Counseling: Art Therapy, (M.A.)

Program Overview

The Master of Arts in Counseling: Art Therapy program is an integrated degree in art therapy and counseling. The program prepares students to be both counselors and art therapists and leads to dual credentialing in art therapy and licensure in counseling. It provides education and clinical training within the context of the philosophy, theories, and principles of counseling and art therapy, as well as Adlerian Psychology, Adlerian Art Therapy, and the institutional mission and vision. The program fosters collaboration, compassion, leadership, service in the community, cultural competence, innovation, and the creative artistic process in order to promote peace and healing. The program focuses on mastering clinical counseling principles, skills, and techniques that include competency in documentation, treatment planning, and diagnostics in conjunction with the principles, skills, and techniques of art therapy. The combination of the curriculum and the applied practica experiences produce graduates who are not only strong counselors and art therapists, but also socially responsible practitioners who engage in their communities and promote social justice.

Immediately upon graduation from this program, a graduate may apply to take the Illinois Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) examination and the National Counselor Examination (NCE). After receiving this license, a practitioner may work to complete additional requirements in order to apply to take the Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) examination. This program also provides students with the academic and clinical training needed to meet the education requirements to apply for registration as an art therapist and to seek counselor licensure in Illinois. Students wishing to seek licensure outside of Illinois are strongly encouraged to research the requirements to sit for licensure for each state or province in which they wish to practice. An online search on a state’s or province’s website is a useful source of this information.

The Provisional Registered Art Therapist (ATR-Provisional) is the credential that ensures an art therapist meets established educational standards, with successful completion of advanced specific graduate-level education in art therapy, and is practicing art therapy under an approved supervisor(s). Students are eligible to apply for this credential once they have completed their degree (or education requirements for the ATR-Provisional) and are engaged in a supervisory relationship with a qualified supervisor(s). The ATR-Provisional is not a required credential to apply for the ATR.

After completing graduate studies and 1,000 hours of supervised clinical art therapy practice, a graduate may apply for art therapy registration (ATR) through the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB). ATR requires 1,000 hours of clinical art therapy (direct client contact), including at least 100 hours of supervision, or at least one hour of supervision for every 10 hours of direct client contact. A minimum of 500 hours of this work experience needs to be supervised by a credentialed art therapist (ATR-BC). Up to 500 hours may be supervised by a clinical supervisor who is credentialed in a related field (e.g., social worker, counselor, or psychologist). After an art therapist is awarded an ATR, they may work to complete additional requirements in order to apply for the board certification examination.

With successful completion of this examination, an art therapist is awarded the credential of ATR-BC by the Art Therapy Credentials Board.

Counselors and art therapists work in a wide variety of clinical, educational, and social service settings including medical and psychiatric hospitals, schools, wellness centers, drug and alcohol treatment programs, community mental health centers, private practice, correctional institutions, shelter programs and treatment centers for those who experience interpersonal violence, and community programs for immigrants and refugees.

Program Learning Objectives

1. To develop graduates who ethically assess, appraise, evaluate, and intervene with diverse populations, using multiple methods, including art therapy, counseling, and psychotherapy across many settings and in changing and evolving contexts.
    

Objectives for Goal 1:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of, and ability to, conduct comprehensive art therapy, counseling, psychotherapeutic and related mental health field directives, assessments, and evaluations that integrate social and cultural aspects
2. Demonstrate knowledge of, and ability to, conduct comprehensive art therapy and counseling directives and evaluations that utilize multiple intervention strategies based on current clinical research, and that integrate social and cultural considerations
3. Demonstrate the ability and commitment to apply those principles in assessment, appraisal, intervention, and evaluation in art therapy, counseling, and psychotherapy practices within all types of populations
4. Evaluate the efficacy of their interventions and use this information to continuously inform the treatment plan and intervention methods
5. Understand that all types of art therapy and counseling assessments are ongoing processes that inform practice and research
6. To develop graduates who have mastered the scientific foundations of art therapy, counseling, and psychotherapy and who apply this knowledge to their work and who use research methods to understand human problems.
    

Objectives for Goal 2:

1. Acquire knowledge of art therapy, counseling, and psychotherapy as a scientific discipline that serves as the basis for professional practic
2. Integrate, synthesize, and critique scientific knowledge and literature from multiple sources, taking into account and weighing the significance of multiple determinants of human behavior and to design and conduct a research study
3. Apply scientific knowledge to design, conduct, interpret, and report research, methodology, and statistical concepts to the practice of art therapy, counseling, and psychotherapy
4. To train graduates to understand art therapy, counseling, and psychotherapy within a social and cultural context with the attitudes, knowledge, and skills needed to work professionally and ethically in a multicultural society by meeting/exceeding the minimum expectations that prepares competent entry level counseling and art therapy clinicians in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.
    

