More than a professional home. An expressive arts community.

The International Expressive Arts Therapy Association® is an international community of artists, therapists, educators, consultants, advocates, and practitioners. If you believe in the power of the expressive arts to heal, grow, teach, and transform, you belong in IEATA!

Join IEATA

Explore REAT® & REACE

REGISTER TODAY! IEATA's 16th International Conference

Registration is open for our 16th International Conference – Passport to Transformation: The Expressive Arts as Doorways to Healing. Visit our conference page to learn more!

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION ENDS FEBRUARY 14

2025 IEATA Conference

IEATA members come from all backgrounds and speak many different languages, but as a community, we’re woven together by the thread of creative expression.

There's a place for you in IEATA!

Join IEATA’s global community

No matter how the expressive arts shows up in your life and career, IEATA has something to offer you. Join as a student, professional, partner organization, or other membership level.

Become a member

Register in the expressive arts

IEATA offers gold-standard professional registration in the expressive arts, both for therapists and for facilitators, consultants, and educators. Apply for your REAT® or REACE® registration today.

Explore REAT® or REACE

Get involved & give back

Did you know? As an IEATA member, you have the opportunity to join leadership committees, share your art and story, and get involved with regional groups — and even more!

Find your place

Why join IEATA?

As the only nonprofit international expressive arts organization of its kind, IEATA is the standard bearer for our profession. We offer rigorous registrations (REAT/REACE) for both clinical and non-clinical practitioners of the expressive arts.

But while our REAT® and REACE® certifications are a big part of what we do, IEATA is so much more than a registering body. We’re a professional network, a best-practice resource, and a big friendly community — all in one.

Explore our membership benefits and then join us today!

Become a member

As an IEATA member, you’ll have...

Access to the latest resources and research on expressive arts in clinical and non-clinical applications
A voice and a role in shaping the future of our profession
Professional leadership opportunities, from board committees to regional groups to social action
Invitations to virtual and in-person events, including our annual conference, monthly book club & more
A global network of committed professionals in your corner — what we like to call our expressive arts community!

April Open Forum Recording

April Member Spotlight Article

Ready to connect internationally?

Become a member and get listed on IEATA’s Professional Education & Training Directory!

Learn more

Find your people in IEATA!

“The IEATA community is my professional home. IEATA has held and shaped my work for over 25 years, and has also given me the opportunity to assist in shaping the field and upholding the standards. IEATA is a global, responsive, inclusive, diverse community that brings us together, from around the globe, in service this amazing and life-changing, world-changing work that we all do.”

Kathleen Horne, MA, LMHC, REACE®, REAT®, United States

“Intermodal Expressive Arts is a path towards a culturally inclusive, accessible, and neurodiverse future.”

Reji Mathew, PhD, LCSW, REAT®

“I am so honored to be a part of the global community which is IEATA. The ability to be connected through this organization worldwide a feels exciting and energizing! Intermodal Expressive Arts is a beautiful way of engaging our innate creative selves in a wholistic way. IEATA supports and enlivens my involvement in this field.”

Betsy Funk, LCSW, LIMHP, MPA, REAT®

“Intermodal arts are a universal language and therefore all inclusive, not only to include the diversity of our humanity, but a multi-modal doorway into the many layers of each of us.”

Maria Gonzalez-Blue, MA, REAT®, REACE®

“Being part of the IEATA community has been a way for me to honor the life saving and life improving part the intermodal expressive arts has had for my personal life and for the life of my students and clients. I know that Expressive Arts is a powerful healing force in the world and a source of compassion, inspiration and wellness for humanity.”

Lorena Fernandez, PhD, REACE®

“Being a part of the IEATA community has been a key piece of my professional journey. As an intercultural, international, and intermodal community of doing heart-based eco-based work to better ourselves, our communities, and our planet. It has been such an amazing supportive journey for me as I feel seen and heard. Feeling much gratitude.”

Jennie Kristel, M.A. REAT®, APTT, RMT

“Intermodal expressive arts means weaving together various art forms to breathe life into the emotions captured in a single moment. It is personal, profound, and evocative, a celebration of how emotions can be felt and shared.”

Heidi LaPorte, DSW, MSW

“Being part of the IEATA community is an integral part of my growth and development in my chosen profession. I meet and learn from wonderful, dedicated Expressive Arts practitioners, have many resources at my fingertips, and can always reach out with a question. Working on and attending IEATA conferences has been a joyous part of my journey.”

Susan Paul Johnson, PhD, REACE®

What are the expressive arts?

The expressive arts are all about using different art forms — think drawing, dancing, music, writing, and drama — to help people feel better, understand themselves, and grow.

Rather than use a single art form (such as the visual arts), expressive arts practitioners call on many different forms of art, thoughtfully connecting them to one another to go deeper into the experience.

This integrated and intermodal approach is a uniquely powerful way of communicating through creativity — unlocking all of the senses to bring about transformation.

Expressive arts by the numbers

29

YEARS

as a global community and professional standard bearer

49

COUNTRIES

represented among IEATA members

54%

GROWTH

over the last 3 years — and counting, as we continue to expand!

37

CONFERENCES

hosted and held internationally since 1994

More impact

Why the expressive arts?

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