Utilizing Expressive Arts to Support Youth with Stress and Anxiety

Salina Mae and Ursula Elsa

Training Description

Youth may often feel their authenticity and self expression is restrained by school systems, mainstream culture, peers, and family culture. In our current climate of social distance learning, a worldwide pandemic, and national uprisings, youth may feel those additional layers of stress and anxiety. Mindfulness based expressive arts offers youth a place to find full expression, play, and healing. Join this workshop to engage in expressive arts activities to support young people in finding their creative voice while navigating their anxiety mindfully. Please bring some basic art supplies to this workshop, paper, coloring markers or pencils, scissors, and glue. While not mandatory, if you have access to and feel inspired to play with watercolors, paints, paintbrushes, glitter, puffy paint or any other fun additions, bring them along, you can incorporate them!

Learning Objectives

• Explore trauma informed mindfulness practices
• Engage in mindfulness practices
• Understand how mindfulness and expressive arts are interconnected
• Discuss how expressive arts activities support anxiety and stress reduction
• Participate in at least 4 expressive arts activities for youth
• Participants will be provided with expressive arts activities to use in their sessions with youth.
• Participants will be offered activity guides they can explore after the training.

Agenda

11:00-11:15 am Welcome, Housekeeping, and Mindfulness Practice

11:15-11:30 am Introduction: How do Mindfulness and Expressive Arts Support Youth?

11:30-12:00 pm Expressive arts Activity #1 Finding your Voice

12:00-12:30 pm What is Mindfulness?

12:30-1:15 pm Lunch (CEUs will not be issued for this time)

1:15-2:00 pm Expressive Arts Activity#2 Self Acceptance and Celebration

2:00-3:00 pm Expressive Arts Activity #3 Creating Belonging

3:00-3:15 pm BREAK (CEUs will not be issued for this time)

3:15-4:00 pm Expressive Arts Activity #4 Creating Safety and Anchors

4:00-4:45 pm Customizing Expressive Arts for your Clients

4:45-5:00 pm Closing and Feedback

Meet Our Trainer

Salina Mae (she/her/hers), is a Bay Area born and raised community leader with over 15 years experience serving California schools both as a K-12 classroom teacher and as a mindfulness coach and consultant. With a focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion, she received her Masters in Education and California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential at the Claremont Graduate University in 2006. She specializes in building creative, inspired, and socially awake trainings and curricula that lead to action in the areas of mindfulness, social justice, and systems change. Salina is a certified yoga teacher, a dedicated mentor and advocate for LGBTQI+ youth and is currently the Mindful Support Specialist at The Teaching Well in Oakland.

Ursula Elsa (she/her/ hers) was born and raised in the beautiful land of the Bay Area, Ohlone Territory. She has been teaching mindfulness and nature connection to youth in the Bay Area for over 6 years and is currently leading rites of passage work for Gaia Girls. Ursula is passionate about creating programming for LGBTQI+ and neurodiverse communities. She is also a trained doula and an advocate of parent’s rights in the birth community. Ursula has been collaborating with Salina since 2013 to create mindfulness based programming, educator trainings and curricula.

This course meets the qualifications for (5) BBS CEUs for LCSWs and MFTs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.