COURSES & WORKSHOPS 

Past Courses & Workshops 

Panel: Treating Trauma: Current Approaches and Innovations

• Lewis Engel, PhD, EMDR certified therapist and approved consultant, San Francisco
• Janis Phelps, PhD, professor and founder and director, center for psychedelic therapies and research, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco
• Dianne Shumay, PhD, health sciences assistant professor, department of psychiatry and director, psycho-oncology, Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCSF
• Phil Wolfson, MD, director, Ketamine Research Foundation, San Rafael, CA; co-editor, The Ketamine Papers (2016)

Panel: International Perspectives on Trauma and Trauma-informed Health Care

• Wajdi Akef Fakhoury, MA, MFTA, Psychotherapist, San Francisco, CA, conducting research with refugee populations in Jordan, Syria and Turkey
• Ilene Serlin, PhD, BC-DMT, co-editor, Integrated Care for the Traumatized: A Whole-Person Approach (2019); training trauma therapists in China, Israel, Jordan and Turkey.
• Edward Machtinger, MD, professor of medicine and director, women’s HIV program and center to advance trauma-informed health care (CTHC), UCSF

American Psychological Association Annual Convention in San Francisco, Aug. 9-12, 2018
CREATIVE ARTS in PSYCHOLOGY and THERAPY

This year’s APA Convention features a very special collaboration between Division 10 Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and The Arts Special Interest Programming (SIP) in Creative Arts in Psychology and Therapy, with staff from the National Endowment for the Arts. I am delighted to be part of this collaboration in conjunction with the “Psychotherapy and the Arts” special interest group (SIG) of Division 32. This collaboration is entitled “Creative Arts in Psychology and Therapy”

The creative arts feature in therapy as well as in health and wellbeing, in public policy and in education and training, to name a few applications that show the breadth and depth of creative arts in psychology and therapy. Division 10 and the NEA worked closely with specially chosen program chairs and division presidents to ensure as wide reach as possible.

You can view the complete program for the collaboration here. Please also consider joining us at 4PM on Friday, August 10, as I receive the Rollo May lifetime achievement award from Division 32.

Dr. Ilene Serlin attended the 5th Annual International Conference on Trans-generational Trauma: Communal Wounds and Victim Identities in Amman, Jordan, October 26-29, 2016, where she led a movement choir for the opening ceremony, and presented at and participated in the conference. See conference flyer, conference webpage

While in Amman, she also led a training and workshop, “Healing Transgenerational Trauma with Dance Movement Therapy.”

Existential Psychotherapy in China: Verbal and Nonverbal Cultural Exchanges, a symposium sponsored by Division 32 of the American Psychological Association and chaired by Dr. Serlin, was held August 6, 2015, at the 2015 APA Convention in Toronto.

This symposium explored two upcoming training programs scheduled to take place at the China Institute of Psychology in Beijing to train the next generation of psychotherapy practitioners in China in the existential/depth/relational model of group psychotherapy. Since clinical psychology is new in China, and since the trainers are all Americans, the issue of cross-cultural values, communication and relationships were considered. More info

Opening Session, Thursday, August 7, 2014: The Link Between Psychology and Art. Ilene Serlin and Jody Wager, the President-Elect of the American Dance Therapy Association, (pictured here) lead attendees in a collaborative movement choir dance. Frank Worrell, PhD, directed the APA Choir.

Screening and Discussion: Doctors of the Dark Side. Co-sponsored by APA Division 32 and Psychologists for Social Responsibility. More info

The International Institute for Advanced Training in Dance Movement Therapy

dedicated to furthering the highest quality of worldwide education & professional development of dance movement therapy as a primary therapeutic modality

Dr. Marcia B. Leventhal, BC-DMT and Dr. Ilene A. Serlin, BC-DMT, are proud to announce An Introduction to the Institute’s Programs Saturday & Sunday, December 7 – 8, 2013, at AgeSong, 624 Laguna St, San Francisco, CA 94102

1. Introduction to the Art of Embodiment for Mental Health Professionals, December 7, 9am-4pm
2. Finding Your Own Voice: Integration of DMT and Psychotherapy, DMT as a Primary Therapeutic Modality Advanced Practitioners Training, December 8, 2013 9am-4pm

Holistic Health, Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback
How mind-body, whole-person educational approaches enhance clinical efficacy

In light of the recent bombings in Boston, it is imperative that psychologists obtain training in self-care practices for reducing secondary or vicarious trauma which may occur while working with clients who have experienced serious trauma.

Good self-care begins with acknowledging the links between the mind and body. There is increasing evidence that traumatic experiences can manifest in the body, and that somatic and expressive therapies can transform places where traumatic experiences get stuck.

We are fortunate that a free workshop in self-care practices is being offered by the San Francisco Psychological Association, and is part of our continuing effort to work directly with the community. This free workshop is possible due to the generosity of Drs. Erik Peper and Richard Harvey, mind-body experts from the Department of Holistic Health at San Francisco State University, who are donating their time.

This workshop will:

• demonstrate applied psychophysiological biofeedback techniques for practitioners of psychology, including techniques relating to heart rate variability training for traumatic experiences, respiratory awareness for anxiety, neurofeedback for attentional deficits, and other techniques.
• describe the research and clinical evidence for the efficacy of therapeutic biofeedback to compliment cognitive behavioral therapy,
• discuss the field of psychoneuroimmunology as it relates to self-mastery beyond pills, and
• identify ways of finding a qualified practitioner.

The workshop is open both to clinicians and to members of the general public who wish to learn more about mind-body medicine and biofeedback.

Date & time: Saturday, June 29, 2013 1-4 pm
Location: Alliant University, room #206, One Beach Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
Speakers: Dr. Erik Peper and Dr. Richard Harvey
Cost: Free

Serlin Featured on Poetics of Caring Day at November Conference in San Francisco
“Imagine If You Looked Forward to Aging the Way a Child Looks Forward to Becoming an Adult”

The decline of the body in aging often brings depression and grief over loss of function, expression, and sense of self. As keynote speaker at San Francisco’s inaugural Poetics of Aging Conference November 16 – 19, 2011, Ilene Serlin, Ph.D., BC-DMT, shared basic principles of leading a structured movement group for the elderly that uses the organizing principle of rhythm, imagination, simple movements and props to aid dialogue, interaction, support, expression of feelings, and dealing with existential issues of mortality, control, aloneness and meaning.

As so aptly described by Heather Hill in the Psychotherapy and the ARTs July Newsletter, it’s the relationship that matters, no matter where we are physically and mentally. That theme was the basis of the Poetics of Aging Conference in San Francisco, which was held at the same time as the Arts and Health Conference in Canberra, Australia. From across the world, the two conferences employed experiential and creative arts to explore aging as growth, not decline and illness. Nader Shabahangi, CEO and President of Age Song’s six elder communities and the AgeSong Institute, and the primary sponsor and originator of the inaugural Poetics of Aging Conference, was in Australia that week. He would have enjoyed participating in the Canberra Conference, but no – he needed to be back in San Francisco to launch the Poetics of Aging Conference!

In accord with Hill’s emphasis on equalizing the relationship, the Poetics of Aging Conference included both professionals in the field of aging and healthcare, as well as members of the community – anyone interested in the view of aging as exploration and growth. Presenters were “coming out of the woodwork,” so to speak. Understandably, professionals (marriage and family counselors, nurses, administrators of assisted living communities, doctors, career counselors, social workers, gerontologists, and others) were eager to present their research and earn continuing education hours in such a creative, social environment. More surprising was the continual flow of poets, storytellers, singers, actors, artists, architects, and designers, and people of all ages, 20s through 90s, who chose to participate in the conference from all over the country, and even the world! They were delighted to participate in a creative conference on aging where they could be heard and listen to the wisdom of others. Still working, 90+ Anna Halprin danced the Courtesan and the Crone, while 97-year mature Marion Rosen shared somatic techniques that she founded over 40 years ago.

