Empower expression to face life’s challenges.
The Art Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling master’s degree expands upon your capability to improve the lives of others. Employing a social justice lens, we prepare graduates to attend to issues of race, equity, diversity, and inclusion in their work with clients. By pairing comprehensive clinical training with a strong theoretical framework, you will be uniquely positioned to leverage art therapy in a clinical mental health setting. Through knowledge, experience and practice you will empower your clients to express themselves verbally and through visual art in order to treat a multitude of developmental, emotional, psychological, and medical challenges.
This degree is offered by AU New England
Program Overview
By completing Antioch’s MA in Art Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, you will receive comprehensive clinical training, making it one of the few online degree programs in the U.S. featuring both art therapy and clinical mental health counseling competencies within a social justice lens.
The learning experience incorporates cultural diversity and social responsibility, giving Antioch a unique edge over other graduate schools in psychology.
Antioch University has held accreditation continuously since 1927. The Art Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is accredited by both the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) and COUNCIL FOR ACCREDITATION OF COUNSELING AND RELATED EDUCATION PROGRAMS (CACREP). Thus, the curriculum meets national standards for art therapy registration and clinical mental health licensure.
Mission of the CMHC Program
The Art Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) Program promotes the development of professional identity by encouraging an active and continuous examination of one’s self as an individual, one’s self as an art therapist and professional counselor, and one’s self as a social justice advocate. The program is devoted to training students from diverse backgrounds, endorsing the principles of social justice by confronting oppression and injustice, and working with underserved populations. Students are prepared, as art therapists and professional counselors, to work with individuals, groups, and social systems within a multicultural global community to promote mental health and well-being for all.
Degree Requirements
Antioch’s Art Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling Master’s degree offers you comprehensive clinical training for a career as a registered art therapist and licensed mental health counselor. With a focus on developing multicultural counseling competencies, you accomplish these goals through a combination of required coursework and supervised internships.
Program Length
The Art Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is 66 credits and is designed to be a full-time program, with students entering in fall. The fall cohort stays together as a rich and connected learning community. The Art Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program typically takes students three and a half years (3.5) to complete. Students who enroll in the Online program participate in two (2) separate week-long face-to-face clinical intensive residencies.
Plan of Study
The academic and experiential requirements for the master’s degree in Art Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling are a mix of Art Therapy courses and Clinical Mental Health Counseling courses and include:
Art Therapy Courses (27 semester credits):
- COUC 5070 Art Therapy in Diverse Settings: Individual and Group Therapy (2 semester credits)
- COUC 5080 Techniques and Practices in Art Therapy (2 semester credits)
- COUC 5100 History and Theory of Art Therapy (2 semester credits)
- COUC 5400 Developmental and Treatment Models in Art Therapy (2 semester credits)
- COUC 5510 Art Therapy Research in Individual and Family Therapy I (2 semester credits)
- COUC 5920 Pre-Internship Practicum I (1 semester credit)
- COUC 5920 Pre-Internship Practicum II (1 semester credit)
- COUC 6003 CMHC/AT Internship & Case Consult 250 HRS (2 semester credits)
- COUC 6005 CMHC/AT Internship & Case Consult 250 HRS (2 semester credits)
- COUC 6005 CMHC/AT Internship & Case Consult 250 HRS (2 semester credits)
- COUC 6500 Master’s Project (1 semester credit)
- COUC 6500 Master’s Project (1 semester credit)
- COUC 6500 Master’s Project (1 semester credit)
- COUC 6510 Advanced Art Therapy Research in Individual and Family Therapy II (2 semester credits)
- COUC 6530 Advanced Art Therapy Assessment (2 semester credits)
- COUN 5110 Symbolism, Metaphor, and Creativity (2 semester credits)
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Courses (27 semester credits):
- COUN 5002 Group Counseling Clinical Intensive (0 semester credits)
- COUN 5002 Foundational Counseling Skills Clinical Intensive (0 semester credits)
- COUN 5142 Assessment and Testing (3 semester credits)
- COUN 5222 Career Counseling Development (3 semester credits)
- COUN 5262 Human Growth and Development (3 semester credits)
- COUN 5502 Diagnosis and Treatment (3 semester credits)
- COUN 5542 Counseling Theories (3 semester credits)
- COUN 5902 Foundational Counseling Skills (3 semester credits)
- COUN 6102 Creative Approaches to Trauma-Informed Practice (3 semester credits)
- COUN 6122 Addictions Counseling (3 semester credits)
- COUN 6752 Crisis Counseling Interventions (3 semester credits)
Art Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling Courses (12 semester credits):
- COUN 6030 Group Counseling (3 semester credits)
- COUN 6032 Professional Orientation & Ethics (3 semester credits)
- COUN 6062 Social and Cultural Diversity (3 semester credits)
- COUN 6422 Couple and Family Counseling (3 semester credits)
Program requirements and course offerings are subject to change.
