HI Kathleen:

Thanks so much for reading and commenting! This is a great project. The beauty of art therapy is its flexibility. A lot of art therapists, like a lot of talk therapists, work from an eclectic approach. There are art therapists who work from a psychoanalytic model, humanistic, feminist, Gesalt, etc. Related to that is whether people approach the art work in a way that is focused on the product, the process of the art making, or both.

If I were you, I would check out this book by Judith Rubin, one of the grandmothers in our field. It outlines a number of approaches:

http://www.amazon.com/Approaches-Art-Therapy-Theory-Technique/dp/1583910700

Good luck!

Amy

My professor is looking for specific model when describing what art therapy is and the techniques used in that model. i can’t seem to find one universal model that all art therapists use. What im reading from your entry is that the specific approach would be the model in therapy. Could you tell me what might be the best model or approach to use and the techniques that come with it. Ive been driving myself crazy because i can’t seem to find direction.

Kathleen

HI Lauren: Thanks so much of your thoughtful comment. This is a great question! From what I can tell, you are doing some wonderful yoga therapy work and helping clients work in a body-based approach. I noticed too that you’ve done training with Dave Emerson at the Trauma Center – he’s so great, isn’t he? Even though I am not a yoga therapist, I LOVE his language about an “invitation” from trauma informed yoga. I feel so much better inviting my clients to do something because it gives them space to say no!

I wonder where the intersections are between yoga therapy and art therapy? I’m not sure of your expertise or exposure to expressive therapy, but as you may know, being a “witness” is an important part of the process. It creates a holding and honoring space for the client’s experience.

It’s always been surprising to me how few people, teens included, seem to feel uncomfortable with being witnessed. Of course I have had a few clients who want me to make art alongside them, but often, even when I check, people are surprisingly happy to be witnessed. So with teens my default is the same as with adults, I tend to start by witnessing, and if they ask me to do art alongside them, I will. Or, if I am picking up intense discomfort, I will ask if they want me to. Usually though, I think part of what’s hard is getting over our own discomfort with witnessing someone.

I’m sure that there are variations depending on the particular therapists’ style and the populations issue,culture, etc. I am speaking to the clients with whom I have and do work.

Thanks again for your powerful question, and I welcome your insights about yoga and therapy here!

Cheers,

Amy

Hi Courtney:

It’s great to “meet” you here on the Maricle Counseling blog. This is a great set of questions. And of course, I am psyched that you are interested in art therapy. As you likely have learned in your research, art therapists have a background both in art and psychology before getting a master’s degree in Art Therapy. Some programs also prepare you for licensure as a mental health counselor. The program that I attended at Lesley University did this, and it was one of the main reasons I chose the program. Because right now art therapists cannot bill insurance for their services, it can be limiting in the job market if you don’t also hold a mental health counseling license. My advice would be to choose a program that prepares you for becoming an art therapist/expressive therapist, as well as a mental health counselor.

Additionally, I always talk with my supervisees about marketing themselves this way when they go on job interviews. I have rarely ever, if ever, applied for a job entitled “Art therapist,” or “Expressive therapist,” but rather have looked for environments that were open and welcoming to the use of the arts and approaches besides just talking. This approach served me extremely well in home based, residential, and now as a private practice clinician. As an LMHC, ATR-BC, I am trained as a general “talk therapist” and can help people with problem solving, social skills, mindfulness, etc., but I also have a huge set of non-verbal processing tools that is helpful with kids and teens, populations with cognitive limitations, and anyone who is willing to tap into the imagination as a new way of solving problems.

So to answer your question about job prospects, I think if you were to do a job search just on “art therapist,” you would come up with pretty limited results, but if you could peer into the countless mental health agencies, hospitals, residential treatment centers, outpatient clinics, etc. you would see countless expressive and art therapists working with the gamut of populations.

I am also happy to talk with you more if you want to reach out via email: amymaricle@gmail.com.

Does all that make sense?

All the Best to You!
Amy