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Art Therapy
Frequently Asked Questions.
Answers to questions frequently asked about the MSc Art Therapy
Course
Please note: An application form can be found in the Admissions section of the Website.
1. What are the entry requirements for the MSc Art Therapy course?
A degree or a professional qualification /vocational qualification which has been practised over a considerable period of time ·a minimum of one year's full time equivalent work experience in the helping professions ·a portfolio ranging over some years ·life experience ·some experience of either personal therapy or experiential art therapy workshops is highly recommended.
2. What constitutes relevant work experience?
Relevant work includes work in a care (nursing assistant, project worker, arts instructor etc) or community setting, art teaching, facilitating art workshops. We appreciate that it is not always possible to obtain paid work in these areas. Voluntary work may often be obtained by contacting any Social Services or Health Service departments. It is worth enquiring locally to ascertain if an Art Therapist is employed and could offer voluntary work. Work experience gives you some basis for thinking about a career in a caring profession and also experience of working within a team or institutional setting. One major component of the MSC Art Therapy entails work on a clinical placement and so prior experience of work setting(s) is very important.
3. Are applicants with degrees other than Fine Art considered?
Most students embarking upon the MSc Art Therapy have a degree in Fine Art. This enables students to have knowledge and experience working with media. In addition Fine Arts students will be familiar with contemporary and historical developments in art. Fine Arts students will also have written a dissertation and frequently these dissertations, directly or indirectly, relate to Art Therapy. Queen Margaret University does accept some students with degrees or Professional qualifications in other subjects relevant to Art Therapy. Examples include a combined degree in Art and Literature, Psychology, Art History, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Social Work, Sociology and Medicine.
4. What should a portfolio include?
A portfolio should demonstrate a serious involvement with art media and your own personal process of work with imagery. It is recommended that you include sketchbooks. Slides, photographs, CDs and DVDs of your work are acceptable. Some applicants prepare their portfolio by attending art classes over some years.
5. Are there other steps I can take to prepare to apply for the
MSc Art Therapy?
Reading about Art Therapy is recommended as is meeting with practising Art Therapists. Introductory Art Therapy courses and workshops are a helpful way of learning about the subject. These offer a very good introduction to art therapy and are recommended as one way of participating in art therapy experiential workshops, and learning more about the subject.
6. Does QM have Open Days?
QM holds two university postgraduate open evenings, one in the autumn and one in the spring. These offer an opportunity to meet with representatives of the Art Therapy courses and discuss your queries with them. Please check the university website for details of the open evenings.
7. How is the course structured?
The course is modular and qualifies students to register and practise as Registered Art Therapists, with the Health Professions Council. The core modules are Art Therapy Theory and Research, Art based Research, Clinical practice, Critical Art Therapy and a Clinical Project.
8. What are the learning formats?
The MSc Art Therapy course comprises three modes of learning: Inter-personal learning workshops in which students make their own images and discuss these within a group setting. Placement: supervised placement work with clients. This reflective practice enables students to gain experience working with individuals and groups: Lectures, discussions and seminars; academic assessment is by essay, portfolio and presentations.
9. There are two modes for the course, full and part-time. What
is the length of each and how long will it take to complete the course
in either mode?
The full-time course runs over two years. This involves two fifteen-week semesters in each year. In year one students will attend lectures and workshops on two days in university and two days a week on placement. Students taking the part-time mode will attend university one day a week and one day a week on placement over three or four years. There is some flexibility should part-time students be in a position to participate in studies for more than two days per week. There is also the option of transfer from full to part-time mode should personal circumstances change. At present attendance is structured as follows;
Full-time
YEAR 1 classes are held on Tuesday and Wednesday and YEAR TWO are held on Thursday
Part-time
YEAR 1 classes are held on Wednesday, YEAR TWO on Tuesday and YEAR THREE on Thursday.
10 .Do I have to arrange my own placement?
Placements are arranged by the Placement Co-ordinator. Students usually have two placements. Students write a proposal identifying their learning needs and preferences for certain kinds of placements. The Placement Co-ordinator will then try and match the student's preferences with a suitable placement. Efforts are made to arrange placements in or near the city where the student resides.
