PATRISHA THOMSON - BIOGRAPHY

Patrisha Thomson’s seminars integrate the arts in a body-mind approach, based on more than thirty years of involvement in visual art and dance. Her design work includes public art with Los Angeles area murals, photography with two major agencies, and fine art. She is presently developing projects with a combination of writing and visual art. Her most recent project is a website art and writing project, Create a Bridge Between Cultures. www.createabridge.org

Patrisha’s studies in Expressive Arts have been with the originators of this newly developing field, primarily with Natalie Rogers in her Person-Centered Expressive Art Therapy Institute.

Patrisha leads on-going integrative art classes and offers consultation for individual creative growth and group staff development. She is presently on the roster of consultants for Laurel Canyon Recovery Center, offering integrative arts in this private residential healing center for.

She has been teaching "The Creativity Workshop" for Santa Monica College for more than thirteen years. For the ten years prior to establishing her design business, Patrisha taught creative expression through dance and has now created a program that integrates writing, movement, and visual arts.

Patrisha is a singer. She has studied music improvisation with singer, Rhiannon and with cellist and master teacher, David Darling in his "Music for People" program and now sings in the Los Angeles area. She established "The Woodshed Workshop," in 2002 for the study of jazz vocal performance and now performs in the Los Angeles area.

Since January, 2006, Patrisha has been doing double-duty as a principle in her father's business, with his product which he invented 67 years ago, SUPERthrive. It is vitamins for plant care. She is proud of his achievement in attaining the age of 95 years and continuing to put in a full day's work, opening his doors each day at 8 AM.

M.A. - Art Education, California State University at Long Beach
Certification in Expressive Arts - Person-Centered Expressive Art Therapy Institute (PCETI)
~ founded by Natalie Rogers, facilitated with Shellee Davis, Anin Utigaard, and Patricia Waters.
Certification in Healing Drum - with Christine Stevens

Conference presenter:
Create a Bridge Between Cultures - www.createabridge.org
International Expressive Art Therapy Institute Conference, May, 2007
Healing and Transformation with Creative Arts
LA-CAMFT (LA-California Association for Marriage and Family Therapists), March, 2006
Decision-Making with Integrative Arts ~ Association for Humanistic Psychology Conference ~ June 10-12, 2005
California State University at Northridge
Song Circle ~ 11TH Annual PTO Conference, May 29-31, 2005

Publications:
Principles of an Expressive Arts Practioner
IEATA, Bi-Annual Newslwtter, IEATA, 2007
Perspective Magazine, Association of Humanistic Psychology Quarterly
April/May 2006 link to article
Mercury on Roller Blades Painting and poem
IEATA, Bi-Annual Newslwtter, IEATA, Spring, 2006
Perspective Magazine, Association of Humanistic Psychology Quarterly,
August/September, 2005