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Art Therapy is where psychology and creativity meet to help us help others. Through experiential, embodied learning and immersive clinical training, you’ll discover the curative nature of the creative process and the healing potential of art.
A woman with a scarf covered in sunflowers cuts an image out of a magazine while sitting at a desk.
Type
Graduate, MPS
Credits
60
Duration
2.5 Years
Courses
Plan of Study
School and Department
School of Art,
Creative Arts Therapy
image of artwork produced using bilateral method
Bilateral art therapy uses both sides of the body.

Art Therapy at Pratt

Creative, aesthetic, and psychotherapeutic theory come together in everything we do. Artwork is done in every course and is used to learn a range of therapeutic skills. Experiential processes translate the theoretical framework into personal and practical application. You’ll focus on a variety of populations over the course of two years of clinical training.

The Experience

The MPS in Art Therapy and Creativity Development is a 60-credit program for students who want a diverse skill set, balanced with a strong theoretical framework. Interdisciplinary, socially engaged, and justice-driven, our Creative Arts Therapy community is connected by a shared mission for transformative change.

Low-Residency Format

The low-residency format is an innovative educational program based on a low-residency adult-learning model. The program is designed for those students who do not live near or are otherwise unable to engage in a traditional master’s degree format.  

Students in the low-residency format are admitted for the spring semester only. 

The cycle of classes is as follows: in March, the students take two, 3 credit classes over 9 days; in June they take two, 3 credit classes over 9 days of classes with a weekend break followed by three weeks of classes which run Monday–Friday. Students generally complete reading assignments before classes and then complete their papers after classes are over, giving them a chance to integrate class experience with readings and clinical training experience. Two years of clinical training are done from September through May following the first and second year of summer classes. Supervision is completed through weekly online contact, as well as an active online forum that keeps low-residency students consistently in touch with Pratt faculty and one another. Housing is available on campus. The low-residency program is not considered full-time. Therefore, international students will be ineligible for F–1 visas.

Internships

student holding a hand-drawn painting, showing it to another person, in studio room, brushes, painting supplies in the background

We believe creative and clinical practices are best developed together, each informing and improving the other. Internships are a vital part of the hallmark experiential learning process. Much of the coursework draws directly from clinical experiences and processing of client material. Students complete internship experiences in an array of site placements, including inpatient hospitals, community mental health agencies, and school-based settings, among others.

Our Faculty

Alongside their teaching roles, our faculty are accomplished artists who integrate creative and clinical practices every day in their work. See all Creative Arts Therapy faculty and administrators.

Students in Action

Success Stories

Ready for More?

HERE’S HOW TO APPLYOUR CAMPUS & BEYOND
Join us at Pratt. Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step.You’ll find yourself at home at Pratt. Learn more about our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, gallery exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighborhood communities. Check us out.

From the Catalog