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Creative and Expressive Arts for Healing, Growth and Wellbeing
In Person In Singapore
Trainer : Paula Huggins
Expressive Therapy is an invitation to self-discovery through integrative, activity-based methods that foster insights and internal change within the client. Embracing a client-centered and multi-modal approach, this approach to therapy acknowledges and values the personal interpretations and meanings attributed by the client.
Choose a minimum of FIVE from the SIX 3-day in-person training modules to be eligible to earn Expressive Therapy Australia’s Certificate in Expressive Therapies with Adult Clients totalling 92.5 hours of face-to-face teaching hours.
(5 x 18.5 hours / 15 days in total). Each day : 9:30am – 5pm. Last day ends at 4pm.
Developed by Dr Mark Pearson and Dr Helen Wilson the workshops have been designed as a specialised advanced training for counsellors, psychotherapists, social workers, psychologists, allied health professionals or coaches who support mental health and well-being. It introduces the theories, principles, methods and evidence-base for applying Expressive Therapies with adult clients.
The Expressive Therapies Australia (“ETA”) approach was developed from Creative Arts Therapies by Mark and Helen, weaving together creative arts, person-centred therapy, emotion-focused and somatic therapies, applied to client issues such as: relationships, grief and loss, anger, managing life-transitions and self-judgement. The approach is infused with transpersonal perspectives and trauma-informed sensitivity. The evidence-base is drawn from research literature, and clinical observations from a combined 70 years of our work in therapeutic consultation, supervising and teaching.
The course combines theoretical, experiential hands-on and skills development activities to ensure your confidence in applying Expressive Therapies with your Adult clients.
Modalities Introduced Through the Course
Therapeutic Writing; Use of Art, Clay, Music, Sound-Making and Movement in Therapy; Symbol Work with miniatures; Self-Discovery Worksheets; Mindfulness; Visualisation; Self-Compassion; Body Focus; Emotion-Focused Processes; Dream Symbols; Therapeutic Photography.
Practical Activities: are drawn from the range of Expressive Therapies activities developed and applied in Australia by the course creators over the last thirty-five-plus years.
Therapeutic Application Themes: trauma-recovery, anxiety, low-mood, resilience-building, relationships and attachment, transition through grief and loss, anger and self-judgement.
Theoretical Foundations: are drawn from the pioneers in Creative Arts Therapies, Rogers’ Person-Centred Therapy, Greenberg’s Emotion-Focused Therapy, Lowen’s Bioenergetics, Somatic Psychotherapy, Focusing, and Grof’s Transpersonal Psychotherapy.
While the focus of this course is professional development, it provides opportunities for participants to gain in self-awareness and personal growth. Experiences in the client role, provide a rich experience of the inner world that can enhance participants’ professional relational effectiveness. Practitioners’ own growth has a direct influence on clients’ growth. Developing deeper self-awareness greatly improves the way we relate professionally, and care for ourselves personally.
Facilitated by ETA Trainer Paula Huggins
Paula is based in Singapore and available for on-going support during the trainings and clinical supervision and consultation post-course.
Recommended background reading from The Trainers’ Textbooks
Pearson, M. & Wilson H. (2009). Using Expressive Arts to Work with Mind, Body and Emotions: Theory and Practice. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Pearson, M. & Wilson, H. (2001). Sandplay & Symbol Work – Emotional Healing & Personal Development with Children, Adolescents & Adults. Melbourne: ACER Press. Now available as an e-Book from the authors.
When and Where?
Each 3-day workshop will usually be held in-person at
Gentle Art of Expressive Therapy’s office at
50b Smith Street (Chinatown) Singapore.
Module One: 26 – 28 February 2026
Introduction to Expressive Therapies and Symbol Work
Compulsory Foundation Module*
- Introduction to person-centred creative arts modalities
- Background to Expressive Therapies: History, research, frameworks
- Being and Doing: Relating with clients, working at relational depth
- The 5-Stage session planning model
- Multiple Intelligences Theory: Responding to client abilities and preferences – multimodal approach
- Symbol Work; Therapeutic use of miniatures
- Miniatures as conversation catalysts: Introduction to Symbol Work
- Mapping difficult conversations with miniatures
- Creating visual metaphors for emotional externalisation
- Expressive Therapies supports for self-reflection and somatic awareness
- M
To complete the Certificate choose from the modules below which can be attended in any order.
