PHDAT 833.4 - Special Topics in Art Therapy: Supervision and Therapeutic Aesthetics

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This course explores the aesthetic qualities of various art forms as it relates to the clinician/mental health practitioner/art therapist supervisor and their supervisees. This course examines aesthetics from a therapeutic lens in a supervisory practice with clinicians who work with all populations: individuals, in groups, couples, families, children, peer group consultation, and supervision. Aesthetics is explored beyond the typical analysis of art categories, genres, and historical components to a viewers’ experience. Art, beauty, and meaning making is discussed as it relates to personal experiences in real and virtual encounters in museums, galleries, sculpture parks, community centers, video installations, performances, and concerts. Creating a strong personal interaction with an art form and a deeper union with themes, materials, content and structure of artworks and aesthetic responses expand upon sensory awareness, personal insight and openness as a state of being. With a deeper understanding of the personal and professional self, this expands and enriches the supervisory relationship, supervisee’s clinical skills, capacity for problem solving, self-healing, deeper self-awareness, insight, and personal and professional growth that in turn improves the therapist/client relationship and fosters growth within the client

Prerequisites: Prerequisites: Student must complete PHDAT-825 prior to registering for this course.