The Postgraduate Diploma in Art Therapy and Community Art consists of 30 ECTS credits, which, along with the 90 ECTS credits of the course that follows, the Master in Art Therapy, Psychotherapeutic Applications of Artistic Practice, add up to a total of 120 ECTS for a complete training in art therapy recommended by the Spanish Association of Art Therapists (ATe) to be able to practice professionally in Spain.
OBJECTIVES
The Postgraduate’s main objective is to lay down the theoretical-practical foundations of art therapy and community art. The theory and practice of the course offer a formative experience that integrates the different uses of art, from its psychotherapeutic application, through art therapy, to its application for development and social transformation through community art.
The different subjects of the course are divided into differentiated modules according to the theme they present. The programming of the Postgraduate Diploma in Art Therapy follows the recommendations of the Spanish Professional Association of Art Therapists (ATe) and takes other prestigious professional associations as a reference such as the BAAT in the UK or the AATA in the USA. The course teachers are professional art therapists and psychotherapists with extensive clinical and teaching experience, all of whom are members of recognized professional associations.
MODULE 1: EXPERIENTIAL (3 ECTS)
ART THERAPY EXPERIENCE GROUP (14 hours)
The objective of experiential art therapy groups is to explore the dynamics of a group in which images and art objects are produced. Guided by a professional art therapist, the participants experience first-hand some of the situations that give name to the different theoretical concepts of art therapy. The role of the facilitator of the group is to accompany the participants through artistic expression, observation and dialogue, in order to explore and reveal the dynamics of group interactions.
OBSERVATION AND EXPRESSION TECHNIQUES (14 hours)
The purpose of this course is to approach experientially three important aspects of psychotherapeutic work: observation, reflection and communication. Thus, the objective of the course is to acquire skills in the observation of artistic situations or processes, reflect on what is observed (whether about oneself, about the other or a group situation) and explore different artistic media as ways to communicate our experience to others.
In each of the sessions, the individual work created at home during the month and its creation process are shared in the group. The composition of the groups with their leaders are the same as in experiential art therapy groups.
INDIVIDUAL TUTORIALS (2 hours)
A tutor is assigned to accompany the student throughout their training, with whom they will meet periodically, both in individual and group sessions, to share concerns and experiences that arise in the learning process.
ROLE PLAY AND GROUP TUTORIALS (14 hours)
The Role Play sessions and group tutorials are developed in groups with the course tutors. In these sessions, students test ways of resolving situations that have to do with the practice of art therapy and the formative experience.
MODULE 2: ART
PRESENTATIONS OF THE ART MAKING PROCESS (14 hours)
In the individual presentations of the art making process, each student will have the opportunity to share how they apply their creative sensibility in their daily life, what their influences are, and their artistic or creative production. This will give the opportunity to discuss the visual language, the reading of images and the creative processes.
CONTEMPORARY ART STRATEGIES (5 hours)
At the beginning of the 20th century, the art scene experienced an unprecedented expansion through the so-called ‘avant-garde movements’. The laws that governed artistic practices up to 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 enter unsuspected terrain that forces the expansion of aesthetic and intellectual horizons. In this theoretical course we will review some works of art to analyze the different strategies used in recent visual arts.
ARTISTIC PRACTICE (125 hours)
It is essential that students maintain a continuous artistic practice. A minimum weekly dedication is recommended for the development of personal creative processes, promoting the development of artistic identity and as a form of self-care, taking into account that this practice does not include the monthly tasks of the TOE group, nor the proposals of the artistic workshops.
MODULE 3: ART THERAPY (7 ECTS)
THEORY OF ART THERAPY (14 hours)
This is an introduction to different authors and ways of working that characterize our profession. The theory of art therapy is explored through its history, its theoretical framework and other aspects that shape the discipline, providing examples of practice and the various intervention modalities, with special emphasis on the Relational model and the application of Mentalization in Art Therapy.
We will delve into the various aspects that make up this discipline and its variety of applications and possibilities within the proposed theoretical framework. The knowledge of the theoretical contents, the development of the capacity for reflection, and bibliographical reading are essential for the development of the profession.
Contents:
● art and therapy
● art therapy models
● history and precedents of art therapy
● the setting and framing according to the collective
● art materials and media
● relational art therapy framework
● the link and epistemic trust
● therapeutic triangle and potential space
● art as play
● object and process
● images and supervision
● art therapy and groups
CLINICAL CASE PRESENTATIONS (5 hours)
These sessions are dedicated to presenting the clinical work carried out by professional art therapists in different centers and groups. In these meetings, the professional art therapist presents in detail the art therapy processes carried out with different individual cases or group experiences.
METHODOLOGY (3 hours)
This subject offers students the knowledge and resources necessary for the proper development of the academic work of the course.
Contents:
● steps of the writing process: brainstorming, drafting, revising, proofreading, and publishing
● Introduction to the APA regulations, 7th edition: structure of articles, citations and references.
READING GROUPS (14 hrs)
The reading group sessions review relevant texts from the literature on art therapy.
MODULE 4: PSYCHOLOGY (6 ECTS)
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY (14 hours)
Developmental psychology deals with the study of the biopsychosocial changes that we experience throughout our lives. This course provides the theoretical foundations of human development, defines the external and internal variables involved, while delimiting those critical periods in the evolutionary process. In addition, the possible relationships between the mental functioning of the individual, the creation process and personal expression are studied.
Contents:
● childhood and the formation of the psyche
● attachment, maternal and paternal roles
● adolescence and changes in the psyche
● identity, grief and reintegration to the world
● adulthood and mental development
● forms of relationship and appearance of crisis
● middle age and moments of transition
● parenthood, family and socio-cultural context
● maturity and mental development
● death and mourning
● creative capacity, symbolic function and mental images
● drawing and play throughout the life cycle
INTRODUCTION TO RELATIONAL PSYCHOTHERAPY (14 hours)
The objective of this session is to introduce the student to the theory and techniques of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, offering an overview of the different schools of psychology, as well as analyzing the applicability of analytically oriented psychotherapy in different contexts.
Contents:
● introduction to psychotherapy
● culture, self and psychotherapy
● self-knowledge versus behavior change
● psychotherapy versus psychotherapeutic interventions
● characteristics of an effective therapist
● psychoanalysis then and now
● other therapeutic approaches
● psychotherapeutic relation and intercultural transference relation
● structure, process and therapeutic objectives
● The self, culture, and therapy modalities
INTRODUCTION TO THE THEORY OF ATTACHMENT (14 hours)
This course aims to invite students to delve into the world of early childhood and family and the development of creativity based on the concepts of attachment, mentalization and emotional regulation.
Contents:
● dimensions of creativity
● attachment theory
● attachment and emotional regulation
● mentalization
MODULE 5: PROJECTS (4 ECTS)
COMMUNITY ART PROJECTS (12 hours)
The projects module is an introduction to Community Art in which the development of the critical gaze of the student 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 these 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.
SELF-MANAGED WORK GROUPS (8 hours)
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.
Investigating will generate collective knowledge; working in teams will provide the experience of networking; and writing a project to practice the theoretical elaboration of the material necessary to carry out a community art process.
PRESENTATIONS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE PROJECTS (5 hours)
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, specialists in peace, global justice and cooperation will be invited to present their work in order to better contextualize the space that community art projects occupy, or can occupy.