Practicum and Internships
Practicum introduces you to work in the field with a minimum of 100 hours of service at a clinical site, including a minimum of 40 hours working directly with clients. You will learn agency policies and the role and responsibility of the mental health counselor. You spend approximately 7 to 10 hours a week in practicum for at least one semester. Before beginning, practicum students must pass a candidacy review assessing their readiness to begin supervised fieldwork.
Following practicum, there are three internship semesters. These may continue at the same site as the practicum or take place at a new site. You spend approximately 15 hours a week at your clinical site and provide approximately 250 hours of service each semester, including approximately 120 hours of direct service to clients during each of these internship semesters. Students are required to acquire a total of 700 internship hours. State requirements for pre-degree internship hours vary. Review your state requirements for more information.
All students incorporate an art therapy internship in a professional setting. This experience will enable you to practice the theoretical knowledge you acquire in the classroom as you develop your identity as an art therapist and clinical mental health counselor.
Students complete their learning in a diverse variety of clinical settings. There are many internship possibilities at community agencies, residential facilities, shelters, in-patient psychiatric hospitals, college counseling centers, city/state social service agencies, and more. The Practicum and Internship Coordinator will assist you in the process of matching your interests with potential sites in the community. Students are responsible for securing their own practicum and internship sites.
Program Objectives (also referred to as Learning Outcomes)
- Ethical Practice: Students will demonstrate principles and standards of professional ethics in counseling and ethical decision-making informed by social justice.
- Social and Cultural Diversity: Identify strategies needed to address institutional and social barriers that impede access, equity, well-being, and success for clients.
- Human Growth and Development: Students will demonstrate knowledge of lifespan development and the capacity to integrate knowledge of developmental theory into practice.
- Career Development: Identify career development strategies that incorporate a focus on social justice and advocacy.
- Counseling and Helping Relationships: Demonstrate an understanding of theories of counseling and development of case conceptualizations and treatment plans that are underpinned by social justice
- Group Counseling and Group Work: Integrate into their practice of MHC the awareness of the influence of social and cultural contexts on groups
- Assessment and Testing: Students will demonstrate a broad understanding of different types of assessments, the selection and use of assessment tools, client assessment and diagnosis, trauma assessment, and the assessment of self-inflicted harm and danger to others.
- Research and Program Evaluation: Demonstrate and apply their professional identity as a clinical mental health counselor through an individual philosophy of practice grounded in critical analysis and research and interpretation.
- Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialty Area: Clinical Mental Health Counseling students will demonstrate an understanding of foundational knowledge, demonstration of competence in clinical mental health practice, knowledge of social justice issues, and a focus on wellness.
- Professional Dispositions: From admission through exit, students will demonstrate the attitudes, characteristics, and behaviors defined by the program as characteristic of exemplar counseling professionals.
Career Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a strong need for mental health counselors. Counseling is projected as one of the faster growing mental health professions — increasing over the next 7-10 years.
