Art Therapy

Art therapy is a relatively new branch of the expressive therapies branch. The American Art Therapy Association sets standards and grants certification. Usually a graduate degree in art therapy (a two-year program) and about one year’s working experience is required after graduation from Northwestern. On the undergraduate level a student should major in art. A double major of art and psychology is highly recommended.

Employment possibilities include positions in mental health hospitals, geriatric institutions, special education programs, prisons, detention facilities and veterans’ hospitals. An art therapist can aid psychiatrists and psychologists in diagnostic work, treatments, therapeutics, and social interactionary procedures which are extremely beneficial to the patient’s mental health.