Don’t miss the funny and inspiring video (above) from the conference, “Imagine If You Looked Forward to Aging the Way a Child Looks Forward to Becoming an Adult.”

Keynote speakers from a range of disciplines shared their expertise, including John Krumboltz, Dick Bolles, and Norman Amundson (career development icons), as well as Ilene Serlin, Pat Fox, and John Gray (psychology leaders). The conference also included a Creativity Lab; presentations including music, photography, art, architecture, and sand play; filmmakers showing their productions; a “Speakeasy” composed of poets and storytellers in a sharing circle; and rituals ranging from “Honoring Our Ancestors” to creating a conference “Talking Stick.”

A Sneak Peek into Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Psychologists

Saturday, Aug. 6, 2011, 10-11:50am, Convention Center room 150B
Chair: Jeffrey E. Barnett, Psy.D, ABPP — Department of Psychology, Loyola University Maryland
Discussant: Ilene Serlin, Ph.D — Past president, San Francisco Psychological Association

1. CAM: All your clients are doing it!
   Presenter: Margaret Horne, M.S., Loyola University MarylandComplementary and alternative medicine is the term for a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered to be part of conventional medicine. While commonly discussed together, complementary medicine is used alongside conventional medicine, while alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. CAM is broken into four primary domains – mind-body, biologically-based, manipulative and body based, and energy medicine – which will each be defined and discussed in this presentation. Research estimates that at least 37% of Americans utilize some form of CAM every year, and thus is a noteworthy presence in the American health care system.CAM’s development throughout world history will be presented, as well as its struggle for visibility and acceptance in Western culture. Recent medical literature asserts that the modalities that were once condemned as “quackery” because they did not originate within the Western medical model, are now effectively complementing the Western medical system and often filling a void which consumers are willing to pay out of pocket to fill. Arguments for CAM’s permanent presence in Western society and the implications for psychologists will be addressed.
2. Integrative Care in the Therapeutic Realm: Ethical Considerations Regarding CAM
   Presenter: Rachel Firestone, M.A., Loyola University MarylandWith the integration of CAM into ongoing mental health care and treatment, practicing psychologists must be aware of the appropriate and efficacious treatments as well as the ethical issues, which arise with such incorporation. With 37% of the general population already utilizing CAM, and with many more having expressed interest, psychologists’ knowledge of and competence in integrating, possibly through a referral process, CAM into their practice have been shown to be quite powerful and effective. Integration of CAM modalities into traditional therapeutic processes brings with it many ethical issues, which must be considered. It is through the lens of the practitioner and the client, with which these concerns must be viewed.Specifically, the APA Ethics Code standards, as well as subjective practitioner and client needs and comfort levels provide the lens through which ethical concerns are addressed. Ethical concerns relating to competence, cultural factors, referral protocols and processes, confidentiality, payment and fees, informed consent, and boundaries relating to multiple relationships within the psychotherapy relationship are addressed as relevant to integrating CAM into ongoing psychotherapy with clients. Given that the standards of the APA Ethics Code may be subject to subjective interpretation, a variety of ethical decision-making models are reviewed that may assist practitioners in their decisions regarding the integration of CAM into ongoing psychotherapy.

   Ultimately, practitioners are responsible for providing the most comprehensive, ethical care possible, and therefore, must be knowledgeable about and capable of knowing when to integrate CAM into their practices by providing CAM services directly, when to refer clients to appropriately trained CAM practitioners to augment the psychotherapy they provide, and when the use of particular CAM modalities might not be in a client’s best interests. Strategies for addressing each of these situations are addressed in this presentation.

3. Isn’t Alternative Medicine Just Yoga and Meditation?
   Presenter: Allison Shale, M.S., Loyola University MarylandThis presentation will be used as a way of introducing mental health professionals to a verity of modalities that are considered to be forms of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM). It will address a variety of topics regarding the 14 most commonly used CAM modalities: 1) Dietary Supplements; 2) Meditation; 3) Yoga; 4) Acupuncture; 5) Massage Therapy; 6) Music Therapy; 7) Hypnosis; 8) Reiki; 9) Progressive Muscle Relation; 10) Movement Therapy; 11) Aromatherapy; 12) Biofeedback; 13) Chiropractic; and 14) Spirituality and Prayer. With so many different modalities being addressed, the aim of the presentation will be to emphasize just how many CAM techniques exist while raising awareness related to the fact that our clients may be utilizing some of them in addition to more traditional psychotherapy.The presentation will include a brief background on each technique with specific information about its history as well as the symptoms and disorders that are commonly treated using each modality. Further, we will discuss the specific training and qualifications that are required for mental health professionals to be considered competent in each area. With that, information will be provided regarding how and when to make appropriate referrals when considering CAM. Further, there will be lists of additional resources on each of the techniques as we imagine that the presentation will surely pique psychologists’ interest and leave them wanting more information on CAM! Ultimately though, the presentation will serve as a brief overview of the most popular, and widely used forms of CAM with an emphasis being put on their increasing utility among many of our clients.

For more information on APA conventions, see apa.org/convention.

ADTA Dance/Movement Mini-Conference

presented by the American Dance Therapy Association, Southern California chapter
Sunday, May 1st, 2011, 9:30am – 4:30pm
at Anna Halprin’s Historic Mountain Home Studio in Kentfield, California

Schedule
9:15am-9:30am   Registration & Check-In
9:30am-12:30pm Morning Session: Posttraumatic Growth and Dance Therapy
                          with Ilene Serlin, Ph.D, BC-DMT
12:30pm-1:30pm Lunch (included) catered by Woodlands Market
1:30pm-4:30pm   Afternoon Session: Creative Transition
                          with Marybeth Weinstock, Ph.D, BC-DMT and Taira Restar, M.A.

Morning Session: Post Traumatic Growth and Dance Therapy
with Ilene Serlin, Ph.D, BC-DMT

This workshop will include experiential and didactic components. It is becoming an established clinical observation that trauma exists in the body as well as the mind, and some specialized mind/body trainings are available. Trauma also shatters identity and experience, and nonverbal and symbolic approaches reawaken cognitive function. Approaches that integrate sensate and cognitive approaches to deal with the multiplicity of trauma experiences are needed, as well as existential approaches that deal with the confrontation with mortality.

Dance/movement therapy provides a symbolic and nonverbal approach, and is uniquely suited to working with trauma. This workshop will utilize a Posttraumatic Growth approach that is holistic and helps participants develop resiliency and courage.

Given the need for clinicians to work with returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan and their families, clinicians can be trained to incorporate whole person methods into their own clinical practices. Cross cultural examples from Israel and the United States will provide a context for an examination of the cultural basis for diagnoses and treatment of PTSD. A culturally sensitive understanding of trauma will explore community acceptance and resilience with symbolic enactment of fragmentation and hopes for healing.

Dr. Ilene Serlin is a clinical psychologist and registered dance/movement therapist. She is the founder and Director of Union Street Health Associates and the Arts Medicine Program at California Pacific Medical Center. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Past President and Council Representative of the Division of Humanistic Psychology of the American Psychological Association, on the Editorial Boards of the Arts in Psychotherapy, the Journal of Dance Therapy, and the Journal of Humanistic Psychology, and has taught and published widely in the US and abroad. Dr. Serlin’s approach draws on her extensive background, training and experience in dance and the arts, Gestalt and depth psychotherapy and behavioral medicine. Website: www.ileneserlin.com

Afternoon Session: Creative Transition
with Marybeth Weinstock, Ph.D, BC-DMT and Taira Restar, M.A.

