Thinking of Getting a Master’s Degree? Think Again.

An article by Walter Russell Mead talking about what those us working art therapists already know. Here are some highlights, but this article is definitely worth an in-depth read.

“Young people graduating from master’s programs with low-paying jobs and crippling debt…

‘About one-third of people with master’s degrees make less money on average than a typical bachelor’s degree holder’.

Masters programs hit the sour spot of higher education — they tend to be more expensive with fewer financial aid opportunities than other programs, with a smaller payoff.

The jobs of the future will be more based on innovation and less on bureaucracy, and expensive degree programs will do little to help people navigate them.

In light of the recent classification of Art Therapy under “Recreation Therapy” by the Dept. of Labor, and the fact that one needs to hold a BA in order to become a recreation therapist, and my own personal experiences, Russell Mead’s words resonate with me more than ever. This plus the guild mentality that is so present in the mental health profession leads me to recommend that all those seeking a degree in Art Therapy to think twice. There are many ways to help others, and unless you are prepared to diversify your skill set beyond your MA and innovate, you may end up like so many art therapy graduates—working as baristas, secretaries, artists and sales people with a few hours a week here or there for actual art therapy.

Upcoming Seminar

Staying on the forefront: Art Therapy, the Online Presence and New Technology

Save the date! I’ll be giving a 2 1/2 hour workshop for NorCATA on Sunday January 29th at Fort Mason! Once the sign up information is available, I’ll be posting it here.

Hope to see you there!

Expressive Therapies Summit

From Judy Rubin via LinkedIn:

Dear Friends. Family & Colleagues,

I’m writing to you to let you know about an event in NY that I think is worth your while if you are in or want to visit the area. It’s a 4-day Expressive Therapies Summit with over a hundred presentations, workshops, and courses, on all of the creative arts therapies and related areas.

In addition, this year there is a special all day Symposium on Liberating Creativity through Analysis & the Arts which will end with a special Film Premiere – a $10 ticket buys you a film,. a panel of the artists in it, and a lovely reception.

If you can’t make it or even if you can, please let friends and colleagues know about it. The proceeds from this event will allow our very nonprofit nonprofit, Expressive Media, to continue to make teaching films about the arts in healing.

I hope to see you there!

Judy

HERE’S THE LINK: http://summit.expressivemedia.org/

Art Therapy Internship

This question was emailed to me, and posted with the permission of the author, Miles. I hope this helps any student art therapists who want to gain experience practicing in venues that may not have an art therapist on staff.

Hi Liz,
I am looking for info on art therapists who work in the juvenile detention centers. I need to do practicum hours for MAAT. Can you help?

Hi Miles,

Off the top of my head, you have a few options. First, you can post a request for an art therapy supervisor who works in a juvenile detention center on the Art Therapy Alliance’s message board on LinkedIn. If you haven’t checked it out, it’s a very active board with many people from around the globe. Hopefully someone can help you out.

Secondly, I’m wondering why you need to work with an art therapist directly in that setting? In my program we were encouraged to go to facilities that didn’t offer art therapy and offer to design a program from scratch (for free, since your labor is free…the only thing they would need to pay for is art supplies). In this case, students would recieve supervision from an off site art therapist, as well as a licensed therapist on site. Which means that you’d have to find a facility that has a therapist willing to supervise you, as well as find an off site art therapist, which = lots of supervision. But in that setting, it’s probably very useful to have lots of supervision. Have you talked to your program director about this possibility?

The other thing that’s great about starting your own art therapy program in grad school is that if you prove yourself to be an asset to the team, you may be offered a permanent position after you finish your internship.

I hope this helps!

Warm Regards,
- Liz

Private Practice and Marketing Handbooks

For those of you in private practice who are interested in DIY tips on Free for Service issues and online marketing, check out these reasonably priced guides offered by the Zur Institute.

The Complete Fee-for-Service Private Practice Handbook &

The Psychotherapist’s Guide to Online Marketing for Private Practice: A simple do-it-yourself model

I hope you find these guides useful!

Art Therapy Research Grant—Deadline Sept 1st!

Quick! Snag this opportunity to get a $1000 research grant offered to you by American Art Resources & Society for the Arts in Healthcare.

Environmental Arts Research Grant

A $1,000 award, sponsored by American Art Resources, Houston, will be provided to a Principal Investigator to conduct or supplement Arts in Healthcare research. Society members from all countries are invited to apply. Selection will be made on the merit, innovation, and feasibility of the research proposal.

Purpose and Application Information

A challenge in healthcare today is the dearth of caregivers and a consistent human support system. Within the context of the arts, often an artist or a creative art therapist can spend only a few hours with the patient (or a stressed family member or staff). While the impact of an art intervention can be powerful during this time, and have a ripple effect afterwards, there is still a large body of time that the patients and care providers are left to their own means – and this is an opportunity for the more passive creative art interventions.

This grant is focused on research on art interventions that become part of the healthcare environment. Such environmental art interventions do not require the presence of a creative arts therapist or an artist facilitator to be experienced by the patients, caregivers or staff. They are passive rather than participative interventions. In other words, the individual “takes in” the experience rather than actively engaging in it. Examples could be viewing visual art or murals on the wall, using Virtual Reality glasses during procedures, listening to music or a poetry reading or watching videos, to list a few. Such interventions do not require a caregiver interface (via the presence of a creative arts therapist or artist). There is a small but significant body of research that establishes that exposure to art can affect patients’ healthcare experience. For example, research shows that viewing visual art (static or dynamic) and listening to music can have an impact on the stress, anxiety and pain perception in patients.

It is of value to investigate and evaluate whether other environmental interventions, such as sound cones, lighting installations, plasma screen interventions, healing gardens, viewing (not participating) in live performances, being exposed to pleasant odors and aromas etc., can improve the patient/caregiver experience and, more importantly, whether this impact can be measured through rigorous research. We need more research to understand how art that appeals to one or more of the senses can improve the healthcare environment and impact the healthcare experience. We also need research to investigate what specific aspects of the art contribute towards its therapeutic impact.

Creative arts therapists, artists, researchers, administrators, designers, healthcare providers and students are all encouraged to apply for this grant.

To view more information about this grant, please check out the Society for Arts in Healthcare website.

Demystifying the Online Presence: Art Therapists and the Internet

Hope you like it!

Call For Papers

Arts in Health Conference:

The Society for the Arts in Healthcare is now accepting abstracts for presentations at our 23rd annual international conference, Arts & Health: A Global View. The conference, one of the foremost learning and networking opportunities in the arts in health field, will be held in Detroit, Michigan, USA, May 2nd through 5th, 2012. Presentations will be accepted in several areas, including: Practice, Healthcare Environments, Research and Evaluation, and Experiential Workshops. For complete information and to submit your abstract, please visit http://www.thesah.org/template/page.cfm?page_id=21.

Abstracts must be submitted by September 16, 2011.