About
About Art Therapy
The mission of Lewis & Clark’s Art Therapy program is to prepare competent, creative, and reflective art therapists who are committed to equity-based clinical and community praxis. Students learn to apply relationally and socially attuned art therapy using art making to deepen awareness of self and others within societal and cultural contexts.
The Profession
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.
Art therapists are master-level clinicians who work with people of all ages across a broad spectrum of practice. Guided by ethical standards and scope of practice, their education and supervised training prepares them for culturally proficient work with diverse populations in a variety of settings. Honoring individuals’ values and beliefs, art therapists work with people who are experiencing medical and mental health challenges, as well as individuals seeking emotional, creative, and spiritual growth.
Accreditation
The Art Therapy program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education (ACATE).
Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs
25400 US Highway 19 N., Suite 158
Clearwater, FL 33763
727-210-2350
www.caahep.org
Regular and rigorous review of approved and accredited programs ensures the ability of the program to prepare their students for entry level skills and post-graduate certification as an art therapist.
The Program
Lewis & Clark offers rigorous art therapy training to students to become qualified mental health practitioners and ethical leaders who advocate for social justice, provide service and clinically focused care to individuals, groups and families.
This program prepares competent entry-level Art Therapists in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.
| Degrees Offered | Master of Arts, Master of Science |
| Credits | 56 semester hours (MA), 60 semester hours (MS) |
| Program Length | 8 semesters (MA), minimum 8 semesters (MS) |
| Program Start | Fall only |
| Priority application deadline | January 3, 2021 |
| Program Director | Mary Andrus, DAT, ATR-BC, ATCS, LPC |