The afternoon session will begin with Marybeth presenting the findings of her dissertation on Women Dancers in Midlife: Coping with the Transition and Taira discussing her work as an Arts Educator and Tamalpa Institute teacher. They will then present on how they combine their work including Anna Halprin’s influence. The rest of the workshop will be a sampling of workshop experiences which have included breath, somatic movement, improvisational dance, drawing, writing, ritual and play as a means to explore, converse and celebrate the passage of a women’s body into and through midlife.

Marybeth Weinstock Ph.D., BC-DMT has been a Dance/Movement Therapist in hospitals, schools, and in private practice for almost 40 years. Her dissertation for her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology was entitled “Women Dancers in Midlife: Coping with the Transition”. Marybeth’s work is informed by her belief in and practice of meditation, transformation, and joy. Website: www.creativetransition.net

Taira Restar M.A. is an ordained minister, artist, and arts educator. She is on faculty at Tamalpa Institute. She teaches and performs with her mentor, Anna Halprin. Taira has worked with children and adults for over 25 years. Website: www.tairarestar.com

For more info, contact Gwen Angert, Programming Chair, gwengym@aol.com or 562/221-2790.

Attendance at this conference meets the qualifications for 6.0 hours of continuing education credit for DMTs as required by the American Dance Therapy Association.

Dance, Movement & Humanistic Therapy

Dr. Serlin presented a workshop entitled “Dance, Movement & Humanistic Therapy” at the US Association for Body Psychotherapy conference on Unraveling Trauma: Body, Mind and Science on October 22-25, 2010 at JFK University in Pleasant Hill California.

Engaging the Other: the Power of Compassion

Dr. Serlin presented at the 4th Annual Int’l Conference “Engaging the Other: the Power of Compassion” on November 12-15, 2009 in San Mateo, California. More info

2009 CALIFORNIA PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONVENTION

On Saturday, April 19, 2009, Dr. Serlin chaired a panel on Whole Person Approaches to Trauma: Post-Traumatic Growth at the 2009 California Psychological Association annual convention in Oakland, California.

Introduction
Trauma profoundly affects body and mind, yet most psychological approaches are verbal. Nonverbal approaches bring a symbolic working-through, resulting in changes in brain activity. This panel taught experiential approaches like imagery and movement, stress management and existential/integrative therapy in the context of military culture, and from a growth perspective.

Healthcare professionals in the US need to get ready to work with returning Iraqi veterans and their families. In 2008, a Task Force was established under the leadership of Miguel Gallardo and chaired by Ilene Serlin to address this need. This workshop presented an approach to working with trauma that is from a whole person perspective and emphasizes post-traumatic growth, and show examples learned from Israeli trauma centers.

Course description
Trauma profoundly affects the physiology of the body, as well as cognition and speech, yet most psychological approaches are verbal. This workshop identified whole person approaches to trauma and PTSD that address psychological, physical and spiritual aspects of loss and healing and demonstrate its roots in a growth perspective on psychotherapy.

Emerging mind/body approaches discussed in this panel include: Breathwork, relaxation, healthy lifestyle, meditation, writing, imagery, healing rituals, making sense of trauma (existential/humanistic), drama therapy, dance therapy, religious/spiritual faith and group therapy.

Cross-cultural examples using whole person approaches were provided from US and Israeli veterans. In each of these programs, the treatment goals included: 1) Bringing together the split body/mind that occurs with dehumanizing terror, 2) Finding meaning and purpose in disaster, 3) Providing a creative means for discharging aggression and restoring interpersonal connections, 4) Strengthening individual and community resilience, 5) Expressing and containing strong emotions like aggression and horror in a safe container, 6) Allowing creativity to symbolize traumatic losses and hopes for the future.

Whole person approaches to post-traumatic growth are cost-effective, humane, and non-invasive ways to work with individuals and groups that can be built into clinical treatment and training programs. Culturally sensitive, they can restore interpersonal connections in times of rapidly changing global identities and losses.

Chair: Serlin, Ilene, Whole Person Healthcare Approaches to Working with Trauma
Panelists

• Beckner, Victoria, Integrating Post-Traumatic Growth Strategies into Treatments for PTSD
• Harvey, Richard, Linking Spirituality and Resilience: Implications for Whole Person Practices
• Gubkin, Rut, Personal Reflections and Clinical Implications of the Impact of Traumatic Events and Resilience

CREATIVE ARTS THERAPIES APPROACHES TO WORKING WITH CONFLICT AND TRAUMA
Academic Conference in Israel

On April 5-6, 2009, Dr. Serlin presented a workshop at this conference at Lesley University, Israel entitled Whole Person Approaches to Conflict: Post Traumatic Growth:

Personal and social transformation has always been a key aspect of creative approaches to working with conflict, as well as that of the new field of post-traumatic growth. This workshop looked at how whole person approaches to conflict can promote transformation and growth. Working specifically with meditation, imagery and movement (kinesthetic imagining), it creatively addressed themes of conflict in the group. It then showed how post-traumatic growth is a natural perspective for arts and humanistic therapists that can help promote resiliency and positive affirmations of life.

2008 EXISTENTIAL HUMANISTIC INSTITUTE ANNUAL CONFERENCE

On November 15, 2008, Dr. Serlin presented a workshop entitled Kinesthetic Imagining at the annual conference of the Existential Humanistic Institute in San Francisco.

2008 APA CONVENTION

At the APA annual convention in Boston on August 13-17, 2008, Dr. Serlin participated in the following 5 panels:

1. Humanistic Psychology and Whole Person Approaches to Working with Trauma
Chair: Ilene A. Serlin, Ph.D, BC-DMT, Presenters: Stanley Krippner, Ph.D, Debbie Joffe Ellis, Ph.D. Trauma profoundly affects the physiology of the body, as well as cognition and speech, yet most psychological approaches are verbal. This workshop will identify whole person approaches to trauma that address psychological, physical and spiritual aspects of loss and healing and demonstrate its roots in humanistic psychology.Emerging mind/body approaches that will be discussed in this paper are: Breathwork, relaxation, healthy lifestyle, meditation, writing, imagery, healing rituals, making sense of trauma (existential/humanistic), drama therapy, dance therapy, religious/spiritual faith and group therapy.Examples using whole person approaches were provided from US and Israeli veterans. In each of these programs, the treatment goals included:

• Bringing together the split body/mind that occurs with dehumanizing terror,
• Finding meaning and purpose in disaster,
• Providing a creative means for discharging aggression and restoring interpersonal connections,
• Strengthening individual and community resilience,
• Expressing and containing strong emotions like aggression and horror in a safe container,
• Allowing creativity to symbolize traumatic losses and hopes for the future.

Mind/body approaches are cost-effective, humane, and non-invasive ways to work with individuals and groups that can be built into clinical treatment and training programs. Culturally sensitive, they can restore interpersonal connections in times of rapidly changing global identities and losses.

Part I: Whole Person Healthcare and Roots in Humanistic Psychology (Ilene Serlin)
Part II: The Wounded U.S. Warrior: From Soldier’s Heart to PTSD (Stanley Krippner)
Part III: Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy for Trauma Treatment – Healing Heart and Mind (Debbie Ellis)

2.Existential-Integrative Psychotherapy: New Horizons of Practice
This panel focused on exhibiting a diversity of practices within the existential-integrative (EI) therapeutic model developed in Schneider’s recent edited book “Existential-Integrative Psychotherapy: Guideposts to the Core of Practice” (Routledge, 2008). Dr. Serlin spoke on EI and Kinesthetic Imagining.

3. New Works in Humanistic Psychology: Meet the Authors

Dr. Serlin was an author in attendance.

