Expressive Therapies

Expressive Therapies Studies

Graduate Certificate, full-time or part-time graduate certificate program

Enhance wellness through creativity and mind/body integration.

Explore the principles and practices of art, dance/movement, drama, music therapy, and expressive arts therapy. Discover how these disciplines can be integrated into clinical work and build on your current professional practice.

As you investigate the capacity of the human imagination to reveal solutions to complex problems, expand your understanding of how creativity can be applied to help individuals, families, and communities achieve transformation and growth. Studying with our acclaimed faculty, build your understanding of how the arts can be applied therapeutically for mental, emotional, and spiritual health. And learn how expressive therapies disciplines can be integrated into clinical, educational, and community work.

In this 5-course, 15-credit graduate certificate program, you’ll study the principles and practices of expressive therapies, discover how these skills can be integrated into work with diverse populations, and gain new techniques and strategies for effecting positive change. Choose from a range of electives that directly relate to your professional interests, and complete the program while working full-time. Gain the knowledge and experience needed to embed the arts and creativity into your current professional practice.

If you’re interested in becoming a licensed clinical counselor accredited in an expressive arts modality, explore our 60-credit on-campus or low-residency master’s degree programs.

Graduate Program Inquiry Form

Program Structure

Full-Time or Part-Time Program

15 Credits

  • Lesley-Somerville ARPA Scholars Application

    Lesley University has been awarded a Federal ARPA grant through the City of Somerville to financially support Somerville residents or individuals employed in Somerville who wish to pursue or advance a professional undergraduate or graduate degree at Lesley University in Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, or Human Services.  

    • New students must apply to and be accepted into one of the eligible programs at Lesley to be considered for ARPA funding.
    • Matriculated students in one of the eligible programs may apply for the ARPA funding. 
    • Accepted applicants for the ARPA funds will receive tuition relief at Lesley University for up to one year during the period from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024. Funding decisions will be made on a funds-available basis. 
    • Lesley’s financial aid team will work with individuals to identify additional funding opportunities beyond the first year of study. 
    • All ARPA funding applicants are required to fill out a FAFSA form regardless of need. 


    Apply for ARPA funding

man walking in harvard square, cambridge

Cambridge, MA

A nexus for higher education and mental health counseling practice and research, each year 250,000 students arrive to Cambridge from around the globe. The intellectual and cultural capital runs deep, and so do your opportunities addressing barriers to wellness. From Lesley’s location, access innovative community, hospital, and school-based mental health programs.

faculty mitchell kossack with drum
Expressive Therapies
Mitchell Kossak
Mitchell's passion for teaching and healing has led him to work extensively with autistic children and adults, divided communities in Israel, and individuals affected by trauma, such as his work in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings. His current research explores the importance of the body in psychotherapy, and how the arts can be engaged to bring awareness to the body’s role in personal expression and healing.
Careers
Where Graduates Work

Faculty

Total approximate cost for this certificate program.
Expressive Therapies Studies
Estimated Cost

All graduate students are reviewed for merit scholarships through the admissions process and are awarded at the time of acceptance. Other forms of financial aid are also available. Review all graduate tuition and fees, and what they cover. Tuition and fees are subject to change each year, effective in the Summer term.

Apply Now

Ready to get started? We're here to make the application process as smooth as possible. Just answer a few quick questions, and get your customized application guide.

Total approximate cost for this certificate program. Tuition and fees are for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Use our step-by-step guide to apply for federal and university funding. Scholarships, grants, Work-Study, and loans. It’s all right here.

Next steps to apply

Ready to get started? We're here to make the application process as smooth as possible. Just answer a few quick questions, and get your customized application guide.