Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Expressive Arts in Counseling (AEAC)

Now offered in a fully virtual format, this program makes the power of arts-informed clinical exploration accessible to a wider audience of practitioners while maintaining the integrity of cohort-based, experiential learning.

This certificate is open to social workers, psychologists, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, substance use professionals, professional counselors, and credentialed creative arts therapists who are interested in enhancing their clinical practice with expressive methods.

Participants will engage with six core expressive arts modalities—visual art, writing/poetry, music, drama, dance/movement, and psychodrama—and participate in integrative, topic-focused sessions that explore their application with specific populations and clinical themes.

This certificate does not lead to licensure or certification as a creative or expressive arts therapist. For more on credentialing pathways, visit the National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapies Associations (NCCATA) website and NYSED Creative Arts Therapy Licensing.

Educational Goals

This program introduces the expressive arts as an integrative therapeutic approach, combining psychology and creativity to promote healing, insight, and emotional expression. The training supports clinicians in developing an ethical and trauma-informed foundation for incorporating creative modalities into their work.

Educational Objectives

By the end of the program, participants will be able to:

• Summarize the history and theoretical foundations of each expressive arts modality
• Recognize scope of practice issues and relevant ethical considerations for non-credentialed use
• Identify certification and training pathways for each modality
• Apply trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and socially just approaches to creative work
• Use expressive methods to externalize emotions, support reflection, and process complex material
• Demonstrate sample exercises for engagement, closure, and group processing
• Begin adapting the expressive arts continuum to their own clinical population
• Share peer-facilitated activities and build community with like-minded practitioners

Program Outline and Structure

Fall 2026

• Format: 11 bi-weekly sessions at 4 hours each and 11 hours of asynchronous learning
• Delivery Mode: Live, synchronous virtual sessions via Zoom (camera-on is required for full participation) and asynchronous learning in between classes
• Learning Model: Experiential, cohort-based with interactive small groups

Virtual Learning and Methodology

This live online program is designed to preserve the intimacy and impact of experiential learning while offering increased accessibility and flexibility. Each session includes:

• Didactic presentation with visual slides
• Brief video examples and live demonstrations
• Small group breakout rooms for practice, art-making, and sharing
• Whole group debrief and integration discussions
• Pre-readings and creative reflection prompts

Tuition Rates

Fall 2026

An extended program with 11 extra hours of learning. Payment plans are available upon request.

• $1,500: General registration
• $1,200: Adelphi alumni, faculty practicum liaisons, adjunct faculty and staff

Faculty

Nancy Scherlong, LCSW-R, PTR, CJT, M-S

Nancy Scherlong is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the states of NY and CT. She is also a Registered Poetry/Biblio Therapist, Certified Journal Therapist and an approved trainer in both methods. She is the current President for the International Federation of Biblio-Poetry Therapy (IFBPT), one of the six expressive arts credentialing organizations. Nancy is a writer and an integrative psychotherapist specializing in stress management, trauma and addiction and has worked in the field of therapeutic writing for over 25 years. She provides workshops as well as distance coaching, consultation and training services. An Adelphi alum (1997) and adjunct faculty since 2008, she also provides online campus advising for Columbia University and is a member of core faculty of the Therapeutic Writing Institute and on the training staff of Kint Institute.

For more about her work please visit Change Your Narrative, LCSW PLLC.