioners who have attended the 3 Day Body-Focused Expressive Arts Therapy for Traumatized Children and Adolescents.

In this 2-day experiential and didactic training, participants will be presented with:

• Clinical case studies 
• Current theory related to trauma work, including Polyvagal Theory for trauma therapy
• The opportunity to develop clinical skills essential to trauma-informed practice
• A brief overview of Carmen’s Stage Model of Trauma Processing (as outlined in her book)
• Specific Expressive Arts Therapy interventions designed to support trauma processing with a focus on Phase Three of the model
• An exploration into the “Therapist’s world view” as it is related to trauma processing
• A deeper look at developing effective stewardship skills to mitigate against a therapists experience of being exposed to secondary trauma.
• The experiential learning component will provide an invitation and opportunity to work with personal experiences to illuminate trauma-informed processes and support clinical skill development in the application of the Expressive Arts Therapies.

Training Dates:  July 17 & 18, 2025
Times: 9:00 - 5:00
Cost: $500 on or before June 1, 2025 and $540 after 
Location: 57 Bearspaw Summit Place 

Take all 5 days for $1200
(Early Bird Only on or before June 1, 2025
$1340 after for all 5 days)

 

The Experience of Self-Compassion

through Expressive Parts:  

Blending Internal Family Systems (IFS) with Expressive Arts (EXA)

Offered In-Person or On-Line

Dates: February 23 & 24, 2024 (In-Person) OR March 15 & 16, 2024 (On-Line)
Time: 10:00 - 5:00
Location: 57 Bearspaw Summit Place
Cost: $500 on or before February 1, 2024 ($540 after)
Facilitator: Carmen Richardson MSW, RSW, RCAT, REAT

Description: This 2 day workshop brings together two beautiful ways of working.  IFS is a mindful, self-compassionate way of understanding ourselves as humans.  Expressive arts allows us to deepen our way of being and expressing ourselves in the world.  IFS & EXA, when blended, provides a truly powerful somatic approach to personal and professional growth.  This experiential workshop will introduce participants to a blended version of these two ways of working with ourselves through the use of music, mindfulness, movement, creative writing, and art.

Three Day Training in Body-Focused Expressive Arts Therapy for Traumatized Children and Adolescents

Carmen Richardson MSW, RSW, RCAT, REAT
 

Overview: This three day training will provide participants with a comprehensive framework for treating traumatized children & teens. This four- phase, resource-oriented model is grounded in attachment theory, the psychophysiology of trauma, CBT, and expressive arts therapy. It is based on Carmen’s book, “Expressive Arts Therapy for Traumatized Children and Adolescents: A Four-Phase Model”.

Training Objectives: To provide a practical, structured framework that guides assessment & treatment processes. To learn structured, arts-based, sensory interventions to effectively treat key trauma reactions and promote self-regulation. To increase clinical skills such as working with a resource-oriented lens, tracking client sensory processes, & working with the body, art & relationship.

Training Dates: July 15 - 17, 2024
Time: 9:00 - 5:00
Cost: $750 on or before June 1, 2024  & $800 after
Location: 57 Bearspaw Summit Place 
Payment Methods: e-transfer to carmenr@telusplanet.net

About the four-phase model: “Although rich with creative activities, the author quickly establishes that these are not to be approached as a ‘recipe’ of activities to pick and choose from, but as strategically placed activities to support the larger picture of helping children develop the resilience needed to experience posttraumatic growth.  The structured framework helps to ensure a process that is safe, but it also provides the flexibility necessary for following the child’s creative processing and use of varied activities at a pace that is safe and tolerable.”

William Steele, PsyD, MSW
Founder, The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children

 

ADVANCED* TRAINING IN
EXPRESSIVE ARTS AND TRAUMA THERAPY

CHARTING A COURSE:

NAVIGATING AND ACHIEVING SAFE TRAUMA PROCESSING
THROUGH THE EXPRESSIVE ARTS THERAPIES

**This advanced training is for practitioners who have attended the 3 Day Body-Focused Expressive Arts Therapy for Traumatized Children and Adolescents.

In this 2-day experiential and didactic training, participants will be presented with:

• Clinical case studies 
• Current theory related to trauma work, including Polyvagal Theory for trauma therapy
• The opportunity to develop clinical skills essential to trauma-informed practice
• A brief overview of Carmen’s Stage Model of Trauma Processing (as outlined in her book)
• Specific Expressive Arts Therapy interventions designed to support trauma processing with a focus on Phase Three of the model
• An exploration into the “Therapist’s world view” as it is related to trauma processing
• A deeper look at developing effective stewardship skills to mitigate against a therapists experience of being exposed to secondary trauma.
• The experiential learning component will provide an invitation and opportunity to work with personal experiences to illuminate trauma-informed processes and support clinical skill development in the application of the Expressive Arts Therapies.

