30-Hour TRAUMA-INFORMED Creative Arts Therapy Certificate Program
The TRAUMA-INFORMED Creative Arts Therapy Certificate Program is open to mental health professionals and educators who want to understand the neuroscience of trauma and the vital role the creative arts therapies play in the treatment of trauma.
The Creative Psychotherapist Podcast
Lucy discusses the Trauma-Informed Creative Art Therapy Certificate Program with host Reina Lombardi.
“I found everything I learned from the training to be extremely helpful with clients and they love it!”
— I.A, D.P.P., LMSW, CSW-I
“You should know how valuable the learning in your classes has been for me. I use it all the time — even virtually through the pandemic.
— Lisa S., LMHC
“Each class is a wonderful experience that nurtures my spirit, while teaching me practical skills to use in my counseling practice. Lucy is a generous, knowledgeable, compassionate, and engaging instructor.”
— Nancy DeNicolo, LMHC
“Hats off to Lucy! She does hybrid like a champ! We are lucky enough to live close and do in person learning, but there were a few times we had to take advantage of online! Lucy is fantastic at making it engaging for all.”
— Kimberly Popolizio, Co-Founder/Director, i2Evolve Meditation + The Arts Center
“Throughout the class, Dr. Barbera moved us from modality to modality, sensitively shifting us from interior work to intellectual work, solitary activities to small group and then large group involvement. Overall, Dr. Barbera led us through the “art of living”: through poetry, art-making, sharing abroad, holding secrets close, making beauty, and risking work which was very personal and perhaps not seen as beautiful, pulling from within to being seen in the light of day. These experiences as a whole led us to a greater sense of self and of balance in the world. A model for patiently working with people who have experienced trauma.
Over the last few years as a music therapist and soon to be creative arts therapist, I have used art to support, listen to, and to see my patients more fully. To give them a container to hold their grief and to know that they are not alone. With the tools that I learned in the class I feel more solid in accepting my means of practice using all of the arts, music, visual, movement, written, and life creativity, to create a coherent whole. I look forward to creating a private practice so that the creative work can be utilized more freely, with greater honor, and to expand the work that I have been doing in the fields of addiction and others.”
2026 Program Dates
SPRING DATES: April 11, April 25, May 9, May 23, June 6, and June 13, 2026
WHAT You Will Learn:
This unique Certificate Program was designed to assist helping professionals in treating complex trauma, using a multi-modal creative arts approach for integration and healing. The program provides helping professionals instruction on HOW to immediately apply creative methods, within the context of their practice with diverse populations and WHEN to utilize the Creative Arts Therapies when working with individuals and/or groups, using the following modalities: visual arts, creative writing, movement, music, and the dramatic arts, safely without re-traumatization, within the: WINDOW OF TOLERANCE- WINDOW OF TIME-WINDOW OF RECONSOLIDATION"
Counselors working with clients who have experienced trauma can find themselves feeling overwhelmed as they attempt to help regulate intense emotions or reach the client who is extremely withdrawn.
WHEN the Program takes place:
Time: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
(1:00 pm-2:00 pm lunch break)
COST:
$1,200
Please email any questions: creativearttherapy@gmail.com
FACILITATOR:
Lucy Barbera, PhD, LCAT, is a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist, whose clinical work spans the medical, psychiatric, and special education settings, as a Creative Arts Therapist, Art Teacher, and Special Education Principal. For over twenty years, Dr. Barbera has served on the faculty of The Humanistic Multicultural Education Graduate Program, at SUNY, New Paltz, where she developed and taught graduate and undergraduate courses in Expressive Arts Therapy and Expressive Arts Leadership & Social Justice.
Dr. Barbera is the Founder of the Trauma-Informed Creative Arts Therapy Certificate Program, at U Albany’s School of Social Welfare and an Associate Faculty Member of The Person-Centered Expressive Arts Therapy Program, founded by Dr. Natalie Rogers. Dr. Barbera lectures widely on the healing power of the arts, and curates exhibitions of patient/client expressive art, bringing awareness of the healing power of the arts to the community. Dr. Barbera maintains a private practice in Creative Arts Therapy, using a trauma-informed approach to the creative arts therapies.
Absolutely no prior art experience is necessary!
WHERE:
This Program will be conducted in the Creative Arts Therapy Studio.
AND virtually via ZOOM simultaneously.
CEU’s
Expressive Therapies Summit has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7486. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Expressive Therapies Summit is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
SOCIAL WORKERS
Expressive Therapies Summit, SW CPE #0730 has received approval from the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work to offer continuing education to licensed social workers. The Department may subsequently notify the provider that a particular course or courses is/are not acceptable.
Instruction provided is to assist social workers in working with other professions; it does not authorize the social worker to engage in the practice of any other profession, except as allowed by the Education Law.
The following states will accept NY State SW credits. (click the state for reference)
Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Utah.
The following states may accept NY State SW credits, please check with your board to confirm.
Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELORS
Expressive Therapies Summit is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-010262.
LICENSED CREATIVE ARTS THERAPISTS
Expressive Therapies Summit is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed creative arts therapists. #CAT-0105.
Art Therapists Please Note: These credits can only be applied to ATCB certification by those holding the LCAT credential.
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS
Expressive Therapies Summit is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0110.
TO REGISTER for CEUs, Please go to the The Expressive Therapies Summit CEU Link at: (link to come!)
”Dr. Lucy Barbara’s Art Therapy Certification class was exactly what I needed. As an online course, it still had the feel of community and participation from other members in the class. The tools I was able to learn, and takeaway are extremely valuable, and I have already put them into practice in my work with teens. Not only that, but as an instructor Lucy was compassionate, good humored, empathetic, and relatable. I highly recommend any course with Lucy!”
— Kate Nicoll, School Social Worker, Portland, Maine
”It has been such a great experience for us. I am so happy to see the clinicians implementing suggestions you made in their sessions. I will also say that our “request list” of office supplies is looking more like a “request list” of art supplies. Happy to report that we will be able to purchase a bunch of supplies including masks, for the clinicians to use in their sessions.”
— Kingsbridge Community Center Coordinator, Bronx, NY
“You are a bright light in this world, Lucy! Thank you for sharing your tremendous wealth of knowledge, experience, and expressive playfulness with us. Your spirit is radiant, and our workshops make me feel buoyant, even across the Zoom screen!”
– N.W. Child Life Specialist
“I consider Dr. Barbera a mentor of mine and I have told her as much. She is a mixture of great expertise in the creative arts with how to use the arts to get to deeper meaning and healing. I have nothing but the highest regard for Dr. Barbera”
— Jennifer C Walsh LCSW-R
“Lucy, your trainings have given me so much more than professional training. It’s been a space of self-exploration and unleashing creativity. Really missing it and hope to join you again at some point.”
— Laurie Siegel, LMSW
“Thank you for giving all of us the space to learn and grow as both professionals and humans! You have built something so special and sacred, that I cherish more than words can express!
Sending love, light and joy to you and everyone whose lives you have touched! ”
— Christina DiBernardo, LMHC
Trauma-Informed Creative Art Therapy Certificate Program
Participant’s Experiential Sharing
Trauma-Informed Creative Art Therapy Certificate Program
Participant’s In Process Sharing
To hear the participants in this video more clearly, please enable subtitles/closed captions.