Course Title: ART 453 Art Therapy Field Experience
Term: Spring
Course Description
ART 453. ART THERAPY FIELD EXPERIENCE/THREE CREDITS. Major credit. Prerequisites: A 3.0 average in the major, ART 355, 357, 380, and the instructor’s permission. This course will prepare students for their senior art therapy internship. Students will participate in an art-based, service-learning experience with a vulnerable population at a community-based agency. This course will also include a comprehensive inspection of graduate schools, career opportunities, portfolio presentations, and foundational counseling techniques, including ethics and cultural competencies. The material presented will give the students an expanded concept of the field, writing, observation, and speaking skills necessary to pursue their future goals −Lab fee.
Required Texts
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Pat B. Allen, Art is a Way of Knowing. Boston: Shambhala Publications.
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Rachel Naomi Remen, Kitchen Table Wisdom. New York: Riverhead Books.
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(Reference) Liebmann, M. Art Therapy for Groups: A Handbook of Themes, Games, and Exercises (2nd. Ed.). Taylor and Francis, New York, NY.
Course Learning Objectives
Provide psycho-educational lectures, readings, discussions, assignments, and community-based experiential learning:
1. Provide an opportunity to encourage and exhibit a strong work ethic and understand
the components to facilitate community art-making with vulnerable populations.
2. Model sensitivity to culturally diverse populations and respect for others in a
community-based environment.
3. Explore various facilitation methods, including an experiential plan, weekly skill-
base handouts, and response imagery.
4. Explore the specific service-learning skills in the areas of academic development, civic responsibility, practical skills,
art mentor skills, and interpersonal skills.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a strong work ethic and understanding of the components to
facilitate community art experiential with vulnerable populations.
2. Demonstrate sensitivity to culturally diverse populations and respect for others in
a community-based environment.
3. Document various facilitation methods, including an experiential plan, weekly
skill-based handout and response imagery.
4. Articulate specific service-learning skills in academic development, civic
responsibility, practical skills, art mentor skills, and interpersonal skills.
Assignment 1 Critical Theory Reflection Papers
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Assignment 2 Experiential Plans
Students will plan and implement an accessible and developmentally appropriate art activity each week. Create an experiential plan, including a rationale demonstrating planning and material use, and document the time.
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Assignment 3 Field Experience Electronic Portfolio
Due to the personal and confidential nature of the Field Placement, the completed worksheets are not included in the NASAD accreditation portfolio. The completed skills worksheets are on file in the Art Therapy Program Coordinator's office, and each assignment was reviewed and discussed with students.
Skills Worksheets:
Assignment 4 Response Images
Create a response image each week exploring the experience. The image can include feelings, a specific skill, a reaction to a particular person or dynamic, and the site.
