Before applying to the certificate program, prospective students attend a Program Intro Workshop led by the school’s founder and curriculum creator, Lanie Bergin.

This introductory session allows participants to experience the expressive arts process firsthand while learning about the program’s philosophy, methodology, and structure.

Meeting Lanie offers participants direct access to the program’s vision, philosophy, methodology, and depth, as well as the opportunity to ask questions about the learning experience and professional pathways.

The Intro Workshop helps you determine whether the training aligns with your creative interests, professional goals, and learning style.

Please bring:

• Your questions about the program

• Simple art materials such as paper, pen, markers, crayons, or pastels

These materials will be used during an experiential process so participants can experience how expressive arts methods are explored in the program. 

The Expressive Arts Somatic Certificate Program is a professional training that integrates movement, visual art, creative writing, journaling, and reflective dialogue within an embodied expressive arts framework.

Students explore the art, science, and psychology of creative process and somatic awareness, learning through direct experience while developing skills that can be applied in educational, therapeutic, and community settings.

The program balances teaching & learning on a foundation of experiential learning, where participants engage their own creative process as the foundation for understanding how expressive arts practices support growth, discovery, and transformation.

This training is designed for people who want to:

• Deepen their personal relationship with creativity and embodiment

• Integrate expressive arts into an existing profession

• Develop new skills as a facilitator, educator, or practitioner

• Explore a potential career in expressive arts or somatic practices

Participants often include educators, therapists, coaches, artists, bodyworkers, and individuals seeking meaningful personal and professional development.

No prior artistic training is required. Expressive arts practice focuses on creative process rather than artistic skill or technique. The emphasis is on curiosity, exploration, and embodied experience rather than producing finished artwork.

Participants engage with movement, drawing, writing, sound, and reflective dialogue as ways to access creativity, insight, and somatic awareness.

The curriculum focuses on both personal experience and professional application. 

Topics include:

• Foundations of somatic expressive arts theory

• Intermodal arts practice (movement, drawing, sound, writing)

• Arts-based research methods

• Facilitation and witnessing skills

• Developing and facilitating expressive arts sessions and activities

• Fieldwork and supervised teaching (Level 2 only)

• Creating a personal/professional case study and Teaching Art Project  (Level 1) and in Level 2 a professional case study based on the requirements for Field Work.

Graduates can gain practical tools for integrating expressive arts and somatic practices into their existing and complementary field of professional work. The training program has, in the past, helped people make a career change/or start a new career in the field of wellness. 

This program is not college-level academic work. The program is both experiential and theoretically grounded. 

Learning takes place primarily through direct embodied experience using expressive arts practices. These experiences are supported by discussion, reflection, and theoretical context drawn from somatic studies, expressive arts methodology, and creative process research.

Each training session combines experiential practice, reflection, dialogue, and creative exploration.

Students learn by engaging in their own creative process while teaching and learning with others, which becomes the foundation for understanding how to facilitate expressive arts work with others.

The Expressive Arts Somatic Certificate Program emphasizes embodied learning, interdisciplinary practice, and creative process as a path to personal and professional transformation. 

The curriculum was written and developed by Lanie Bergin through graduate-level research and decades of professional practice in expressive arts education.

Her master’s degree work included a rigorous interdisciplinary and longitudinal study exploring expressive arts and somatic learning across the human lifespan—from toddlers to elders. This research foundation informs the program’s approach to working creatively with individuals and groups in a wide range of contexts. 

Students benefit from:

• A small cohort learning environment

• A balance of experiential practice and theoretical grounding

• Training that integrates movement, visual art, writing, sound, and reflective dialogue

• A curriculum shaped by real-world application across diverse populations and life stages

This combination supports both deep personal exploration and meaningful professional development. Our research shows the value of embodying "the work" in order to know the work.

The program includes two levels of training:

Level 1 — 250-Hour Associate Somatic Movement Professional Certificate

Students complete foundational training in expressive arts and somatic practices and receive a certificate from the institute. Students can apply to ISMETA, as an Associate Somatic Movement Professional. 

Level 2 — Advanced Training

Students may continue into Level 2, an additional 250 hours, bringing the full training to a total of 500 hours.

This advanced level deepens facilitation skills, professional practice, and expressive arts methodology for working with individuals and groups. It requires field work practice and supervision and a Professional Case Study. 

Graduates may also pursue a Registered Somatic Movement Educator/Therapist through the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA) once additional requirements are met.

The program is offered in small cohorts and typically follows this format:

• 6 hours per training day with the cohort

• Every other weekend

• Additional learning hours include; viewing pre-recorded videos, and course work that unfolds in peer-led labs.  

Specific schedules may vary for each cohort.

• Expect consistent monthly homework that is reviewed by teaching staff.

• Supplemental learning combines independent research and writing.

• Level 1 250hr Virtual (PST) 

• Level 2: 500hr In-person (Portland Oregon) with some virtual classes

Graduates of the 250-hour Expressive Arts Somatic Certificate Program receive a certificate and may choose several next steps.

Some students:

• Integrate expressive arts methods into existing professions such as education, coaching, counseling, bodywork, or community arts

• Continue into Level 2, adding another 250 hours to complete the 500-hour training

• Pursue professional recognition through the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA)

Others continue using the practices for personal creative development and embodied exploration.

Attending the Intro Workshop is the best way to determine whether this training is a good fit.

During the session you will:

• Experience an embodied expressive arts process session

• Learn about the structure and philosophy of the training

• Ask Lanie questions about the curriculum, schedule, and professional pathways or anything about the industry in general!

Many participants find the workshop gives them a felt sense of the learning environment and creative community, helping them decide whether the program aligns with their personal or professional goals.