How Art Therapy Schools Can Start Your Career Path
Art Therapy is an exciting and worthwhile field in which the interested individual can put their creative talents and interest in art to work helping to improve the lives of others and art therapy schools are out there to provide your training.
Art Therapy Schools
Art therapy is a recognized form of psychotherapy in which the medium of art is used to communicate with the patients to enable them to cope with various life challenges. Patients come from all walks of life, age groups and ethnic backgrounds and may experience emotional, behavior, mental health problems, learning disabilities, brain injury, neurological conditions, or physical illnesses. Art therapy is NOT a recreational activity or a hobby, though the therapeutic experience can be and often is enjoyable—no background in art is required of the patients.
Art therapy can take place in a variety of settings—from one on one private consultation in the therapist’s office to working with groups in institutional settings (nursing homes, mental health hospitals, inpatient and out patient clinics), in artist studios, and even in creativity development workshop venues. Art therapy is client needs based and as a result adaptable to many settings and situations, the person wishing to become an art therapist should be flexible regarding working environments and enjoy variety.
The efficacy of art as a form of therapy has been recognized in the US for well over fifty years. While art has, for centuries been a mode for an artist to express inner pain and emotion, as a discipline, art therapy began in the US and England at about mid point in the 20th Century. The roots of art therapy are found in art education, the practice of art and developmental psychology.
Art therapists are considered mental health professionals and as such are required to be registered and qualified upon completion of their training which must be in a recognized and accredited program.
There are a number of colleges and universities in the United States which may offer distinct art therapy school programs or provide a pathway to the interested student pursuing certification. A good source for information about existing art therapy programs is the American Art Therapy Association: http://www.americanarttherapyassociation.org/ which offers not only information on education but also scholarship and awards, job placement and ongoing professional support. They also offer access to online classes through The Institute for Continuing Education in Art Therapy (ICE/AT) which provides professional development coursework—working in art therapy subjects the practitioner to continuing education requirements to keep certifications and licenses current.
Almost without exception a program dedicated to art therapy is an advanced degree program founded upon an art education or psychology/mental health related under-graduate degree. One of the largest and best regarded programs is at Florida State University at Tallahassee which offers a two year, two summer Masters Degree program within their art education department. Up to 1000 hours of client coursework undertaken as master’s level practicum are a requirement of this program—as well as for licensure to practice. A doctoral program is also available as are ongoing continuing education programs for those already in the field. A program such as Florida State’s art therapy school will prepare a graduate to obtain licensure and certification upon graduation with a master’s degree; as well as to teach art therapy at the college level with a doctoral degree.
A master’s Degree program can be expected to concentrate on the actual art therapy coursework and client casework; a doctoral program also requires further specialization and submittal of a dissertation. An undergraduate degree combining a general university education with the specialization in art therapy is possible, but to be certified to practice in the field a master’s is required. Requirements for licensure vary from state to state—as may the level of education required to work in the field. The prospective student will need to carefully investigate the requirements of the location in which they choose to practice and expect to undergo examinations to obtain their certification. Most art therapy schools have a requirement that significant training/coursework in recognizing and reporting child abuse must be part of the art therapist’s educational preparation.
You Can Also find Art Therapy Schools Online
Becoming an art therapist is a substantial undertaking and may best be pursued by becoming a full time student—grants and scholarships exist to make this possible even for adults who have been in the workforce for many years. With the explosion in recent years of online and distance learning, pursuing an art therapy degree is possible while maintaining a current career but the required 1000 of hours of direct client contact after graduation that are required in addition to the educational requirements will create a unique challenge to accomplish. A workable plan may be to focus on the theory coursework at art therapy schools while continuing on in the workforce on a full time basis and finding related part-time work to supplement income while working to accumulate the required client hours.