Posted on

Art Therapists & Their Artwork

Check out this discussion on the Art Therapy Alliance page on LinkedIn (you must be a member to view):

Carly Sullens asks,

I am wondering about art therapists who are also artists who sell their work. What do we need to be aware of as clinicians when clients or interested or even buy our work?

This question generated a lively discussion about art therapist, their artwork and ethics.

As you may have noticed I have an artwork page on my blog. This is my response to the Carly’s question, although my focus is not on clients buying my artwork, but rather, seeing my artwork as a part of this blog:

I write a blog and have an artwork section, where I posted several personal pieces relating to my personal identity and struggle—mainly having to do with health related issues.

When I was studying art therapy, the program I attended emphasized psychodynamic theory, in which the blank slate was very much encouraged. As I began practicing art therapy, however, I found myself naturally gravitating more towards the humanistic side. I wondered whether, if I was the client, would I be able to relate and be open with someone who was never somewhat open with me about their perspectives and struggles? Also, because I’m young, which some people interpret as having minimal life experience, I find it important (at times) to reveal a small part of who I am in order to gain trust and encourage a therapeutic connection. That being said, I don’t advertize my blog to the clients I work with, and none have mentioned my writing or artwork to me. Similar to what others have said, if my clients asked about my artwork, I would process this, just as I would process anything else they brought into the session.

Another reason I made an artwork page on my blog is that I wanted to show other art therapists a piece of who I am, hopefully making a connection to my readers. I realize that some people who look at my blog are also prospective students or people who are interested in seeing an art therapist for their own therapy. The artwork page, along with my writing, may help to demystify what art therapy is without showing the artwork of the clients I work with, which is another huge ethical grey area—one that is worthy of it’s own discussion.

If down the road it seems that my ethical judgment was unfounded, it would certainly be a learning experience and something to be shared with other art therapists. In this world of technology and social networking the concept of privacy is changing, and so is the idea of separating personal and professional lives. Everyone with an internet presence now lives in a “small town”, since everyone can access multiple dimensions of everyone else’s lives with the click of a mouse (or, if you have an iPad, a press of the finger).

We may not be able to foresee all the pros and cons of this topic until years down the road, when more learning/experience has developed. However, the first step towards a deeper understanding of this question lies with these types of discussions. Thank you Carly!

Posted on

Painting with a Tablet PC

Recently on Project Runway, one of the challenges was to design your own fabric using an HP tablet PC. What I found most interesting is how many of the contestants used paint brushes to work on their tablet, rather than a stylus.

Check out the clip below. The drawing part comes at approx 5 minutes into the show.

Posted on

Montreal- Creative Arts Therapies Week

Creative Arts Therapies Week

Concordia’s Department of Creative Arts Therapies, in partnership with the associations of creative arts therapies of Quebec, is pleased to host numerous activities taking place as part of Creative Arts Therapies week, March 19 to 28, 2010.

Highlights of the week include:

* Creative Arts Therapies Information Fair and Film Festival, March 27
Come see films, live demonstrations, and meet with industry professionals and representatives from organizations and training institutions. For details, click here.

* Creative Arts Therapies workshops, March 13 to 28
For details on drama therapy and dance/movement workshops regarding trauma and social change, click here.

* Creative Arts Therapies Week across Quebec, March 13 to 28
For a complete and bilingual list of province-wide events, click here.

Activities during Creative Arts Therapies week will emphasize the role of the therapist in facilitating and supporting the unique tools and abilities of participant with whom they are working. In workshops, information sessions, film viewings and conferences open to the public, interested individuals will be encouraged to learn first hand how collaborative experimentation in music, theatre, dance and art lead to increased resolution and healing in social, intercultural and interpersonal problems.

Guylaine Vaillancourt, Department of Creative Arts Therapies faculty member and professional music therapist, is proud to introduce author-composer-interprete Gaële as the official spokesperson of Creative Arts Therapies week.

“Her innate sense of the power of creativity and the richness of her songs evoque values from which we also draw, as creative arts therapists.”

For more information on Creative Arts Therapies week, contact Guylaine Vaillancourt by email at g.vaillancourt@concordia.ca or by telephone at 514-848-2424 ext. 5670.

