Redefine Therapy Expressive Arts Retreat
April 30 – May 3, 2026
Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center
Villa Maria, PA
Registration Closes April 13th, 2026
Join us for our Annual Expressive Arts Retreat!
Featuring
- Featured Saturday presentation- Adventure & Insight: A Therapeutic Dungeons & Dragons Workshopwith Alexis Burrow, LPCC-S & Therapeutic Game Master
- Labyrinth walks with Dr. Kellie Kirksey, public and private on Saturday afternoon
- Opening Dance with Dr. Jamie Marich Friday night
- Saturday morning yoga with Leah Hartman
- Dance Chapel Sunday morning with Alicia Hann
Registration Closes April 13th, 2026
Pre-Retreat Workshops
All day friday
Available as stand-alone workshops or to add-on to your retreat package.
Integrating Therapeutic Humor & Laughter with the AIP Model Model in EMDR Therapy
with Irene Rodriguez and Dr. Jamie Marich (EMDRIA & Select CE credits available)
This workshop is designed to create an environment for clinicians to enhance their understanding of Flash-based memory reconsolidation research and techniques in assorted clinical contexts and settings. Participants will learn a version of Flash specifically developed for complex trauma and for use in assorted contexts (individual sessions, group sessions, and as a critical incident intervention).
Cost: $65.00 (student discount)
6 CE credit hours available
Reiki: Energetic Personal Care with Cosmo Thornton, RMT
No CE credits; includes Reiki I & II attunement
In this workshop we will look at ways to transform unhealthy avoidance strategies into conscious protection strategies. We will explore ways of creating spaces where intuition and empathy feel easy and natural.
Feeling the Call to Facilitate?
We are now accepting proposals!
Have you been thinking about crafting your own retreat session, leading a dance chapel or yoga session? If so, submit your proposal!
Retreat Package Options (April 30-May 3, 2026)
Pre-Retreat Workshop Optional Add-on (May 1st)
-
Integrating Therapeutic Humor & Laughter with the AIP Model Model in EMDR Therapy $105.00
with Irene Rodriguez and Dr. Jamie Marich (EMDRIA & Select CE credits available). Student price (No CE): $55
-
Reiki: Energetic Personal Care with Cosmo Thornton, RMT $105.00
No CE credits; includes Reiki I & II attunement
For those attending the retreat in-person, meals are included from Friday dinner through Sunday breakfast. If you are adding the extra night Thursday, breakfast and lunch are also included on Friday. Please make your own dinner plans for Thursday evening if you are arriving early. We ask you to disclose any special dietary requests or accessibility accommodations requests in the registration form.
Registration Closes April 13th, 2026
Preliminary Retreat Agenda
Redefine Therapy Expressive Arts Retreat 2026
| Day | Session | Time | Location | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, April 30 | Early Arrival for Those Who Purchased an Extra Night | 5:30pm-9:30pm | Begel Hall West | ||
| Friday, May 1 | Breakfast (for Thursday overnight guests) | 8:15am-9:00am | |||
| Pre-Retreat Workshops (Optional) | 9:00am-4:30pm | Multiple | Integrating Therapeutic Humor & Laughter Therapy with the AIP Model in EMDR Therapy with Irene Rodriguez & Dr. Jamie Marich, discussant (Conference Center) | Reiki: Energetic Personal Care with Level I & II Attunement with Rev. Cosmo Thornton (Begel West) | |
| In-Person Retreat Arrivals | 4:00pm-7:00pm | Begel Hall West | |||
| Dinner | 5:30pm-6:00pm | ||||
| Free Time | 6:00pm-7:30pm | ||||
| Opening Orientation & Dance with Dr. Jamie Marich | 7:30pm-9:30pm | Conference Center | |||
| Saturday, May 2 | Morning Yoga | 7:30am-8:30am | Begel West | Morning Yoga with Leah Hartman (Begel West) | |
| Breakfast | 8:15am-9:00am | ||||
| Morning Sessions 1 | 9:00am-10:15am | Multiple | The Gift of Relationship: We Heal in Community with Judy Corasaniti (Conference Center) | Psychic Self-Defense for Healing Practitioners with Rev. John Michael Thornton (Begel West) | |
| Morning Sessions 2: | 10:30am-11:45am | Multiple | Playing with Our Parts: Design Play Workshop with Michelle Kahl & Amy Mickle (Conference Center) | What is “Healthy Spirituality?:” A Round Table Discussion with Rev. John Michael Thornton & Dr. Jamie Marich (Begel West) | |
| Lunch Break | 12:00am-1:00pm | ||||
| Wellness Services Available TBA (Extra Fee Applies) | 1:00pm-7:00pm | Begel Hall West | |||
| Featured Afternoon Session | 1:30pm-4:00pm | Conference Center | Featured Afternoon Session: Adventure & Insight: A Therapeutic Dungeons & Dragons Workshop with Alexis Burrow (Conference Center) | ||
| TBA or Free Time | 4:15pm-5:00pm | Conference Center | |||
| Dinner | 5:30pm-6:00pm | ||||
| Free Time | 6:00pm-7:30pm | ||||
| Evening Program with Spiral Rhythms Ensemble (In-Person) or Free Time | 7:30-9:00pm | Conference Center | |||
| Sunday, May 3 | Dance Chapel with Alicia Hann | 7:30am-8:30am | Conference Center | ||
| Breakfast | 8:15am-9:30am | ||||
| Morning Session | 9:30am-10:00am | Conference Center | Morning Session: TBA | ||
| Share Your Practice: Closing Program | 10:00am-12:00pm | Conference Center | Share Your Practice, Facilitated by Dr. Jamie Marich & Irene Rodriguez | ||
| Departure |
FAQs
Do our participants have access to the pool this year?
We are still waiting on confirmation from The Villa on whether or not the pool will be available to us this year.
Are there any specialty COVID protocols?
None. However, you are welcome to mask if you would like.
Does ICM provide rides to and from the airport?
ICM does not provide rides to and from the airport. You are responsible for getting to and from the Villa. Transportation services such as Lyft or Uber can bring you to the retreat from the airport. These services can also get you to the airport, although you will need to find a ride into town (typically the WalMart parking lot) to get a ride back to the airport, as these services will not pick-up from the retreat center. There are also car rental services at the airport which may be a good option. Although ICM cannot officially offer or facilitate rides to retreatants,and cannot guarantee this to be the case, it is our experience that as folks meet and connect over the weekend people often find friends to carpool back to the airport with on Sunday.
I am curious about wellness services.
Closer to the retreat, we will send out more information about the wellness services that will be available for purchase on Saturday of the retreat, please stay tuned for more details about these wonderful services. We will officially open wellness service registrations at the beginning of the retreat Friday evening and will have sign-up sheets available.
Do you have any dietary restrictions or accessibility accommodations?
This year, you should have filled out any dietary restrictions that you may have on your registration form. However, if you are not sure, or if you have had a change in your dietary needs please feel free to reach out to us and we will be sure to record your request for accommodations for The Villa’s culinary staff.
In addition, we would appreciate knowing in advance if you have any accessibility accommodations including but not limited to having a room on the first floor or near an elevator, plan on bringing a service animal, need a safe space to store refrigerated medication such as insulin, etc. We appreciate knowing these things in advance so that we may better attend to your needs.