Founded 1998 · San Diego, CA

About the Expressive Arts Institute

California’s only fully integrated intermodal, interdisciplinary training program for expressive arts practitioners — and the only US institute offering an accredited MA in partnership with the European Graduate School in Switzerland.

Our story

Founded by a pioneer in the field

Judith Greer Essex founded the Expressive Arts Institute in 1998, when the intermodal approach to art-based healing was still emerging as a distinct field. A trained dancer, licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Registered Expressive Arts Therapist, and Academy of Dance Therapists Registered practitioner, Judith has spent five decades developing and teaching a practice that integrates movement, image, sound, drama, and story in service of transformation.

EAI was built on the foundational theories of Paolo J. Knill — pioneer and co-founder of the field of expressive arts therapy, and founder of the European Graduate School in Saas Fee, Switzerland. From the beginning, EAI’s curriculum has been shaped by Knill’s intermodal approach: the intentional, fluid use of multiple art forms within a single therapeutic process. Today, EAI is the only fully integrated intermodal, interdisciplinary training program in California.

PhD LMFT REAT ADTR Founding Director, EAI

Author of Mastering the Practice of Expressive Arts Therapy: A Practitioner’s Guide (2025)

What sets us apart

Why the Expressive Arts Institute

California’s only integrated program

EAI is the only fully integrated intermodal, interdisciplinary expressive arts training program in California — drawing on all five art disciplines in a unified, experiential curriculum.

Accredited MA through EGS

Our Master’s program is offered in partnership with the European Graduate School in Saas Fee, Switzerland — the institution founded by Paolo J. Knill, pioneer of the field. The only US institute offering this credential.

Built around your professional life

All programs use a hybrid format — weekly online learning plus monthly in-person intensives in San Diego. Designed to fit around the professional lives of therapists, educators, coaches, and practitioners.

Who we welcome

Diversity Matters

For over twenty years, the Expressive Arts Institute has taught from our home in San Diego and across communities throughout the county, the United States, and the world. We want to spread the word about expressive arts as widely as we can, and to show how the helping arts transform individuals and communities.

Change through the arts takes root in a community only when it grows from within that community. So we welcome a student body diverse in race and ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation, and nationality. We look for students who want to be part of the solution, both in the world and in their own communities.

Our training gives you the tools to do that work well. Join our international community of artists, helpers, and healers, and bring your own vision to it.

Affiliations & professional memberships

European Graduate School

Saas Fee, Switzerland

Academic partner for EAI’s accredited Master’s program and PhD Prep track. Founded by Paolo J. Knill. Fully accredited Swiss university.

Visit EGS

International Expressive Arts Therapy Association

The primary professional body for expressive arts therapists internationally. Grants the REAT (Registered Expressive Arts Therapist) and REACE (Registered Expressive Arts Coach/Educator) credentials. EAI graduates are eligible to apply.

Visit IEATA

American Dance Therapy Association

The professional body for dance/movement therapists in the United States. Founding Director Judith Greer Essex holds ADTR (Academy of Dance Therapists Registered) registration — reflecting EAI’s integration of somatic and movement-based practice.

Visit ADTA

Our faculty

Meet the people behind the program

EAI’s faculty bring deep clinical, artistic, and academic expertise to every program — combining licensed therapeutic practice with advanced training in the expressive arts.

Judith Greer Essex

PhD, LMFT, REAT, ADTR

Founding Director

Judith Greer Essex founded the Expressive Arts Institute in 1998. A trained dancer, licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Registered Expressive Arts Therapist, and Academy of Dance Therapists Registered practitioner, she is a pioneer in the art-based therapy movement. Her work is grounded in the foundational theories of Paolo J. Knill, and she is the author of Mastering the Practice of Expressive Arts Therapy: A Practitioner’s Guide (2025).

Elizabeth McKim

Poet Laureate of EGS

Visiting Fellow & Co-Founder of the Field

A co-founder of the expressive arts movement and Poet Laureate of the European Graduate School, Elizabeth is senior lecturer in Lesley University’s Arts in Learning program. She has performed internationally, published seven books of poetry, and is a recognized expert in the oral tradition.

