Art Psychotherapy - MA

Why study at Roehampton

• Build a rewarding career as a professionally-qualified and State registered art psychotherapist. Graduates are able to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professional Council (HCPC).
• Follow a syllabus informed by Carl G. Jung’s pioneering theories on analytical psychology.
• Benefit from our established network of art psychotherapists and gain work experience in supervised clinical placements. 
• In the Research Excellence Framework 2014, the leading national assessment of quality, 100% of the research we submitted was rated “world leading” or “internationally excellent” for its impact.

Course summary

This course is designed for experienced artists and professionals who have worked within a clinical setting and would like to build a rewarding career as an art psychotherapist.

You will be taught by leading experts who will equip you with the skills, experience, and confidence to work as an art psychotherapist in challenging, yet rewarding environments. Our graduating students are eligible to apply for registration with the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC). Registered practitioners work in a variety of different settings including psychiatric hospitals, social services departments, special education, prisons and the voluntary sector.

Our comprehensive programme is divided into three areas covering theory, experiential learning and work placement experience. The theoretical aspect covers child developmental and psychodynamic principles alongside art therapy theory and Jungian analytical psychology. This perspective is located within the larger field of analytical psychotherapy and provides you with an in-depth theoretical underpinning that informs clinical practice. 

A vital part of the programme is a supervised clinical placement which allows you to complete one hundred mandatory days of practice during your training. Placements are available in a variety of settings that include mental health (both in the NHS and other psychiatric hospitals and day centres), disabilities services or in hospitals or social services, special education, or a range of other settings. 

Content

The course is divided into three distinct areas; theory, which will develop your understanding as it relates to clinical practice, experiential learning where you will engage in art therapeutic processes to develop an understanding of the discipline from the inside while developing your identity as an artist, and lastly, a work placement. You will also get the opportunity to collaborate with the other students within the arts and play therapies in workshops and shared modules.

Our full-time course starts with an intensive week followed by two taught days, two further days of clinical placement and one day for studio practice per week. The part-time route starts with an intensive week followed by one day per week in University and a minimum of one further day on clinical placement. You will need to complete one hundred days of supervised clinical practice over the duration of the programme. You will also attend weekly personal therapy which is compulsory to become a professional registered practitioner. 

Modules

Here are examples of modules:

• Art Psychotherapy Workshop 1: Placement Preparation
• Art Psychotherapy Workshop 2: Symbols as Language of the Unconscious
•  Human Development and Growth
• Theory 2: The Therapeutic Relationship and its Experience and Expression
• Art Psychotherapy Clinical Placement 1
• Art Psychotherapy Clinical Placement 2

Career options

Graduates go on to work as art therapists within school adult mental health, community, third sector or NHS day service providers. Most art psychotherapists work within institutions as members of multidisciplinary teams and collaborate with psychiatrists, psychologists and other professionals.

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Visit the Art Psychotherapy - MA page on the University of Roehampton website for more details!