The undergraduate Pre-Art Therapy Certificate is a collaborative program among faculty from Clermont College, McMicken College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), and the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning. The certificate combines knowledge and skills from the fields of psychology, fine arts, art history, and art therapy. A certificate in Pre-Art Therapy seeks to achieve two primary goals: (1) to increase students’ understanding and knowledge about the field of art therapy, and (2) prepare students to apply to art therapy graduate programs as a graduate-level art therapy degree is required in order to practice art therapy professionally.
Through the core class, Introduction to Art Therapy, students will examine how art is used therapeutically. The core class covers the origins and applications of art therapy, fine arts, art history, and psychological principles. Students will learn about current developments in the field of art therapy and observe community projects that utilize art as therapy. Students will explore, through lecture and experiential artwork, the therapeutic aspects of image and art making. In addition to this core course, students will enroll in fine arts studio courses and 4 psychology courses.