4. Humanizing an Inhumane World: Expression in the Service of Humanity Through the Arts
Moderated by Dr. Serlin and co-sponsored by Lesley University and Div. 32: Psychotherapy and the Arts.Throughout history the arts have been used to engage and transform the most irresolvable conflicts and deepest pains. When all logical attempts to resolve individual and social problems have failed, the arts have reliably offered ways of expressing and re-visioning our struggles and shaping them into positive affirmations of life.Faculty from Lesley University presented transformative aesthetic and psychological approaches to working with conflict through the arts. The panel was moderated by Ilene Serlin, reflecting the relationship between this approach and the humanistic tradition.

5. Healing and Feeling — Stress, Support and Cancer
Dr. Serlin talked on Arts Medicine.

For more information, see the APA website.

2007 APA CONVENTION

At the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco on August 18, 2007, Dr. Serlin chaired the panel on integrative healthcare for the whole person.

Whole Person Healthcare

Mind/body therapies offer an exciting new healthcare frontier, addressing the complex interaction of mental, physical and spiritual dimensions of health and illness. Beginning with the introduction of the word “health” into the mission statement of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2001, an APA “Health Care for the Whole Person” Task Force in 2004 under the leadership of APA’s president Ron Levant, Tool Kits being introduced in the Practice Directorate, and a Task Force on Whole Person psychology under Laura Barbanel of Division 42 in 2006, the Whole Person approach to health care in psychology is beginning to gather evidence of the effectiveness and best practices of integrative collaborative care.

Whole Person Healthcare integrates the best evidence/based integrative therapies into a bio-psycho-social-spiritual model. The Whole Person approach considers the person in the context of his or her world, seeking to understand the meaning of symptoms, as well as their biological and behavioral causes. Learning Whole Person approaches is important for psychologists because the public and patients are already looking for quality professionals who can provide them.

Whole Person approaches to health deal with the whole person in his or her setting, rather than reducing illness to isolated disease entities or body parts. This panel is designed to introduce the healthcare professional into different areas of Whole Person health care, and provide a comprehensive overview of the field. It is transdisciplinary, drawing from practitioners and programs from psychology, medicine, clergy, public policy, and the arts. It lays a foundation of definitions and practices of integrative health care for the 21st century. It helps practitioners develop protocols and assess efficacy of alternative practices, emphasizes the relevance of integrative health care for the marginalized population, and discusses risk prevention, policy and issues of patient protection.

A Whole Person approach to health care also focuses on issues of meaning in illness, the role of spirituality, health and mental health, chaplaincy and pastoral care, and research and practice in yoga, meditation, imagery, QiGong, prayer, ritual, and death and dying. Finally, a Whole Person approach introduces the practitioner to the history and practices of art and health care throughout the ages. It presents the history of art and health in ancient healing rituals, shows the relevance of rituals in the growing number of international contemporary Art in Health programs, and discusses applications of art, music, dance, drama and poetry therapy programs at the bedside, in groups, and in cross-cultural conflict.

The Year of the Whole Person provides a timely window for a much-needed collaboration among health care professionals. This collaboration can bring together the best practices from the science and art of psychology and medicine for a comprehensive treatment approach. The current unsustainable healthcare system urgently needs a more efficient utilization of services; the underserved patients are demanding that their healthcare professionals talk to each and coordinate quality traditional and complementary practices, and healthcare professionals can rediscover their modern yet ancient roles as healers of the mind, body, and spirit.

1. Tool Kits for the Whole Person, Russ Newman, Ph.D, JD, Director, APA Practice DirectorateHealth care practices are expanding from traditional medical settings into new areas such as rehabilitation, wellness programs, and community education, offering practitioners new opportunities and challenges. These developments are consistent with a variety of recent trends within psychology, such as the addition of the word “health” into the mission statement of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2001, and the “Year of the Whole Person ” (Serlin, 2001-2). An APA “Health Care for the Whole Person” Task Force in 2004, under the leadership of APA’s president Ron Levant, gathered evidence of the effectiveness and best practices of integrative collaborative care, and a Task Force on Health Care was organized by Division 42 in 2006 under President Laura Barbanel.

   The Practice Directorate of the APA has begun to integrate new attention to areas of psychology like resiliency, positive psychology, coaching and wellness to teach practitioners how to bring these Whole Person approaches into their own practices. While some psychologists will choose to affiliate with medical settings and work on healthcare teams, others may want to bring integrative practices into their own private offices. This presentation will discuss efforts currently underway to address the crisis in healthcare by building on trends in Whole Person approaches and making these Tool Kits available to APA’s practitioners.

2. Integrative Healthcare at Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center, David Spiegel, MD, Medical DirectorHealth care practices are expanding from traditional medical settings into new areas such as rehabilitation, wellness programs, and community education, offering practitioners new opportunities and challenges. These developments are consistent with a variety of recent trends within psychology, such as the addition of the word “health” into the mission statement of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2001, and the “Year of the Whole Person ” (Serlin, 2001-2). The Practice Directorate of the APA has begun to integrate new attention to areas of psychology like resiliency, positive psychology, coaching and wellness to teach practitioners how to bring these Whole Person approaches into their own practices. An APA “Health Care for the Whole Person” Task Force in 2004, under the leadership of APA’s president Ron Levant, gathered evidence of the effectiveness and best practices of integrative collaborative care, and a Task Force on Health Care was organized by Division 42 in 2006 under President Laura Barbanel.

   This presentation describes the program at the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center as a model for biobehavioral and medical healthcare professional collaboration.

3. Envisioning Healthcare for the 21st Century, Pat De Leon, Ph.D, Past-President APAMind/body therapies offer an exciting new health care frontier. This series introduces the public, health care professionals, and students to this future. Mind/body therapies address the complex interaction of mental, physical, and spiritual dimensions of health and illness. Because these therapies deal with the whole person in his or her setting, rather than in terms of isolated disease entities or body parts, this integrative approach is being referred to as “Whole Person Health Care.” Each volume of this series demonstrates the application of mind/body therapies in a variety of contexts, showing their relevance across a wide range of settings and disciplines. Health care practices are expanding from traditional medical settings into new areas such as rehabilitation, wellness programs, and community education, offering practitioners new opportunities and challenges.

   This presentation will focus on a policy perspective on healthcare in the 21st Century, as well as the place of psychology in an integrative model.

4. Treating the Whole Person, Marie A. DiCowden, Ph.DThis presentation will focus on a model that combines physical, psychological and spiritual protocols in rehabilitation and overall healthcare. Based upon the Biscayne Institutes of Health & Living, Inc., a HealthCare Community©, the philosophical basis for combining traditional medical and psychological approaches with complementary approaches will be presented. The HealthCare Community© model, which has been providing services for over 17 years will be used to illustrate both the administrative and clinical feasibility for providing an integrative approach to healthcare. The historical basis for this combined approach will be reviewed. Protocols for pediatric and adult patients with both emotional and physical disabilities will be presented.

   Research data, as well as case illustrations of protocols, will demonstrate the method and efficacy of combining traditional rehabilitation with non-traditional approaches. Traditional methods include neuropsychological and psychological assessment and treatment, along with speech, physical and occupational therapy, applied in currently accepted healthcare delivery. Non-traditional treatments include the application of visual and music arts to the healing process; the use of music and drumming to change brain waves of neurologically impaired individuals; relaxation exercises and acupuncture in combined protocols to address pain management; mind awakening exercises, e.g., yoga, visualization, and “journeying” in treatment of disabled children; and mindfulness meditation used to address physical and psychological impairments for both adults and children.

   An overview of how this model can be adapted for other institutions and private practice will be addressed.

5. Spirituality and Health, Bruce Feldstein, MDThere is strong evidence in the medical literature of the relationship between spirituality and health and the importance of spiritual care (Anandarajah and Hight, 2001, January 2). As a result of illness or trauma and its treatment, including hospitalization, patients, families as well as healthcare providers will encounter various degrees of suffering such as alienation, anger, anxiety, guilt, indecision, turmoil, intrusiveness, anguish, questioning, hopelessness, confusion, fear, and grief (Katonah, 1985). They can also experience profound blessing, awe, appreciation, gratitude, a sense of connection and belonging, vision, meaning and inspiration.

