Counseling and Art Therapy Master of Arts in Counseling and Art Therapy

Program Mission

The Master of Arts in Counseling and Art Therapy program provides education and training in clinical mental health counseling and prepares competent, entry-level Art Therapists in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills) and affective (behavior) learning domains. In the art therapy master's program at Ursuline College, students learn to aid clients in exploring personal potentials and problems through both visual and verbal expression.

Degree Requirements for a Master's in Counseling and Art Therapy

Through Ursuline's nationally recognized Counseling and Art Therapy master's program, you'll be prepared to work in a variety of clinical, educational, medical, and human-service settings. Because of our extensive network of partner institutions, you'll choose from a wide range of internship placements. We'll encourage you to develop areas of expertise in line with your own strengths and interests and we'll nurture your professional development.

Program Format

In our art therapy and counseling master's program, classes are offered in the late afternoon and evening to accommodate your job and internship obligations. Electives are offered in a workshop format, which allows you to attend two consecutive days followed by time to complete assignments. Workshop presenters include nationally known figures, authors, lecturers and experts in various approaches.

Post-Graduate Coursework

If you already possess a master’s degree in a related field, we can design a course sequence to meet the educational standards for registration and certification as an art therapist, depending upon the current national standards of the Art Therapy Credentials Board.

Counseling and Art Therapy Program Goals

Our art therapy master's program aims to:

• Prepare holistically educated human service professionals adept in facilitating the creative process as a source of integration and prepared to seek licensure and credentialing
• Utilize the vast community resources in order to expose students to competent clinical counseling training and in-depth study of art therapy processes and applications
• Offer a state-of-the-art curriculum that develops the specific competencies of the professions of counseling and art therapy
• Incorporate a philosophy of education and training that is motivated by respect for the dignity of each person
• Improve the quality of life for a variety of populations and the balance of treatment with the health care field through the promotion of counseling and art therapy

Student Learning Outcomes

As an art therapy school graduate student, you will be empowered with the skills and training to treat a multitude of challenges. Upon earning your master's degree in art therapy, you will be able:

• To know and practice art therapy and counseling ethics
• To know and utilize appraisal instruments, art therapy assessments, and to be able to diagnose
• To know and demonstrate understanding of counseling theory, art therapy theory, developmental theory, history of art therapy and clinical mental health counseling, and of recipient populations/specializations
• To know and demonstrate skills with individuals, groups and families in all phases of the therapeutic process; to develop treatment plans, use appropriate documentation, verbal and non-verbal interventions, with cultural sensitivity with a range of populations/specializations
• To demonstrate personal and professional growth, including effective use of supervision, recognition of strengths and limitations, development of a unique voice and vision as a professional counselor and art therapist, active in professional associations and committed to ongoing personal creative expression

View our Student Outcomes Report

Counseling and Art Therapy Program Accreditation

The Counseling and Art Therapy program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP, 1001 North Fairfax Street, Suite 510, Alexandria, VA, 22314, 703.535.5990) and by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP, 9355 113th St. N., #7709, Seminole, FL, 33775, 727.210.2350), upon the recommendation of the Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education (ACATE).

Information Sessions

Nine or ten times throughout the year, Counseling and Art Therapy faculty members host information sessions to discuss the program and address any questions you may have. These are being held virtually on various weeknight evenings on a monthly basis. We discuss credentials, curriculum, the admission process and more. Scroll through our calendar for the next art therapy school session and contact the Graduate Admission office to register.

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Ursuline Faculty at the 2023 American Art Therapy Association (AATA) Conference

Dr. Katherine Jackson, Associate Professor, gave a paper presentation titled, “Creative arts therapies and collective efficacy within the Cheyenne River Lakota reservation community,” and facilitated a master-level clinician supervision group on “Community Engagement.”

Dr. Rebecca D. Miller, Program Director and Assistant Professor, gave two presentations: “Relationships between therapists’ tears and their personal and professional characteristics,” and “The intensified juggling act: Breadwinner mothers of school-aged children during COVID-19."

Ursuline Faculty at the 2022 Buckeye Art Therapy Association (BATA) Symposium

Presenters and presentations included:

• Rebecca D. Miller, Program Director and Assistant Professor, presented a paper titled, “Reflecting an Ideology of Juggling: Breadwinner Mothers’ Visual Artifacts during the COVID-19 Pandemic”
• Katherine Jackson, Associate Professor, and Megan Seaman, Assistant Professor, co-presented a paper titled, “Combining the ETC and DCT in Therapeutic Treatment with Depressed and Anxious Teens”
• Fawn Gordon, Assistant Professor, co-facilitated two workshops, “Burned Out: Ethical Considerations and Strategies to Prevent and Monitor for Impaired Practice” and “The Role of Ethics in Using Creativity to Enhance Well-being”
• Diane Fleisch Hughes, Adjunct Instructor, facilitated a workshop, “Using the Experience of Play in Adult Art Therapy”
• Cheryl Pete, Adjunct Instructor, co-facilitated a workshop, “Political Advocacy for Social Justice”
• Gretchen Miller, Adjunct Instructor, co-presented a paper titled, “Understanding How Creative Forces® Utilizes Creative Arts Therapies with Veterans”
• Heather Denning, Adjunct Instructor, was a co-presenter on a panel along with undergraduate art therapy faculty, Jennifer Schwartz, Department Chair and Assistant Professor, and Molly Hagaa, Assistant Professor, titled “Lessons Learned: Expanding Art Therapy Practice to Publishing”
• Recent CAT program alumni, J. Subinsky, Leah Barron, and Shelby Driver, graduates of the class of 2022, co-presented a panel titled, “Innovative Topics in Art Therapy Research: Expressive Movement, Moral Injury, and Religious Trauma with LGBTQ+ individuals”