EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY

Art therapy is a human service profession that provides clients with therapeutic art experiences and recognizes the important role that creative expression and symbolic association play in a person’s development, growth and health. Art therapists are trained to actively engage the healing power of the arts that is inherent in each of us and to work with individuals and groups in a variety of clinical settings. The Phillips Graduate Institute Art Therapy Program emphasizes and recognizes the cognitive and emotional role of art, imagery and creativity in health and healing. A core educational value of the program is the relevance of clinically applied neuroscience to the field. The faculty is dedicated to understanding and teaching art therapy as a meaningful and life-supporting personal and interpersonal link between all systems. The department encourages students to contribute to the integrated study of art therapy and relational neuroscience. This focus reflects the appeal of a program that offers a paradigm shift in art therapy education. Phillips’ experienced art therapy faculty is committed to providing students with a unique interdisciplinary approach to education and focus on synthesizing the use of therapeutic imagery with current theories. The American Art Therapy Association’s (AATA) educational standards are integrated with contemporary systemic theories and information from the rapidly expanding fields of neurological and biological psychology. The program provides students with the tools necessary to practice art therapy with children, adolescents, couples and families of all ages, races, and ethnic backgrounds in individual, couple, family and group formats. Students learn to apply art therapy in private practice, clinics, outpatient and inpatient settings, and gain an understanding of integrating art therapy with psychological theories. Students gain a foundation of knowledge in the growing body of science that connects expressive creativity, social systems, psychological states, and physiological functions.


ART THERAPY PROGRAM

The 60-unit Art Therapy Program is integrated with the 48-unit Master of Arts degree in Psychology with a major in Marriage and Family Therapy. Students choose a primary class day, with instruction from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Class day options include a weekday or a Saturday. Additionally, students spend an average of five hours a week in other learning activities. In semesters one and two, these learning activities are Case Conference and Group Dynamics; sections are offered at various times throughout the week. In semesters three and four, Case Conference and Group Dynamics are replaced by hours of experience gained at a clinical placement site. Occasional attendance at all-day, workshop-style classes is also required.

While the program meets the same compliance requirements and provides the same curriculum areas as the 48-unit Master of Arts in Psychology with a major in Marriage and Family Therapy, students in the Art Therapy Program should expect to have a learning experience that reflects the department’s specializations and the demands of a 60-unit Master of Arts degree. The Art Therapy Program is also available to Phillips Graduate Institute Master of Arts in Psychology or Master of Arts in School Counseling students, and to professionals in a related field who are seeking art therapy continuing education. Master of Arts in Psychology with a major in Marriage and Family Therapy/Art Therapy and Master of Arts in School Counseling/Art Therapy students participate in the program for a minimum of four semesters, and take the Art Therapy department sections of Case Conference, Group Dynamics and Applied Therapeutic Methodology. In order to accommodate the demands of a 60-unit program and the needs of working students, modified academic plans are available. Please see the Course Catalog for details or call the Office of Admissions at (818) 386-5660.