11. What kinds of placement are offered?
The range of placements is extensive including placements within hospitals, schools, voluntary sector organisations in the community, child and family centres, counselling services, prisons, drug and alcohol services, hospices, adult training centres, community based health centres, GP practices, community based mental health teams, stroke units, day centres for the elderly and for adults with physical and/or learning disabilities. The range of placements for Art Therapy students changes from year to year.
12. What else do I need to know about placements?
Students are required to complete a minimum of 120 days of placement. Participation in a weekly Supervision Seminar in university is a co-requisite of the placement. Students will be required to complete a Police Check/ Disclosure Scotland for their placement. International students are required to bring Police checks with them for the start of the semester at the latest. Admissions may ask for this information to arrive 3 months prior to the start of the course so that a final offer of a place can be granted.
13 .Why are students required to attend personal therapy for the
duration of the MSc.
Students are required to attend personal therapy for the duration of the MSc Art Therapy course. All of the Art Therapy courses have this personal therapy requirement. Some guidelines are given about finding a therapist to work (please see the British Association of Art Therapists website) but responsibility for finding a therapist rests with the student. In general students are advised to work with a therapist whose orientation is compatible with the course. Some examples of therapists in this category would be Art Therapists, Psychotherapists, and Psychodynamic Counsellors. Students are also advised to work with a therapist with a minimum of 5 years experience rather than a recently qualified therapist, and one that is UKCP or BACP or State Registered. Fees for personal therapy borne by the student range on average from £35-50 per session. It is important to bear this additional expense in mind and budget for it. Personal therapy is seen to be supportive of the student whilst on the course and also enables a student to have personal experience of a therapeutic relationship. Therapy is also essential to work out what issues belongs to the student and what belongs to clients that the student will work with. Personal therapy is separate from the course. However, as personal therapy is a BAAT (British Association of Art Therapists) and course requirement, the student's therapist will be requested to submit a letter to the university supervisor (during semester one and semester two assessment meeting) informing her of the number of sessions attended per year. Students may not graduate unless they demonstrate ongoing attendance in personal therapy, hence the letter from the student's therapist. Otherwise the student's personal therapy is distinct from the course and is confidential between student and therapist. Personal Therapy is predominately carried out while seeing clients during semesters, while additional sessions may be carried out over the summer.
14. What are the course fees?
A full outline of the MSc Art Therapy course fees and updated information on possible student funding can be found at registry@qmu.ac.uk and studentfunding@qmu.ac.uk.
15. Are there grants, trusts or scholarships for the course?
A very limited number of grants are available to students to cover tuition and some other costs. These grants have been allocated to the course on an annual basis by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) but not all prospective students are eligible. The two primary criteria are that the applicant has not already completed a full-time postgraduate diploma or certificate and the applicant has been ordinarily resident in Scotland by the August prior to the start of the course. Some students have sought funding from other sources by consulting information on Education Awards in their local library. Other students have obtained a Career Development Loan from their bank.
16. May fees be paid over the course of a year or need full fees
be paid at the outset of the academic year?
A full outline of the MSc Art Therapy course fees and information on payment structure can be found at registry@qmu.ac.uk .
17. What sort of tutorial support is available to students?
Each student on the course has a personal tutor whose role is to help the student to integrate the different parts of the course and to be aware of any circumstances effecting the student’s learning on the course. Tutors will meet with their tutees at least once per semester to review the student's work.
18. Is there support within college with students with special
needs?
A member of the department is a special needs co-ordinator and is able to meet with students to discuss requirements and offer advice. For example students with dyslexia may be advised how to be assessed, where to find technological support, and what sorts of extra support is available. In addition there are workshops within the university on essay preparation and some tutorials are offered for students whose first language is not English. QMU has a student counsellor who can be contacted through Student Services. QMU subscribes to an equal opportunities policy. There is an access hardship fund within the college to which students experiencing financial difficulties may apply. Information is available from registry@qmu.ac.uk
19. Are there studio facilities in the college for students wishing
to continue with their own art work?
There is a workshop component to the course. There is studio space although this is timetabled. However students are encouraged to pursue their own art work and to find out about the media specific workshop facilities open to them in Edinburgh (e.g. sculpture, photography, printmaking). Students are also strongly encouraged to visit the many excellent museums and galleries in Edinburgh.
