The course is structured in five different modules:
Module I, Experiential of Art Therapy
Experiential Group of Art Therapy:
The objective of the experiential art therapy groups is to explore the dynamics of a group in which artistic images and objects are produced. Each session has a duration of one hour and a half. The role of the group leader is to help group members to explore and reveal the dynamics that occur in group interactions.
The objective of the course is to learn to think psychodynamically. The content of each session, both verbally and artistically, is strictly confidential.
Observation and Expression Techniques:
The purpose of the subject is to experience three important aspects of psychotherapeutic work: observation, reflective thinking and communication. Thus, the objective of the course is to learn approaching different artistic processes.
The sessions are organized according to the material that is individually worked on between sessions at home. At the end of the course, in the last session, the students present to the group leader a portfolio documenting each of the proposals. This portfolio is confidential and is returned the same day.
In this subject students explore the expressive potential of different art media:
1. Graphic work (engraving, drawing, comic …)
2. Painting (abstract, figurative, collage, mural, …)
3. Performance (work based on action, bodyart …)
4. Art and language (text, short story, poetry …)
5. Photography (landscape, portrait, memoirs, collage …)
6. Video (stop motion, short film, sound art …)
7. 3D work (modeling, sculpture, ceramics, readymade, assemblage …)
8. Intervention in space (installation, urban intervention, land art …)
9. Textiles
Role Play and Group Tutorials:
Group tutorials take place once a month and alternate with role-play sessions in which various situations are staged and discussed.
Module II, ART THEORY
Presentations of the Creative Process:
In these sessions, students will present their personal work for half an hour around the topic what is your creative process?
Contemporary Art Strategies:
At the beginning of the 20th century, the art scene underwent an unprecedented expansion through the so-called ‘avant-garde movements’. The laws that governed artistic practices until now were dissolved in favor of a freedom that opened up perspectives and the range of possibilities. Contemporary art, heir to this revolution, continues to break schemes and get into unsuspected terrain that forces the expansion of aesthetic and intellectual horizons. In this theoretical subject we will review some works of art to analyze different strategies used in recent plastic arts.
Studio Practice:
It is essential that students keep a continuous artistic practice throughout the course. A minimum dedication of 20 hours per month is recommended.
Module III, Art Therapy Theory
Art Therapy Theory:
The Art Therapy Theory Module is an introduction to the different authors and ways of working that characterize our profession. The theory of Art Therapy is explored through its history, the theoretical framework and other aspects that shape the discipline, examples of its practical application and intervention modalities. This subject will be carried out along with the subject Art Therapy Groups Theory. In this way, it is intended that the students’ reflections along with the teacher’s feedback, define and respond to each of the theory blocks.
The objective is not only the theoretical definition of the contents, but also the promotion of the capacity for reflection and the exploration of specialised literature.
Presentations of Art Therapy Cases:
The purpose of the presentations is to learn about the practice of Art Therapy with different client groups. Case presentations are made by active art therapists and are delivered online once a week for a month on three occasions each year: November, February and May.
Art Therapy Applications Workshops:
Like case presentations, the workshops are an opportunity to learn about different areas in which Art Therapy is applied and, on the other hand, to expand the range of possibilities in the use of artistic media.
Methodology
Art therapy is a young profession that needs a body of research to support it. A large part of the art therapist’s role is to publicize their work and therefore contribute to the development of the profession. This course teaches students how to do this task by introducing the fundamentals of research.
Group Art Therapy Theory
In these three sessions, we will explore the differences between individual and group work in art therapy. We will study the characteristics and different types of group work as well as the role of the art therapist.
Module IV, Introduction to Psychotherapy
Introduction to Psychotherapy:
The objective of this series of talks is to introduce the student to the theory and techniques of Relational Psychotherapy, offering a panoramic view of the different psychological schools, as well as analyzing the applicability of analytically oriented psychotherapy in different contexts.
Developmental Psychology:
Developmental psychology studies the biopsychosocial changes that we experience throughout our lives. This subject provides the theoretical foundations of human development, explains the external and internal variables involved, and defines the critical periods in the development process.
Introduction to the Attachment Theory:
This course aims to invite students to delve into the world of early childhood and family relationships, as well as the development of creativity based on the concepts of mentalization, attachment and emotional regulation.
Module V, Community Art
Community Art Projects:
It is an introduction to Community Art in which the development of the critical gaze of the students is encouraged. In it, they will gain theoretical and practical knowledge about the essential elements of Community Art, highlighting the close link that these projects have with the processes of social justice.
Through the sessions, students will learn the key concepts and tools that can help develop a project. In addition, the similarities and differences between art therapy and community art will be reviewed, highlighting how art therapy knowledge can benefit the facilitation of community processes.
Presentations of Social Justice Projects:
The purpose of these presentations is to publicize the practice of community art. These sessions are carried out with active professionals who present their interventions with different groups. Although in the training we will focus more on the plastic arts, entities that work with other arts such as theater or photography will also be invited. In this way, we will be able to observe the similarities and differences between the proposals. In addition, there will be invited specialists in peace, global justice and cooperation in order to better contextualize the space that community art projects occupy, or can occupy.
Self-managed Work Groups:
In the self-managed group sessions, students will have the opportunity to work in small groups and experience the beginnings of building a project in a practical way. The process will emphasize three aspects: research, teamwork and project writing.
Investigation will generate collective knowledge; working as a team, networking will be exercised experientially; and writing a project, the theoretical elaboration of the material necessary to carry out a community art process will be worked on.