For more information on Concordia’s Department of Creative Arts Therapies, offering Canada’s only two-year Master’s level degree in Creative Arts Therapies, click here.

Posted on

Considering Art Therapy in California

Here’s a question that was emailed to me by Nicole A. and was posted with her permission;

Liz,
I have been considering Art Therapy as a career path. I love both art and psychology and thought that it would be a great way to combine my passions. I work full-time, have two kids and a mortgage, so I’m only able to take a few classes at a time. Once I finish my AA, and both of my kids are in school, I will be able to transfer to SJSU and be a full-time student. I have read that to be a registered art therapist, you must have your master’s. I just wanted to know if I will be able to find work in the feild after I earn my BA, while working on my master’s. I want to set my goals high, but because of my responsibilities I want to be realistic. I’m also curious what kind of salary an art theraptist with a private practice in California might earn on average?




Hey Nicole,

You definitely need a masters degree to be an art therapist. In California, most art therapy masters programs offer the option of being on a license track for an MFT (Marriage and Family Therapist). Having a state license is absolutely essential for both your job and earning prospects, so getting a dual MFT and art therapy degree is a very good option.

A new law passed in ’09 making LPCC (Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor) an option for CA licensure too. The LPCC isn’t available until next year, so I doubt any schools will be advertising this at the moment, but by the time you finnish your BA, I’m sure an LPCC track will be available as well.

Also, you don’t nessesarily need a masters in art therapy to ultimately become an art therapist. For example, you can have a masters degree in Nursing or Social Work and then go for a bit more schooling, pursuing an Art Therapy certificate. For example, NDNU has a Post Masters Advanced Standing option, where you take an extra 30 credits after you complete a masters degree in a related field. Nursing or social work are good options; A nurse’s earning potentials in California is quite high—especially if you have an RN (registered nurse) license and work as a supervisor or in administration. Social Workers have a lot of respect in the California mental health community and job opportunity, although many positions are looking for either an MFT or LCSW (Licensed Social Worker).

I dont work in private practice so I couldn’t tell you accurately about salary expectations. What I do know is that if you’re interested in serving underprivileged populations, meaning that you’ll be accepting medicare or medical as payment, you will earn very very little money. I attended a seminar once where the art therapist in private practice joked that she envies the Starbucks worker, because they probably make more money than she does—and with less stress. That being said, if you decide not to accept insurance, and only out of pocket pay, I think your earning potential can be rather high…but one must consider how long it takes to develop the clientele. For this reason, many people work part time in a “regular” job while developing their private practice.

In California, as an unlicensed art therapist (for example, while you’re completing your post masters training hours to become licensed, which takes about 2 years) you can expect to make about $30-40,000. As an art therapist with an MFT license, you can expect around $45,000-65,000 depending on where you work…maybe more. Working for the government (the VA or for the county) is much more lucrative than a non-profit. RNs can make between 65-80k easy. I’m not sure if having an art therapy credential would raise your earning potential as an RN, but it would certainly open some interesting doors!

Good luck with your pursuits and much respect for going back to school with 2 kids. My mom got her BA in nursing and then her MA in education while I was growing up. It was tough for her, but it was certainly worth it!

Regards
– Liz

Posted on

FUSION April 2010

The next edition of FUSION, the publication from the Art Therapy Alliance and the International Art Therapy Organization, will be out in April 2010. If you haven’t already, check out Fusion Volume 2.

Any suggestions for topics you’d like to see discussed in the next issue’s Features Section?

Posted on

Abuse Survivor Blogs

As a therapist, I think it’s important to stay connected with the struggle our clients face when coming forward about past abuse, learning ways to manage symptoms and then maintaining the ability to cope in a healthier way. Here are 3 blogs written by survivors that I find candid, honest and insightful:

  • My Moster Has a Name, includes lots of self reflection, artwork and a useful feature that i’ll call a trigger star rating system. Be sure to take a look at the Gallery page with some artwork created using digital media such as Illustrator.


  • Mind Parts offers a male sexual abuse survivor’s perspective. Don’t forget to check out the highlights section.


  • Kate 1975 is an excellent resource for anyone interested suffering from PTSD, eating disorder issues, dissociative issues, etc. Be sure to check out her recent post listing Art Therapy and Creative Healing Projects.