Vivien Marcow-Speiser
Professional Title: Professor, Expressive Therapies; Director of National, International, and Collaborative Programs
Areas of Academic Focus and Expertise:
Expressive Therapies, Dance Therapy
Representative List of Recent Courses Taught:
Arts Apprenticeship in the Expressive Therapies
Group Process in Dance Therapy
Creative Conflict Transformation
Arts and Healing
Authentic Movement
Creative Movement
Education: B.A., University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; M.Ed., Lesley University; Ph.D., Union Institute; BC-DMT,LMHC , NCC, REAT
Representative List of Recent Publications / Exhibitions:
Schwartz, S., Marcow Speiser, V., Speiser, P., & Kossak, M. (Eds.). (2012).The Arts and Social Change: The Lesley University Experience in Israel. Zur Yigal, Israel: Porat Books.
Marcow Speiser,V and Schwartz, S. (2011) . Reflections on the Development of the Lesley University Extension in Israel. In A Century of Innovation (eds) Brown, C.F. and Forinash, M. Baltimore: Publish America
Marcow Speiser, V. and Schwartz, S. (2011). These stories are burning a hole in my brain: Using the arts to tell the stories of the Jewish immigrant community in Israel. In Art in Action: Expressive Arts Therapy and Social Change, (eds) Levine, E. and Levine, S. London:Jessica Kingsley.
Marcow Speiser, V. and Schwartz, S. (2009). Reflections on the Development of the Lesley University Extension in Israel. Chapter in the Lesley Centennial Publication. See PDF for publication. www.lesley.edu/centennial/content/marcowspeiserandschwartzfinal.pdf
Kossak, M. and Marcow Speiser, V. (eds). (2009). Special edition of the Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism and Practice, Issue 14. The Lesley University Extension Program in Israel: Teaching in a Troubled Land. www.lesley.edu/provost/jppp/content/jppp_14_israel_1_intro.pdf
Marcow Speiser, V. Towards an understanding of the Israeli context for teaching and learning JPPP (ibid). www.lesley.edu/provost/jppp/content/jppp_14_israel_5_speiser.pdf.
Marcow Speiser, V. and Serlin, I. (2007) (eds). Special Edition on The Imagine Conference. The Journal of Humanistic Psychology 47(1), 280-288.
Marcow Speiser, V. and Speiser, P. (2007). An Arts Approach to Working with Cross Cultural Conflicts, The Journal of Humanistic Psychology 47(1), 361-367.
Marcow Speiser, V. and Speiser, P. (2007). The Use of the Arts in Working with Fear and Stress in the Israeli Context. The Praeger Series in Body-Mind Medicine: The Art of Healthcare, Volume II.
Franklin, M. and Marcow Speiser, V. (2007). Authentic Movement as a Meditative Practice. The Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism and Practice, Issue 12.
Klagsbrun,J. Rappaport,L. Marcow Speiser,V, Post.P , Byers,J. Stepakoff,S. Karman,S. (2005) Focusing and Expressive Arts Therapy as a Complementary Treatment for Women with Breast Cancer. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, Vol 1 no 1
Marcow Speiser, V and Powell, MC. (eds) (2005)The Arts, Education and Social Change. New York: Peter Lang/Lesley Series
Marcow Speiser, V and Speiser,P . (2005) A Theoretical Approach to Working with Conflict through the Arts. In Marcow Speiser,V and Powell,C.(eds) The Arts, Education and Social Change . New York: Peter Lang
Recent Presentations
4/11/13 Panelist, Resiliency and Inclusion: Transforming Social and Cultural Identities through the Arts. Global Alliance for Arts and Health’s 24th Annual Conference, Washington. DC
12/11/12 Panelist and Panel Chair, On the Seam of Arts and Health: A survey of the Field of Arts and Health in Israel and around the world. The Israeli Society of Creative and Expressive Therapy annual conference. Jerusalem, Israel.