   Spiritual care involves recognizing and responding to these multiple expressions of spirituality. Spiritual care is everyone’s job—the patient, their family and friends, members of the health care team, as well as chaplains and clergy (Mohrmann, 1995). There are many crucial moments in healthcare that call for a spiritual presence and response—a listening ear, a gentle touch, a compassionate word and sometimes a blessing or prayer. So often the physician or nurse or other health care provider is the one who is available. It is not only appropriate but sometimes necessary for them to provide a spiritual response (Feldstein, 2001). And yet, while spiritual care may be everyone’s job, it is not everyone’s primary role. Furthermore, physicians, nurses and healthcare workers can themselves be overwhelmed and unprepared to respond to these needs.

   In the healthcare setting, it is the primary role of the healthcare chaplain to provide for the spiritual care of patients, families and staff. This presentation will demonstrate the role of the chaplain who works closely with others in a health care team to provide integrative treatment in a clinical setting.

6. Imagery: Multiple Modalities, Kirwan Rockefeller, Ph.DImagery has its roots in ancient philosophical and spiritual practice. However, imagery has become a central part of preventive and traditional Western medicine in the past 20 years. Psychologists can be trained in basic imagery techniques and applications. And more and more therapists are employing such approaches. Research has demonstrated the efficacy of imagery, especially in the treatment and rehabilitation of cancer patients.

   Since imagery is verbal, visual and kinesthetic, this presentation will introduce the audience to the theory, clinical case examples and hands-on training in multi-modal approaches to imagery.

   The first section of this presentation will present theories of multiple intelligence as well as research and case examples of verbal, visual and kinesthetic images. The second section will demonstrate Tool Kits that teach clinical applications of multi-modal approaches to imagery using case studies and experiential training.

   Overall, this presentation will give participants an opportunity to experience innovative clinical skills that build upon psychologists’ role as agents of social change. The focus of non-traditional approaches, e.g. imagery, will be discussed in improving the lives of the disenfranchised; contributing to healthy communities through prevention and treatment; illustrating an emerging role of psychologists in combining mental health and healthcare; demonstrating best practices in education and training; developing specific strategies for working with diverse populations; and showing the many roles of culture and the arts in psychology and rehabilitation.

7. Art and Health, John Graham-Pole, MDThe quickly expanding field of arts medicine and the arts therapies is finding an essential place in three major areas of modern Western healthcare: (a) Clinical: the care of patients and their families; (b) Education of both professional and non-professional groups; and (c) Research into the efficacy of the arts and arts therapies as healing modalities. In this presentation I will briefly describe each of these, including a review of the expressive arts therapies as one aspect of mind-body medicine, a review of the history and scientific rationale of this evolving discipline, and a comprehensive coverage of world trends in the arts medicine field. Specific sections are also devoted to the visual arts, music, dance, drama and poetry therapies respectively, each seen from clinical, educational, and research perspectives.

   Clinical: The most conspicuous aspect of healing art is its contribution to the aesthetic quality of physical healthcare environments, through architecture, signage, and installations of art and sculpture. Of even more significance, however, are the clinical practices of artists and expressive arts therapists at the hospital bedside and other health settings, which make use of a constellation of arts media (McNiff, 1992; Samuels and Lane, 1998; Graham-Pole, 2000). Artists thrive on a kind of deconstruction and reconstruction of chaos, allowing them to bring to their work in healthcare a certain fearlessness in the face of the kind of chaos that every seriously ill person’s life has become. Educational: The arts are being used to educate all students of healthcare, for example, through medical humanities programs (Charon and Montello, 2002), which have become widespread in medical and nursing training, and incorporate the literary, visual, musical and dramatic arts. Educational courses in the healing arts are also attracting the attention of a wide diversity of healthcare and related professionals. Research: A growing body of research related to arts medicine, both quantitative and qualitative in scope, has emerged over the past fifty years. The science of creativity and health that underlies all assessment of art as therapy is reviewed.

2007 APA CONVENTION

At the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco on August 18, 2007, Dr. Serlin chaired the panel on integrative healthcare for the whole person.

Whole Person Healthcare

Mind/body therapies offer an exciting new healthcare frontier, addressing the complex interaction of mental, physical and spiritual dimensions of health and illness. Beginning with the introduction of the word “health” into the mission statement of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2001, an APA “Health Care for the Whole Person” Task Force in 2004 under the leadership of APA’s president Ron Levant, Tool Kits being introduced in the Practice Directorate, and a Task Force on Whole Person psychology under Laura Barbanel of Division 42 in 2006, the Whole Person approach to health care in psychology is beginning to gather evidence of the effectiveness and best practices of integrative collaborative care.

Whole Person Healthcare integrates the best evidence/based integrative therapies into a bio-psycho-social-spiritual model. The Whole Person approach considers the person in the context of his or her world, seeking to understand the meaning of symptoms, as well as their biological and behavioral causes. Learning Whole Person approaches is important for psychologists because the public and patients are already looking for quality professionals who can provide them.

Whole Person approaches to health deal with the whole person in his or her setting, rather than reducing illness to isolated disease entities or body parts. This panel is designed to introduce the healthcare professional into different areas of Whole Person health care, and provide a comprehensive overview of the field. It is transdisciplinary, drawing from practitioners and programs from psychology, medicine, clergy, public policy, and the arts. It lays a foundation of definitions and practices of integrative health care for the 21st century. It helps practitioners develop protocols and assess efficacy of alternative practices, emphasizes the relevance of integrative health care for the marginalized population, and discusses risk prevention, policy and issues of patient protection.

A Whole Person approach to health care also focuses on issues of meaning in illness, the role of spirituality, health and mental health, chaplaincy and pastoral care, and research and practice in yoga, meditation, imagery, QiGong, prayer, ritual, and death and dying. Finally, a Whole Person approach introduces the practitioner to the history and practices of art and health care throughout the ages. It presents the history of art and health in ancient healing rituals, shows the relevance of rituals in the growing number of international contemporary Art in Health programs, and discusses applications of art, music, dance, drama and poetry therapy programs at the bedside, in groups, and in cross-cultural conflict.

The Year of the Whole Person provides a timely window for a much-needed collaboration among health care professionals. This collaboration can bring together the best practices from the science and art of psychology and medicine for a comprehensive treatment approach. The current unsustainable healthcare system urgently needs a more efficient utilization of services; the underserved patients are demanding that their healthcare professionals talk to each and coordinate quality traditional and complementary practices, and healthcare professionals can rediscover their modern yet ancient roles as healers of the mind, body, and spirit.

1. Tool Kits for the Whole Person, Russ Newman, Ph.D, JD, Director, APA Practice DirectorateHealth care practices are expanding from traditional medical settings into new areas such as rehabilitation, wellness programs, and community education, offering practitioners new opportunities and challenges. These developments are consistent with a variety of recent trends within psychology, such as the addition of the word “health” into the mission statement of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2001, and the “Year of the Whole Person ” (Serlin, 2001-2). An APA “Health Care for the Whole Person” Task Force in 2004, under the leadership of APA’s president Ron Levant, gathered evidence of the effectiveness and best practices of integrative collaborative care, and a Task Force on Health Care was organized by Division 42 in 2006 under President Laura Barbanel.

   The Practice Directorate of the APA has begun to integrate new attention to areas of psychology like resiliency, positive psychology, coaching and wellness to teach practitioners how to bring these Whole Person approaches into their own practices. While some psychologists will choose to affiliate with medical settings and work on healthcare teams, others may want to bring integrative practices into their own private offices. This presentation will discuss efforts currently underway to address the crisis in healthcare by building on trends in Whole Person approaches and making these Tool Kits available to APA’s practitioners.

