Curriculum

ATC 521 - Individual Counseling & Psychotherapy (3)

ATC 524 - Processes & Materials of Art Psychotherapy I (3)

ATC 528 - Theories of Human Psychological Development (3)

ATC 530 - Psychopathology (3)

ATC 534 - Introduction of the History & Theory of Art Therapy (1)

ATC 520 - Group Counseling & Psychotherapy (3)

ATC 687 - Trauma & Neuroscience Informed Art Therapy & Counseling (3)

 

 

ATC 607 - Capstone (1)**

ATC 678 - Practicum & Internship III (3)

 

ATC 701/702 - Applied Cultural Sensitivity in Art Psychotherapy & Counseling (4)  

Students will learn and develop basic counseling and art psychotherapy skills through didactic lectures, readings, in class role plays, and practica fieldwork to experience therapeutic and client relationships. Students will facilitate intake, risk assessment, art therapy assessment, and basic counseling and art psychotherapy skills with Standardized Patients. Students will experience the client role through process groups. Students will attend clinical case presentations and additional preparatory trainings.

 

This course provides students with the opportunity to understand the purposes, methods, and the ethical, legal, and cultural considerations of research. Students will demonstrate the necessary skills to design and prepare to conduct a research study and/or program evaluation. Students will learn how to use research, research skills, and findings to assess effectiveness of mental health, counseling, and services by becoming an informed consumer of mental health, counseling, and art therapy research.

 

This course includes the study of group counseling and psychotherapy techniques and practice. Emphasis is on use of group dynamics, process illumination, and stages of group development. Cultural and ethical issues are explored.

 

This course provides students with the opportunity to integrate various theoretical approaches to individual counseling and psychotherapy and their relation to art psychotherapy approaches. The therapist's values and ethics are addressed. Principles of dynamics, therapeutic factors, therapist and client roles and behaviors, leadership styles and approaches, selection criteria, art-based communication, and short- and long-term individual counseling and art therapy will be reviewed. The goal of the course is to provide the student with an opportunity to continue the development of an approach to individual counseling, psychotherapy, and art therapy.

 

This course is designed so that the student will directly experience the therapeutic usefulness and understand the psychological implications of a variety of materials and processes. Students become familiar with the language of art and the range of possible therapeutic responses. Students learn the theory and application of the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC).

 

Following a family life cycle perspective, students explore human psychological development from birth to death. Students are exposed to various theories of personality development. Cultural and environmental influences are addressed.

 

Students develop presentation skills and learn to effectively communicate clinical case material. 

 

Students learn descriptive criteria for psychiatric diagnoses, the use of the DSM V-TR, and theories of psychopathology. A goal of the course is for students to develop an ability to recognize behavioral and art indicators of functional and organic disorders.

 

ATC 534: Introduction to the History & Theory of Art Therapy (1)
This course offers an overview of the history and growth of art therapy as a discipline, along with an overview of theoretical approaches that have evolved from the founding practitioners in the field. Students develop a specific definition of art therapy that conveys a personal approach, as well as a clear understanding of the role of art therapists in various work settings. Current developments and future directions within the field are also explored.

 

This elective course introduces principles underlying comprehensive school art therapy service delivery. Topics explored include special and alternative education settings, program development, and research supporting art therapy in schools.
 

Students explore the fundamentals of psychological testing and art-based assessment of mental and emotional functioning, and become familiar with a variety of specific instruments and procedures used in appraisal and evaluation in psychotherapy, counseling, and art therapy.  Students are introduced to principles of case formulation for developing treatment plans from assessment results.  In addition, students learn to administer and document the Art Therapy Projective Imagery Assessment.

 

This course is designed so that the student will directly experience the therapeutic usefulness and understand the psychological implications of a variety of materials and processes. Students apply advanced understanding of the language of art and the range of possible therapeutic responses. Students learn the theory and application of the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC).

 

 

Students attend practicum experience for 100 hours over 10 weeks during their first practicum & internship semester to engage and learn about the treatment setting. Students work with clients for 40 hours of direct contact over the course of 100 hours and 10 weeks. Students then continue on at the same location for internship. And/or - Students attend internship 18 hours per week, up to 16 weeks.  Students earn 120 direct client contact hours each semester in art therapy and 240 direct client contact hours for counseling over 3 internship semesters. Students provide counseling, counseling interventions, Art Therapy Projective Imagery Assessments, individual, group and/or family art therapy and counseling for an average minimum of 9 hours per week.  The other hours on site are for students to attend team meetings, in-service conferences, and all related milieu activities, and to complete documentation. Students rotate through one site per semester to obtain experience with children, adolescents, and adults. A minimum of one placement in a mental health (psychiatric) setting is required.

