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Art Therapy and Counseling

Major: Art Therapy and Counseling
Degree Awarded: Master of Arts (MA)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Total Credit Hours: 90.0
Co-op Option: None
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 51.2301
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 29-1129

About the Program

The Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling program educates students for creative, responsive and effective therapy practice, in which art making is the essential mode of transformation. Through a balance of classroom education and clinically supervised practicum and internship experiences, students develop a strong foundation for skilled clinical practice. The 90.0 quarter-credit curriculum includes specific art therapy coursework in areas such as assessment and treatment planning for children, adolescents, adults, older adults and families; trauma approaches; creativity, symbol and metaphor; digital media use; mindfulness, and addictions and recovery. Students also take classes in general mental health counseling topics including human development; psychopathology; social and cultural foundations; clinical appraisal and assessment, and group dynamics. Graduates are eligible for the ATR-Provisional, ATR, and ATR-BC credentials, as well as professional counseling licensure in Pennsylvania (upon completion of post-graduation requirements).

Art therapy uses the creative process of making art to help improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education, and career goals. Art therapy and counseling can help clients explore their behaviors, thoughts and feelings, reconcile conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage coping with addictions, develop social skills, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem to build on strengths. Upon graduation, students from Drexel’s MA in Art Therapy and Counseling go on to work in a variety of settings, including but not limited to, medical and psychiatric hospitals, in-patient and out-patient behavioral health and recovery programs, community health and wellness centers, schools and after-school programs, trauma-informed settings, correctional facilities and halfway houses, elder care facilities, and private practices. Students also pioneer new frontiers in therapy application through their clinical work and research.

For additional information about the program, visit the College of Nursing and Health Professions Art Therapy and Counseling website.

Degree Requirements

Core Courses
CATX 501	Foundations of the Creative Arts Therapies	3.0
CTCN 501	Human Psychological Development	4.5
CTCN 503	DSM and Psychopathology	4.5
CTCN 504	Professional Orientation and Ethics	4.5
CTCN 505	Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy	4.5
CTCN 506	Social and Cultural Foundations in Counseling and Art Therapy	4.5
CTCN 601	Introduction to Behavioral Research	4.5
CTCN 603	Clinical Appraisal and Assessment	4.5
CTCN 604	Career Counseling	4.5
CTCN 606	Group Dynamics in Counseling and Art Therapy	4.5
Art Therapy Track Courses
CATX 531	Adults & Older Adults Assessment & Treatment Planning	3.0
CATX 532	Trauma Approaches in Art Therapy	3.0
CATX 533	Child & Adolescent Assessment & Treatment Planning	3.0
CATX 534	Family Assessment and Treatment Planning	3.0
CATX 535	Creativity, Symbolism, and Metaphor in Art Therapy and Counseling	3.0
CATX 536	Studio Art for Art Therapists	1.5
CATX 537	Art Therapy Group Supervision I	1.0
CATX 538	Art Therapy Group Supervision II	1.0
CATX 539	Art Therapy Group Supervision III	1.0
CATX 631	Media, Materials and Process in Art Therapy	3.0
CATX 637	Advanced Art Therapy Group Supervision I	1.0
CATX 638	Advanced Art Therapy Group Supervision II	1.0
CATX 639	Advanced Art Therapy Group Supervision III	1.0
CATX 645	Professional Identity & Contemporary Practices	3.0
Art Therapy Electives		3.0
Select one of the following:
CATX 540	Addictions and Recovery Art Therapy Approaches
CATX 541	Digital Media Use in Art Therapy and Counseling
CATX 542	Mindfulness in Clinical Practice
Clinical Education Courses
CTCN 510	Clinical Practicum I	2.0
CTCN 520	Clinical Practicum II	2.0
CTCN 530	Clinical Practicum III	2.0
CTCN 610	Clinical Internship I	2.0
CTCN 620	Clinical Internship II	2.0
CTCN 630	Clinical Internship III	2.0
Culminating Project
Complete a total of 3 credits		3.0
CATX 621	Culminating Project in Art Therapy I
CATX 622	Culminating Project in Art Therapy II
Additional Electives
CATX 627	For Culminating Project Only
CATX I699	Independent Study in Creative Arts Therapy
Total Credits		90.0