2. Integrative Healthcare at Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center, David Spiegel, MD, Medical DirectorHealth care practices are expanding from traditional medical settings into new areas such as rehabilitation, wellness programs, and community education, offering practitioners new opportunities and challenges. These developments are consistent with a variety of recent trends within psychology, such as the addition of the word “health” into the mission statement of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2001, and the “Year of the Whole Person ” (Serlin, 2001-2). The Practice Directorate of the APA has begun to integrate new attention to areas of psychology like resiliency, positive psychology, coaching and wellness to teach practitioners how to bring these Whole Person approaches into their own practices. An APA “Health Care for the Whole Person” Task Force in 2004, under the leadership of APA’s president Ron Levant, gathered evidence of the effectiveness and best practices of integrative collaborative care, and a Task Force on Health Care was organized by Division 42 in 2006 under President Laura Barbanel.

   This presentation describes the program at the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University Medical Center as a model for biobehavioral and medical healthcare professional collaboration.

3. Envisioning Healthcare for the 21st Century, Pat De Leon, Ph.D, Past-President APAMind/body therapies offer an exciting new health care frontier. This series introduces the public, health care professionals, and students to this future. Mind/body therapies address the complex interaction of mental, physical, and spiritual dimensions of health and illness. Because these therapies deal with the whole person in his or her setting, rather than in terms of isolated disease entities or body parts, this integrative approach is being referred to as “Whole Person Health Care.” Each volume of this series demonstrates the application of mind/body therapies in a variety of contexts, showing their relevance across a wide range of settings and disciplines. Health care practices are expanding from traditional medical settings into new areas such as rehabilitation, wellness programs, and community education, offering practitioners new opportunities and challenges.

   This presentation will focus on a policy perspective on healthcare in the 21st Century, as well as the place of psychology in an integrative model.

4. Treating the Whole Person, Marie A. DiCowden, Ph.DThis presentation will focus on a model that combines physical, psychological and spiritual protocols in rehabilitation and overall healthcare. Based upon the Biscayne Institutes of Health & Living, Inc., a HealthCare Community©, the philosophical basis for combining traditional medical and psychological approaches with complementary approaches will be presented. The HealthCare Community© model, which has been providing services for over 17 years will be used to illustrate both the administrative and clinical feasibility for providing an integrative approach to healthcare. The historical basis for this combined approach will be reviewed. Protocols for pediatric and adult patients with both emotional and physical disabilities will be presented.

   Research data, as well as case illustrations of protocols, will demonstrate the method and efficacy of combining traditional rehabilitation with non-traditional approaches. Traditional methods include neuropsychological and psychological assessment and treatment, along with speech, physical and occupational therapy, applied in currently accepted healthcare delivery. Non-traditional treatments include the application of visual and music arts to the healing process; the use of music and drumming to change brain waves of neurologically impaired individuals; relaxation exercises and acupuncture in combined protocols to address pain management; mind awakening exercises, e.g., yoga, visualization, and “journeying” in treatment of disabled children; and mindfulness meditation used to address physical and psychological impairments for both adults and children.

   An overview of how this model can be adapted for other institutions and private practice will be addressed.

5. Spirituality and Health, Bruce Feldstein, MDThere is strong evidence in the medical literature of the relationship between spirituality and health and the importance of spiritual care (Anandarajah and Hight, 2001, January 2). As a result of illness or trauma and its treatment, including hospitalization, patients, families as well as healthcare providers will encounter various degrees of suffering such as alienation, anger, anxiety, guilt, indecision, turmoil, intrusiveness, anguish, questioning, hopelessness, confusion, fear, and grief (Katonah, 1985). They can also experience profound blessing, awe, appreciation, gratitude, a sense of connection and belonging, vision, meaning and inspiration.

   Spiritual care involves recognizing and responding to these multiple expressions of spirituality. Spiritual care is everyone’s job—the patient, their family and friends, members of the health care team, as well as chaplains and clergy (Mohrmann, 1995). There are many crucial moments in healthcare that call for a spiritual presence and response—a listening ear, a gentle touch, a compassionate word and sometimes a blessing or prayer. So often the physician or nurse or other health care provider is the one who is available. It is not only appropriate but sometimes necessary for them to provide a spiritual response (Feldstein, 2001). And yet, while spiritual care may be everyone’s job, it is not everyone’s primary role. Furthermore, physicians, nurses and healthcare workers can themselves be overwhelmed and unprepared to respond to these needs.

   In the healthcare setting, it is the primary role of the healthcare chaplain to provide for the spiritual care of patients, families and staff. This presentation will demonstrate the role of the chaplain who works closely with others in a health care team to provide integrative treatment in a clinical setting.

6. Imagery: Multiple Modalities, Kirwan Rockefeller, Ph.DImagery has its roots in ancient philosophical and spiritual practice. However, imagery has become a central part of preventive and traditional Western medicine in the past 20 years. Psychologists can be trained in basic imagery techniques and applications. And more and more therapists are employing such approaches. Research has demonstrated the efficacy of imagery, especially in the treatment and rehabilitation of cancer patients.

   Since imagery is verbal, visual and kinesthetic, this presentation will introduce the audience to the theory, clinical case examples and hands-on training in multi-modal approaches to imagery.

   The first section of this presentation will present theories of multiple intelligence as well as research and case examples of verbal, visual and kinesthetic images. The second section will demonstrate Tool Kits that teach clinical applications of multi-modal approaches to imagery using case studies and experiential training.

   Overall, this presentation will give participants an opportunity to experience innovative clinical skills that build upon psychologists’ role as agents of social change. The focus of non-traditional approaches, e.g. imagery, will be discussed in improving the lives of the disenfranchised; contributing to healthy communities through prevention and treatment; illustrating an emerging role of psychologists in combining mental health and healthcare; demonstrating best practices in education and training; developing specific strategies for working with diverse populations; and showing the many roles of culture and the arts in psychology and rehabilitation.

7. Art and Health, John Graham-Pole, MDThe quickly expanding field of arts medicine and the arts therapies is finding an essential place in three major areas of modern Western healthcare: (a) Clinical: the care of patients and their families; (b) Education of both professional and non-professional groups; and (c) Research into the efficacy of the arts and arts therapies as healing modalities. In this presentation I will briefly describe each of these, including a review of the expressive arts therapies as one aspect of mind-body medicine, a review of the history and scientific rationale of this evolving discipline, and a comprehensive coverage of world trends in the arts medicine field. Specific sections are also devoted to the visual arts, music, dance, drama and poetry therapies respectively, each seen from clinical, educational, and research perspectives.

   Clinical: The most conspicuous aspect of healing art is its contribution to the aesthetic quality of physical healthcare environments, through architecture, signage, and installations of art and sculpture. Of even more significance, however, are the clinical practices of artists and expressive arts therapists at the hospital bedside and other health settings, which make use of a constellation of arts media (McNiff, 1992; Samuels and Lane, 1998; Graham-Pole, 2000). Artists thrive on a kind of deconstruction and reconstruction of chaos, allowing them to bring to their work in healthcare a certain fearlessness in the face of the kind of chaos that every seriously ill person’s life has become. Educational: The arts are being used to educate all students of healthcare, for example, through medical humanities programs (Charon and Montello, 2002), which have become widespread in medical and nursing training, and incorporate the literary, visual, musical and dramatic arts. Educational courses in the healing arts are also attracting the attention of a wide diversity of healthcare and related professionals. Research: A growing body of research related to arts medicine, both quantitative and qualitative in scope, has emerged over the past fifty years. The science of creativity and health that underlies all assessment of art as therapy is reviewed.