  

ATC 607: Capstone Project (1-3) 

The student develops and executes a project of excellence based on the literature in art therapy and counseling. The student completes, defends, and submits the Capstone Project.
 

This course provides students with a foundation in the basic concepts of family therapy and family art therapy. Students learn about family theories, techniques, genograms, family assessments, and documentation.

 

Students demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate clinical material and integrate theory and practice through structured case presentations.
 

This course addresses professional identity, professional ethics, and the ethical practices of counseling and art therapy.  Students prepare to enter the job market and review the requirements for professional credentialing and licensure.

 

This course provides an overview of the field of Addiction Studies. Topics that will be covered include drugs and society, substance and process addictions, evidence-based best practices for the substance abuse counselor, assessment, the recovery process, addiction and the family, and prevention strategies. This course covers diagnosis and treatment of addictive disorders and includes an overview of the philosophies and evidenced-based best practices, policies, and outcomes of the most generally accepted models of treatment, recovery, relapse prevention, and continuing care for addictions and other substance abuse related problems. Students also gain awareness of the impact of drug abuse on society and an appreciation of the cultural context within which addiction and recovery occurs.

 

This course includes the study of theory and process of career counseling. Students will acquire skills to incorporate career development theory into the practice of counseling. Students will be introduced to career assessment tools and occupational methods.

 

This elective course facilitates through reading and discussion the exploration of the impact of transference and countertransference in work with patients. The impact on the therapist is explored with depth and implications for informing work with patients is explored.
 

This course aims to enliven the students’ understanding of the psyche and its processes, and to increase their understanding of the psychic processes both in the therapeutic process and in their own lives.
 

This course reviews various theories and models of creativity, symbolism, metaphor, and artistic language. The types, formation, and roles of symbolism and its relation to psychopathology and mental health, and the role of metaphor in therapy are explored. Students explore the function and interpretation of symbols in dreams, artwork, world religions, myths and fairy tales, and daily life and examine the role of symbolism in assessment and therapy. Students develop a deeper understanding of symbolic language to enhance their understanding of their own inner experiences and those of their clients.

 

This course supports the development of culturally humble art therapists and counselors through multicultural orientation with regard to intersecting identities including age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, socio-economic status, developmental ability, physical ability, education, family values, and religious and spiritual values. Through review of the current literature, application to clinical practice, and self-assessment, students will explore culture and their own unintentional biases, develop strategies for working with diverse individuals, groups, and communities, foster critical thinking skills, and explore the role of the art therapist in culturally alert and responsive practices for art therapy, social justice, and advocacy. 

 

Students attend internship at least 5 hours per week for 14 weeks. Students provide Art Therapy Projective Imagery Assessments, individual, group and/or family counseling and art therapy for 3-4 hours per week for 50 direct client contact hours.
The other hours on site are for students to attend team meetings, in-service conferences, and all related milieu activities, and to complete documentation. Students may enroll in Internship (1) credit with the approval of the Program Director for either internship extensions or to earn hours towards a specialty.  Specialty coursework must be taken before engaging in the Internship (1) credit.

 

 

The course will review and engage students in the current literature of neuroscience as it applies to trauma work in art psychotherapy and counseling. The objective is for the student to build advanced skills in understanding of neuroscience concepts applied to the treat survivors of trauma, understand the etiology of behaviors, emotions, and functioning related to trauma, and develop treatment plans based in practice.

 

This elective course will engage students in cultural immersion to learn about cultural similarities and differences in art, the arts, and art psychotherapy, and varied aspects of the impacts of trauma (war trauma, trauma experiences of families, combat trauma, survivors of sex trafficking, and historical trauma). Students will engage in content and experientials that explore art expression, role of art, artists, therapists, and art therapists in society, art/crafts processes, preferences or prohibitions to various art processes or media, and conventional/cultural symbolism; cultural appropriation in art therapy; and cultural sensitivity to the use of art processes and materials in art therapy for trauma informed approaches integrated into art psychotherapy and counseling in various community settings.