Method Specific Trainers

In addition to core faculty, EAI’s Method Specific Trainers bring specialist expertise in individual art modalities — deepening students’ practice across each discipline.

Erika Malone

MA, REAT

A teaching artist of dance and theatre, Erika serves as Director of Creative Youth Development at Monarch School, serving K–12 unhoused youth. She is co-founder of Yellowbird Expressive Arts and received her MA in Expressive Arts Therapy from the European Graduate School in 2015.

Francine Hoffman

MA, REAT

Artistic Director of Minstrels of Story Playback Theatre and an EAI graduate (2006), Francine provides expressive arts creativity coaching at the Golden Door resort and works in private practice. Her clinical experience spans Veterans Village, residential treatment, and eating disorder programs.

Ofra Raz

An Expressive Arts Therapist at Veterans Village of San Diego, Ofra worked for 25 years as an artist and art educator before completing her MA at the European Graduate School. She practices primarily in rehabilitation settings with homeless and addiction patients, and in private practice with teens and adults.

Elizabeth Jacobowitz

MA, CACMT

Elizabeth works with individuals and groups in private practice at Embodiment Arts in Hillcrest, San Diego, and teaches expressive arts–based learning at the International Professional School of Bodywork. She has served Shakti Rising, Survivors of Torture International, and San Diego Youth Services.

Tish McAllise Sjoberg

MA, CAGS, REAT

At her Expressive Arts Studio in North Park, San Diego, Tish works with individuals, couples, and families in private practice, and facilitates workshops addressing stress, grief, trauma, and parenting. She also provides contract services to at-risk youth, hospice staff, and schools building community through the arts.

Ingrid B. Guerrieri

MA, LMFT

A bilingual (English/Spanish) Colombian-American therapist and co-founder of Art Flow Collective, Ingrid has worked in community mental health for over 16 years with refugees, immigrants, the LGBTQI+ community, and people in substance recovery. She practices through CreArte Counseling in San Diego.

Lorilee Chien

An Expressive Arts Coordinator at San Diego Youth Services, Lorilee brings 15+ years in youth development to her practice — working with homeless youth, veterans, incarcerated individuals, and women in the justice system. She also facilitates expressive arts with people affected by dementia at Villa Musica.

Rachelle Archer

CEO of Artful Leadership Coaching & Consulting and a founding member of The Monarch School San Diego, Rachelle has over 25 years’ experience at the intersection of arts, education, and healing. She coaches organizational leaders and hosts “The Artful Leader” podcast.

Teaching assistants

Teaching assistants work alongside core faculty, supporting students through each program and bringing their own practice into the training.

Sook Kyoung Kwon

Rooted in theatre, music, and embodied practice, Sook Kyoung brings over 25 years of work across South Korea and San Diego. She directs the Elim Counseling Center for Family and Community and is an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego’s Center for Restorative Justice. Her practice spans detention and reentry facilities, homeless shelters, and youth transition centers. She is pursuing her PhD at the European Graduate School.

Sara Turquie

A bilingual Expressive Arts Practitioner, Coach, and Consultant based in San Diego, Sara holds a Master’s in Expressive Arts from the European Graduate School, with training through EAI. She facilitates expressive arts at Scripps Encinitas Rehabilitation Center, ROADS, and San Diego Oasis, and runs a private practice, Creative Healings. Mexican-American and fluent in English and Spanish, she brings a multicultural perspective to her work.

Carey X Kramer

MA, MBA

An Expressive Arts Therapist, facilitator, and entrepreneur with more than 12 years developing expressive arts programming across mental health, substance use recovery, and community settings. Carey has worked in inpatient, outpatient, residential, and private practice, and founded Expressive Arts at Work to bring the arts into corporate wellness and leadership development. Her clients have included Mayo Clinic, WD-40 Company, UC San Diego, and San Diego State University.

