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    Saybrook University
   
 
  Oct 11, 2024
 
2018-2019 Academic Catalog and Student Handbook with Spring Addendum 
    
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2018-2019 Academic Catalog and Student Handbook with Spring Addendum [Archived Catalog]

Arts and Self-Expression for Health and Wellbeing Certificate


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Certificate Lead: Ruth Richards, M.D., Ph.D.

Sponsored by: Creativity Studies Specialization (CS)

Description

This Certificate will be of interest to a variety of individuals (e.g., artists, educators, consultants, therapists, coaches, etc.) and will help individuals access arts and the creative process to increase psychological and physical healing, to advance growth, and to enhance personal and group development. These methods have been used singly and together in multiple contexts, including conflict resolution, organizational development, clinical interventions, educational enhancement, and by those on a spiritual path.

Using the languages of the arts, with focus on process, learning, and growth-and not on specifics of a fixed creative product-participants will discover new depth, perspectives, ways of knowing, solutions, and a vast richness of experience. Such advances are well supported both by practice and psychological research; academic and research grounding in creativity studies and the arts will also be an important part of this program. This Certificate will also serve students who continue on for a graduate degree and who want to do arts-based research. This is not a Certificate for clinical training, but can be used by trained clinicians, as well as other professionals, and by those wishing personal growth, challenge, enchantment, and fun. The study and application of intermodal expressive arts component is a beginning for pursuing credentialing  as a Registered Expressive Arts Consultant/Educator through the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (http://www.IEATA.org). Completion of this Certificate is a start, but is not sufficient in itself, for certification with the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association as a consultant/educator. Our offerings may, however, count toward such certification. We are happy to talk with students about the requirements and next steps for individuals interested in completing the Certificate program.

Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the Certificate, students will be able to…

  1. Discuss the nature of creativity and ways it may be modeled and also studied further.
  2. Explain the features and advantages of arts for healing, discovery, and growth, and of expressive arts as a multimodal process.
  3. Use a range of arts modalities in more than one setting, including facilitation, education, and consultation.
  4. Be able to cite relevant literature on the efficacy of specific methods for certain client populations.
  5. Be able to personally use and be freely able to work with a variety of modalities.
  6. Be able to explain how each modality can build on the others, including movement, visual arts, writing, song, and other expressions.
  7. Develop skills in accessing one’s own thoughts, emotions, intentions, and in solving personal problems-be familiar with blocks and obstacles to this deep work. Be able to help facilitate the process of others.
  8. Develop group skills for sharing of personal work and related thoughts and feelings, to increase trust and empathy, and help individuals through tough places.
  9. Compare these group settings to our usual social contexts, and articulate social issues for deeper mutual understanding and the ability to co-create.
  10. Articulate theoretical underpinnings and future challenges for arts in the world.
  11. Be able to propose a research project in arts and self-expression (whether the project will be attempted or not), showing an ability to approach this work and its potential through disciplined inquiry.
  12. Be able to articulate one’s own code of ethics for process work with arts in social and institutional settings. For expressive arts, this may relate to guidelines for IEATA, which will be studied and compared.

Learning and Practice Objectives: After completing this Certificate program, the student will be able to:

  • Discuss the nature of creativity and ways it may be modeled and also studied further.
  • Explain the features and advantages of arts for healing, discovery, and growth, and of expressive arts as a multimodal process.
  • Use a range of arts modalities in more than one setting, including facilitation, education, and consultation.
  • Be able to cite relevant literature on the efficacy of specific methods for certain client populations.
  • Be able to personally use and be freely able to work with a variety of modalities.
  • Be able to explain how each modality can build on the others, including movement, visual arts, writing, song, and other expressions.
  • Develop skills in accessing one’s own thoughts, emotions, intentions, and in solving personal problems-be familiar with blocks and obstacles to this deep work. Be able to help facilitate the process of others.
  • Develop group skills for sharing of personal work and related thoughts and feelings, to increase trust and empathy, and help individuals through tough places.
  • Compare these group settings to our usual social contexts, and articulate social issues for deeper mutual understanding and the ability to co-create.
  • Articulate theoretical underpinnings and future challenges for arts in the world.
  • Be able to propose a research project in arts and self-expression (whether the project will be attempted or not), showing an ability to approach this work and its potential through disciplined inquiry.
  • Be able to articulate one’s own code of ethics for process work with arts in social and institutional settings. For expressive arts, this may relate to guidelines for IEATA, which will be studied and compared.

Note on Certification and Future Options: Completion of this Certificate is a start, but is not sufficient in itself, for certification with the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association as a consultant/educator. Our offerings may, however, count toward such certification.

We are happy to talk with you about the requirements and next steps for individuals interested in completing the Certificate program. Our faculty includes multimodal expressive artists; licensed clinicians; members of the Writers’ Guild and the American Society of Journalists and Authors; a visual artist credentialed for public school teaching; workshop facilitators; coaches; widely published writers of academic, poetic, and creative books and papers; and other arts experts and teachers across disciplines, as well as three enthusiastic IEATA members.

