The InterPlay community is excited to host an evening at InterPlayce in Oakland about the Expressive Arts Therapy program at the San Francisco-based California Institute for Integral Studies (CIIS). This is part of a fruitful relationship between these two organizations that have many overlapping interests and goals.

Expressive Arts Therapy is a multimodal approach to therapy and community wellness that incorporates visual, spoken word, dance/movement, music and drama into therapeutic practice.

In this experiential session, faculty members Shoshana Simons and Danielle Burnette, introduce California Institute of Integral Studies' Expressive Arts Therapy program and some of the arts practices that promote the healing and well being of individuals, couples, families, groups, organizations and whole communities.

CIIS Graduates in Expressive Arts Therapy can be licensed as Marriage and Family Therapists (MFT) and work in a broad, diverse range of settings including private practice, in healthcare settings, with children and families, in elder care, in prisons, in school settings and with issues of community development, conflict resolution and social justice. Several InterPlayers are CIIS grads or are currently enrolled.

Shoshana Simons, PhD, RDT, Chair of CIIS’s Expressive Arts Therapy Program and Associate Professor in CIIS’s Transformative Inquiry Department was born and raised in London, UK, spent her early career integrating creative arts into her work as a play leader, community worker and counselor, primarily with homeless women and children and refugees and survivors of domestic violence from all corners of the globe. She has a particular interest in the integration of the arts into spiritual practice and socio-emotional development and is involved in developing an expressive arts-centered approach to narrative therapy.

Danielle Burnette, MFTi, adjunct/assistant professor, former program director for Pivotal Point Youth Services and founder and executive director of Creative Cocoon for Girls is currently working on a PhD in Clinical Psychology researching approaches to healing the inter-generational trauma of slavery using expressive arts therapy with African American individuals and families. She was a 2003 Oakland Poetry Slam Champion and authored Cast Iron Life: a collection of poems and recipes.

As part of this continuing collaboration, InterPlay co-founder Cynthia Winton-Henry is presenting InterPlay at CIIS on Monday, December 2 at 6:30 pm. If you would like to join her email cynthia@interplay.org or call the Body Wisdom office.