Fecat

 

foundation course in expressive & creative arts therapies

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testimonials
alumni

the fecat experience in a nutshell

training hours

With 365 training hours, the FECAT program is the first Expressive Arts Training program in India that covers classroom and online training, experiential sessions, assignments, internships, supervisions, and personal work

Trained

Our students have gone ahead and started independent practice, found employment in educational institutions, hospitals, corporate organisations, etc

batches

Studio for Movement Arts & Therapies was founded in 2011. We have trained 12 FECAT batches so far

Power of Expressive Arts

Overview

Foundation course in Expressive & Creative Arts Therapies (FECAT) was born out of a need for trained EXA therapists and high quality EXA programs in the country. Conceptualised by Brinda Jacob-Janvrin, FECAT aims at training participants to work with different art modalities in therapeutic relationships with children, adolescents & adults in various settings. The participants, at the end of the training program will be able to use the creative arts with individuals and various client groups, for therapeutic goals. The FECAT program will also initiate creative art therapy programs in various NGO’s, hospitals & educational institutions as part of the internship program of the participants.

alumni

Objectives

The course is designed to train participants to use different art media in therapeutic relationships with children, adolescents & adults in different settings. The participants, at the end of the training program will be able to use the creative arts with individuals and various client groups to meet therapeutic goals.

Develop high quality EXA projects in communities of need. During the year, trainees are required to intern at various NGOs, schools, hospitals etc which is duly supervised by the supervisors.

Pre-requisites

  • Adequate interest & engagement with the arts a must, especially over the last 12 months
  • Interest in Counselling / Therapy a must. Previous training / education is not a requirement; however, it may be an advantage
  • Deep interest and engagement in one’s personal process a must. All potential participants must have the ability and interest to self reflect
  • All potential participants will have to undergo a personal interview

Modules

  • Therapeutic Communication

  • Expressive Art Therapy

  • Dance Therapy

  • Visual Art Therapy

  • Drama Therapy

  • Group Process Work
  • Short modules in Psychodrama, Play Therapy, Community Work, Caste and Mental Health, Trauma Informed Practices and Queer Affirmative

Schedule

  • The course begins in Jan and ends in Dec
  • Training sessions are mostly held on Saturdays and a few Fridays
  • The program is a mix of theory and experiential and will follow a hybrid model – part virtual (over ZOOM and Google Classrooms) and part in-person (at the SMArT Studio located in Ulsoor, Bangalore)
  • In-person sessions are held in Jan, Apr and July
  • Participants residing outside Bangalore will have to make their own travel and stay arrangements during the in-person training
  • Refer to the tentative training calendar below to get an idea of the scheduling
FECAT CALENDAR

December 2024

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Calendar starts in Jan 2025. Dates are tentative and subject to change

Requirements

  • Attendance – Minimum 90% attendance is a must in order to be eligible for certification
  • Internships & Supervisions – Trainees are expected to put into practice what they have learned during the course. Three months into the course, trainees are expected to intern at various settings such as schools, hospitals, etc. Trainees have to complete a minimum of 42 internship hours with at least 3-4 different clients belonging to various communities, with different needs and lived experiences, to broaden their learning experience. All the internships will be guided by an assigned supervisor
  • Personal Therapy – Because of the nature of the training, it is inevitable that some personal issues will arise. It is expected that the trainees attend a minimum of 24 personal therapy / counselling sessions. Each trainee will be allotted an expressive arts therapist from SMArT
  • Creative Arts Engagement – Trainees are expected to actively engage with art forms of their choice over the course of the year
  • Personal Development Profile – All trainees are required to submit a professional and personal development profile of not less than 3000 words each, at the end of the course. Their professional profile must present their case studies across their individual and client groups and personal profile must trace their personal journey during the course. All presentations will be made to the rest of the class, course trainers, facilitators, and supervisors

TRAINING HOURS

Assessment

  • Attendance, participation and engagement in the various art forms account for 15% of the assessment. All trainees are expected to have 90% attendance. Attendance includes training sessions and personal work sessions (minimum 24 hours over one year)
  • Placement and supervision account for 25% of the assessment. Trainees have to complete a minimum of 42 internship hours with at least 3-4 different clients from varied populations
  • Personal development profile account for 30% of the assessment
  • Professional development profile account for 30% of the assessment
faculty

