The Art of Preparation: Expressive Arts Strategies for Phase 2 of EMDR Therapy

About the Course

Preparation is more than calm/safe place, it’s the foundation for accessible, ethical, and meaningful trauma processing. In this experiential training, participants will explore how Expressive Arts can deepen and expand Phase 2 of EMDR Therapy. Participants will learn modifications for traditional phase 2 resources to make them more accessible for diverse client populations. Particular attention will be given to neuro-affirming and complex trauma-competent applications.

This is live, online training. This is an intermediate-level course. Attendance at all live sessions, and course evaluation is required to receive a CE Certificate. Course evaluations are made available after all live sessions have been completed within this course portal. Upon completing the evaluation, participants will be able to download their CE certificates.

EMDR Therapy Training is required for attendance at this event.
This training does not take the place of or meet the requirements for EMDR Therapy Foundational Training.

You will have access to this training dashboard for six months following the date of the training.

Pricing

$115 Generative Access

$95 Traditional/Sustaining Access

$75 Supported Access

For more about our tiered pricing model: visit this link

Access to continuing education can be a financial burden, and RCC feels passionate about making training accessible to all communities. We also recognize the impact of systemic racism on accessibility to training and education specifically for individuals that identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and other traditionally underrepresented persons of color (BIPOC). We are proud to offer a discounted rate for training in an effort to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in our training and larger EMDR therapy communities. Please use the coupon code BIPOC at checkout.

Please note that discounts and scholarships cannot exclude any person from applying.

Need a payment plan? Email us at [email protected]

Joining Live Sessions

Live lecture and practicum sessions will be hosted by the video conferencing platform Zoom. In order to join the sessions, please click on the zoom weblink listed in the "Zoom Information" section of this course portal. The link will prompt you to download the Zoom software if you have not already done so, and will then connect you to the session. Please plan on joining a few minutes early for troubleshooting if you are not already familiar with the platform. For more information on how to join a Zoom meeting, please read through the following article.

Lecture Sessions: Lecture will be hosted live on Zoom. You can find the link to join the lectures by navigating through the course player on the left-hand side of your screen.

If you are having a difficult time with sound and need to call in via telephone, please consult this help article.

This training will be conducted by Sam Bergstein, LISW-S (OH), LCSW (CA), REAT & E. Sterling Boyadzhiev, LISW-S, REAT

Continuing Education

CE credit hours for this training are offered through Rutti Counseling & Consultation. Please refer to RCC's organizational policies for any customer service issues pertaining to CE credit hours.

This course is approved for 3 CE credit hours by the following approval agencies:

Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE)

Rutti Counseling & Consultation, 2098, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: [03/24/2026-03/24/2027]. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credits.

National Board for Certified Counselors

Rutti Counseling & Consultation has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7546. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Rutti Counseling & Consultation is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

State of Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board

Rutti Counseling & Consultation has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7546. Continuing education credits approved by NBCC are accepted by the State of Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board by submitting your certificate of completion reflecting NBCC credits to CE Broker following the completion of training.

EMDR International Association (EMDRIA)

Rutti Counseling & Consultation is an EC Provider (#24060) and this program (#24060-12) is approved for 3 EMDRIA credits. Eligibility for EMDRIA credits is restricted to those who have completed an EMDRIA-Approved Basic EMDR Training.

A General Note About Approvals

Please also note that national sponsors are accepted by many state boards. In these cases, separate paperwork may or may not need to be filled out. In some states, pre- or post-program approval forms must be sent, and you are responsible for checking into the rules of the licensure board in your state as to what is required. Please let Rutti Counseling & Consultation know if you need support documentation in any way for these pre or post-program approval applications.

Rutti Counseling & Consultation maintains responsibility for the operations of the training, including training delivery, registration, and staffing of the training.

If you have questions, concerns or complaints, please contact [email protected]

Objectives

1. Describe foundational components of Expressive Arts Therapy.

2. Define stabilization within a trauma-focused treatment framework.

3. Identify at least three ways expressive arts interventions can be integrated into the stabilization phase of trauma-focused care while maintaining fidelity to the Standard Protocol of EMDR therapy.

4. Analyze client case scenarios to determine when the integration of expressive arts approaches is clinically appropriate, including consideration of trauma symptoms, client readiness, and ethical scope of practice.

E. Sterling Boyadzhiev, LISW-S, REAT

Affiliate Instructor

[email protected]

Sterling (she/her) is a supervising licensed clinical social worker, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, and Registered Expressive Arts Therapist. She is the founder of SB Counseling & Wellness LLC, where her clinical work is rooted in a trauma-informed, relational approach that prioritizes authentic connection and collaboration. Much of this work focuses on complex trauma, dissociation, and attachment wounding. EMDR Therapy, Expressive Arts Therapy, IFS-informed parts work, and Mindfulness practice are intentionally woven to foster healing and transformation. Sterling believes that a clinician's personal and professional development are deeply interconnected. She’s passionate about cultivating learning spaces where clinicians feel empowered to deepen both their clinical practice and their own healing. Whether with therapy participants, consultees, or trainees, Sterling is dedicated to supporting others in their growth with respect and integrity.

Sam Bergstein, LISW-S (OH), LCSW (CA #136811), REAT

Affiliate Instructor

[email protected]

Sam (she/her) is a supervising licensed clinical social worker, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, and Registered Expressive Arts Therapist with a clinical career built at the intersection of trauma, neurodivergence, and identity. She is the founder of Mantra Mental Health LLC and The Guided Studio, and has spent the better part of her career working with the presentations most clinicians find hardest to hold: dissociative systems, complex trauma, attachment wounding, and the beautiful, layered complexity of neurodivergent experience. Sam's clinical work integrates EMDR, IFS-informed parts work, and Expressive Arts Therapy not as a collection of techniques, but as a coherent, embodied framework for reaching the parts of a client's experience that verbal processing alone cannot access. She is particularly passionate about the moments when words are difficult to reach, and about giving clinicians the tools to stay present and effective in exactly those moments.