Kelsey Matsu

PhD

A licensed school counselor in Hawaiʻi, Kelsey holds a Master’s in Expressive Arts Therapy from the European Graduate School and a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She serves 30 schools on Oʻahu as a Trauma-Informed Care Resource Teacher for the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education, providing counseling and staff development rooted in expressive arts therapy.

Elizabeth Jacobowitz

MA, CACMT

A lifelong student of embodiment, Elizabeth has taught at wellness and integrative schools since 2001 and graduated from EAI and the European Graduate School in 2008. Through her practice at Embodiment Arts in San Diego she works with individuals and groups to listen to, discover, and integrate the wisdom of their own bodies. A dancer, poet, and visual artist, she brings creativity, curiosity, and embodied experience to her teaching and therapeutic work.

Where our graduates work

Our graduates go on to practice

EAI graduates work as expressive arts therapists, coaches, educators, and consultants across a wide range of settings — bringing the intermodal approach to schools, hospitals, community organizations, hospices, and private practice.

Est. 1998

Over 25 years of graduates

4 programs

From certificate to Master’s

Across the US

Graduates in practice nationwide

All settings

Schools, hospitals, private practice

Elizabeth Tobias, MA

Professional Diploma, Class of 2018

“We don’t always choose the fire. But, we do get to choose how we rise.”

An artist, TEDx speaker, and creator of the Expressive Arts and SEL Method. For over two decades, Elizabeth has integrated contemporary art and mental health to cultivate resilience across educational and cultural institutions.

Now practicing: Founder of Elizabeth Tobias Arts, working across schools and cultural institutions in San Diego

elizabethtobiasarts.com

Tish McAllise Sjoberg, MA, CAGS, REAT

Sisterhood of the Flaming Door, Class of 2005

“Artist is a Verb. We don’t become an artist and then do art, we do art and then begin to feel like an artist.”

Expressive Arts Therapist, Coach, and Educator, daily artist, and author, Tish is the Founder of Expressive Arts @ 32nd & Thorn, a vibrant community space for creative expression for helping and healing since 2010. Her books, Artist is a Verb, Scribble Art, and the upcoming Dear Friends, My Mother is Dying, extend her vision of a world where everyone has the space and resources to express themselves creatively. Her latest venture, Grow Your Expressive Arts Business, is a training program to help Expressive Arts professionals create successful studios and businesses around the country and the world.

Now practicing: Founder of Expressive Arts @ 32nd & Thorn, San Diego

expressiveartssandiego.com

Find an expressive arts professional

Our alumni association maintains a directory of practicing graduates.

From our students

What students say

“Dr. Essex is a professor and mentor I’m fortunate to have. She has taught me to stretch the boundary of current ideas and relations in the modern world, encouraged individual creativity and thought, and continues to have a high expectation for student self-autonomy in learning by doing and making a life for ourselves.”
— Michelle Josey · Expressive Arts Intern & ESL Instructor

“Dr. Judith Greer Essex provides an exemplary education for those seeking a healing profession through the arts. Her knowledge of the philosophy and practice of expressive arts is articulated with intelligence, compassion, and delightful humor. Dr. Essex is truly a wise woman who knows how the arts can help us find our way.”
— Anita Carter

“Inspired. Inspirational. Judith coaxes the soul into being when she teaches. Being her student was nothing less than life changing.”
— Deb Ogburn · R.E.A.T.

“When I attended the Intro Course, I said to myself, ‘this is what I have been looking for… for so long.’ Before the weekend was over, I was already planning the next two years. It was the beginning of another era, another way of feeling and seeing the world around and inside me.”
— Zamira Pla

“Judith is the most gifted facilitator I have ever encountered. Her complete embodiment and use of the arts in healing brings amazing results. A whole new world opened up to me after being guided by her expertise and heart-warming sensitivity to the human condition.”
— Amy Shamansky

“Greer has built her school and career from the ground up with dedication to cutting edge creativity and academic grounding. She is one of the smartest women I know, and my go-to person whenever I need insightful, wise advice. You will benefit greatly from working with her, I guarantee it.”
— Victoria Garcia

“You have prepared us so well. All the vocabulary for us makes total sense — some folks have not a clue what the professors are saying. We do. This experience has been exciting, motivating and extraordinary so far. And it’s really only just begun.”
— Marissa McInerney · Student

