[LAUIL602] MA Art Therapy Research

MA Art Therapy Research

After going through a traumatic few years and employing art as a therapy tool firsthand, understanding itself benefits, and focusing my 601 writing around the subject

I will be collecting my information from the British Association of Art Therapists at https://www.baat.org

Qualifying Training Courses for Art Therapists in the UK PDF

• "Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of expression and communication. Within this context, art is not used as diagnostic tool but as a medium to address emotional issues which may be confusing and distressing."

• "Art therapists work with children, young people, adults and the elderly. Clients may have a wide range of difficulties, disabilities or diagnoses. These include emotional, behavioural or mental health problems, learning or physical disabilities, life-limiting conditions, neurological conditions and physical illnesses."

• There is no funding available for art therapy training and most students self-fund through a career development loan. In order to practise in the UK as an art therapist/art psychotherapist (both titles are inter-changeable and protected by law), it is mandatory to complete a training validated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

• All HCPC validated art therapy trainings are at MA or MsC level and applicants will usually need a primary degree.

• Prior experience of care work is needed before training as an art therapist:, usually a year full-time (or part-time equivalent). This does not have to be art-related, but has to be a task that puts the applicant in charge in a professional capacity of the welfare of a vulnerable person (child, adult or elder). Experiences such as parenthood and being a carer for a friend or family member, although valuable, do not count as work experience.

• Applications can be made to several colleges simultaneously (this is not a system like UCAS).

• Art therapy trainings meet the criteria set by the HCPC and are usually run as a two-year full time, three-year part-time course. However, the way colleges deliver the core course requirements differ with some offering modular provisions

• Applicants for Art Therapy training should normally be graduates in art and design but qualified teachers, social workers, psychologists and other professionals with a commitment to the practice of the visual arts are also considered.

• Art Therapists are employed in many different settings. These include: -• child, adolescent, adult and older aged psychiatry• secure hospitals• departments dealing with head injuries and stroke victims• departments dealing with disabilities which include learning, deafness, physical and mental impairment, autism and speech difficulties• palliative care and bereavement projects• forensic services• psychotherapy departments• drug and alcohol projects• trauma units• education• mental health projects including drop in centres.

• Due to the large number of successful graduates in Art Therapy each year, there is currently no specific funding body that will give grants to those wishing to undertake the MA/MSc in Art Therapy. However, organisations that are known to provide funding, where they see appropriate, are listed in two publications (available at your local library).

Art Therapy Courses Available: 

BELFAST, UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER

MSc Art Therapy

Course Director: Dr. Pamela Whitaker

Email: p.whitaker@ulster.ac.uk

CHESTER, UNIVERSITY OF CHESTER

MA Art Therapy

Programme Leader: Susan Young

Email: susan.young@chester.ac.uk

DERBY, UNIVERSITY OF DERBY

MA Art Therapy

Programme Leader: Kirsty McTaggart

Email: K.McTaggart@derby.ac.uk

EDINBURGH, QUEEN MARGARET UNIVERSITY

MSc Art Psychotherapy (International)

Programme Leader: Adrienne McDermid-Thomas

Email: AMcDermid-Thomas@qmu.ac.uk

HERTFORDSHIRE/HATFIELD, UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE

MA Art Therapy

Programme Leader: Andrew Marshall -Tierney

Email: a.marshall-tierney@herts.ac.uk

LONDON, GOLDSMITHS

MA Art Psychotherapy

Programme Convenor: Dr Jill Westwood

Email: j.westwood@gold.ac.uk

LONDON, THE INSTITUTE FOR ARTS IN THERAPY AND EDUCATION (IATE)

MA in Integrative Arts Psychotherapy

Course Director: Claire-Louise Leyland

Email: info@artspsychotherapy.org

LONDON, UNIVERSITY OF ROEHAMPTON

MA Art Psychotherapy

Course Convenor: Jonathan Isserow

Email: j.isserow@roehampton.ac.uk

SHEFFIELD, ART THERAPY NORTHERN PROGRAMME

MA Art Psychotherapy Practice

Programme Leader: Dr Chris Wood

Email: Chris.Wood@shsc.nhs.uk

WALES, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH WALES

MA Art Psychotherapy

PART TIME – 3 Years

Programme Leader: Blanka Hubena

Email: blanka.hubena@southwales.ac.uk

In Conversation With a Professional...

My conversation with professional Art Therapist, Dr. Diana Basquez-Simpson, can be found here.

Reflection:

Researching into this area a little more thoroughly, speaking with a professional Art Therapist (Dr. Diana Basquez-Simpson), and looking into the MA courses available, has provided me with a lot more valuable insight than before. Before I felt like I had a bit of a false idea of what Art Therapy was and what was expected and that looking after my mum would have been valuable. I have two years' experience looking after a vulnerable person - my mum, who is a severe stroke survivor. Despite this, it would not count towards any work experience of caring and I would need to source that elsewhere.There is also no direct funding available for art therapy training but two publications exist with some helpful organisations who may be able to help.

I would need to make the decision between further education at MA Fine Art - researching into the options and funding available, developing my own practice, or MA Art Therapy where there are a number of challenges ahead. With more clarity on the subject, I don't feel that art therapy is a route I would like to take even though I enjoy 'art as therapy' and feel it informs my practice, my outcomes and my ethos.