Training Dates:  July 18 & 19, 2024
Times: 9:00 - 5:00
Cost: $500 on or before June 1, 2024 and $540 after 
Location: 57 Bearspaw Summit Place 

Take all 5 days for $1100
(Early Bird Only on or before June 1, 2023)

For further information or to Register, please contact Carmen at carmenr@telusplanet.net

Heart-Centered Practices with Children & Adolescents:

Blending Internal Family Systems with Expressive Arts Therapy

Dates: April 19 & 20, 2024 
Time: 10:00 - 5:00
Location: On-Line Zoom
Cost: $600 on or before March 15, 2024 ($640 after)
Facilitator: Carmen Richardson MSW, RSW, RCAT, REAT

Description:

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a highly compassionate, non-pathologizing treatment modality that when blended with the embodiment practices of expressive arts therapy (EXAT) becomes an effective and empowering way of working with children and adolescents.  This blended therapeutic approach provides clinicians with a truly heart-centered way of being with children and families who have experienced a range of life stresses and traumas.  IFS & EXAT together create opportunities for meaningful repair of attachment injuries within the internal worlds of the child and caregiver and within the external family system.  

In this two day workshop we will explore key IFS concepts and processes, providing an introduction to the theoretical foundation of this modality.  Participants will also have the opportunity to practice therapeutic interventions such as unblending, witnessing, and identifying and mapping parts through the use of dramatic enactment, visual art, and creative writing.  Creatively exploring our own parts that naturally show up in the therapy space is an effective way to develop therapeutic skills that can be integrated into your child/youth practice immediately.

We will further consider the experience of Self Energy, which, in IFS language, is our inherent healing resource that brings creativity, courage, compassion, calm and curiosity to ourselves and others.  We will learn what Self Energy means within the therapy process, but also how we invite children/youth to experience and bring this healing energy to their most banished parts, truly creating an environment that is experienced as safe and welcoming to all parts of themselves.

           

Studio Self Practice:

Integrating Expressive Arts and Internal Family Systems

Dates: March 29, April 26, May 24, June 21, 2024 
Time: 10:00 - 5:00
Location: 57 Bearspaw Summit Place
Cost: $1000 on or before March 11, 2024 ($1200 after)
Facilitator: Carmen Richardson MSW, RSW, RCAT, REAT

Description:

This is a 4 day experiential Studio Practice of exploring Self & parts through the arts.  An invitation to take intentional time to deepen into relationship with your own parts and explore the essence of the 8 C's of Self, through guided experiential art invitations.  We will utilize poetry, collage, labyrinth musings, and other expressive arts modalities to support both embodied learning and healing.  Each Friday will be a unique immersive creative experience into our inner world, done in connection & collaboration with others.  

This Studio Practice is for those who are already on their own personal healing journey and have some knowledge of utilizing IFS as a personal therapeutic modality.  It is also ideal for therapists who want a more somatic, embodied way of learning more about these two modalities.  

Art experience is not required.  Some knowledge of IFS processes is required.  IFS resources will be provided to those who desire additional information.  This is a closed 4 day, small group process one Friday per month from March - June.  Please ensure you are able to attend all four days.  

             

HeART to HeART:

One Day Expressive Arts Retreat

Date: June 1, 2024 
Time: 10:00 - 4:00
Location: 57 Bearspaw Summit Place
Cost: $250 on or before May 1, 2024 ($300 after)
Facilitator: Carmen Richardson MSW, RSW, RCAT, REAT

Description:

This is an invitation to either reconnect with your love for the arts or be introduced to expressive arts processes.  An opportunity to return to the home within yourself, to create space for inner listening, to take time and reconnect with your own heart.  We have the privilege to be in-person where we will create brave space and container to both witness and share with one another, deepening our experience with self and the arts.  May we leave this day feeling renewed and refreshed.  

Expressive Arts/Art Therapy Consultation Groups 

January - June 2024

-2 hour conultaiton groups

-Cost is $65/hour ($130 per 2 hour session - $780 for all 6 sessions)

-This is not a drop in group, participants commit to attending at least 5 of the 6 sessions

In-Person Consultation

    Saturdays 9:30 - 11:30 (MT)

    Location: 57 Bearspaw Summit Place

    January 13, February 10, March 9, April 13, May 11, June 8

On-Line Consultation

    Saturdays 12:00 - 2:00 (MT)

    January 13, February 10, March 9, April 13, May 11, June 8

The goals of providing these groups for practitioners and therapists are as follows:

    -to create a safe/brave place to bring practice questions;

    -explore questions through the use of the arts and clinical consultation;

    -create meaningful connections with colleagues

If you are needing these hours for social work, art therapy or expressive arts registration, please advise in advance.

