Expressive Arts Therapy integrates multiple art forms -- including visual art, music, movement, drama, and creative writing -- into a unified therapeutic approach for healing and growth.
Complete in 6–12 Months
Harness Multiple Art Forms for Healing and Growth
About the Expressive Arts Therapy Certificate
The Expressive Arts Therapy Certificate is a program offered through Meridian University's Center for Transformative Learning. Designed for professionals seeking to integrate multiple creative modalities into therapeutic practice, the certificate draws on Meridian's graduate curriculum in expressive and movement arts to provide a comprehensive foundation in expressive arts approaches to healing and transformation.
As a certificate participant, you will take courses from the anchor and other parts of Meridian's graduate curriculum offered during the period of your enrollment. This means you will engage with the same rigorous, faculty-led coursework that graduate students experience, tailored to the certificate's focus on expressive arts therapy principles and practices.
What is Expressive Arts Therapy?
Expressive Arts Therapy is an integrative therapeutic approach that draws on multiple art forms -- including visual arts, music, movement, drama, poetry, and creative writing -- to support healing, personal growth, and social change. Unlike single-modality art therapies, expressive arts therapy emphasizes the interplay between different artistic mediums, recognizing that shifting between modalities can deepen the therapeutic process and open new pathways for expression and insight.
Meridian's expressive and movement arts curriculum is aligned with professional practice in conventional healthcare settings, coaching practices, and employee wellness programs. Coursework engages practices, methods, and topics including body metaphors, art as therapy, embodiment, psychodrama, and historical trauma. Sample courses such as Myth, Ritual, and Expressive Arts; The Poetic Body; Movement Practices and Cognitive Development; and Expressive Arts in Therapy offer certificate participants hands-on engagement with the intermodal practices that define the field.
The Practice of Expressive Arts Therapy
Rooted in the understanding that creativity is a fundamental human capacity for meaning-making and transformation, expressive arts therapy has applications across diverse settings including healthcare, education, community development, and organizational consulting. Practitioners work with individuals and groups to facilitate creative processes that address emotional, psychological, and relational challenges while cultivating resilience, imagination, and wholeness. The breadth of Meridian's curriculum ensures that certificate participants develop both the artistic range and the therapeutic grounding to practice across these varied contexts.
Details
Certificate Details
- 16 credits of graduate-level coursework (4 courses at 4 credits each).
- Complete in 6 to 12 months — take 8 credits per quarter (6 months) or 4 credits per quarter (12 months).
- Courses are drawn from Meridian's graduate curriculum offered during the period of enrollment.
- Content and collaboration via Meridian's social learning platform.
Tuition
$476 per credit
Total certificate cost: $7,616 (16 credits)
Credits earned through the certificate may be applied toward a Meridian University graduate degree program, as applicable.
Accreditation
The Expressive Arts Therapy Certificate is part of Meridian University's California state approval and WSCUC (WASC) accreditation. WSCUC is a higher education accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education. WSCUC is also the accreditor for Stanford University, UCLA, and the University of California at Berkeley.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the application requirements?
The documents below are required to complete an application for certificate programs:
- Certificate Application (opens in a new tab)
- Application Fee: A non-refundable application fee of $50 USD is required to process your application at the time of submission
- Official Bachelor's Transcript: Must be received in a sealed envelope and may be mailed directly to the University's Los Angeles Campus (2450 Colorado Avenue, Suite 100E, Santa Monica, CA 90404) from the academic institution. Electronic transcripts are accepted if sent directly from the academic institution to admissions@meridianuniversity.edu
- Personal Statement (500 words): Included as part of the application form and should highlight the formative and significant experiences in your life, and how those experiences have influenced you in choosing to pursue a certificate program
- Information Meeting Attendance: In addition to submitting application materials, it is necessary that applicants attend an information meeting with certificate program faculty prior to moving forward in the application process. Prior to scheduling an information meeting, we require prospects to meet with an Admissions Advisor to discuss their certificate program interests further
- If you have not already done so, please schedule this Advising Appointment using this link. Once you meet this requirement, we will follow up with the next steps to schedule an Information Meeting with the faculty
What is the Expressive Arts Therapy Certificate?
The Expressive Arts Therapy Certificate is a 16-credit program offered by Meridian University that provides a comprehensive foundation in Expressive Arts Therapy. The certificate draws on courses from Meridian's graduate curriculum, offering rigorous, faculty-led coursework aligned with the certificate's focus area.
How long does it take to complete the certificate?
The certificate can be completed in as few as 6 months (taking 8 credits per quarter) or up to 12 months (taking 4 credits per quarter). Each course is 4 credits, and the program requires a total of 16 credits.
How much does the certificate cost?
Tuition for the Expressive Arts Therapy Certificate is $476 per credit. The total cost for the 16-credit certificate is $7,616.
Can I apply these credits toward a Meridian degree?
Yes. Credits earned in the Expressive Arts Therapy Certificate may be applied toward a Meridian University graduate degree program, as applicable. This allows you to build on your certificate work if you choose to pursue further graduate study at Meridian.
Is the certificate accredited?
Yes. The Expressive Arts Therapy Certificate is part of Meridian University's California state approval and WSCUC (WASC) accreditation. WSCUC is a higher education accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education, and is also the accreditor for Stanford University, UCLA, and the University of California at Berkeley.
What courses will I take as part of the certificate?
Certificate participants take courses from Meridian's graduate curriculum that are offered during the period of their enrollment. The specific courses available each quarter are drawn from the anchor and other parts of the graduate curriculum, providing a rich and varied learning experience grounded in the certificate's focus area.
What technology do I need to participate?
You will need an email account, a high-speed internet connection, and access to a computer, iOS or Android device. For live video sessions, you will need a webcam and microphone for your device. Course video calls are conducted with participants video-enabled.
How many courses do I need to complete?
The certificate requires four courses. At Meridian, each course is 4 credits, so the 16-credit certificate is completed by taking four courses. You can take up to two courses per quarter (8 credits) to finish in 6 months, or one course per quarter (4 credits) to finish in 12 months.
How can I reach program support?
The program support team will be available to assist from start to finish. Please send your questions, requests, or issues to admissions@meridianuniversity.edu