Art Therapy

Art therapy is a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem. A goal in art therapy is to improve or restore a client’s functioning and his or her sense of personal well-being. Art therapy practice requires knowledge of visual art (drawing, painting, sculpture, and other art forms) and the creative process, as well as of human development, psychological, and counseling theories, and techniques.

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Kathleen Steele-Puma ’21

“As an art therapist, transparency and genuine adherence to self-reflection require an understanding of the implied freedoms to make choices that otherwise remain elusive to people of color and marginalized communities.”
Matthew Eveleigh ’21

“I see social justice as active efforts to work towards less of a gap between the concern for profit and concern for people, no matter who they are or where they come from.”
Nicholas Keen ’20

“Pursuing art therapy never felt like a choice; it has always felt like more of a calling. Once I became privy to the option of pursuing a masters in this field, I knew it was what I should be doing.”

Art Therapy professor Mary Andrus spearheads pivotal art therapy legislation

Spearheaded and championed by Professor Mary Andrus, new legislation signed into law by Oregon Governor Kate Brown (JD ’85) earlier this year will create new licensure requirements and protections for art therapists practicing in Oregon.
#ClimateStrike: MAT alumnae behind climate change initiatives

Suzanna Kassouf, Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) ’20, US History and ethnic studies teacher at Lincoln High School asked her students if they ever worried about climate change. Every student raised their hand.
Graduate School Community Garden Project

Near the end of summer 2018, Raquel Harmon MA ’20, who is in the Marriage, Couple, and Family Therapy Program, came across an abandoned space that sparked a therapeutic green initiative.