Art Therapy to Support Recovery and Overcome Barriers in Substance Use Disorders 

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Masterclass series

Art Therapy to Support Recovery and Overcome Barriers in Substance Use Disorders 

with Patricia Quinn

Wednesday, December 2, 2026, 
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM EDT
(check here for the time conversion)

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The price is in Canadian Dollars. It will be ~ 105US$, 91Eur, 78GBP, 147AUD

Please note! This workshop is live. It is translated in other languages through Zoom automatic translation. 

Description of course content
Addiction recovery is rarely determined by motivation alone. Individuals may simultaneously want change and experience powerful internal and external forces that make change difficult to sustain. Shame, traumatic experiences, fear of emotional states, habitual coping patterns, fractured relationships, social isolation, loss of identity, and uncertainty about life without substances or addictive behaviours can all become obstacles to recovery.
This course examines how art therapy can create alternative pathways for exploring these barriers. Because visual and creative processes can externalize experiences that may feel confusing, overwhelming, stigmatized, or difficult to articulate verbally, art therapy may allow clients to approach challenging material with greater distance, curiosity, and flexibility.
The course will examine several interconnected dimensions of recovery, including:
recognizing internal and external obstacles to change;
working with ambivalence and competing motivations;
understanding shame, stigma, and self-judgment in addiction;
exploring emotional avoidance and difficulties with affect regulation;
considering trauma-related responses and the protective functions of addictive behaviours;
strengthening self-awareness, agency, and self-efficacy;
rebuilding identity and personal meaning beyond addiction;
addressing isolation and supporting relational connection;
identifying strengths, resources, and possibilities for recovery;
using art processes to make patterns, barriers, and potential pathways for change more visible.
Clinical examples and experiential art-based activities will demonstrate ways in which creative processes may support assessment, reflection, communication, and therapeutic change while maintaining a trauma-informed and non-stigmatizing approach.


The live session will be recorded and you will have access to the recording  when you access your account on this platform (home-study package). 

This course is accredited by the following Canadian bodies:
OPQ accreditation (for psychologists and psychotherapists) – 6h30: RE05470-23
CCPA accreditation (for counsellors) - 64963297

This course will give you 3 hours of continuing education credits with ATCB. Provider ID: 68075312.

The course is recorded and its home-study package will give you also 3 hours of NBCC continuing education credits (read the details on the bottom of the page).

Learning objectives:

By the end of this course, you will be able to:
1. Describe three ways addiction alters individuals and how art therapy addresses each.
2. Identify three ways art therapy helps overcome major barriers to SUD treatment.
3. Name 5 ways that art therapy supports recovery skill building.

The discounted price will be available until Sunday night, November 23, 11:59 PM EST. 
Students benefit of 20% off upon sending us proof of enrollment in an academic institution.

Please read the material from the Course Outline and Details (see below) to know more about the course format.

Patricia Quinn

MS, ATR-BC, LCAT, NBCCH

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Quinn is the author and editor of two major publications on art therapy, addiction, and trauma. Her 2020 book, Art Therapy in the Treatment of Addiction and Trauma, published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, examines how art therapy can help identify underlying contributors to addiction, recognize relapse triggers, address co-occurring conditions, process trauma, and support sustained recovery. 
Her forthcoming book, The Neuroscience of Art Therapy for Addiction and Trauma: Art for Recovery, scheduled for publication in 2026, expands this work through a stronger focus on neuroscience. 

Patricia Quinn, MS, ATR-BC, LCAT, NBCCH is a Board Certified Art Therapist, Licensed Creative Arts Therapist, author, educator, artist, and clinician with extensive experience in art therapy, addiction treatment, trauma, recovery, and neuroscience. 

Quinn has taught undergraduate and graduate art therapy courses since 1994 and has held academic appointments that reflect her long-standing commitment to art therapy education. She currently serves as a professor in the Graduate Program in Art Therapy at the School of Fine Arts, Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Pune, India.

Alongside her academic work, Patricia Quinn is also an art therapy clinician, an Ericksonian hypnotherapist and EMDR practitioner who has worked in the field of substance use disorders (SUDs) and prevention for 23 years as a therapist and supervisor. 
In addition to her credentials in art therapy, Quinn holds certification from the National Board of Clinical Hypnotherapists and completed Level II Trauma Clinician training through Adelphi University in 2020. These additional areas of training contribute to her interdisciplinary approach to trauma, recovery, and therapeutic change. 

She currently maintains a private practice for adults and children in the Hudson Valley of New York. Her clinical practice has included work with individuals affected by substance use disorders, trauma, and complex psychosocial challenges. Her teaching integrates art therapy theory, clinical experience, experiential learning, and current research, with particular attention to factors that can interfere with addiction recovery, 


PAID HOME STUDY PACKAGE CE CREDITS

This package offers you 3 NBCC credits for certified counsellors in US and for arts therapists in US .
Other Professional Orders and Associations around the world may accept the accreditation, so please consult with your respective regulatory body.

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Creative Therapies Events Inc. has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7468. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Creative Therapies Events Inc. is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

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This package will give you 6 hours of continuing education hours, as per approval by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association. Members of CCPA will receive transcripts at no cost listing all attended events assessed as Continuing Education Credit. Non‐members must attach a cheque for $30.00 payable to CCPA to have CEC’s recorded and to have a transcript issued.

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This course (both live and home-study package) will give you 3 hours of continuing education credits with ATCB. Provider ID: 68075312.
Art Therapy Credentials Board, Inc. (ATCB) recognizes an array of Continuing Education Credit activities, inclusive of those pertaining to the spheres of professional and mental health counseling. These specified activities are delineated within the recertification standards, which are disseminated to all Art Therapy Registered-Board Certified (ATR-BC) professionals during their recertification year, as well as being accessible via the official ATCB website. It is mandated that a minimum of six CE credits in the domain of ethics and six CE credits in the domain of supervision or education must be acquired in each certification cycle. Licensees practicing as art therapists within their respective states (in US) are advised to consult with their state boards to ascertain the acceptability of various CE courses for the purpose of license renewal.

Please check with your regulatory body in your country, this home study program may be accepted for CE credits in European countries, Australia, and Asia.

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Creative Therapies Events Inc. is our registered legal name under which all official and legal matters are conducted. This includes compliance with all regulatory requirements and licensure board mandates.
We operate under the brand name 'Creative Arts Therapies Events' which may be used, along with our logo, for all our educational and promotional materials, both in print and electronic formats, including for advertising certified credits where applicable.
We have employed LearnWorlds, a learning management system, for delivering this program. The use of LearnWorlds, including its logo, does not imply sponsorship or co-sponsorship of any educational or business activities by LearnWorlds in relation to Creative Therapies Events Inc.

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