Graduates will have the knowledge, skills, and professional disposition required to function as a professional art therapist and as a clinical mental health counselor. They will be prepared for employment in a variety of settings and able to meet licensure standards as mental health counselors, through education in a CACREP accredited program and will meet registration and certification requirements as an art therapist through a CAAHEP accredited program.
Licensure
Graduates of the CMHC Program may apply for professional credentials recognizing their level of training and experience. Credentials may be granted by national professional boards/organizations or by state regulatory boards.
The CMHC Program recognizes the importance of licensure and certification for professional practice. The legislature in each state establishes the criteria for licensure and an appointed board determines if an individual’s education and experience meet their standards. The Clinical Mental Health Counseling Department has designed its programs to be consistent with the standards of the representative professional organizations. Individual states, many of which base their legislation on professional organization’s standards, vary as to specific coursework, number of hours of supervised practice, supervisor qualification, and other required criteria. While the department offers coursework and internships that allow students to put together a licensable portfolio, it cannot guarantee licensure. Students with any negative results on a criminal background check should inquire with the state board in advance to determine if the results of their background will hinder their ability to become licensed in their state.
As graduates of a CACREP accredited program, students are eligible to obtain full certification as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) upon graduation after passing the National Counselor Exam offered in April of their final year and completing the required applications. See the NBCC website for information on this process. Graduates self-reported pass rate on the NBCC exam is 80%.
Students will learn about the steps to licensure for the state in which they plan to pursue licensure in the Professional Orientation and Ethics course, however, students are responsible for knowing the expectations of the state in which they plan to apply. Students should actively consult their state’s counseling board for the most recent information about professional licensure. Faculty are available to consult with students and the following websites are helpful when navigating the licensure process:
National Board of Certified Counselors
American Counseling Association
To locate contact information, available licenses, and required examinations per State, visit the NBCC’s State Board Directory: http://www.nbcc.org/Search/StateBoardDirectory.
For information on individual state requirements, see the NBCC State Licensure page
Admissions / Cost / Aid
Admission
The Art Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling program values diversity and encourages students of all backgrounds to apply for admission to the program. The faculty strive to create and support an inclusive learning community that meets the different learning styles of students admitted to the program. Students are encouraged to foster relationships with their peers through class discussions and small group activities.
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.
- email transcripts to [email protected], or
- mail to:
Office of Admissions
Antioch University New England
40 Avon Street
Keene NH 04341-3516
- 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, and as assess qualities that are essential to this profession including empathy, compassion, service to others. Your recommenders may include college instructors, professionals who have provided supervision of work with people in a social service or educational setting, spiritual leaders, coaches, or work supervisors. Recommendations from 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 or Lifespan Psychology
- Completion of 27 quarter OR 18 semester credits in Studio Art. The following are required courses:
- Ceramics or Sculpture
- 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 and Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Antioch University. Please describe a few of those fundamental experiences.
- The Art Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling 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 and the Art Therapy and Mental Health Counseling 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 and art therapist?
- What are your professional goals in relation to the Art Therapy and Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program and how will this program specifically help you to reach those goals?
- A Recorded video that addresses your strengths and concerns regarding online learning. The video should be 5 minutes maximum.
- International Students have additional admission requirements. See International Students page for details.
- Select applicants may be invited to participate in a group interview with faculty.
Upcoming Events
MA Art Therapy & Clinical Mental Health Counseling Info Session | AUNE
Clinical Mental Health Counseling Info Session | AUNE
Clinical Mental Health Counseling | Info Session | AUNE
Recent News
-
Creating a Safe Space for Expression and Acceptance Through Art Therapy
by Antoinette Wiley on April 16, 2021
-
Training Model Invented at AU Seattle Finds Big Audience
by Jasper Nighthawk on April 14, 2021
-
Helping Students Impact Their Communities Leads to Big Award
by Jasper Nighthawk on January 20, 2021