holistic integrated creative arts therapy practitioner training course (Hicat) - study online

Course Structure: 

Each of your classes will be divided into theory and practice sessions. A great deal of time will be spent exploring and participating in the creative arts and a wide variety of meditation styles, including movement meditation, mantra meditation, chakra meditation, guided creative visualization, mindfulness and Zen meditation.  

Practical topics covered in this course include:

• Art Therapy (paint, watercolour pencils, charcoal & oil pastels)
• Tactile Therapy (sculpture, clay, construction, Sandplay & environmental art making)
• Music, Tribal Rhythms, Medicine Drums & Sound Therapy
• Dance & Movement Therapy
• Role Play, Storytelling, creative writing & Drama Therapy

Theory topics covered in this course include:

• The cause & effects of stress
• The mind/body connection
• Physiology of the brain
• Left brain/right brain
• Unconscious beliefs and mental patterns
• Exploring emotions
• History of art therapy
• Creative therapies & health
• Why creative art therapies are effective
• Creative art therapies as emotional healing
• Creative art therapies for recovery & rehabilitation
• Art & developing intuition
• Drawing from within
• Colour & emotions
• Sound, vibration & the bodies cells
• The creative process
• Art appreciation
• Interpretation & diagnosis
• Compassion & non-judgement
• Learning Styles
• Personality types
• Managing groups
• Supporting clients
• Working with PTSD
• Working with anxiety disorders
• Working with grief & loss
• Working with children
• Working with depression
• Working in medical settings
• Developing community arts projects
• Meditation for every day
• Meditation in action through art
• Meditation with music and movement
• Gratitude & art journaling
• Holistic counselling skills for creative arts therapists
• Networking & referring
• Ethics, safety & professionalism
• Setting up your own practice
• Creating a specialized practice
• Resources, materials & equipment
• Marketing for creative arts therapists
• Legalities, insurance and Joining associations

Course Outcomes: 

Graduates receive a qualification in Holistic Integrated Creative Arts Therapy and can use the letters Mbe.HICATprac. after their names. 

Graduates can also join the International Institute of Complementary Therapists, International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine and the Complementary Medical Association and get professional insurance. They will also be provided with a full year of free membership to the Holistic Integrated Creative Arts Therapists Association. 

You will graduate with the skills, knowledge and confidence required to set up your own Holistic Integrated Creative Arts Therapy Practice; run workshops, work with groups and see individual clients, in either general practice or specializing in specific areas of interest, if you wish. You may also be able to seek employment within some organizations who value holistic and complementary therapies. This is a professional, practical training course where you will explore a wide range of creative arts while learning the essentials of working as a Holistic Integrated Creative Art Therapist, in a safe, extremely supportive and fun-filled environment, with a highly experienced holistic therapist trainer. 

All information is evidence-based and will prepare you for a professional career. However, this course is also suitable for personal development.  

Holistic Integrated Creative Art Therapy is the use of art, music, drama, dance/movement, poetry/creative writing, play, storytelling and sandplay within the context of therapy, counselling, rehabilitation, and holistic healing. HICAT enhances physical, mental and emotional functioning and well-being. Holistic therapists work with the whole person and assist people in becoming self-empowered through supporting them on a journey of self-exploration and personal growth, incorporating the body, mind, emotions and spirit. This course is evidence-based. 

It connects clinical research with ancient traditional wisdom; developing the mind, expanding creativity, building confidence and self-awareness, realigning the body’s cells, reconnecting with the essence of joy and awakening the spirit. If helping people rediscover their innate creativity and playfulness, while developing skills to overcome physical, mental and emotional hurdles and live happier healthier lives, is how you would like to make your living, this course is for you!  

Module 1

Theory  

Unit 0 - Introduction to HICAT  

Unit 1 -The Cause and Effect of Stress  

Unit 2 -The Mind/Body Connection 

Practical  

Art Therapy 

Module 2

Theory 

Unit 3 - Physiology of the brain 

Unit 4 - Left brain/right brain  

Unit 5 - Unconscious beliefs and mental  patterns 

Practical  

Art Therapy 

Module 3

Theory 

Unit 6 - Exploring emotions 

Unit 7 - History of art therapy 

Unit 8 - Creative therapies & health 

Practical  

Sand Play Therapy

Module 4

Theory 

Unit 9 – Music and the brain 

Unit 10 - Creative art therapies as  emotional healing  

Unit 11 - Creative art therapies for  recovery & rehabilitation 

Practical  

Music Therapy 

Module 5

Theory 

Unit 12 – Art and developing intuition 

Unit 13 – Drawing from within 

Unit 14 – Colour and emotions 

Practical  

Art Therapy 

For a full outline of the course timetable, please contact the college.

