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Course Description

The CHI of Painting, led by Leigh McCloskey, is an experiential seminar that approaches painting as a form of creative attention and inquiry rather than technical performance. Drawing on the concept of art as a pathway to self-understanding and presence, participants begin in the garden of Olandar, and the symbolic significance of place. From there, the seminar moves into the archetypal studio space, where participants engage in spontaneous, direct creation—using color and gesture as tools for curiosity and exploration rather than critique. The seminar also includes reflective transitions through domestic and creative spaces, culminating in a visit to McCloskey’s painted library, which functions as a visual archive of symbolic language and mythic imagination. The CHI of Painting emphasizes art as a process of relationship, attentiveness, and meaning-making, offering participants an opportunity to reconnect with the creative spirit as an integral aspect of psychological and emotional life.

Curricular Notes

AION 402 occupies a distinctive place within the 400-level curriculum as a fully experiential seminar, privileging embodied attention, imaginal engagement, and creative presence over conceptual articulation. Unlike analytically or discursively oriented courses, this seminar approaches painting as a mode of inquiry—an act of listening and response rather than performance or aesthetic production.

The course’s movement through specific physical and symbolic spaces (garden, studio, domestic thresholds, painted library) establishes a ritualized arc that mirrors psychological transition: from nature and place, into spontaneous creation, and finally into reflective encounter with an accumulated symbolic archive. In this way, the seminar treats space itself as an active participant in meaning-making, reinforcing the inseparability of psyche, environment, and gesture.

Developmentally, this course restores imaginal vitality and sensory intelligence to advanced practitioners, counterbalancing the abstraction and ethical gravity of other 400-level offerings. It supports clinician longevity by reconnecting participants with curiosity, play, and non-verbal symbolization as essential psychological capacities.

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CE Value

This event spans 9 clock hours and is NOT eligible for Continuing Education.

Fees

$630 for event participation (includes art supplies)
$540 for students

course status

This course is a in-person experiential workshop. It counts as Elective credit towards any Aion certificate program.

faculty

Leigh J McCloskey

Prerequisites

None

Discord Link

Discord Link

If you’re curious about this course, or enrolled in it, please join our Discord Channel dedicated to it.

Event
details

This workshop is not eligible for CE credit.

 

Suggested readings may be requested during the event.

Aion Institute courses are open to all licensed mental health professionals, residents, interns, and graduate students in training, as well as members of the lay public who have an interest in psychodynamic psychology. Please use the following descriptions of our instructional level to gauge your own comfort level with the content.

✅ Introductory Level For those beginning the path or seeking reorientation. Courses at this level provide foundational knowledge in psychodynamic and integrative frameworks. No prior specialization is required—only a readiness to engage with depth-oriented psychological thought. These classes introduce core concepts, language, and philosophical underpinnings essential to the Aion curriculum.
Intermediate Level For those building structure upon the foundation. Intermediate courses deepen theoretical understanding and clinical application. Participants are expected to have prior exposure to psychoanalytic or Jungian concepts. These courses explore the evolution of major schools of thought, integrative approaches, and the emergence of relational and neurobiological paradigms, inviting greater complexity and case-based reflection.
Advanced Level For those prepared to engage with nuance, synthesis, and transformation. Advanced courses assume substantial familiarity with depth psychological theory and practice. Here, we move toward integrative models, complex case formulation, and contemporary theoretical frontiers. The focus is on synthesis, symbolic analysis, and the practitioner’s evolving stance as both healer and theoretician.
Hard Mode For those willing to be changed. Hard Mode courses are not merely advanced—they are initiatory. Designed for highly motivated participants, these offerings require deep reading, active participation, and a willingness to engage psychologically, imaginatively, and ethically. They are immersive, demanding, and transformational. These courses may involve longer sessions, seminar-style discussion, original writing or creative response, and the expectation that participants contribute to a shared field of inquiry. They are suited for those who seek to embody the work, not merely study it.

The Aion Institute reserves the right to cancel or re-schedule any event, for which registrants will receive a full refund or credit. Refunds for payment processed online via electronic means will be refunded back to the credit card within 2 weeks after the cancellation.

Participants who wish to cancel their registration and paid registration fees online may be eligible for refund.

Participants may cancel their registration through the self-serve page accessed via the link included in the confirmation email sent after registration.

Please keep in mind that canceling a registration on the self-serve page does not automatically process a refund. Aion will refund cancellations made at least 24 hours prior to the start of this event.

The Aion Institute is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible learning environment for all participants.

This event is conducted online using a virtual meeting platform (Zoom). We encourage all attendees to ensure that their technological setup—audio, video, internet connection, and device settings—meets their individual accessibility needs prior to the event.

If you require any additional support, accommodations, or accessibility considerations in order to participate fully, please don’t hesitate to contact us through one of the contact forms on this website. We will make every reasonable effort to ensure your learning experience is welcoming, respectful, and attuned to your needs.

There is no commercial support for this Aion Institute program, nor are there any relationships between the CE Sponsor, presenting organization, presenter, program content, research, grants, or other funding that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest.

Continuing Education (CE) Provider Approvals

The Aion Institute is approved by the California Psychological Association to provide continuing professional education for psychologists. The Aion Institute (AIO279) maintains responsibility for this program and its content.