6/25/12 THE CENTRE FOR SOCIO-ECO-NOMIC DEVELOPMENT, GENEVA &INSTITUT ODeF , GENEVA - Re-Constructing the Social Fabric of Communities after War Traumas: Introductory workshop for humanitarian workers
5/-17/12 NEW DELHI, THE RAYS OF WISDOM INSTITUTE. Keynote address at Ancient Arts Festival/Conference: The Body as a Sacred Instrument
5/12-13/12 Istanbul, Turkey, Sapir Institute :How to Build Your Professional Career- training workshop
4/3/12 Netanya, Israel. Panel member on arts and social change programs in action. Lesley Conference on arts and social change.
3/05/12 Melbourne, Australia, MIECAT, Lecture:Arts in Action: Social change through dance and expressive arts therapy.
2/22/12 Hong Kong University, Danny Ho Public Lecture Series: The Arts in Wellness and Healthcare inauguration and keynote lecture
2/9-10/12 Hong Kong University, Arts in Action: Social change through dance and expressive arts therapy training workshop
1/22-23/12 PelePele Arts Academy, Mbabane, Swaziland Liberating Creativity training workshop.
1/12-13/12 Drums for Peace, Bulawayo Zimbabwe, Liberating Creativity training workshop
12/26/12 Lesley University Extension, Netanya - Dance & Expressive Therapy Approaches to Working with Trauma lecture
ADTA 45th Conference. New York:Whole Person Approaches to Working with Trauma: Posttraumatic Growth. Vivien Marcow Speiser and Ilene Serlin.. September 25th 2010
Focusing and the Arts as a mindfulness tool in Psychotherapy:Clearing a space for the Therapist. . University of Toronto. Conference on Mindfulness and Psychotherapy. May 1st 2010
Creating Change in the World:Expressive Therapy Approaches.
(co-presented with Phillip Speiser,) Pre-conference Workshop, IEATA 8th International Conference, Cambridge, MA August 12, 2009
Humanizing an Inhumane World: Expression in the Service of Humanity through the Arts, APA, Division 32, Boston, MA August 15th 2008
An Authentic Movement Workshop. 7th International Congress on Psyche,Soma and Spirit , The University of Morales and Tonalzintli Institute, Cuernavaca, Mexico,
February, 2007
Panel on Identity as an Artist and Therapist (panel participant ) 7th International Congress on Psyche,Soma and Spirit , The University of Morales and Tonalzintli Institute, Cuernavaca, Mexico, February, 2007
Creating Change in the World: Dance and Expressive Therapy Approaches
( co-presented with Phillip Speiser,) ADTA Annual Conference, Long Beach, CA. October, 2006
A Panel Discussion by Dance Therapy Pioneers (panel presenter) ADTA Annual Conference, Long Beach,CA, October, 2006
Peacing our World Together (creative arts in learning and expressive therapy group faculty presentation) Empower Peace Conference. Lesley University August, 2006
An Arts Approach to Working with Conflict (co-presented with Phillip Speiser)
Imagine Conference,Tel Aviv April 2006
Reclaiming Bones from Stones (co-presented with Nancy Jo Cardillo, and Deborah Smulian) Imagine conference, Tel Aviv, April 2006
Authentic Movement: Movement for Human Beings Imagine Conference Tel Aviv, Israel April 2006
Holding Suffering, Holding Beauty: A Faculty Group Presentation from Moving and Witnessing together in our Authentic Movement Collective. Igniting the Synapses Conference, Lesley University April 2006
Mothers and Sons. (co-presented with Julia Byers) Raising Cain: Emotional Development of Boys IBMS conference Lesley University February 2006
Authentic Movement as a Meditative Practice. Faculty development day workshop. Lesley University, January 2006
Vivien Marcow Speiser has directed and taught in programs across the United States and internationally and has used the arts as a way of communicating across borders and across cultures. She believes in the power of the arts to create the conditions for personal and social change and transformation. Her interests and expertise lie in the areas of working with trauma and cross-cultural conflict resolution through the arts and she has worked extensively with groups in the Middle East and in South Africa. In addition, she is an expert in the creation and performance of rites of passage rituals and in the use of dance and performance in expressive therapy practice.