Module Two: 9 – 11 April 2026
Art, Claywork, Photography, Music:
Creative Expression in Therapy
- Introduction to claywork in therapy
- Using photography in therapy
- Using colours, lines and shapes in spontaneous self-expression
- Engagement with visual art as a therapeutic forum
- Fundamental principles of Expressive Therapies
- Using music in therapy – Enhancing emotional literacy
- Guided imagery through music
- Music and rhythm for self-awareness
- Mandalas for grounding and self-discovery
- Module Two assessment tasks
Module Three: 21 – 23 May 2026
Therapeutic Writing: Words, Metaphors and Poems
- Brief history of therapeutic writing and poetry as therapy
- Therapeutic writing: Purposes, processes, planning and action
- Sentence starters as reflection prompts
- Introduction to metaphoric communication
- Harnessing creativity through language
- Using self-discovery worksheets: linking colour, line language and metaphor
- Poetry and poetic thought: Expressing the depths of self
- Creating a gratitude and joy resource
- Module Three assessment tasks
Module Four: 13 – 15 August 2026
Emotion and Somatic-Focused Awareness through Expressive Therapies
- Emotion in therapeutic change
- Focus on, and expression of, emotion and sensation
- Resolving reactivity, finding calm
- Emotion-focused processes for encountering challenging emotions
- Background to somatics in therapy
- Enhancing body awareness: Dialogues with the physical symptoms
- Bioenergetics, rhythm and movement
- Exploring relaxation strategies
- Module Four assessment tasks
Module Five: 22 – 24 October 2026
Enhancing Couple and Family Connections: Expressive Therapies as Awareness and Communication Catalysts
- Expressive Therapies modalities used with couples and families
- Core principles of family and couples therapy
- Building family resilience
- Supporting family connections through self-reflection and sharing
- Enhancing the sharing of differing family perspectives
- Including young people in family therapy
- Family bonding games
- Music and poetry for family connection
- Reviewing traditional couple challenges
- Evidence-based ways to improve relationships
- Symbol work and time-lines in strengthening couple connections
- Module Five assessment tasks
Module Six: 3 – 5 December 2026
The Inward Arc: Spirituality, Mindfulness and Self-Compassion
- Lessons from transpersonal psychotherapy
- Reviewing the evolution of spiritual perspectives
- Supporting clients’ sense of the sacred
- Spiritual symbolism in nature
- Relating with clients from different cultural and spiritual backgrounds
- Brief history of dreamwork methods in western psychotherapy
- Embodied dreamwork: Exploring dream symbol role-play
- Making meaning from the therapeutic journey
- Mindfulness for grounding
- Meditative approaches to centering and equanimity
- Introduction to self-compassion practice
- Module Six assessment tasks
Requirements for Participation and award of ETA’s Certificate in Expressive Therapies with Adult Clients
To be awarded ETA’s Certificate in Expressive Therapies participants will be expected to:
- submit ONE written assignments: a 1500 word reflective practice / case study essay.
- successfully complete end-of-module multiple choice assessment
- attend all 15 training days (max. absence 10 hours).
- hold a qualification that allows them to practice in a therapeutic role (counsellor, psychologist, social worker, art therapist, play therapist, psychotherapist, teacher or other allied health professionals) and be in good standing with their relevant professional body (if they are working with clients).
On completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Understand and apply the foundation principles and methods of Expressive Therapies with adult clients, and if Module 5 is selected, with couples and families.
- Demonstrate a person-centred, invitational approach to using Expressive Therapies.
- Demonstrate advanced interpersonal facilitation skills using Expressive Therapies modalities.
- Understand and demonstrate how to plan Expressive Therapies counselling sessions.
- Assess the suitability of, and apply, emotionally-focused strategies for individual clients.
Registration Options
To be awarded ETA’s Certificate in Expressive Therapies with Adult Clients participants MUST attend a minimum of five workshops and complete the assignments to the required standard.
If you have successfully completed the Certificate in Expressive Therapies with Children, Adolescents and Teens and/or Sandplay and Symbol Work Certificate, then you may choose any of the modules in any order.
If you have not completed any previous training with us, then you must complete Module 1. After which you are free to join any other module in any order you wish.
If you have previously attended Module 5 (Couples and Family Connections) this will count towards the attainment of the Certificate of Expressive Therapies with Adults.
Your Investment
Pricing in Singpore Dollars
| Early Bird (payment received one month prior) | Full Price | |
| Single Module | 1265 | 1365 |
| 2 modules | 2480 | 2680 |
| 3 modules | 3645 | 3945 |
| 4 modules | 4760 | 5160 |
| 5 modules | 5825 | 6325 |
| 6 modules | 6840 | 7440 |
Payment can be made in instalments – please ask for more details when registering.
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