BC School Counsellors Association Conference
October 23, 2026
Walnut Grove Secondary School, Langley, BC
As a school counsellor, I draw from my experience as an Expressive Arts Therapist and Play Therapist in private practice; my past as a teacher of Creative Dance and Brain-Compatible Dance Education, Orff Music, and English/Creative Writing; as an improvisor and interdisciplinary performer; and as a person who is naturally draw to the “Renaissance” approach to life - enjoying learning about vastly different subjects and drawing links between them.
During this workshop, you will: Take the time for an intermodal self-care experience that can be applied to classrooms and small groups. Engage your body-mind with Brain Dance. Learn what the "intermodal" in Intermodal Expressive Arts Therapy means. Practice mindfulness through the senses. Discuss what resiliency is and why it's important. Look at how I’ve set up a school counselling office to encourage Expressive Arts Therapy and Play Therapy. Leave with a list of Expressive Arts Therapy-infused activities that I've done with students in my role as a school counsellor.
Below you will find links to some of the art projects I will talk about. I have included my slides comparing different models of arts, play, and sand therapies. For those of you who are interested in further training in any of these models of therapy, I have provided links to some accessible programs, many of which could be completed while continuing to work as a school counsellor.
ART ACTIVITIES
The Crankie Factory
To explore an old storytelling art form: an illustrated scroll wound onto spools, fixed in a box with a window and hand-cranked while a story is being told, a song is sung, or a tune is played. Explore the Crankie world here.
BrainDance Poster
The BrainDance, developed by Anne Green-Gilbert in 2000, is a body-brain exercise based on developmental movement patterns that healthy human beings naturally move through in the first year of life. These movements integrate reflexes that are the foundation for healthy brain development. The movements develop the whole brain (brain stem, mid-brain/limbic system, and cortex). More information on studying BrainDance can be found below.
Comparing Models in Art, Play, and Sand Therapies
TRAINING
BrainDance, movement, and Dance Therapy
The Creative Dance Center (Seattle, WA)
Brain Dance is system for teaching developmental movement patterns; each pattern relates to parallel social-emotional learning development.
Celebrating 31 years of professional learning, Summer Dance Institute for Teachers - is designed for educators, dance teachers, arts specialists, and therapists who wish to understand the vital link between movement and cognition. Information about the center and training here.
BrainDance Information here.
The Movement Arc (Saltspring Island, BC)
A Somatic Education and Therapy Centre, founded by Hana Kemble Kamea offers training online and in-person. Course information here.
The Moving Child Films I, II and III
Movement impacts every aspect of a child’s development. Get Hana’s unique educational documentaries as a bundle for $12.50. Film information here.
Expressive Arts Therapy
Ontario Expresive Arts Therapy Association (OEATA)
The association has a good description of Expressive Arts Therapy and its scope of practice here.
VATI: Vancouver Art/s Therapy Institute (Vancouver, BC)
Programs in Art Therapy and Expressive Art Therapy
EXA taught during 19 weekend intensives (Friday evening to Sunday). Information here.
The Create Institute (Toronto, ON)
Information about Create Institue here.
Are you a social worker, teacher, therapist, artist, youth worker or other professional wanting to expand your professional skill set?
Look for Programs - Short Courses/Workshops. Descriptions of some eight-week online evening courses are listed here.
European Graduate School (EGS, Saas-Fee, Switzerland)
Earn an Master of Arts in Expressive Arts Therapy with a minor in Psychology over three summer sessions. EGS information here.
Cathy Malchiodi
Expressive Arts Therapy and Trauma Recovery
See calendar for online trainings, webinars, courses, and conferences here.
Creative Arts Therapies
Concordia University (Montréal, Québec)
Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Creative Arts Therapies has programs in Art Therapy, Music Therapy, Drama Therapy and Play Therapy within a single university department. (More on the Play Therapy Graduate Certificate in the “Play Therapy” section below.). Concordia information here.
Music Therapy and Music Education
BC Orff
Orff Schulwerk, Music for Children is a child-centred music and movement education approach. Because of its intermodal and play-based nature, I have used materials learned in Orff workshops extensively in schools for counselling, music class, and regular classroom teaching, private practice therapy, community-building events, and in group Expressive Arts Therapy workshops at a dementia home. The Orff approach can incorporate books and storytelling, rhythm, body percussion, dance and movement, folk music, hand-held percussion instruments, xylophones and recorders. I highly recommend their workshops! BC Orff information here.
Music-Integrated Therapy Training
A 12-week part-time online program for counsellors and therapists who would like to integrate music into their practice of supporting people’s mental health and well-being. This is for people who are not music therapists, but who would like to incorporate music into their current therapy approach for its therapeutic benefits. Information here.
Poetry Therapy
International Federation of Biblo/Poetry Therapy
IFBPT is the only global independent credentialing organization for the profession of Biblio/Poetry Therapy. Training options are offered in Poetry Therapy. It offers an official designation as a Poetry Therapist. More information here.
International Academy of Poetry Therapy
Training options offered in the field of Poetry Therapy, with information here.
National Association of Poetry Therapy
Does not have regular training, but offers an annual conference on Poetry Therapy.
An International Research Symposium Biblio/Poetry Therapy December 4, 2026. See this FREE event here.
Play Therapy
BC Play Therapy Association (BCPTA)
Excellent workshops offered throughout the year on Pro-D topics, as in-person, on-line, and hybrid events. The BCPTA has a vibrant volunteer board, it is a good resource for anyone working with children, and offers member discounts for all events, with information here.
Concordia University (Montréal, Québec)
A five-week Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy runs yearly from mid-May to mid-June with a focus on Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) and Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), with additional discussions on attachment, trauma, somatic therapy, and other approaches to Play Therapy. It includes practice play therapy sessions with a focus-group of children from a local daycare that collaborates with Concordia. CPRT is an approach where parents learn the principles of CCPT and practice them at home with their child to increase effectiveness; a variant for schools is called Child-Teacher Relationship Therapy. (As a school counsellor, you would need to plan to request a leave of absence for these five weeks in advance, possibly the previous spring.) Really fun program! Information here.
Rocky Mountain Play Therapy Institute (Canmore, Alberta)
Offers different streams of Play Therapy training (foundations, advanced, certificates, symposiums). Information about in-person and on-line courses here.