Did you know that MARI® has evolved again? The system’s functionality has expanded with a deeper integration of transpersonal psychology, Jungian theory, and positive psychology, adding new layers of meaning and application for today’s practitioners.
In this Refresher Training for Certified MARI® Practitioners, you’ll explore the most recent updates to The Great Round, including the integration of The Hero’s Journey and the renaming of select life stages to better reflect the circumnavigation of the spiral.
This course also provides focused clinical instruction on how to integrate archetypal reflection to deepen client insight, facilitate shadow–light integration to promote wholeness and healing, and apply MARI® alongside other modalities such as EMDR, parts work, sand tray, and music therapy.
Return to the circle with renewed insight, refreshed skills, and practical tools to support transformative client work.
We will explore the historical roots of mandalas across diverse cultures to deepen cultural awareness and enhance inclusive, culturally informed therapeutic practice.
We will rehearse integrating archetypal principles within the MARI® process to encourage therapeutic shifts and create stronger person-centered opportunities for growth.
We will learn how to use the MARI® process to visualize the psyche, assess needs, and provide effective support.
We will explore how to administer the MARI® Card test within a life-cycle framework, emphasizing a strengths-based, positive psychological approach.
We will explore the MARI® process as both an assessment tool and a therapeutic intervention, and learn how to utilize MARI® resources to further enhance clinical practice.
Enrollment Open for Winter Cohort Early 2026
The Moringa Institute offers a Blended Online Training Program featuring 5 hours of live, instructor-led sessions, and 18 hours of flexible on-demand learning. This course is thoughtfully designed to fit your schedule while maximizing skill development, fostering community connection, and supporting professional growth in the field. Upon completion, earn 23 continuing education (CE) hours that may count toward your professional credentials.
Instructor-Led Live Online Training Dates for Winter 2026 Cohort
This training program includes active learning exercises to deepen your understanding of the material. Trainees will create drawn mandalas representing each instructed stage. Submit your mandalas to the instructor by the assigned deadline for the corresponding quadrant. During the live online class for that quadrant, submitted mandalas will be used to practice interpretation strategies, explore symbols, and rehearse clinical verbal techniques.
Registration & Tuition
Certified MARI Practitioner Tuition: $495 (Must be an actively registered practitioner with MARI Creative Resources, Inc. to be eligible. Supplies are not included.)
The Moringa Institute has received in-kind support from MARI® Creative Resources, Inc., including access to educational resources, content, and training materials necessary for the successful implementation of the MARI® CE Trainings. Additionally, Moringa Institute provided consultation to MARI® Creative Resources, Inc. in the development of the Practitioner Training Program. Moringa Institute has not received, and will not receive, any financial support for this program prior to or during its implementation.
All educational materials, content, and intellectual property provided by MARI® Creative Resources, Inc. remain the exclusive property of MARI® Creative Resources, Inc. and are protected under applicable copyright, trademark, and intellectual property laws. Moringa Institute has been granted explicit, limited, non-transferable permission to use such materials solely for the purposes of delivering the Practitioner Training Program. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, distribution, or modification of MARI® Creative Resources, Inc. materials is strictly prohibited.
Participation in the program does not confer any ownership rights, licensing rights, or other legal rights in the materials or intellectual property of MARI® Creative Resources, Inc., and participants agree to comply with all applicable copyright, trademark, and intellectual property laws.
“I am so glad that I was able to participate in the MARI practitioner training. In my work as a music therapist working in mental health settings, I feel that this tool will help me to more deeply understand my clients, the obstacles they face, and ways to help them become their healthiest selves. The training itself was informative and interesting and the pacing gave me enough time to digest information before coming back for more. Patricia Gonzalez was energetic and encouraging as a supervisor, and she was always able to find ways to help explain concepts so that I understood them. I am excited to be a Certified Mari Practitioner!”
~Courtney Biddle, MMT, MT-BC
“As a doctoral student exploring expanded awareness, I am interested in enhancing my assessment tools by taking the MARI training.
What was more interesting was that I learned about myself. I really enjoyed discovering my unconscious motives in choosing colours, symbols, and places in my mandalas. This process was very similar to the GIM journey when I was uncovering the true essence of who I am.
I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this MARI training and for the personal influence of Patricia Gonzalez.”
~Larissa Zoubareva, MMus, MMT, RP, MTA, NMT, MT-BC, FAMI
“In my experience, the MARI training has proven to be a useful and enriching time of professional learning and growth, as it provides an additional lens by which to support the client in exploring their ‘consciousness’ via use of symbols and colors. Also, I’ve appreciated the opportunity it affords to incorporate the concepts from MARI’s framework into other modalities such as sand tray.”
~ Karen Weiss, LCSW, NADD-CC
“Participating in the MARI Practitioner Training Course offered by the Moringa Institute proved to be a valuable use of time, money, and effort. The course was thorough and engaging, with ample opportunity to discuss the material in depth during the small group classes. It became clear that the instructor had extensive expertise and skill in using this method. As a result, I felt assured in applying MARI techniques during the practical exercises at the end of the course. Overall, I have found MARI to be an effective and meaningful tool and recommend this training to others.”
~Elizabeth Raleigh, LPC, MT-BC
Patricia is the Co-Founder, Co-Owner of two businesses: She is the Chief Executive Officer of Spectra Support Services, LLC and the CE Program Administrator for the Moringa Institute. Her companies provide a variety of specialty care programs, mental health services, and professional training opportunities. To date, Patricia established new creative arts therapy programs and behavioral health supports in settings such as residential homes, ambulatory healthcare settings, pediatric hospitals, pediatric rehabilitation centers, senior homes, homeless shelters, day programs, and schools.
Patricia began her career as a therapist by earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Therapy from Duquesne University. She completed her clinical training with Deforia Lane, Ph.D. at the University Hospitals of Cleveland. She earned a Master’s in Music Therapy (MMT) from Temple University. Today, Patricia is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Board-Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC), a National Association for the Dually Diagnosed (NADD) Certified Clinician (NADD-CC)-for people with co-occurring intellectual disabilities and mental illness , Certified MARI® Teacher (CMT), Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) Trainer, and an Approved Trainer by the Family & Play Therapy Center to teach the introductory course to mindfulness-based play therapy. She also provides expertise as a content contributor to the ongoing revisions of the MARI® Practitioner Certification Program. Patricia is an active member of the Government Relations Committee of the Pennsylvania Counseling Association and for the NADD Accreditation and Clinical Certification Committee.
Patricia’s areas of expertise include some of the following: dual-diagnosis for mental illness and co-occurring intellectual/developmental disabilities, trauma informed care, non-violent crisis prevention and behavior management, music therapy, pain management, guided imagery, mindfulness-based play-family therapy, sand play, focusing, mandala assessment research instrument, cognitive behavior therapy, functional behavioral analysis, and eye movement and desensitization and reprocessing. Patricia provides clinical supervision for established mental health professionals and therapists pursuing state licensure.
Patricia is an advocate for the advancement of quality programming for people who have behavioral health needs. Patricia finds that she can influence this type of support through her leadership roles, clinical work, training programs, clinical supervision opportunities, and development of community programs that increase individuals’ access to specialized health services. It brings Patricia great joy to serve her community in this way.
