Art therapists are trained to guide clients
in creative activities as a means of addressing psychological,
developmental or emotional problems. While fully-online art therapy
programs are rare, hybrid programs are available from several
institutions. Students must determine what program fits them best based
on the resources each program provides and the availability of the type
of education they want.
How to Choose an Online Art Therapy School
Because the Art Therapy Credentials Board, the regulatory body for
art therapy practitioners, only recognizes masters-level degree programs
in art therapy, all available degree programs are at the graduate
level. Degrees are not generally available in a fully-online format, so
students who wish to enroll in an art therapy program will most likely
be required to spend time on-campus. Students whose schedules do not
permit regular course attendance may pursue focused hybrid degree
programs. In these, students visit campus for a short period of
intensive in-person training sessions, then return home to complete the
remainder of the program remotely.
Support for Credentialing Requirements
Because the art therapy credentialing process has both educational
and work requirements, students should consider how much support an
online art therapy education program gives them in fulfilling all
licensing requirements. Some programs arrange for clinical training
experience that can be applied to a student's licensing requirements.
Other programs may not provide any assistance with such training.
Program Specialization
Art therapy is a broad discipline serving many types of clients. Some
schools have particular strengths in training graduates in therapy with
certain media, such as painting or dance. Others focus on particular
types of therapy, such as family counseling, special education or
behavioral counseling.
Online Art Therapy Degree Options
Master of Arts in Art Therapy
A hybrid master's degree program in art therapy is designed to give
students a full master's degree program in a distance learning format,
leaving aside only a few weeks of residency at a college campus, which
are backed up by coursework taken at a location of the student's choice
with the assistance of a faculty mentor. Coursework includes general
counseling principles, special education teaching, artistic techniques
and strategies for engaging clients with painting, drawing, dancing or
other creative media. Students may use any of several means of
communication to complete the distance learning portion of the degree,
including e-mail and other online communication.
Master of Professional Studies in Art Therapy and Creativity Development
This master's program is specifically designed to give students the
professional experience they need to enter the field and work
successfully in art therapy. This program is trade-oriented and may not
have as much general coursework as a master of arts program. Distance
learning classes are often offered in an online format through education
software that allows students to access their classes via the Internet
and combines several different types of communication into one
interface.
No comments:
Post a Comment