2006 APA CONVENTION

At the 2006 annual meeting of the American Psychological Association held August 10-13, 2006 in New Orleans, Dr. Serlin presented in the following panels:

1. Shaping Post 9/11 Dialogue: Task Force Assessments and Comments — sponsored by APA Division 48, Peace Psychology.This symposium engages the study of violence and aggression as related to terrorism, in relation to Western disillusionment.
2. Health & Living: Life After Rehabilitation — sponsored by APA Division 22, Rehabilitation Psychology.Rehabilitation is often narrowly defined as the formal application of professional treatment provided within a structured inpatient or outpatient setting. However, The National Institute of Health Consensus Report on Traumatic Brain Injury (1998) indicated almost 10 years ago that in some cases “rehabilitation can be lifelong.” This can also be true for individuals needing rehabilitation for other traumas and/or chronic illness.

   On-going quality of life for persons with disabilities has long been discussed in rehabilitation circles. Now a new paradigm is emerging that defines healthy functioning and quality of life on a continuum for all individuals. This presentation explores how rehabilitation can take place over the long-term in non-traditional settings and make health and quality living the ultimate goal for persons who need rehabilitation.

   A model for healthcare delivery is presented that specifically defines rehabilitation services in a more humanistic manner on a continuum of overall health related care. Cutting edge assistive technology that enhances functioning as well as alternative practices that have ancient roots in spiritual approaches are cited along with research data that supports the integration of these approaches in current care. The role of the arts in healing arts is discussed as well as the concept of disability as a transformational experience. Additionally, a therapist, who is herself a brain injury survivor and now serves as a peer mentor to other individuals with traumatic brain injury, speaks about her own poignant journey and “life after rehab.”

   Health and quality of life for individuals with a disability is a reflection of how we as society perceive health and quality of life for everyone. “Life after rehab” is an important concept, especially when we consider that we are all one step away from disability.

3. Evidence-Based Outcome: Humanistic and Arts Therapies — sponsored by APA Division 32, Humanistic Psychology and APA Division 10, Psychology, Creativity and the Arts.

For information about upcoming APA conventions, go to the APA convention website.

2005 APA CONVENTION

Dr. Serlin made the following two presentations at the American Psychological Association annual convention in Washington, DC on August 20, 2005. Both were sponsored by APA Division 1, the Society for General Psychology:

1. Challenges & Creativity — a symposium presented by Dr. Ilene Serlin, Dr. Marie DiCowden, and Dr. Tobi Zausner.This symposium discussed the central role of psychology in facilitating the creativity of challenged individuals and also in examining their creative processes. Psychology helps challenged people uncover their gifts and find a path to wellness through creative expression.
2. The Postmodern War on Terrorism — an invited paper presented by Dr. Ilene Serlin as part of a panel on 21st Century Psychology.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN ISRAEL: Creative Arts in Conflict Resolution

Imagine: Expression in the Service of Humanity —
Creative Approaches to Dealing with Conflict in Groups.
April 2-6, 2006 in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel

This conference focuses on the development of creative therapeutic tools appropriate for dealing with conflict in general and the Israel-Palestine conflict in particular. The predominant theme is touching and understanding the pain of the other as a vehicle for growth and development and to explore new ideas and approaches.

The conference brings together a multidisciplinary group of researchers and practitioners from group psychotherapy and group analysis, psychology, psychiatry, the expressive therapies, education, social work and related areas of inquiry, as well as from the arts. The program will incorporate presentations by distinguished speakers, simultaneous symposia, workshops and panels. Some of the topics include: Living with Conflict and Ongoing Trauma, Conflict Resolution Among Indigenous Societies, Developing Dialog During a Time of Conflict, Building Resilience in the Face of Existential Survival Issues, Artistic Responses to Difficult Times, Social Trauma – Conscious and Subconscious Consequences.

Moving Through Conflict: Understanding Personal and Cultural Differences through Movement Style. Workshop presented by Dr. Serlin and Mimi Berger. At the pre-conference on April 2-3, 2006 at Mormon University in East Jerusalem

Part I presented the foundations of the history, theory and practice of expressive arts therapies.
Part II demonstrated clinical examples of integration.
Part III provided an opportunity to practice in small groups.

Ecopsychology and Creative Arts Therapies – Ecopsychology is one of the newest movements in psychology in the United States, growing out of the global ecology crisis and the understanding that psychology must move beyond a concern for the personal psyche to a concern for the sustainability of the environment. This course covers the theory of ecopsychology, and examines the role of the artist-healer in the context of the natural world.

Space, Movement and Healing – This talk for a San Francisco architecture office focuses on the interrelationship of space, movement and healing, with particular attention to how buildings are constructed to evoke certain movements, both historically and in the present. Labanotation, a movement observation language system, is used to describe parameters of time, weight, space and flow in the vocabulary of movement and space. Examples are given of healing and movement work done in the context of a support group for women with breast cancer.

The Anne Sexton Complex – The Anne Sexton complex describes, in a language deriving from the arts rather than psychopathology, the lure and seductiveness of the Underworld. Recent films about Sylvia Plat and Sabina Spielrein and books about Christiana Morgan and Sexton illustrate renewed interest in the relationship between women, creativity, and suicide. It is very important for therapists to understand this dynamic.

This presentation for The Dream Institute of Berkeley, juxtaposes case vignettes with selections from Sexton’s poetry and life to illustrate how this dynamic shows up in ourselves and those with whom we work. 4 hours CEU.

Dr. Serlin Presents to GeroWellness Interns at AgeSong

On August 28, 2013, Dr. Serlin was the featured speaker at AgeSong’s GeroWellness Interns classroom training. Click here for resources that were cited in her presentation.

SYMPOSIUM IN SAN FRANCISCO: Creative Arts Therapies

First Annual Creative Arts Therapies Symposium of the Dance Therapy Institute:
Wisdom of the Arts in Life, Therapy and Research
March 9-11, 2006 at Fort Mason Conference Center, San Francisco, California

COLLOQUIUM IN GERMANY: Dance Movement Therapy

Second International Research Colloquium in Dance Movement Therapy sponsored by the German Dance Movement Therapy Association in cooperation with the German Dance Research Association
February 10 – 11, 2006 in Pforzheim, Germany
SKIP: Serlin Kinaesthetic Imagining Profile
Presentation by Dr. Serlin at the Poster Session, Saturday, February 11, 2006, 11:30 AM – 12:25 PM

BREAST CANCER PREVENTION: REDUCING RISK THROUGH LIFESTYLE

Integrative Medicine Clinic of Santa Rosa
Starfish Health Partners Forum Series
Presented by Bob Dozor, M.D. and Ilene A. Serlin, Ph.D, BC-DMT, October 11, 2005

COMMUNITY EVENT: Race for the Cure

Please join us for the 15th Annual San Francisco Race for the Cure, September 25, 2005 and at our warm-up before the race.

SUPPORT GROUP: Bereavement Spiritual Support Group

for those living with the loss of a loved one facilitated by Rabbi Aliza Berk and Dr. Ilene Serlin
sponsored by the Bay Area Jewish Healing Center

SHORT COURSE: Whole Person Health Care: Integrating Mind-Body Therapies into Clinical Practice

presented by Dr. Ilene Serlin at the University of California Extension, Irvine, CA – May 21, 2005

WORKSHOP: Integrative Psychology, A Whole Person Approach

presented by Dr. Ilene Serlin, Dr. Kirwan Rockefeller and Dr. Jean Chin
at the California Psychological Association annual convention in Pasadena, CA – April 9, 2005

WORKSHOP: Body Image: A Class for High School Women

In this class women explore what is real and what is ideal. Who is “the real you”? Is she a bad girl, a good girl, a wounded child, or a warrior woman?

