Safe and nurturing healing through the arts
Welcome to Elizabeth Tobias Expressive Arts
what is expressive arts therapy and therapeutic art?
Expressive Arts Therapy awakens the senses and the imagination through multiple arts disciplines
I create therapeutic art programs, performances, restorative workshops and community events for museums, galleries and arts organizations, as well as clinical settings and schools. I work with a wide-range of clients including individuals, families and couples, teens and children on relationships and issues such as anxiety, depression and trauma.
Expressive Arts Therapy is an effective, creative and uplifting therapeutic modality that draws upon multiple arts disciplines, such as painting, movement, music, dance and poetry. Accessing multiple sensory pathways offers participants greater potential for meaningful growth and lasting change. The discipline was co- founded in the 1970's by Steve and Ellen Levine, Paolo Knill and Shaun McNiff as an art practice and art-based therapy. The philosophy of the Expressive Arts embraces an interdisciplinary approach to the arts, integrating indigenous healing systems with contemporary theories such as phenomenology, feminism, postmodernism and eco-aesthetics.
About Elizabeth Tobias, MA
Elizabeth Tobias, MA, is an Expressive Arts Therapist, Interdisciplinary Artist, Educator and Community Organizer. She creates immersive works of art and public events that address timely social issues such as abuse, trauma, discrimination, food scarcity and climate change. Her multi-media projects leverage art to engage the community in cultural, economic and social advancement.
In 2019, The LA Art Association selected Elizabeth to develop a socially engaged performance piece for The LA Art Show. She created Survivor! Share Your 98 Second Story with a collective of 24 artists in response to the sexual assault epidemic. In 2014, she was awarded a Learning Innovation Fellowship from The National Science Foundation as part of a collaborative project to combat climate change. In 2012, she earned a Durfee ARC Grant for The Cupcake Project, a 3 year traveling exhibit about the hunger epidemic in America, which was featured at The Carpenter Center for Visual Arts at Harvard University. and Utah MOCA. In 2010, she conceptualized SEE THRU, an experimental collaboration with Caltech Neuroscience Professor, Shinsuke Shimojo and The LA Art Association.
She has worked with organizations including Vista Hill Parent Care, The San Diego Unified School District Department of Student Advocacy, La Jolla Elementary School, La Jolla High School, The LA Gay and Lesbian Center, The Girl Up Initiative, Mother's Kitchen, The Expressive Arts Foundation and Arts for Learning.
Elizabeth earned her MA in Spiritual Psychology from The University of Santa Monica and her Professional Diploma from The Expressive Arts Institute in San Diego in accordance with standards set forth by The International Expressive Arts Therapy Training Network and in compliance with The European Graduate School in Saas Fe, Switzerl
My Client Promise
I promise to be there with you every step of your journey. My goal is to support you in expressing yourself creatively and authentically as you grow from your struggles, heal from your pain, and move forward to where you want to be. You will be supported as you rediscover yourself and what you want to be doing with your life. I will bring my heart, my experience and my understanding to your journey and will provide you with a safe, nurturing and creative environment for your process.
Expressive arts therapy and arts intervention areas of focus
Depression & Anxiety
Depression, fear, and anxiety are some of the most common and uncomfortable emotions that we experience at different stages and transitions in our lives. Through Expressive Arts Therapy, you will strengthen your ability to adjust to change as you recover your motivation, perspective and joy. You will rediscover what inspires you most.
Trauma, Assault & PTSD
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat, rape or other violent personal assault. Experiencing physical and emotional trauma can lead to overwhelming anxiety, sadness, anger, fear and hopelessness. Expressive Arts Therapy is a safe and comforting modality that can help you find relief from these symptoms through the exploration of multiple arts disciplines including poetry, movement and more.
Families & Relationships
Relationship therapy can be beneficial to couples and families who are looking to strengthen their emotional connection. Expressive Arts Therapy sessions are a supportive place to work through obstacles and to find imaginative solutions to challenges. You can strengthen your relationships and your creativity with the people you care about most.
Photo Gallery