Structure

classroom training

Therapeutic Communication, Group Process, theories in modules of Dance, Drama, Expressive Arts (EXA), Visual Art, and Play Therapy, Psychodrama, Community Work, Caste and Mental Health, Trauma Informed Practices and Queer Affirmative

experiential sessions

Dance, Drama, Visual Art, Expressive Arts, Play Therapy

personal therapy

24 hours of personal work with an assigned Expressive Arts therapist who supports the trainee through the course of the year

internships

42 hours of internships covering client categories of adults and children in individual and group settings

supervisions

18 hours of supervisions of the internship sessions, duly supervised by the assigned Expressive Arts supervisor

developmental profiles

An artistic representation of their Personal and Professional journey presented at the end of the course

Fee

Special Offer

 

INR 140000 + 18% GST

Offered to the first 8 applicants

early bird

 

INR 150000 + 18% GST

Offered to applicants 9 to 16

full fee

 

INR 160000 + 18% GST

Offered to applicants 17 to 30

Program begins Jan 2025

Apply

The application process requires you to fill and submit the form and attend a personal interview (virtual session over ZOOM) with the program director Brinda Jacob-Janvrin. 

apply for fecat 2025

Brinda Jacob-Janvrin

Brinda Jacob-Janvrin

Expressive Arts, Play Therapy

AARATHI SELVAN

AARATHI SELVAN

Therapeutic Communication

Pallavi Chander

Pallavi Chander

Drama Therapy, Play Therapy, Community Work

ATMICA REDDY

ATMICA REDDY

Dance Therapy / Laban

AVANTIKA MALHAUTRA

AVANTIKA MALHAUTRA

Visual Art Therapy

Testimonials

The FECAT course took me on a journey of embodiment, vulnerability, strength, and self-discovery. This was the most significant year of my life thus far and I felt myself transform into someone more aware, accepting, assertive and creative. It gave my life meaning and led me to work with children and young adults to facilitate growth and positive change through the power of the arts in psychotherapy – going deeper, beyond words. The journey continues and there is no looking back.
Joining the FECAT family was a life changer for me. It was a deep journey of unraveling, a journey of facing my most vulnerable self, of growth, self-empowerment, change and renewed faith in my strengths. It was a journey of finding Me.
FECAT shows an inimitable way to get in touch with oneself through the arts. The course pulls away the attention from outcome to set an example far different from the world out there. This person-centered aspect ensures every student gets something out of it, whether their intention is to become an arts-based therapist or not. The learning can, in fact, be converted into a lifelong pursuit.

Frequently Asked Questions

arts background

I don’t have a background or training in any of the art forms. Is that a deterrent for me to do the program?
You do not need any prior experience or training in any of the art forms. An interest in the arts is sufficient. During the course of the training, you are required to engage in any art forms of your choice. The art forms could be visual art, bodywork, music etc.

psychology background

I have not studied psychology. Will I be able to do the program?
An educational background in Psychology is beneficial, but it is not a prerequisite for doing the program. An interest in human behaviour, therapeutic processes and the arts is all that is required.

attendance

What if I miss a few classes due to some emergency? Will there be a recording provided?
Our minimum attendance criteria is 90%. If for some reason you are unable to stick to this number due to some emergencies, you will have to do additional internships to make up for the short attendance.
We maintain strict confidentiality due to the sensitive nature of the course and do not record any training sessions.

Internships

What are Internships and how does one go about it?
An internship is an opportunity for the trainee to put into practice their learnings from the program. Internships are to be conducted with unknown volunteer clients, usually sourced from within the contacts of the co-trainees, social media and WhatsApp requests etc. A list of organisations where our past students have interned will also be provided.

internship hours

How many hours of internships are required for the course completion?
You are required to conduct a minimum of 50 hours of supervised internships

Supervision

What is Supervision? Who has to pay for it?
All your 50 hours will be supervised by a Therapeutic Communications Supervisor and an Expressive Arts Supervisor. The supervision will be in a group (primarily) and individual setting. 21 supervision sessions (32 hours) are included in the training fee. Typically, most trainees are able to get their 50 internship hours supervised within these 21 sessions.

