Master of Arts
MA in Counseling: Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy
Employ creative expression as a means of treatment.
Add the Art Therapy concentration to your Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree to expand upon your capability to improve the lives of others. By pairing comprehensive clinical training with a strong theoretical framework, you will be uniquely positioned to leverage art therapy in a clinical setting. Empower your therapy clients to express themselves verbally and through visual art in order to treat a multitude of developmental, emotional, psychological, and medical problems or disorders.
This degree is offered by Antioch University's Seattle Campus.
Program Overview
In the MA in Counseling: Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy program you receive comprehensive clinical training, making it one of the few degree programs in the U.S. featuring art therapy with a clinical focus. The learning experience incorporates cultural diversity and social responsibility, giving Antioch an edge over other graduate schools in psychology. Antioch University has held accreditation continuously since 1927 and has been approved by the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) since 2003. The MA in Counseling: Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of The Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education.
Licensure Information
This program is designed to lead to state licensure.
Additional Licensure Information
Degree Requirements
Coursework
Antioch’s MA in Counseling: Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy offers you comprehensive clinical training for a career as a licensed mental health counselor. With a focus on developing multicultural counseling competencies, you accomplish these goals through a combination of required coursework, electives, and a supervised internship. The Art Therapy program is 94 quarter credits. You may begin the program in the spring and fall. Core Clinical Courses:
- Addictions and Substance Abuse
- Advanced Theories: Varying Subtitles
- Assessment: Test and Measurements
- Career Development and Counseling
- Communication and Counseling Skills
- Human Growth and Development Across the Lifespan
- Internship Preparation
- Theories and Practice of Counseling I & II
- Psychodiagnostics and Treatment Planning
- Psychopathology
- Systems Perspectives in Family Therapy
- The Counseling Profession and Identity
- Trauma, Disaster Response, and Crisis Counseling
Core Art Therapy Courses:
- Advanced Art Therapy Assessment
- Advanced Art Therapy Research in Individual and Family Therapy
- Art Therapy in Diverse Settings: Individual and Group Therapy
- Art Therapy Research in Individual and Family Therapy
- Developmental and Treatment Models in Art Therapy
- Ethics in Creative Art Therapy
- Family of Origin & Art Therapy
- Group Art Therapy
- History and Theory of Art Therapy
- Symbolism, Metaphor, and Creativity
- Master’s Project or Thesis
- Multicultural Perspectives in Creative Arts Therapy
- Techniques and Practice of Art Therapy
Required Internship Courses:
- AT/MHC Internship I, II, III, IV
- AT Case Consultation I, II, III, IV
Internship Experience All students participate in an internship in a professional setting. This experience will enable you to validate and clarify the theory you acquire in the classroom as you develop your own role as a clinician. Examples of internship sites include the following:
- College counseling centers
- Community centers
- Group homes
- Homeless shelters
- In-patient psychiatric hospitals
- Jails
- Penitentiaries
- Public mental health clinics
- Youth and family services
Program requirements and course offerings are subject to change. For detailed curriculum, degree requirements, and course descriptions, please visit the AUS catalog.
Career Outlook
Art therapists work in private practice and/or in clinical, educational and rehabilitative settings such as:
- hospitals and clinics
- residential treatment centers
- long-term care facilities
- community centers
- prisons
- shelters
- schools
- mental health and social service agencies
Student Retention and Graduation Rates
Admission
How to apply
- Completed online admissions application.
- A Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution is required. Submit official transcripts from ALL colleges/universities you have attended to the Admissions Office. Transcript evaluations are required for all coursework completed outside of the U.S. or Canada (except Quebec). See Transcript Evaluation section on International Students webpage for details.
- Two recommendations are required. Use the online application form to enter the names and email address of your recommenders. Your recommenders should include people who can best assess your capabilities and readiness to enter a graduate clinical training program. These include social science instructors that you may have had in college as well as professionals who have provided supervision of work you have been involved in a helping role with people in a mental health, social service or educational setting. Recommendations from peer co-workers, friends, relatives, or personal therapists are not acceptable and will not be reviewed.
- Art Portfolio 20 pieces; include the following information:
-
- Title of piece
- Date of completion
- Materials used
- Dimensions
Your portfolio can be submitted as a PDF document or a link to a website that contains your portfolio. Original work, photographs, CD/DVD’s are not accepted.
-
- Completion of 18 quarter OR 12 semester credits in Psychology (completed within the past five years with a grade of C or better) including the following courses listed below.
- Abnormal Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Completion of 27 quarter OR 18 semester credits in Studio Art. The following are recommended courses
- Ceramics I
- Ceramics II
- Introduction to Drawing
- Introduction to Painting
- Mixed Materials
- Admission Essay Submit a typewritten, double-spaced, one to two-page (between 250 and 500 words) response for each question and clearly number your response for each question. Essay Questions:
- We are curious about your previous experiences (e.g., personal, professional, and academic) and would like to know how these experiences have led you toward the choice to apply to the Art Therapy Program at Antioch University Seattle. Please describe a few of those fundamental experiences.
- The Art Therapy Program is both academically and emotionally rigorous. What challenges, if any, do you foresee encountering during your studies? What forms of support will you use to meet those challenges?
- Antioch University Seattle and the Art Therapy Program are committed to preparing professional counselors to be culturally competent and become advocates for social, economic, and environmental justice. How does social justice and becoming culturally competent align with your interest in becoming a professional counselor?
- What are your professional goals in relation to the Art Therapy Program, and how will this program specifically help you reach those goals?
- Abnormal Psychology is a required course for all Creative Arts Therapy Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) students as a pre or co-requisite and must have been taken within the past 5 years or before a student takes Psychopathology.
- International Students have additional admission requirements. See the International Students page for details.
- Select applicants may be invited to participate in a group interview with faculty.
All admission application supporting materials, transcripts, recommendations, essays, etcetera, should be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to: the Admissions Office Antioch University Seattle 2400 3rd Avenue, Suite 200 Seattle, WA 98121
Application Deadlines
| Quarter | Deadline* | Classes Begin |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | August 1 & November 1 | April 3, 2024 |
| Fall | November 1 & May 1 | October 2, 2024 |
| * Complete applications received after the Deadline date may be considered if space is still available in that quarter. Please contact the Admissions Office, [email protected], for information regarding current space availability for an upcoming term. | ||
Cost & Aid
Cost
| Art Therapy (MA, Counseling: Clinical Mental Health Counseling, or Couple & Family Therapy) | |
|---|---|
| Cost per Credit | $868 |
| Full-Time Credits per Quarter | 6 |
| Total Program Credits | 93 |
| View the Cost of Attendance Components | |
Financial Aid
Financial Aid is also available to most students. LEARN MORE
Upcoming Events
Recent News
-
Amy Morrison selected to participate in the 2025 Therapeutic Arts Paraprofessional Training in Africa (TAPTA) program
on May 13, 2025
-
Exploring Subjective Cognitive Decline and Ageism: At-Risk Older Adults’ Lived Experience | Dissertation Watch
on May 12, 2025
-
Amy Morrison, CMHC Faculty, featured on Creative Pulse podcast
on May 8, 2025