“Oh, how marvelous to be led in creative expression — especially when Judith is role modeling, teaching, leading, gamboling with Light and Love.”
— Sharon Goodlove · Goodlove Counseling

See all program pages for more graduate testimonials

Life at EAI

Students in circle during a workshop session

Students raising their arms at the close of a group performance

Students in handmade costume hats during a drama exercise

Students resting around flowers during a reflective session

Paolo Knill and Judith Greer Essex in a movement session

Students in elaborate masks and costumes for a performance

A finished paper mask in pink and coral, decorated with a fabric flower

Gourd shakers, flutes and a singing bowl laid out on patterned cloth

Two students at a worktable, one holding a mask in progress

An instructor applying plaster strips to a student's face during mask casting

Frequently asked questions

What is the Expressive Arts Institute?

The Expressive Arts Institute is California’s only fully integrated intermodal, interdisciplinary training program for expressive arts practitioners. Founded in 1998 by Judith Greer Essex, EAI offers four programs — from a coaching certificate through an accredited Master’s degree — serving therapists, coaches, educators, and career-changers.

Where is EAI located?

EAI is based in San Diego, California. All programs are delivered in a hybrid format — weekly online learning plus monthly in-person intensives in San Diego. The Master’s program additionally includes three summer study periods in Saas Fee, Switzerland, 23 days each, through the EGS partnership.

What is expressive arts therapy?

Expressive arts therapy is an intermodal, interdisciplinary field of healing and change-making that uses multiple art forms — movement, music, visual art, drama, poetry, and play — in an integrated therapeutic process. It is grounded in the foundational theories of Paolo J. Knill and is distinct from single-modality arts therapies (art therapy, music therapy, dance therapy) by its intermodal approach.

Who is Judith Greer Essex?

Prof. Dr. Judith Greer Essex, PhD, LMFT, REAT, ADTR is the Founding Director of EAI. A Registered Expressive Arts Therapist, Academy of Dance Therapists Registered practitioner, licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and licensed Counseling Psychologist, she has been a pioneer in the art-based therapy movement for five decades. She is the author of Mastering the Practice of Expressive Arts Therapy: A Practitioner’s Guide (2025).

What credentials can I earn through EAI programs?

Depending on your program, EAI graduates may be eligible to apply for: REAT (Registered Expressive Arts Therapist) through IEATA — Master’s and Diploma graduates; REACE (Registered Expressive Arts Coach/Educator) through IEATA — Coaching Certificate graduates; EGS Q-AGS certificate — PhD Prep graduates; and an accredited MA in Expressive Arts Therapy through EGS — Master’s graduates.

Is EAI accredited?

EAI’s Master’s program is offered in partnership with the European Graduate School (EGS), a fully accredited Swiss university — and the MA credential is awarded through EGS. EAI is a professional training institute; the Diploma and Coaching Certificate are professional credentials recognized within the field, not accredited academic degrees.

How do I apply?

All applicants must first complete the two-day online Introduction to Expressive Arts Therapy course. From there, the application process includes a completed application form, letters of recommendation, and an admission interview. Visit the Programs overview for full admissions details by program.

Do I need prior experience in the arts or therapy to apply?

No prior experience in the arts is required — EAI’s curriculum is grounded in the principle of “low skill, high sensitivity.” For the Master’s and Coaching Certificate, a Bachelor’s degree is preferred. The Diploma and PhD Prep programs require a Master’s degree in a qualifying field. Clinical licensure is not required for any program.

Find us

Expressive Arts Institute

San Diego, California

All EAI programs are delivered in a hybrid format — combining weekly online learning with monthly in-person intensives in San Diego. Students attend from across the United States and internationally.

The Master’s program includes three required summer study periods in Saas Fee, Switzerland, 23 days each, through our partnership with the European Graduate School.

Questions about location or format? Contact us

Ready to learn more?

Book a free info session with our team — we’ll answer your questions about EAI, our programs, and whether this is the right path for you.

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