Objectives for Goal 3:

1. Integrate knowledge of cultural and social diversity theories and competency models, social sensitivity, and relevant skills regarding individual, ethical and cultural differences into all aspects of their work.
2. Develop knowledge of themselves as cultural beings in assessment, therapy sessions, treatment planning, evaluation and all other professional activities.
3. Develop socially responsible, engaged and embedded practitioners, sensitive and appreciative to individual and cultural diversity, as an active, genuine agent of positive change, helping to strengthen and revitalize the health of the community by providing counseling and art therapy services with an emphasis on working with underserved local and global communities, all in the spirit of the Adlerian founders of the school.
4. To prepare graduates who are knowledgeable in the application of management, supervision, consultation, and education methods within the profession of art therapy, counseling, and psychotherapy, including knowledge and experience of managing, facilitating, and maintaining an art therapy open studio/practice and upon eligibility, managing and supervising others.
    

Objectives for Goal 4:

1. Understand the role of the art therapist, counselor, and psychotherapist in complex systems, including the discipline of art making, skills, knowledge of art materials and processes, and the general principles of management, supervision, consultation and education
2. Demonstrate knowledge of and skills in the application of management, supervision, consultation, and education methods within art therapy, counseling, and psychotherapy and are knowledgeable how they differ from other roles
3. To develop graduates with the essential attitudes, knowledge, and skills to effectively engage in socially responsible practice and who can apply Adlerian theory, art therapy and counseling methods, and values in their work.
    

Objectives for Goal 5:

1. Understand the role of Individual Psychology within a social context in the practice of art therapy, counseling, and psychotherapy
2. Integrate knowledge, attitudes, and relevant skills regarding the relationship between health community, and the arts into all aspects of work
3. Acquire knowledge of Adlerian theory/philosophy and develop Adlerian values that apply to clinical work taking into consideration the social and cultural context and clinical applications

Program-Specific Minimum Admission Requirements

Applicants to this program are typically required to present the following:

• An undergraduate/baccalaureate degree or the equivalent from an accredited institution.
• A grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all undergraduate and graduate coursework. Exceptions may be made for applicants who demonstrate improved academic performance or academic ability in other ways.
• The equivalent of 12 semester credit hours in psychology with grades of C or better. These courses need to include general or introductory psychology, abnormal psychology, and life span development. All prerequisites should be completed by the end of a student’s first semester at Adler University.
• Eighteen semester credit hours or 27 quarter credit hours in studio art that demonstrate proficiency and disciplined commitment to visual art in three or more visual art media.
• A portfolio of original artwork (15 examples in three or more different media) demonstrating competence with art materials is required to be presented at the admission interview.

Approved applicants will be invited for a personal interview as the final step in the application process.

Graduation Requirements

1. Satisfactory completion of all required credit hours, including all required courses.
2. Satisfactory completion of Social Justice Practicum I & II.
3. Satisfactory completion of a minimum of 700 clock hours of counseling and art therapy practicum/internship, with 350 of those hours in direct client contact.
4. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher and no more than two grades (or six credit hours) of C.
5. Successful completion of the Master of Arts Clinical Qualifying Examination.
6. Successful second-year portfolio review.
7. Submission of completed Graduation Application and full payment of all outstanding tuition and fees.
8. Faculty approval for graduation and recommendation to the Board of Trustees for the conferral of the Master of Arts in Counseling: Art Therapy.

Professional Practice and Field Training

Social Justice Practicum (SJP)

The Social Justice Practicum (SJP) is a first-year, nonclinical and non-discipline-specific experiential practicum that occurs during the fall and spring terms. Students gain the knowledge, skills, and perspectives to utilize collective power and social justice strategies to build a more equitable society.

The SJP is designed to help students learn how to work alongside the community as agents of social change and serves as the catalyst for students to realize and understand their own strengths and responsibility to contribute to social equity.

The SJP unites our academic institution and larger communities, which is an anchor of student learning at Adler University. Upon completing the SJP, students gain, maintain, and strengthen connections to communities by developing critical problem-solving skills necessary to be socially responsible practitioners.

All students must complete the SJP before advancing on to any clinical or discipline- specific training, regardless of the program in which they are enrolled. SJP requirements include (1) completion of a minimum of 200 hours at an approved SJP site; (2) attendance at a monthly, campus-based Civic and Community Action workshop; and (3) a formal SJP presentation at the Annual Social Justice Symposium. Students must also receive a grade of “Pass” for the midterm and final evaluation to receive credit for completing the SJP.

The SJP may not be waived, and life credit is not admissible to meet this requirement.

Clinical Practicum

The Master of Arts in Counseling: Art Therapy program combines education and clinical training in the field of counseling and art therapy that includes core counseling education and training incorporating the theories and practices of Adlerian psychotherapy. The program requires 64 credit hours in coursework, including 700 hours of counseling and art therapy practicum that is completed over a nine to 12-month period. Some students may not be able to complete their 700 supervised hours within the time frame and will need to continue their MACAT Practicum into the second session of the summer term of their second year. They would then enroll in MACAT 610 - Internship Continued in Art Therapy, Counseling, and Psychotherapy: Consultation and Supervision III , which was developed for students who need more time for completion. The Master of Arts in Counseling: Art Therapy program can be completed in two years with a full-time course load over three terms for each of the two years. For further information, consult the Clinical Practicum Handbook: Master of Arts in Counseling: Art Therapy.