These consultation groups are arts based, with some experiential elements, and are guided and informed by Polyvagal Theory and Internal Family Systems work.

IFS Consultation Groups

If you already have a small group of practitioners and would liek to create an IFS consult group and are looking for someone to lead the consultaiton group, do let me know.  

To register or for further information, please contact Carmen at carmenr@telusplanet.net

 WORLD ART THERAPY CONFERENCE

45% OFF TILL JANUARY 20TH

$249.99 CA (Regular price after $450 CA)

https://www.artstherapies.org/sales-world-art-therapy-conference

Watch 36 presentations brought to the comfort of your house by experienced art therapists from around the world with sound contributions to the domain.

Save the dates for each section of this conference:

1. Creative Approaches for Trauma, February 4-5, 2023

2. Art therapy for Well-Being, February 11-12, 2023

3. Public Practice Art Therapy, February 18-19, 2023

Getting together art therapists and expressive arts therapists worldwide 

This project is born from the organizers' dream to discover what art therapists do in their parts of the globe. During the pandemic, we realized how much we were working in clusters without a solid connection to theory and practice in other countries. This conference, the first in a series, is a soul project and wants to allow sound and innovative ideas in art therapy worldwide to be heard by as many art therapists as possible.

The conference has three sections that will treat different aspects of art therapy. The presentations will focus on benefits, approaches, methods, and interventions in trauma work, restoring well-being, and promoting social justice and inclusiveness in community work. We strive to keep this conference accessible to everyone having internet access. Therefore, this will be a free event during the conference dates (and paid for those who want to have the videos available for one year and to watch them at their own pace). We are glad to partner for this free event with Concordia University Art Hives and engAGE Living Lab, Montreal, Canada.

I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.

Brené Brown

Expressive Arts/Art Therapy Consultation Groups September - December 2022

• 2 hour consultation groups
• Cost is $65/hour ($130 per 2 hour session)
• Must prepay at least one week in advance to attend sessions.  

 

Expressive Arts/Arts Therapists, Social Workers, Psychologists, Counsellors

In-Person, Saturdays 9:30 - 11:30 (MT)

• September 17
• October 15
• November 5
• December 3

On-Line, Saturdays 12:00 - 2:00 (MT)  Expressive Arts Practitioners, Educators, Consultants

• September 17
• October 15
• November 5
• December 3

 

The goals of providing these groups for practitioners and therapists are as follows:

• to create a safe/brave place to bring practice questions; 
• explore questions through the use of the arts and clinical consultation;
• create meaningful connections with colleagues. 

If you are needing these hours for social work, art therapy or expressive arts registration, let me know in advance.  

It is preferable for groups to be closed, meaning that we have a small number of people coming who are committed to the 4 sessions vs. it being a drop in group.  

These consultation groups are arts based, with some experiential elements, and are guided and informed by Polyvagal Theory and Internal Family Systems work.  

Alternately, if you already have a small group of practitioners and would like to create a monthly consult group and are looking for someone to lead the consultation group, do let me know. 


For questions or to register, contact Carmen at carmenr@telusplanet.net

Human Connections are deeply nurtured in the field of shared story.

Jean Houston

 

 

There is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it--
if only we are brave enough to be it.
Amanda Gorman

PRAIRIE INSTITUTE OF EXPRESSIVE ARTS THERAPY

MARCH 2022
New Dates and New Trainings!!

Three Day Training in Body-Focused Expressive Arts Therapy for Traumatized Children and Adolescents

with

Carmen Richardson MSW, RSW, RCAT, REAT 

 

Overview: This three day training will provide participants with a comprehensive framework for treating traumatized children & teens. This four- phase, resource-oriented model is grounded in attachment theory, the psychophysiology of trauma, CBT, and expressive arts therapy. It is based on Carmen’s book, “Expressive Arts Therapy for Traumatized Children and Adolescents: A Four-Phase Model”.

Training Objectives: To provide a practical, structured framework that guides assessment & treatment processes. To learn structured, arts-based, sensory interventions to effectively treat key trauma reactions and promote self-regulation. To increase clinical skills such as working with a resource-oriented lens, tracking client sensory processes, & working with the body, art & relationship.

When: May 26 - 28, 2022

Where: 57 Bearspaw Summit Place 

Cost: $600 on or before May 1, 2022  & $640 after

Payment Methods: e-transfer to carmenr@telusplanet.net

About the four-phase model: “Although rich with creative activities, the author quickly establishes that these are not to be approached as a ‘recipe’ of activities to pick and choose from, but as strategically placed activities to support the larger picture of helping children develop the resilience needed to experience posttraumatic growth.  The structured framework helps to ensure a process that is safe, but it also provides the flexibility necessary for following the child’s creative processing and use of varied activities at a pace that is safe and tolerable.”