In addition, please note: We are neither providing clinical training, nor coursework for the IEATA clinician certification. Our focus is for educators and consultants. Saybrook offers specific clinical programs for people wishing such training. However, established clinicians who are already licensed may well wish to add our options to their practice and résumé. Hence, we offer, through this Certificate program, some engaging first steps in several directions, and are equipped and pleased to help those interested in going further.

College of Social Sciences Certificate Programs


Saybrook University’s College of Social Sciences offers a number of exciting certificate programs intended for non-matriculating students (e.g., professionals, activists, community leaders/organizers, etc.) who want to expand or deepen their knowledge and skills pertaining to specific foci.  Our certificate programs offer a variety of topics relevant in today’s world. From existential psychology to integrative healthcare, the College of Social Sciences certificates offer students the humanistic and interdisciplinary education students desire in a convenient certificate program.

Delivery Model

All entering students will begin their program in consultation with the Certificate Lead Faculty in order to clarify requirements and ensure that their interests are integrating within their learning experience. Students can change their study plan later, but need to make an initial plan at the outset, including a tentative plan for a one-year enrollment for those individuals not enrolled in a Saybrook degree program. Typically, certificate requirements can be completed within one to two years (see Certificate Lead Faculty for more details). Students progress through certificate requirements through a combination of on-line cohort courses and either face-to-face experientials during a Saybrook Residential Conference and/or at-a-distance platforms such as video-conference or conference calls. Additionally, students participate in online Graduate Colloquia shells, which are virtual classrooms utilized to foster community among all enrolled in specializations that sponsor the certificates; deepening the learning environment and broadening the application of theory and practice.

These certificates are available to degree and non-degree students alike. Non-degree students who subsequently pursue a degree at Saybrook may be able to transfer credits toward degree requirements.  Students formally enrolled in one of Saybrook’s degree programs may be able to integrate the certificate into their program as the certificate course requirement may satisfy either specialization requirements and/or degree electives.  In the event that a doctoral student wishes to complete more than one Certificate program, only one course (3 credits) may be counted toward a second Certificate. No course overlap may occur for fulfillment of a third (or more) Certificate. In addition, fulfillment of each Certificate requires completion of a unique practicum (CSIH/CS/EHTP/TSC 8151: 3 credits) as well as a unique final paper (CSIH/CS/EHTP/TSC 8950: 1 credit). No overlap of required Certificate coursework will be permitted for M.A. students who wish to declare more than one Certificate.

Core Components

Though each certificate is specific to the area of focus, there are general Core Components or expectations.

  • Required course(s) (3 credits each)
  • Choice of Electives (3 credits each) to be determined in consultation with the Certificate Lead Faculty
  • Practicum/Project (3 credits) which is individually designed by the student in consultation with Practicum Instructor based on his or her interests and goals. This may involve related theory, research, and/or practical application. Several Certificates require the presentation of the Practicum/Project during a Saybrook Residential Conference and/or at-a-distance presentation through video conference platforms such as Go To Meeting or Skype (see Certificate Lead Faculty for more details).
  • Integrative Paper/Seminar (1 credit) which can be a capstone paper, professional poster presentation, or mini-project designed to allow reflection, assessment of progress, integration of experience and academic learning, and forward projection into how one will use these learnings and skills. It also invites a look into other competencies one might still wish to add. (Not all certificates require an integrative paper).

CERTIFICATES

  • Applied Consciousness Studies
  • Arts and Self-Expression for Health and Wellbeing
  • Building A Sustainable World
  • Community Health & Development
  • Complex Trauma & The Health Process
  • Creativity Studies
  • Death, Loss, and Meaning
  • Dream Studies
  • Foundations in Existential-Humanistic Practice
  • Multiculturalism and Social Justice
  • Organizational Leadership & Transformation
  • Peace & Conflict Resolution
  • Professional Studies in Psychophysiology
  • Socially Engaged Spirituality
  • Stress Management Education
  • Transpersonal Psychology

Requirements:


The Certificate program begins with a half-day onsite immersion experience and will typically be offered during or adjacent to a Saybrook Residential Conference (RC). Depending on scheduling and where students reside, this experience might involve extra hotel or travel expense; however, no extra fee will be required for this intensive residential experience. Activities for this immersion experience are designed to establish a supportive community atmosphere and identity. This broad exposure is not about expertise-there is no prerequisite in any of these arts areas. Our work is about process, personal and group learning, finding new ways of knowing and experiencing, and growth and self-development.

Students who decide to register for the Certificate after that year’s immersion experience has already taken place may take it during a later offering in order to complete the Certificate requirements. Non-degree students pursuing this Certificate may also make an arrangement to complete onsite experiential requirements via Skype or other video-conferencing platforms.

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