Art Psychotherapy (Taught)

The creation of art in the presence of a trained art psychotherapist can have a profoundly positive effect for people experiencing difficulties in their lives. Art therapy is not a recreational activity (although the sessions can be enjoyable) but a form of psychotherapy that helps people address confusing and distressing issues.

Art psychotherapists work with people to access their own image-making abilities. You could work with people of any age, from very small children through to older adults, helping them to use art media to express themselves and communicate. You may work with groups or individuals.

You and the person you are working with will jointly explore the meaning of the process and image/art object in the light of personal experiences and/or interpersonal relationships that may sometimes be distressing or troubling. The aim is to facilitate the intra-personal and interpersonal communication of experiences that may be difficult to put into words. The art psychotherapist’s task is to support processes of emotional integration by providing a safe, reliable and containing therapeutic environment within which the person can create and use art making to develop insight and promote change.

Our graduates are eligible for registration with the Health & Care Professions Council as Arts Therapists and are eligible for full membership of British Association of Art Therapists. The course meets the requirements of the Health and Care Professions Council Standards of Proficiency for Art Therapists.

This course is offered both full and part time.

Please refer to our website for the most up to date list of modules for this programme

You will attend classes, work in groups and carry out independent learning. Assessment methods include reports, essays and presentations. You will undertake a practice placement.

• Placements are vital to your learning process. You will undertake supervised practice placement spread over two semesters. For full-time students that are two days per week and for part-time students it is one day per week. Your placements could be in various locations and settings, including education, voluntary and healthcare environments. Placements are allocated by QMU.

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

• Health and Care Professions Council
• British Association of Art Therapists

To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:

• Course does not award QTS