William Steele, PsyD, MSW

Founder, The National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children

For further information or to Register, please contact Carmen at carmenr@telusplanet.net
 

"Please, hold out your hand"
Julie Fehrenbacher

 The Experience of Self-Compassion through Expressive Parts:
Blending Internal Family Systems (IFS) with Expressive Arts (EXA)

Dates: June 24 & 25, 2022
Time: 10:00 - 4:00
Location: 57 Bearspaw Summit Place
Cost: $400 on or before May 24, 2022 ($440 after)
Facilitator: Carmen Richardson MSW, RSW, RCAT, REAT

Description: This 2 day workshop brings together two beautiful ways of working.  IFS is a mindful, self-compassionate way of understanding ourselves as humans.  Expressive arts allows us to deepen our way of being and expressing ourselves in the world.  IFS & EXA, when blended, provides a truly powerful somatic approach to personal and professional growth.  This experiential workshop will introduce participants to a blended version of these two ways of working with ourselves through the use of music, mindfulness, movement, creative writing, voice, and art.

It is indeed a radical act of love just to sit down and be quiet for a time by yourself.
Jon Kabat-Zinn

PAUSE

Date: July 9, 2022
Time: 10:00 - 4:00
Location: 57 Bearspaw Summit Place 
Cost: $200 (on or before June 15, 2022, $235 after)
Facilitator: Carmen Richardson MSW, RSW, RCAT, REAT

Description: This workshop is a great introduction to the work of expressive arts AND for those who are already familiar with the expressive arts process.  PAUSE is an invitation to return to the home within yourself, to take stalk, to create space for inner listening...an experience facilitated with the healing arts.  Carmen uses an Internal Family Systems framework guided by simple intermodal expressive art invitations.  In a small group format, we will create a brave space and container to reconnect with ourselves and our inner journey in the company of others.  May we leave this day feeling renewed and refreshed. 

Expressive Arts Training Summer Immersion

August 17 - 21, 2022
Located in Bearspaw, Calgary
Cost: $1200

This one week immersion is an introduction to the field of expressive arts.  It is designed for professionals and community people who are interested in learning about the field of expressive arts for both personal and professional development.  We will be utilizing intermodal arts including creative writing, movement, drama, music and visual arts.  


To register or for further information, please contact Carmen at carmenr@telusplanet.net

ADVANCED* TRAINING IN EXPRESSIVE ARTS AND TRAUMA THERAPY!

CHARTING A COURSE:

NAVIGATING AND ACHIEVING SAFE TRAUMA PROCESSING
THROUGH THE EXPRESSIVE ARTS THERAPIES

Carmen Richardson MSW, RSW, RCAT, REAT

**This advanced training is for practitioners who have attended the 3 Day Body-Focused Expressive Arts Therapy for Traumatized Children and Adolescents.

In this 2-day experiential and didactic training, participants will be presented with:

• Clinical case studies
• Current theory related to trauma work, including Polyvagal Theory for trauma therapy
• The opportunity to develop clinical skills essential to trauma-informed practice
• A brief overview of Carmen’s Stage Model of Trauma Processing (as outlined in her book)
• Specific Expressive Arts Therapy interventions designed to support trauma processing with a focus on Phase Three of the model
• An exploration into the “Therapist’s world view” as it is related to trauma processing
• A deeper look at developing effective stewardship skills to mitigate against a therapists experience of being exposed to secondary trauma.
• The experiential learning component will provide:
• An invitation and opportunity to work with personal experiences to illuminate trauma-informed processes and support clinical skill development in the application of the Expressive Arts Therapies.

**This training will be offered in small group format (6-12 participants) to ensure optimal experiential learning.

Training Dates:  September 23 & 24, 2022
Times: 9:00 - 4:30
Cost: $500 on or before August 15, 2022 and $540 after 
Location: 57 Bearspaw Summit Place 
For further information or to register:  carmenr@telusplanet.net
 

UPDATE!

The Experience of Self-Compassion through Expressive Parts:

Blending Internal Family Systems (IFS) with Expressive Arts (EXA)

 Dates: October 2 & 3, 2021

Time: 10:00 - 4:00

Location: 57 Bearspaw Summit Place (In-person should local Health Guidelines permit)

Cost: $395 on or before Setpember 10, 2021 ($435 after)

Facilitator: Carmen Richardson MSW, RSW, RCAT, REAT

Description: This 2 day workshop brings together two beautiful ways of working.  IFS is a mindful, self-compassionate way of understanding ourselves as humans.  Expressive arts allows us to deepen our way of being and expressing ourselves in the world.  IFS & EXA, when blended, provides a truly powerful somatic approach to personal and professional growth.  This experiential workshop will introduce participants to a blended version of these two ways of working with ourselves through the use of music, mindfulness, movement, creative writing, voice, and art.