Masterclass in trauma-informed art therapy practice

Trauma therapy is based on three core principles: stabilisation, trauma exploration, and integration. This masterclass will focus on art-based exercises for stabilising clients, applying pendulation and titration for safe trauma exploration, and using a bottom-up approach for cognitive integration of new paradigms.

Book tickets

Date & Time

Tuesday 25 – Wednesday 26 February 2025

10am - 12.30pm

Who this event is for

Suitably qualified and trainee professionals

Tickets

Non-members: 拢275

Associate members: 拢205

Full members (employed, underemployed, unemployed/retired): 拢190

Trainee members: 拢145

Please create a free booking account if you don't have one or are not a member.

Location

Online via Zoom

Masterclass in trauma-informed art therapy practice

Trauma therapy is based on three core principles: stabilisation, trauma exploration, and integration. This masterclass will focus on art-based exercises for stabilising clients, applying pendulation and titration for safe trauma exploration, and using a bottom-up approach for cognitive integration of new paradigms.

What is a masterclass and who can attend?

Masterclasses are one-off, special events, taught by people who are experts in the subject. Attendees may include anyone with a genuine interest in the subject, regardless of their level of experience, but ideally, you will already know the basics.

The aims are for you to learn lots from the teacher(s), for less experienced practitioners to learn from listening to interesting discussions and questions from advanced practitioners, and most importantly for everyone to leave feeling inspired to progress your practice in this specific area.

What is trauma-informed art therapy practice?

Trauma is held in the body; it is not a cognitive event. The masterclass will teach how to resource clients until they have gained sufficient trust to venture further into more sensory and movement-based art exercises that will engage the body. Pendulation will be able to titrate the experience to avoid traumatization. A particular supportive language will enable the therapist to accompany through a bottom-up approach until old belief systems can be updated through cognitive integration.

What you will learn

The class will teach art therapy exercises to explore a trauma-informed approach informed by body-based neurobiological insights. The class covers:

  • Understanding the difference between explicit and implicit memory systems (Levine)
  • Applying the brakes to avoid clients getting overwhelmed by their recall (Rothschild)
  • Practicing pendulation as a core principle of a trauma-informed approach (Levine)
  • Knowledge of the physiological symptoms of autonomic nervous system regulation (Porges)
  • The language of bottom-up cognitive integration (Elbrecht; Ogden)

How you will learn

Learning will be through art making, power point presentations, case studies with videos of clients in action, handouts, and time for questions.

Tutor

Cornelia Elbrecht

Frequently asked questions