Foundations of Dance/Movement Therapy

College course at Sonoma State University
This class builds a foundation on the history and essential practices of Dance/Movement Therapy. Students become acquainted with the field and learn about its application.

WORKSHOP: Movement Choirs As Transformative Process

A Community Healing Dance Ritual by Dr. Ilene Serlin and Margie Pulamano Torres
A workshop at the Sixth Conference of the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA), “Expressive Arts: Voices for Peace and Transformation”
March 3-6, 2005 – Fort Mason Center, San Francisco

Workshop: Whole Person Approaches to Working with Trauma: Dance/Movement Therapy

June 29 – July 3, 1990

Ilene A. Serlin, Ph.D, BC-DMT,

Trauma approaches are needed that work with the body as well as the mind, shattered identity, belief systems, and existential dimensions for a confrontation with mortality. Dance/movement therapy provides a symbolic and nonverbal method uniquely suited to working with trauma. This training utilizes a holistic Posttraumatic Growth approach that develops resiliency and courage. Cross-cultural examples from Israel and the United States will show examples of a cultural basis for diagnoses and treatment of PTSD.

Given the recent return of soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan, the increasing rates of suicide and mental health breakdowns, there is an urgent need to bring holistic, mind/body approaches to PTSD and cost-effective methods and training materials to work with trauma. 

This workshop will focus on understanding theories of posttraumatic growth and their application with expressive and dance/movement therapies in Israel that are examples of these holistic, Whole Person approaches.

During a traumatic event or subsequent development, the brain shuts down, creating a dissociation between what the body is doing and the body is saying. The experience of trauma is contained in the body and has been described as speechless terror (Van der Kolk, 1987). Therefore, nonverbal and symbolic approaches are needed to address this speechless terror in the body. Trauma is also a crisis of mortality, meaning and identity; therefore there is a need for existential perspectives to work with these crises of meaning. Trauma is also about “stuckness” and “numbness,” an inability to play; therefore, there is a need for creative, imaginal, movement and emotional approaches to help stuck places begin to flow again. Trauma is also about fragmentation; therefore there is a need for approaches that build connection, integration, and transitions. 

Whole Person Psychology (Serlin, 2007) approaches focus on mind, body and spirit, integrated healthcare, meaning and purpose, using a wellness model that emphasizes individual and community strengths. They address what it means to be human, and use existential and humanistic perspectives to work with issues of identity, and beliefs (Serlin & Cannon, 2004). Creative arts therapies such as imagery, art, dance, music, drama, poetry, journal-writing release creativity (Haen, 2009), while somatic psychology, QiGong, Tai Chi, Aikido, Feldenkrais, movement, EMDR, EFT, yoga address trauma in the body. Spiritual approaches such as meditation, mindfulness awareness, stress reduction, and prayer can mobilize optimism and hope. These Whole Person approaches help heal the mind/body split from dehumanizing terror, are a creative means for containing, discharging, and rechanneling aggression, strengthen individual and community resilience and connections, decrease compassion fatigue and burnout, increase compassion regeneration, increase family communication and support, bridge multicultural symbolic forms, symbolize traumatic losses and hopes for the future, and re-establish the connection between the body and the brain. 

Whole Person approaches to trauma with dance/movement and expressive therapies build on somatic and symbolic expressions of trauma. Stress shows up in the body with negative emotions and fight/flight reactions, changes in cortisol levels, illness, cardiac symptoms, and hypertension. Positive emotions are expressed in the body as hope and curiosity, the protective value of having positive expectation about a future, and a healthy lifestyle. Stress is mediated by perception of events, beliefs, and cognitions. 

Whole Person approaches include meditation, which is defined as a group of practices that train attention and awareness, are based on assumptions that our usual state is suboptimal and higher states can be cultivated, and can be used by healthcare professionals to work with clients and for self-care. The benefits of meditation include enhanced immune system functioning, decreases in anxiety and depression, and increases in positive emotions like joy, compassion, and empathy. Imagery is a second group of practices that include: Guided Imagery that has been shown to reduce anxiety and depression, increase well-being and self-efficacy, and reduce pain and the need for pain medications; Kinaesthetic Imaging (KI), derived from the Greek word “kinaesthesia,” is a process in which sensations and expressions arising from bodily-felt movement become a nonverbal expressive text like poetry, or “action poesis;” and verbal imagery, which, like poetry, moves away from rational, linear to creative, symbolic writing and speaking. 

Creative arts therapies include art, music, dance, poetry, drama, and psychodrama, each of which has its own associations, trainings, journals, and research studies (Carey, 2006). Expressive therapies are multi-modal approaches based on methods from traditional healer-artists who painted, sang, and danced. Multimodal therapists use combinations of modalities to track, amplify and understand the meaning of emerging images. Examples of Whole Person Kinaesthetic Imagining methods explore resiliency by using the floor to mobilize weight, bouncing, springing, and jumping. Drawings from these experiences show movements from heaviness to lightness. 

Related concepts to Whole Person Psychology include posttraumatic growth (Calhoun, & Tedeschi, 2006), hardiness, thriving, hope, compassion regeneration and optimism. Growth Following Adversity (Joseph & Linley, 2008) is one that encourages appreciating the value of the struggle and challenges of life as a road to growth. Pathways to resiliency developed at Selah include control, commitment, challenge, connectedness, courage, compassion, confidence, contribution, and creativity. Zhi Mian is a Chinese form of existential psychotherapy based on work of Chinese philosopher Lu Xun and developed at the Zhi Mian Institute in Nanjing.
 

Examples of Whole Person Psychology approaches covered in this workshop are:

• Lesley University in Netanya, Natal, Selah, the Casualty Division of the IDF, the Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma, a conference in Israel on Conflict Resolution through the Arts: Imagine: Expression in the Service of Humanity (Serlin & Speiser, 2007);
• ArtsBridge that makes a difference through art by giving Israeli and Palestinian children an opportunity to see each other as human beings by dialoguing with art, and music;
• the Peace Train in which Zulu dancers and Jewish musicians from South Africa ride Freedom Train through South Africa creating music with communities, teaching Zulu dances to Israeli, Druz and Arab students;
• Seeds for Peace or Neve Shalom, in which Israeli and Palestinian families co-founded a village where all live peacefully together; the Hadassah Youth Village where young people make music, art and dance together;
• Natal, the Center for Victims of Terror and War, a multidisciplinary treatment center for victims of terror and war related trauma that improves their quality of life, trains professionals in preventing and coping with trauma, and promotes knowledge about terror and trauma in Israeli society;
• Selah: the Israel Crisis Management Center that provides special needs of immigrants (Pardess, 2005) and their coping with trauma and reduces compassion fatigue and caregiver burnout (Figley, 1995);
• and the Casualty Division of the Israeli Defense Forces, a voluntary service for visiting soldiers in hospitals, families of soldiers who are wounded or have died, maintaining contact for years pre-post and during service.

Examples of Whole Person Kinaesthetic Imagining (KI) groups use movement and art to express losses of innocence, identity, childhood, and what it means to feel “human and whole.” The Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma (ICTP) in Jerusalem, founded in 1989 to affect growing prevalence of PTSD in Israeli society, create resilience project in school systems, develop leadership skills in young people, and provide a 3-phase dissociation training.

Objectives

1. Learn about the role of the arts in working with trauma.
2. Learn about the role of the body in working with trauma.
3. Understand the importance of the arts and body for self-care.
4. Learn to apply methods of dance movement therapy to clinical work.

Course Structure

June 29, 1:00 – 5:00 pm: Arrival and Opening Circle

June 30

AM: Theory: The role of the body in working with trauma

PM: Practice: Embodied Practices

Evening: Free time to explore

July 1

AM: Theory: The role of the arts in working with trauma

PM: Practice: Using art and creativity

Evening: Optional cultural outing

July 2 – July 3: Reflections and Closing Ritual

References