Art Therapy?

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C

ClinPsycMasters

Any art therapists on this forum? I have this romantic notion that it can be the perfect thing for me, combining my love for psychology and love for creativity/arts/poetry. I like to know if you guys love your job, also to hear about the demand/supply and salary side of it, and your education/training.

Thank you so much.

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hey
I was planning on being an art therapist.

But after much thought and say from workers in the mental health field, they(art therapists, psychologists, therapist, professors) they said an MSW or PhD/PsyD is the way to go, depending on what you want.

I plan to be a therapist in mental health working with eating disorders.
This way I can have an MSW/LCSW and just use art with pts as a side system.
So this way I can still have art with psychology/social work.
This degree is more flexible and has more "weight" in the economy.

There is an PsyD with a focus in art therapy at the university I'm at now.
http://www.antiochsea.edu/academics/psychology/psyd-overview.html

Best of luck.

I would speak with people in the field of psychology you wish to go into and weigh the pros and cons of either degree/license.
 
That's great. I live near Seattle! I will inquire about that program. What do you think of Antioch this far? Would you recommend it to others or was it your second/third choice? Thank you.
 
I love Antioch!
I'm in their BA completion program right now and was planning on
doing their MA in psychology with emphasis in art therapy, but decided to do UW's MSW instead.
Its on their website. You can pair it with either MFT or MHC.
It's a long program but I spoke with people who completed it and they loved it. They all have jobs and are happy with their decision to attend.

Antioch is a very non-traditional university.
It is not everyone's cup of tea(because the system is so different from traditional universities) but the students that attend are all on the same wave-length and have an essential vision to help people from what I can tell.
The energy there is quite stimulating.
The university is very self-directive.
Your advisors actually care about you as a person and create a stable relationship with you.

Their MA program is accredited by the art therapy association :)
Their BA program has many interesting psychology courses and spirituality courses.
Example: Literature of the wounded healer and psychology of the human heart

Back to point,
The MA curriculum is very therapy focused as you can see on their site.

You can message me if you wish to know more.

And yes, I would recommend it to other students who seek knowledge, just know what you wish to get out of the university because they not only focus on the degree but also on the student as a person, exploring feelings and very in-depth in that sense. It is a very transformative process.
LOTS of writing papers and exploring your inner psyche.

Just to stress again, the only reason I am choosing to attend UW instead is that the MSW has broader options that just the MA in Psychology. More, let's say, stability and security, while I can still choose to do artistic endeavors with clients who show an interest once I get private practice down the road.

I have other posts on here with Antioch links in them, back when I was trying to decide certain programs over the others, so look at those to get the links.
 
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