Our Team

Founded by Lanie Bergin in 2014, the school offers a unique vision and proven refinement of workable, usable, and applicable Expressive Arts processes for professionals and the community.

Our team is dedicated to helping students succeed at our rigorous meticulous process of self-reflection combined with interdisciplinary research approaches which are at the core of measurable progress understanding and applying our principles and practices of Expressive Arts education and therapy.

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    Lanie Bergin

    Founder, Director, Curriculum Development

    Lanie is the founder and visionary of EAIO. She is the Program Director and Master Lead Teacher for the advanced programs. She also offers on-going supervision for academic students who are studying expressive arts therapy. Lanie is on the Board of Directors for Expressive Arts Institute of Oregon.

    M.Ed, Registered Somatic Therapist and Educator.

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    Laura Paradise

    Professional coaching for post-graduate professional success

    In her coaching practice, Laura focuses on career and business development with particular attention to self-promotion skills. Laura has developed a unique coaching methodology that integrates movement, art, and voice.

    Certified life coach, long-time Authentic Movement practitioner and graduate of Tamalpa Institute Levels 1 and 2.

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    Donna Otter

    Narrative and Creative Reflection

    A lifelong artist and writer, she is active in the Portland storytelling circuit and loves sharing the power of art-making with others to increase life’s meaning, fulfillment, and enjoyment.

    MA, REAT, is a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist who received her Master’s training from the Expressive Arts Institute of San Diego and the European Graduate School.

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    Holly Mae Haddock,

    Music Therapy, Therapeutic Relationships in Expressive Arts, and provides Group Supervision

    She has used Expressive Arts to work therapeutically with dual diagnosis, incarcerated youth, in residential addictions treatment, and in community-based programs for transient children and their families. Currently working as a private counselor and coach, Holly Mae specializes in supporting people from all walks of life to develop channels of resilience, joy and meaning through accessing the deep, wild creativity that dwells inside us all.

    Holly Mae earned her MA in Counseling Psychology and Expressive Arts Therapy from California Institute of Integral Studies in 2007.

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    Emma Sullivan Uebele

    Trauma competency

    She has a multifaceted practice which includes coaching clients through expressive arts, facilitating group processes, and offering trauma competency consulting for organizations and government entities. Emma’s work focuses on the impact of trauma, whether experienced directly or vicariously, leaning into embodiment and the arts as tools for restoration and healing.

    MA in Expressive Arts for Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding from the European Graduate School.

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    Tom McLaren

    Writing and Communications

    Tom is a certified facilitator of Crucial Conversations “Mastering Dialog” curriculum, an experienced coach, and long-time facilitator of a variety of writing workshops, based on the approach he learned with Write Around Portland. Tom is Operations Officer for the school.