Master of Arts Program
Counseling and Psychology
Expressive Art Therapy Concentration

Counseling and Psychology Note on Licensure

The M.A. in Counseling Psychology is designed to allow students to prepare to sit for state licensing exams. Students are required to design their study plans to meet the academic licensure requirements for specific state or provincial licensing boards.  The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools is a regional accreditation body that has accredited the Master of Arts Program at Prescott College since 1991. Because no graduate counseling program can guarantee licensure upon graduation, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate agency in your state or province to determine specific requirements. Although the counseling psychology faculty is familiar with the Arizona State Board of Behavioral Health Examiners requirements for licensure, all students whether living in Arizona or another state are ultimately responsible for researching and incorporating appropriate licensing requirements (in their state) into their study plans.  Please note that some states require applicants for professional licenses to submit to a formal background check including fingerprinting.  Students should take this into consideration when determining future eligibility for licensure.

Overview

The Prescott College Master of Arts Program meets the educational standards for the American Art Therapy Association (AATA, www.aata.org) and the International Expressive Art Therapy Association (IEATA, www.ieata.org) for becoming a registered expressive art therapist.  Since most states require a license to practice any kind of psychotherapy, including Expressive Art Therapy, the student is advised to also familiarize him/herself with the licensing requirements for performing psychotherapy within his/her state.

Program Prerequisites

A student in the Master’s program must have a Bachelor’s degree and have successfully completed the following coursework:

• Nine to 12 semester credits in foundational psychology courses such as Introduction to Psychology and Abnormal Psychology (these courses may be taken during the first year of the Program)
• 15 semester credits in studio art (these courses may be taken during the first year of the Program either as college courses or as studio art clock hours)

Program Requirements: Theory, Practicum, Summer Institutes, and Thesis

The Master’s Program is a 75 semester hour program.  This includes coursework, a supervised counseling practicum (and possibly a separate EAT practicum), two summer institutes, and a thesis. The required courses are listed below.  

Below is a list of required courses for licensure in the state of Arizona. This list is followed by a second set of courses for a concentration in Expressive Art Therapy.

Some states allow imbedding of specialized EAT material into licensure courses. It is the student’s responsibility to research if that is the case in his or her state. The state of Arizona does not allow imbedding.

Recommended Study Plan for Arizona Licensure & CACREP aligned degree (semester credits)

Complete course syllabi and course descriptions   CP Course Syllabi 07

If the student has already taken some of these courses at the graduate level, he or she is not required to take them again. The student may transfer in up to 15 prior graduate semester credits of the state-required courses. If the course has a different title, it can be reviewed to see if it qualifies as comparable.

Required Courses for the Expressive Arts Therapy Concentration

These courses comply with AATA requirements for becoming a registered Art Therapist.

Expressive Art Therapy (History and Theory of Art Therapy):

In this course the student will explore the history, theory and practice of art therapy with different populations in different settings, as well as explore the development of creativity and the creative process.

Materials and Techniques of Practice in Expressive Art Therapy:

In this course the student will explore the various materials and techniques used with different populations in Art Therapy.  The student will study the use of art therapies with various client and patient populations through dance, Jungian Art Therapy, Gestalt Art Therapy, drama, music and writing.

Assessment of Patients in Expressive Art Therapy:

This course will cover the various assessment tools and methods used in the art therapies.  Some of these tools and methods need special training which will need to be obtained outside of this program if the student wishes to use them.

Cultural Diversity in Expressive Art Therapy:

This course focuses on developing self-awareness and empathy to raise the level of knowledge and sensitivity in the practice of Expressive Art Therapy with cultural and sociological influences on human growth and personality development.

Group Work and Dynamics in Expressive Art Therapy:

In this course the student will study the history, theory and practice of group dynamics and will gain experience working with groups. 

Marriage and Family Counseling Using the Expressive Art Therapies:

This course explores the theories and practice of family therapy.

Clinical Diagnosis and Psychopathology:

In this course the student will study mental health/mental illness, observation and assessment procedures, and signs and symptoms of the various disorders.  Students will study and learn to use the DSM-IV plus become familiar with authorities in the field: H.S. Sullivan, MacKennan and Michaels, Blanck and Blanck, Spilyer, Kohut, Bleuler, Horner, Mahler, Greenspan, Ross, and Winnicott.

Ethical and Legal Issues in Expressive Art Therapy:

The student will study the legal and ethical issues of Art Therapy practice as well as professional counseling ethics.

Application of Expressive Art Therapy with People in Different Treatment Settings:

This course will focus on the appplication of Expressive Art Therapy to different populations and in different settings using appropriate materials, theories, and practices.

Research Methods in the Expressive Art Therapy Field:

This course prepares the student to conduct research using art-based research methods.

Studio Art, Materials, and Techniques I & II:

This is an opportunity for students to complete any studio art requirements that weren’t complete before enrolling or for ongoing personal and studio work.

Practica

Arizona State-required Practicum: 9 Semester Credits

Students are required to complete a supervised counseling practicum of 900 clock hours in a mental health facility.  In Arizona, students are not allowed to combine their state-required practicum with their art therapy practicum.

Art Therapy Practicum: 4 Credits

Students have the opportunity to become registered with either AATA or IEATA.  AATA requires 700 practicum hours and IEATA requires 250 practicum hours.   Students must spend these hours doing art therapy within an institution.   The practicum must have 50% direct patient contact and must be supervised by a Registered Art Therapist (ATR or ATR-BC).  The other 50% of related activities in the practicum may be supervised by a licensed mental health professional.  Supervision can be off- or on-site and the student must have one hour of supervision for every ten hours of practicum.

Students from states or provinces other than Arizona may be able to combine the art therapy practicum with the state-required practicum.

Summer Institute

Two Summer Institutes of two weeks each in Prescott, Arizona are required of all Expressive Art Therapy students.  Students are encouraged to begin their program of study with the Summer Institute in July prior to enrolling in August.  The cost for these Summer Institutes is separate from the tuition.  Information can be found at http://www.prescott.edu/students/map/index.html.  The Summer Institutes are opportunities for the students to gain hands-on experience in Art Therapy.

Thesis

Every student is required to write a thesis.  For Arizona students, the thesis will be a product of advanced courses with an emphasis in Art Therapy and the development of a particular interest in that area.  Students from other states or provinces that have fewer state requirements will be required to complete a 12-15 credit thesis.