You wonder how to embody a therapeutic experience that’s already embodied

The body has become a HUGE presence in therapy in recent years. But given that art therapy and the other expressive therapies already utilize the body, you find yourself wondering just how much extra you need to focus on physical engagement to meet the standards of today’s somatically savvy service delivery.

How much is enough? You also wonder what expanding upon physically oriented treatment is like in terms of the client’s experience. And you think about the Expressive Therapies Continuum’s Kinesthetic/Sensory level, questioning the difference between Kinesthetic and Sensory and how these ways of experiencing can give rise to diverse healing functions.

If the Kinesthetic and Sensory components are both physical, doesn’t that mean they’re roughly the same? And isn’t artmaking kinesthetic and sensory to start with? The questions go round and round in your mind, leaving you confused about what you’re doing with clients.

The answers you seek lie within your own body

You know there has to be a way through all the confusion. And you’re right. Once upon a time the Expressive Therapies Continuum’s co-creators, Vija Lusebrink and Sandra (Kagin) Graves-Alcorn, trained their students to differentiate between the physical components of the Kinesthetic/Sensory level and utilize these on a responsive basis within the context of individualized, outcome-informed treatment.

The training prioritized the development of personal familiarity and fluency with each component of the Expressive Therapies Continuum, including Kinesthetic and Sensory experiencing. Only by learning how each type of information processing impacted ways of knowing within their bodies could students then comprehend their own preferences and biases.

And only by acquiring an embodied understanding of Kinesthetic and Sensory experiencing could students empathize with clients and their physical response to life as well as its bodily representation in the therapy session.

The answers to all the questions you’ve been asking yourself? They’re in your own body, waiting to be tapped through experiential means that support your ability to discern different types of physical information processing.

I’m Megan, and I help therapists understand the Expressive Therapies Continuum through their own nervous system

I had the good fortune of studying under the Expressive Therapies Continuum’s co-creators for two years while I earned a master’s degree in art therapy at the University of Louisville, and I learned the Expressive Therapies Continuum through my own body before I began seeing clients.

Reading materials and presentations don’t completely answer your questions because these methods are disembodied (no wonder you’re confused!). I enjoy helping therapists learn about the Expressive Therapies Continuum, and I’m particularly excited about offering support through learning opportunities that feature ways to directly engage the nervous system.

Thinking or talking about Kinesthetic and Sensory information processing isn’t the same as experiencing this kind of data. I’ve been sharing the Expressive Therapies Continuum with others for over 15 years and am happy to provide you with this hands-on, experiential exploration of the Kinesthetic/Sensory level and its relevance to you as a unique practitioner and the unique clients you serve.

Your takeaways from this workshop will include a better understanding of your own physical preferences and biases as well as heightened internal attachment, both of which are essential for enhanced empathic attunement in your work with clients.

Join me for an experience that will connect you to the experience of therapy from the inside out

Are you ready to stop thinking and talking about embodiment in therapy and start exploring your own cutting edge at the Kinesthetic/Sensory level of the Expressive Therapies Continuum? Please join me for a 3-hour experiential workshop that will help you learn to trust the data of your own nervous system in distinguishing complementary ways of knowing within the body.

This opportunity will leave you with a stronger connection to yourself so you can bring that somatic knowing into your sessions with clients and experience a new level of empathy for the information and potential your clients are holding in their own bodies.

ALSO available to you is an optional 1-hour post-workshop discussion group for leveling up your learning even further. We’ll take what you experienced in the workshop and move it into the realm of mindful observation, giving you foundational familiarity with the visual discernment necessary for recognizing how somatic data in client artwork reveals itself and guides therapist responsiveness.

Optional post-workshop discussion group

Introduction to Expressive Therapies Continuum Pre-Assessment Skills, Part I: Kinesthetic & Sensory Data

This opportunity is only available to workshop participants. The optional 1-hour (1.0 CE hour) post-workshop discussion group will focus on leveling up your understanding by processing your experience with an eye toward the observational skills needed for assessment within the structure of the Expressive Therapies Continuum.

Our time will be spent learning to decipher elements of visual expression that often go unnoticed when the therapist is concentrating on meaning-making; detecting the language of the nervous system is a skill that can take time to acquire, but this discussion group will serve as a starting point for beginning to bypass meaning-making biases in favor of enhanced objectivity and clarity with regard to client visual data.

Enhanced objectivity and clarity can translate into increased curiosity about and openness to a client’s internal experience, which will improve a therapist’s assessment and progress monitoring skills.

All workshop participants are invited to engage in the discussion group for rounding out their experience and augmenting their ability to apply workshop concepts within the context of empathically attuned client care.   

This post-workshop discussion group will begin 15 minutes after the conclusion of the experiential workshop. The discussion will be recorded; registration for it includes access to the recording through December 09, 2025.