Sample Plan of Study

First Year
Fall	Credits	Winter	Credits	Spring	Credits	Summer	Credits
CATX 532	3.0	CATX 531	3.0	CATX 535	3.0	CATX 501	3.0
CATX 533	3.0	CATX 534	3.0	CATX 536	1.5	CTCN 504	4.5
CATX 537	1.0	CATX 538	1.0	CATX 539	1.0	CTCN 505	4.5
CTCN 501	4.5	CTCN 506	4.5	CTCN 503	4.5
CTCN 510	2.0	CTCN 520	2.0	CTCN 530	2.0
	13.5		13.5		12		12
Second Year
Fall	Credits	Winter	Credits	Spring	Credits
CATX 631	3.0	CATX 621	1.0	CATX 639	1.0
CATX 637	1.0	CATX 638	1.0	CATX 645	3.0
CTCN 601	4.5	CTCN 603	4.5	CATX 622	2.0
CTCN 606	4.5	CTCN 620	2.0	CTCN 604	4.5
CTCN 610	2.0	Art Therapy Elective	3.0	CTCN 630	2.0
		Choose one of the following:
		CATX 540
		CATX 541
		CATX 542
	15		11.5		12.5
Total Credits 90

Creative Arts Therapies Department Faculty

Yasmine Awais, MAAT, ATR-BC, ATCS, LCAT, LPC (Art Institute of Chicago). Associate Clinical Professor. Art therapy with diverse populations, art therapy in non-profit settings, clinical supervision.

Joke Bradt, PhD, MT-BC (Temple University) Director, PhD Program in Creative Arts Therapies. Professor. Research in music therapy, chronic pain, systematic reviews.

Natalie Rae Carlton, PhD, ATR-BC, LPCC (Lesley University) Director, Art Therapy and Counseling MA Program. Associate Clinical Professor. New media and art therapy, social justice in art activities, transgender and LGBTQ identity.

Christina Devereaux, PhD, LCAT, LMHC, BC-DMT, NCC (UCLA) Program Director for Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling. Associate Clinical Professor. Dance movement therapy, children, attachment, autism spectrum disorder, trauma, group work, clinical supervision

Abby Dougherty, PhD, NCC, LPC (Walden University) Core Counseling Curriculum Coordinator. Clinical Assistant Professor. Virtual reality in mental health, mindfulness and contemplative practices in counselor education, creativity in college counseling, learning disabilities, relational-cultural theory in counseling and adult education.

Sharon Goodill, PhD, BC-DMT, NCC, LPC (Union Institute and University) Chair, Department of Creative Arts Therapies. Clinical Professor. Medical dance/movement, mind/body studies, movement assessment for DMT, CAT research and leadership.

Scott Horowitz, MA, MT-BC, LPC (Drexel University) Director of Field Education. Clinical Instructor. Interdisciplinary practice and education, developmental models of clinical and practicum supervision, music therapy and neurodevelopmental populations.

Florence Ierardi, MM, MT-BC, LPC (Temple University) Director, Music Therapy and Counseling MA Program. Associate Clinical Professor. Clinical improvisation, trauma-informed music therapy, multicultural music therapy perspectives.

Girija Kaimal, EdD, MA (Harvard University). Associate Professor. Art therapy, educational research, program evaluation, art therapy.

Dawn Morningstar, MCAT, VC-DMT, LP (Hahnemann University) Coordinator of CAT Clinical Services. Assistant Clinical Professor. Specialty in working with children and adolescents, Dance/movement therapist at Drexel's Parkway Health and Wellness faculty practice outpatient clinic.

Michele Rattigan, MA, ATR-BC, NCC, LPC (MCP Hahnemann University) Coordinator of CAT Clinical Services. Associate Clinical Professor. Unresolved trauma; post-partum depression and anxiety; disordered eating and body image concerns; self-harming behaviors; dissociative disorders

Ellen Schelly-Hill, MMT, BC-DMT, NCC, LPC (Antioch NE Graduate School) Director of Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling MA Program. Associate Clinical Professor. Adults diagnosed with mood disorders, anxiety, chronic pain and with histories of trauma; clinical supervision; ethics.

Minjung Shim, PhD, BC-DMT (Drexel University). Assistant Research Professor. Medical dance/movement therapy, chronic pain management, mindfulness-based interventions, clinical trials, theory/model-building, qualitative inquiries, scoping reviews.

Emeritus Faculty

Nancy Gerber, PhD, ATR-BC (Union Institute and University). Associate Clinical Professor Emerita. Art therapy assessment and treatment of adolescents and adults; modern psychoanalysis and art therapy; arts therapy education and doctoral education; arts based research and mixed methods research.