Art Therapy Curriculum, Graduate School Curriculum Articles

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Curriculum Overview: Art Therapy

Studying In the Field
It is common knowledge that artistic creation is therapeutic: There is something decidedly soothing about the work, and even in non-art-therapeutic contexts, it is a more than worthwhile undertaking. In the hands of an art therapist, however, the activity involved in the creative process can prove to be invaluable from a medical or psychological standpoint. Art therapy, after all, helps "people understand their problems and guide[s] them to solutions through the creative process. An art therapist is concerned with the treatment and rehabilitation of persons with mental, emotional, medical, or physical disabilitiesƒ[and] uses art, as well as traditional means of therapy, to lessen an individual's frustration, promote healthy development, and diminish the effects of a disability" ( www.specialedcareers.org ). As a result of all that art-therapy practitioners do, they must have an interest in art, psychology, medicine, and, perhaps most of all, in helping people.

The coursework, as one might expect, is both wide-ranging and demanding. And because the work involves the lives and health of others, it is highly standardized: The American Art Therapy Association has determined what courses and modes of study are necessary for certification, and registration as an accredited professional is done through the Art Therapy Credentials Board. For registration by the latter, "an individual must complete a minimum of 1,000 direct client contact hours in addition to the educational requirements" ( www.specialedcareers.org ). The courses themselves run the gamut from counseling techniques to human development and growth to psychopathology. This, then, is a field that demands the participation of people with a unique combination of interests in art itself, the science of medicine and therapy, and the idea of helping other people.

And as with any field whose studies are as applicable to as wide a range of people and directions as this, graduates in art therapy may choose to go in any of a number of directions. These range from work as professors in art therapy programs themselves, posts in hospitals or mental-health institutions, work with disaster relief organizations, or in community centers and schools. Really, the direction in which you choose to go is, to a great extent, determined by your own skills and professional goals. The important thing to remember is that, whatever path you take, you will be making a difference in someone's life. And there's nothing more laudable than that.

Job Opportunities In the Field
Art therapy is a growing field: As the children of the baby boom generation become parents themselves, there is a great need for art therapists among a large population of children such as this. Of course, art therapy is not limited to younger populations: It is also used with older people who suffer from a variety of ills, ranging from the after-effects of strokes to the psychological ailments that are often associated with old age. And these days, art therapists work with war veterans returning from Iraq and victims of the trauma of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. Indeed, without the efforts of art therapists, the recovery of people such as these would be far slower and more painful than it is. It therefore is vital to remember that this is not only a growing field, but one whose importance and impact on society cannot be overstated. And there is no better professional combination than that.

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