Redefine Therapy Expressive Arts Retreat

April 30 – May 3, 2026
Villa Maria Education and Spirituality Center
Villa Maria, PA

registration Closes April 11th, 2025

Join us for our Annual Expressive Arts Retreat!

We are thrilled to be back in our retreat home at Villa Maria Education & Spirituality Retreat Center in Western Pennsylvania for the Redefine Therapy Expressive Arts Retreat, formerly called the Dancing Mindfulness Facilitators and Friends Retreat. Join us for this unique retreat experience that is known for its ability to bring together outside-of-the-box thinkers, feelers, and doers from a variety of professions. Select CE credit hours are available for our clinical pre-retreat workshop this year. No CEs are offered for main retreat (some of the content might be able to be counted to certain programs in Expressive Arts Therapy. If you are enrolled in a program you can verify). Retreat directed by Dr. Jamie Marich.
 
Confirmed special guests include: Irene Rodriguez, Alexis Rae, Spiral Rhythms Ensemble, Cosmo Thornton, John Michael Thornton, Leah Hartman, and Dr. Kellie Kirksey
 

Featuring

  • Labyrinth walks with Dr. Kellie Kirksey, public and private on Saturday afternoon
  • Opening Dance with Dr. Jamie Marich Friday night
  • Saturday morning yoga with Dr. Jamie Marich
  • Dance Chapel Sunday morning with Alicia Hann
 

registration Closes APril 11th, 2025

Pre-Retreat Workshops

All day friday

Available as stand-alone workshops or to add-on to your retreat package.

JamieIreneBook

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).

8:30am-4:30pm, May 1, 2026
Cost: TBA (as retreat add-on)
Cost: $115.00 (workshop only/no retreat)
Cost: $65.00 (student discount)
Lunch is included at all price points.
6 CE credit hours available
JMTk_CU

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.

9:00am-4:30pm, April 25, 2025
Cost: $75.00 (as retreat add-on)
Cost: $95.00 (workshop only/no retreat)
Cost: $55.00 (student discount)
Lunch is included at all price points.
No CE credit hours

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! 

 

JamieIreneBook
Pictured: Dr. Jamie Marich & Irene Rodriguez

Retreat Package Options (April 25-27, 2025)

Pre-Retreat Workshop Optional Add-on (April 26th)

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. We ask you to disclose any special dietary requests or accessibility accommodations requests in the registration form.

registration Closes APril 11th, 2025

Although we are not promoting a full hybrid retreat and encourage people to attend in-person, we appreciate that not everyone can. If you are interested in the retreat and would be interested in taking part in some of the sessions online, please reach out to us directly at: alicia@instituteforcreativemindfulness.com by April 11th, 2025 and we will make appropriate arrangements based on our tech capacity.

Preliminary Retreat Agenda

Dr. Jamie Marich leading a session during an Expressive Arts Therapy training

Redefine Therapy Expressive Arts Retreat 2026

Exact schedule TBA
Main retreat starts on Friday at dinner time
 
Featured Saturday afternoon presentation: 
Adventure & Insight: A Therapeutic Dungeons & Dragons Workshop
with Alexis Burrow, LPCC-S & Therapeutic Game Master

DaySessionTimeLocation
Thursday, April 24Early Arrival for Those Who
Purchased an Extra Night
5:30pm-9:30pmBegel Hall West
Friday, April 25Breakfast (for Thursday overnight guests)8:15am-9:00am
Pre-Retreat Workshops (Optional)9:00am-4:30pmMultipleThe Four Blinks Approach to Flash: Core Training and Creative Applications with Thomas Zimmerman and Lisa Glendinning (Mother Madeline)Energy Management and Psychic Protection with John Michael Thornton and Dr. Jamie Marich (Discussant) (Begel Hall West)
In-Person Retreat Arrivals4:00pm-7:00pmBegel Hall West
Dinner5:30pm-6:00pm
Free Time6:00pm-7:30pm
Opening Orientation & Dance with Dr. Jamie Marich7:30pm-9:30pmMother Madeline
Saturday, April 26Morning Yoga7:30am-8:30amBegel WestMorning Yoga with Leah Hartman (Begel West)
Breakfast8:15am-9:00am
Morning Sessions 1
9:00am-10:15amMultipleFinger Labyrinths: An Ancient Tool for Healing with Alix Amar (Mother Madeline)Laughter: A Mindful Path to Joy and Nervous System Regulation with Irene Rodriguez (Begel West)
Morning Sessions 2:
10:30am-11:45amMultipleAn Invitation to EMD Playbox: An Art Camp Community Experience for Wounded HealersÓ: Know Thyself and Be Well with Amy Mickle and Julie Pyle-Childs (Mother Madeline)Calling All Saviors: Follow The Moon with Rev. Karla Fleshman (Begel West)
Lunch Break12:00am-1:00pm
Wellness Services Available TBA (Extra Fee Applies)1:00pm-7:00pm Begel Hall West
Featured Afternoon Session 1:30pm-4:00pmMother MadelineFeatured Afternoon Session: Hip Hop, Mental Health, and Me with Blaise Harris (Mother Madeline)
TBA or Free Time
4:15pm-5:00pmMother Madeline
Dinner5:30pm-6:00pm
Free Time6:00pm-7:30pm
Evening Program with Spiral Rhythms Ensemble (In-Person) or Free Time7:30-9:00pmMother Madeline
Sunday, April 27Dance Chapel with Alicia Hann7:30am-8:30amMother Madeline
Breakfast8:15am-9:30am
Morning Session9:30am-10:00amMother MadelineMorning Session: Laughter Yoga with Irene Rodriguez (Mother Madeline)
Share Your Practice: Closing Program Led by Dr. Jamie Marich & Participating Facilitators10:00am-12:00pmMother MadelineShare Your Practice, Facilitated by Dr. Jamie Marich
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.