Many people write to ask me about the REACE designation with the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association so I have created this resource page. While I have my REACE designation, I presently do not offer any coursework that contributes to this accreditation.
You can take my expressive arts courses for personal and professional development HERE.
I have gathered a list of alternate Expressive Arts Trainings HERE. Email IEATA at [email protected] to find out about further training that I might have missed.
The REACE® designation with the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association offers a professionally accredited designation to expressive arts consultants and educators who use the expressive arts in a broad range of approaches in education, organizational development, health fields and more.
The REACE® candidate may have formal training or acquired experience by applying their skills in work situations. The applicant will choose one of two application tracks that best fits his or her education and experience. REACE applicants must thoroughly document education, work experience, expressive arts training, and personal and professional competency as an expressive arts consultant/educator. ~ IEATA
Benefits of the REACE Designation
The REACE designation offers the possibility of accreditation if your work and educational training do not fit the specific requirements for an (expressive) art therapy designation. Having worked as an artist in healthcare in a therapeutic government program in Canada for almost ten years, I chose the REACE route.
Based on my personal experience, I have written an article to explain the differences between Arts Facilitation and Art Therapy: "What is Expressive Arts Facilitation "HERE.
Both the formal and non-formal pathways of the REACE application take your real-life facilitation experiences into account so be sure to document all of your work. If you have been active in the field of the expressive arts and are tracking and are verifying your hours, more information about REACE credentials can be found HERE.
Expressive Arts Education
"The applicant must show proof of 200 hours of training in multimodal or intermodal expressive arts. This may be through a training/educational program or a collection of relevant training taught by a REACE or someone with equivalent experience and qualifications." - IEATA
Work Experience: To obtain your REACE designation without a master's degree in the Expressive Arts, Psychology, Education, Educational Psychology, Counseling, Spiritual Development or Pastoral Field, Social Work, Business Management, Organizational Development in any of the Creative Arts you will need a combination of 2500 hours of documented and verified work experience.
"Where no Master’s degree exists, a total of 2500 hours of expressive arts consulting and education work experience is required. This experience might consist of facilitating individuals or groups, and/or working with organizations. It is important that you describe how your work experience demonstrates multi-modal expressive arts consulting/education and fulfills the competency requirements.
"Expressive Arts Training may include coursework in art, dance/movement, drama, music, poetry, psychodrama, and courses in expressive arts education and consultation. It is very important that education and training have prepared an applicant to fulfill the competencies required to work in an integrated multi-modal arts process."
I have written an article on my experience with multimodal expressive arts practices HERE.
Free Peer-Led Support Group for Expressive Arts Facilitators
I have created a support group for arts facilitators of all types and walks of life. This support group is both for art facilitators who are interested in the REACE designation and for those who are not. You can read the group's guidelines for my "cross-pollination" support group HERE.
I specialize in supporting people who are new to the expressive arts and I love celebrating the diversity in different approaches in the arts and healing. I am also a big supporter of personal experiential practice in the expressive arts before you consider facilitating it for others. You can read my article, "Letter to a Young Expressive Artist" HERE.
You can join the support group HERE.