20. Do most students find employment after they graduate?
Employment opportunities vary, with some regions of the UK offering more employment possibilities for qualified Art Therapists than others. Some Art Therapists will find employment in settings where their Art Therapy knowledge combines with the requirements of the job. An example would be e.g. a job as a project worker or an art worker with special needs, on a Community Mental Health Team, School, Hospice etc. Art Therapists find full, part-time and sessional work within statutory and voluntary sectors. Placement experience whilst a student contributes to an understanding of employment possibilities and enables students to consider realistically how to approach employment upon graduation. The British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT), the professional organisation which newly qualified Art Therapists may join, publishes, a journal (international journal of art therapy), a Newsletter, and circulates online information about Art Therapy posts in the UK. In addition BAAT Regional Groups enable Art Therapists to keep in touch with one another and focus upon local and professional issues and developments. Within BAAT there are a number of special interest groups, such as Art Therapy and Education, Art Therapy and Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Art Therapy and Palliative Care, Art Therapy and Learning Disability, Art Therapy in Forensic Settings and Art Therapy Race and Culture, creating networks which in turn promote employment.
21. What support is offered to International students?
International Studies Department at QMU offers a range of preparatory English courses for students whose first language is not English. Interested students are advised to contact Recruitment & International Liaison Office: telephone:+ 44 ( 0) 131 474 0000 email: rilo@qmu.ac.uk. For information about student accommodation contact the Accommodation Office on tel: +44 (0) 131 474 0000.
22. How many students are accepted on the course each year?
Between 25 and 30 full-time places are offered each year or the equivalent in terms of full and part-time places.
23. When should I apply?
Applicants are advised to apply before January if possible. The majority of interviews take place in the second semester between January and May. For more information, contact: QMU Admissions Office on tel: +44 (0)131 474 0000. Please enclose your 2 references together with your application form.
24. What are the research interests of the staff?
Please see individual staff member's details on the QMU Occupational and Art Therapies subject area website
25. Could I have a reading list? A basic reading list follows:
Axline, Virginia (1971) Dibs in Search of Self. Ballantine Books
Campbell, Jean (1991) Art therapy, race and culture. Jessica Kingsley
Case, C and Dalley, T (1990) Working with Children in Art Therapy. Routledge
Dalley, T (1984) Art as Therapy. London. Tavistock Publications
Dalley, T. (1987) Images of Art Therapy London. Tavistock Publications
Dissanayake, Ellen What is Art for? (1988) University of Washington Press
Jennings, Sue (1993) Art therapy and dramatherapy: Masks of the soul. Jessica Kingsley
Jung, C G (1963) Memories, Dreams, Reflections
Laing, Joyce and Peter Byrne (1996) Starting from Scratch 1996. Edinburgh University Settlement
Maclagen David - Psychological Aesthetics (2001) Jessica Kingsley
Malchiodi, Cathy (1998) Medical art therapy with children. Jessica Kingsley
Malchiodi, Cathy (1999) Medical art therapy adults. Jessica Kingsley
McNiff, Shaun 1998 Art Medicine
Miller, Marion (1981) On Not Being Able to Paint. Heinmann. London
Rees, Mair (1998) Drawing in difference: art therapy with people who have learning difficulties. Routledge
Riley, Shirley (1999) Art therapy with adolescents. Jessica Kingsley
Robbins, Arthur The Artist as Therapist (2000) Jessica Kingsley Publications
Rubin, Judith Aron (1999) Art therapy: an introduction. Brunner/Mazel
Sandle, Doug (1998) Development and diversity: new applications in art therapy. Free Association Books
Schaverien, Joy (1999) The revealing image : analytical art psychotherapy in theory and practice. Jessica Kingsley
Skaife, Sally and Huet, Val (1998) Art psychotherapy in groups : Between pictures and words. Routledge
Storr, Anthony (1973) Jung. Fontana
Thomson, Martina (1989) On Art and Therapy. An exploration
Waller, D (1991) On Becoming a Profession. Routledge
Winnicot, Donald (1991) Playing and Reality. Penguin
Basic Books CREATIVE ARTS THERAPY JOURNALS American Journal of art therapy Context: the magazine for family therapy and systemic practice Dramatherapy: the journal of the British Association of Dramatherapists Groupwork: an interdisciplinary journal for working with groups Inscape: Journal of the British Association of Art Therapists Journal of child psychotherapy Journal of family Therapy New analysis: Journal of Psychoanalytic social studies Raw vision: outside art
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