Master of Arts - Clinical Art Therapy and Counseling

Program Description 

The new track of Master of Arts in Clinical Art Therapy and Counseling Program provides education and training in Art Therapy and Professional Counseling. This Master of Arts graduate degree is a total of 60 credits, 48 credits taken in the current Clinical Art Therapy program and 12 credits taken from the Department of Counseling and Development.

The program has been designed to allow Clinical Art Therapy  & Counseling graduates the opportunity to qualify for licensing as Licensed Creative Arts Therapist in New York (LCAT) and to sit for the Art Therapy Credentials Board Examination (ATCBE). Additionally, it provides eligibility to apply nationwide for the licenses such as Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). The curriculum meets or exceeds standards for education set down by the American Art Therapy Association. Individual students should check with their home States for specific educational requirements regarding counselor licensure.

LIU has small and intimate class sizes that range from 8 to 22 students. LIU also has a strong international and national student presence. Emphasis is placed on creating a clinical art therapy community in which students, faculty, the Art, and Counseling Departments, as well as the New York area artist community, contribute to a cohesive and stimulating training experience. The program offers more than 100 clinical training internship sites for students to fulfill the portion of the curriculum. To augment course study, students will visit museums and galleries on Long Island and in New York City.

The curriculum's focus is on the practice of art therapy counseling; however, the art process and the art object are continually emphasized as they apply to the clinical practice of art therapy counseling. Consequently, art is made in all foundational art therapy seminars in large art studio settings. Three credits are taken in drawing, painting, and clay works for the art therapist. This foundational art therapy course culminates with a gallery opening where students present their 2-D and 3-D work. Additionally, students exhibit their artwork a minimum of two times per year in campus galleries, either as individual artists or in art-therapy-themed group shows. An art studio elective is required; students may choose from a variety of Art Department offerings that include world-renowned graduate-level studio courses in printmaking, painting, sculpture, photography, and ceramics.

The diagnostic and therapeutic value of painting, drawing, photography, and sculpture are explored in-depth within this clinical and diagnostic curriculum. Students will focus on children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities in art therapy clinical classes that utilize the latest research findings, theories, and techniques.

Research is one of the hallmarks of this clinical program. Students are required to take nine credits in research and thesis preparation. Often students present their findings at national conferences or in the publication or video format to fulfill the thesis requirements. Students have also written grants that are implemented after graduation. The faculty are internationally known within the art therapy community for their research efforts across a range of clinical topics. Some of the recent student publications can be found in a journal and online journal format.