Personal Therapy

Why are we required to be in personal therapy during the course? Who will bear the fee of this personal therapy?
Yes, you are required to attend a minimum of 24 hours of personal therapy during the course of the year. You can work with your own therapist if you have one. If you don’t have a therapist. SMArT will assign you an Expressive Arts (EXA) Therapist. The therapist fee has to be borne by the trainee and paid directly to the therapist. The fee of an EXA therapist assigned by SMArT is INR 750 per hour.

Location

I don’t live in Bangalore. Will I have to shift to Bangalore to do the course?
No, you do not have to move to Bangalore. We follow a hybrid model. We start with a 3-day in-person training and then move online. Halfway through the course, we meet again for 4 days of in-person training.
All in-person training sessions are conducted at our studio in Ulsoor, Bangalore. Outstation participants have to make their own arrangements for travel and accommodation.
Internships can be done wherever you reside. Supervisions are conducted virtually.

in a job

I have a regular job. Will I be able to still do this program?
Training is held on all Saturdays and the first Friday of the month. With a little bit of work flexibility and prior planning, you will comfortably be able to do the course.
In addition to the training days, you are also required to attend 24 personal therapy sessions (of 1-hour duration) during the course of the year, conduct 50 hours of internships and be a part of 32 hours of supervision sessions during the course of the year.
All public holidays are taken into consideration while planning the Training

refund

I have paid the advance fee. However, I am unable to join this year. Can I get a refund?
As stated in our application form, the fee is non-refundable and non-transferable. Under special circumstances, we may offer the participant a rollover to the next batch. In case there is an increase in the fee for the next batch, the participant will have to pay the difference. A rollover participant will not be eligible for a discounted fee (either the special offer or the early bird) in the next batch.

admission Transfer

I have paid the entire fee for the program however I am unable to join. Can I transfer this admission to a friend of mine?
Sorry, the fee is non-transferable.

Instalments

Can I pay the fee in instalments?
We offer a 2 instalment plan to all the participants. The fee has to be paid in full before the program commences.
Under special circumstances, we have extended the fee payment deadline on a need-to basis. Applicants are requested to write to hello@smartmove.co.in and explain their circumstances.

Scholarship

I am from an economically disadvantaged background. Do you offer scholarships?
Please write to sathwik@smartmove.co.in and present your case. We don’t offer a direct scholarship, but we may consider helping you raise funds for this education from within our network and contacts.

Certification

What kind of certificate will I get on completion of the program?
On successful completion of the course criteria, you will be certified as an Expressive Arts Practitioner. The certificate will be signed by your Expressive Arts Supervisor and the Artistic Director.

Future Opportunities

What are my future opportunities after I complete the program?
On completing the FECAT program, some of our alumni have set up an independent practice, worked in educational institutes, corporate organisations, in the nonprofit sector, with NGOs, Hospitals etc. Some of them have returned to SMArT to do the advanced level program – The Expressive Body. Few others have gone ahead to do their masters from institutes in the US and UK.

Affiliation

Is the program affiliated or recognised by any institute?
The program is not affiliated with any university. This allows us to have complete autonomy of the syllabus design and learning methodology.
We have been in this learning space since 2012 and are recognised by the mental health community in India.
Our program is supervised by Dr. Kate Donohue, a licensed psychologist & a registered expressive arts therapist (REAT). She holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology & has maintained an active private practice for 33 years. She has also been teaching for 30 years, at institutions such as the California Institute of Integral Studies, Institute for Transpersonal Psychology, JFK University & the San Francisco C.G. Jung Institute. She is a co-founder of the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association & an MCEP & CEU provider.
Dr. Leonilla Agiera is the FECAT program consultant, Since 1986 Dr. Leonilla has been deeply involved in studying the Mind-Body-Spirit relationship. She has worked on finding a synergy between eastern and western spirituality and has spent a considerable amount of time researching the practice of meditation and delving deep into eastern spirituality. Phoenix transformation sessions and Shadow Work developed by her help leaders empower themselves through transformation, integration, and individuation. Dr. Leonilla is the founder of BODHI -a Centre for Human Growth into Consciousness and has spearheaded this organization for the time of its inception. She is also the founder of the Resource Center for Training and Development, this center works with the Psycho-spiritual approach in helping people unfold and discover themselves. She was awarded the gold medal for her Ph.D. for best research work and M.V. Govindaswamy memorial prize for her research work for MPhil, in NIMHANS. She also holds a doctoral degree in Metaphysical Sciences from the University of Meta-Physics in California, USA.

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