The main task of the expressive arts therapist is to apply the transformative process of creativity to the benefit of a client. At the root of successful expressive arts therapy is to foster empathic relationships, empower client strengths, nurture creativity and identify possible obstacles to engaging with clients. The focus of this course is on how to form and sustain a therapeutic relationship with an individual in expressive arts therapy. Students will learn the stages of the expressive arts therapy process that include beginning/introductory, middle/working, and ending/termination stages, as well as, how those stages affect intervention design. Major emphases will be on facilitating active imagination and the importance of the triangular relationship among expressive arts therapist, client and art product to further treatment and healing. Client-centered processes will form the foundation for engaging clients and inform culturally-competent, phenomenological based methods of interpretation and responsive art making. Cultivating self-awareness and retaining an accepting stance for clients, students will examine the intricacies and benefits of expressive arts therapy. Assessment: 100% coursework