There is a wide range of Holistic and Complementary Therapies Modalities which do not fit into Government Education and Training Frameworks. These include Yoga, Holistic Counselling, Meditation and Holistic Arts Therapies, just to name a few. Because the range of Holistic and Complementary Therapies is so vast, it is not always in the best interest of the end user for them to be regulated by the Government and so these industries are regulated by reputable industry bodies. 

It is not that they are unregulated, just industry regulated. In order to practice as a therapist under these modalities you still need industry recognition and to be able to get professional indemnity and liability insurance. Modality-based Associations are usually owned by the same people who own training colleges within that industry. They only focus on that particular modality and they often only accept membership from graduates of their own training courses. There is nothing essentially wrong with that. 

Provided there is plenty of transparency, value and support for members and the course you are going to study in not ONLY accredited with a modality-based association. If it is, it could mean the college has simply started an association to provide accreditation for their own course. Many modality based associations only approve of a specific style, technique, tradition or lineage of that therapy. Industry-based Associations are not owned by the same people who own the training colleges. 

They are separate, not associated with the colleges and non-bias. Their purpose is to protect the end-user and maintain the integrity of holistic and complementary therapies. They may offer training courses and professional development training but there is no requirement for members to participate. They accept members from a very wide variety of different therapeutic modalities. They are not concerned with the specific styles, techniques, traditions or lineages. They are concerned with the quality, educational content, course outcomes, scope of information, where that information originated and the integrity of the course provider. They have a rigorous process which course providers must adhere to before they provide accreditation for any training courses. 

Our courses are recognized with the International Institute of Complementary Therapists, International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine and the Complementary Medical Association. These have an excellent global reputation and a rigorous screening process. We are very proud to have their stamps of approval. Our graduates can join the IICT, IPHM and the CMA, and get professional practitioner insurance, in 39 countries around the world. 

This is a professional level, industry recognized training course: We believe that when people are provided with grounded, evidence-based information about how their bodies, emotions and minds work, in a safe and supportive environment, the potential for healing and personal growth is enormous.
Knowledge is power and we, as therapists and teachers, must place that power in our client's hands. 

You will learn about positive psychology and explore the link between emotional, physical and psychological well being. You will emerge from this training course with the wisdom and confidence required to practice as a Holistic Integrated Creative Art Therapists. 

We will guide you toward starting your own private practice in this important and exciting field. You will have ongoing support through our graduate's social media group to keep you informed, connected and inspired. You will be able to join the IICT, IPHM and the CMA, for your professional association and insurance. You will also receive membership to the Holistic Integrated Creative Arts Therapists Association (HICATA) and the International Meditation Teachers and Therapists Association (IMTTA) , free for your first year.

This includes a lot of resources, networking opportunities and ongoing support to help you establish your own holistic private practice. You will be able get public liability and professional indemnity insurance (providing there is no reason why you are personally unable to be approved). You will have all the knowledge, resources, tools and support you need to create a personally and professionally rewarding career where you can work for yourself and make a great income.

Best of all, you will be able to help hundreds of people live happier, healthier, more creative lives.

"Discover how to reach your full potential.  Learn to develop your inherent talents of creativity and leadership."

Holistic Integrated Creative Arts Therapy (HICAT) is not the same as Art Therapy.In Australia and many other countries, HICAT graduates can use the title HICAT practitioner, Holistic Integrated Creative Arts Therapy Practitioner Creative Arts Facilitator or Creative Therapist. If you live outside of Australia or New Zealand you may use the title Creative Arts Facilitator or Creative Therapist. HICAT is a modality that uses a wide range of creative ArtS which enable people to connect with the creator inside themselves. HICAT is empowering and does not require an 'expert' to interpret the finished piece or monitor the creative process in any way. All that is needed is an open heart that can hold a safe space to share beautiful, gentle, creative tools.

HICAT graduates should not advertise themselves as an Art Therapist - Some people in that industry own the words and they get very upset when other healers use those words.  In fact, we believe HICAT is much more than art therapy - it is Holistic (treats the whole person) and Integrated (it combines and incorporates many types of artistic modalities) and it is Creative (bringing out and connecting with the creator who can no longer feel like a victim) and it is the ArtS ( the artSSSSS, not Art - it's just not the same word :-) ) and it is a beautiful gentle Therapy (therapy seeks to provide healing through action).  

AS a HICAT Practitioner you can register with the International Institute of Complementary Therapists, International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine and the Complementary Medical Association, and get professional insurance to practice in the following 39 countries: Oceania: Australia & New Zealand UK and Europe: United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Greece, Latvia, Sweden, Channel Islands, Norway, Estonia, Austria, Malta, Isle of Man, Netherlands South Africa (covered under the EU/UK insurer) United States Canada. It is most certainly legal for HICAT graduates to practice as HICAT Practitioners in all of the above countries.