More information about this experiential workshop & post-workshop discussion group

About the Presenter

Megan VanMeter is licensed by the counseling boards in the U.S. states of Arizona, Indiana, and Texas, and she also holds board-certification status through the Art Therapy Credentials Board.  She has developed an online private practice using the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC), a nervous system-informed framework, as a basis for assessment, treatment planning, intervention, progress monitoring, and case conceptualization.  Megan earned her master’s degree in art therapy with a specialization in grief and medical counseling from the University of Louisville, where she studied under ETC co-creators Vija Lusebrink and Sandra (Kagin) Graves-Alcorn.

She has served on professional boards and committees at local, regional, and national levels.  A scholar at heart, Megan enjoys doing research, giving presentations, and writing about the Expressive Therapies Continuum. She is hopeful that a new generation of therapists will have the opportunity to learn the ETC via methods similar to the ones her professors used.  Megan is cultivating a community of ETC enthusiasts and provides ETC learning opportunities to help others develop appreciation for both the basics and the nuances of this important framework. 

Cancellation & Refund Policy

Cancelation requests must be made in writing and sent to admin@meganvanmeter.com.  The date stamp on the message will be used for determining the date the cancelation was requested.

A full refund (100%) will be made for cancellation requests received at least 10 days in advance of an event.

A partial refund (50%) will be made for cancelations requests received 5-9 days in advance of an event.

Sorry, no refund (0%) will be made for cancellation requests received 0-4 days before an event.

Cancelation requests received:

• 10+ days in advance = 100% refund

• 5-9 days in advance = 50% refund

• 0-4 days in advance = 0% refund

Technology-related refunds: please see the Terms & Conditions.

Materials & Supplies

1. When you register for the experiential workshop, you will receive a confirmation email that includes a link to a handout. We’ll be personalizing this document so that it’s specific to your experience of the hands-on exercises. Make sure you have a copy of the handout available to support your learning throughout the workshop. The document is a PDF that can be filled out on your device OR you can print it out and bring something to write with.

2. We will work with paints to help us develop embodied familiarity with the concepts.  As such, please bring anything you’ll need for painting—including everything necessary to clean clean up or manage your supplies and protect your space during the experiential workshop.  The hands-on portion will entail five 10-minute exercises, so make sure you have enough supports (canvas board, paper, etc.) to paint on.

3. Given the different time zones that will be represented at the event, it’s understandable that people might need to nibble or snack.  Since paints and food don’t go well together, the second hour of this experiential workshop will be best for munching.  We’ll reserve the first and third hours for painting.

Terms & Conditions

By registering for this event, you agree to the Terms & Conditions identified here. You also agree to receive email updates about the event. These will go to the default email address associated with the credit card you used; you might need to check your junk folder.

Per good professional boundaries, do not photograph, capture screenshots of, video record, audio record, livestream, or publish online this workshop, post-workshop discussion group, or any portion of them.  These learning opportunities offered through Megan VanMeter PLLC are under copyright protection.  Your attendance and participation does not constitute the right to take copyrighted material and store, modify, or distribute it in any way.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you are using the technology and equipment that best facilitate your online learning experience.  Megan VanMeter PLLC does not assume liability for lagging technology/equipment used by any attendee.  Refunds will only be made available if technology and equipment failures on Megan VanMeter PLLC’s end contribute to difficulties with a webinar or workshop.

Please note that Megan VanMeter PLLC does not assume liability for misapplication or misuse of the content and information covered in any presentation.  Learning opportunities are provided for informational purposes only; your attendance and participation does not constitute a formal agreement or arrangement for supervision, treatment, training, or any other purpose.

The learning environment offered through Megan VanMeter PLLC is actually a co-created one; your attendance and participation constitutes an agreement to contribute to this through professional behavior. Any attendee who is disruptive to the learning process or derisive toward anyone present will be asked to leave. A refund will not be available in this case. 

Megan VanMeter PLLC is not liable for an attendee’s emotional experience during webinars, workshops, or other learning opportunities. You agree to gauge your comfort level during these events and take appropriate action to achieve homeostasis if your unique circumstances create internal disturbance in response to the content covered. While Megan VanMeter PLLC takes care and precautions to ensure a safe learning environment for others, the psychological nature of the learning opportunities offered may mean that some content could be triggering to some people. Your attendance and participation constitutes an agreement that you understand the potential for this risk.

In the event of embodied/experiential workshops, it is important that attendees wear appropriate attire and take steps to protect their workspace and the equipment within it. Megan VanMeter PLLC does not assume liability for damage to clothing and other belongings; your use of art materials and methods is under your own control, and you are responsible for your property at all times.

Any concerns or complaints should be sent to admin@meganvanmeter.com. A response will be provided within 48 business hours. While no particular outcome can be guaranteed, every effort will be made to resolve the issue(s). Documentation of the concern/complaint, the response, and follow up will be tracked.