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Add Creative Exploration To Your Practice
Explore a variety of expressive arts modalities while developing your unique professional identity as a mental health professional who uses the creative arts as a therapeutic tool for growth and healing.
Promote Change and Growth Through Creative Exploration
Harness the healing power of creative expression and exploration with the Expressive Arts Therapy (EXAT) Specialty. As part of our CACREP-accredited MA in Counseling, this unique, 12-credit online specialty integrates the practical application of the expressive arts with Adlerian theory. You will learn to apply a multimodal approach, addressing client issues and needs through various expressive modalities that connect the mind, body, and spirit, including:
- Visual arts
- Movement-based creative expression
- Sound/music
- Creative writing
- Nature-based practices
Discover You’re Inner Source of Creativity
You’ll discover your inner source of creativity, using your personal artistic experience as a tool for self-discovery and self-expression as you learn to identify appropriate expressive arts modalities when working with diverse individuals, families, and groups.
The specialty consists of:
- 100% online courses in our time-tested virtual format
- Supervised internship
- Final portfolio project
Philosophy
Explore: Explore a variety of expressive arts modalities while developing your unique professional identity as a mental health professional who uses the creative arts as a therapeutic tool for growth and healing.
Discover: Discover your inner source of creativity, using your personal artistic experience as a tool for self-discovery and self-expression.
Cultivate: Cultivate your trust in the creative process, learning new skills and fostering the courage to reach your creative potential.
Connect: We all have an innate desire and goal to belong and connect with others. As we journey inward for self-discovery, we also discover our connection to the world around us.
Spotlight
Learn more about our Expressive Arts Therapy faculty, students, and alumni.
Chart Your Course
The online Expressive Arts Therapy specialty seamlessly integrates into each CACREP-accredited Master of Arts in Counseling concentration, both online and in person.
| Emphasis | Clinical Mental Health Counseling 60 Credit Hours | Marriage, Couples, and Family Counseling 60 credit hours | Co-Occurring Disorders and Addictions Counseling 64 credit hours |
| Specialty | Expressive Arts Therapy 12 credit hours | Expressive Arts Therapy 12 credit hours | Expressive Arts Therapy 12 credit hours |
| Internship | 700 hours (200 of which integrate expressive arts) | 700 hours (200 of which integrate expressive arts) | 880 hours (200 of which integrate expressive arts) |
| Total | 72 credits | 72 credits | 76 credits |
Required Courses
Please refer to our course catalog for the most up-to-date course requirements.
There are 12 EXAT credits required in the EXAT specialty.
- Foundations of EXAT (2cr)
- Multimodal Application of EXAT (2 cr)
- Clinical Practices in EXAT (2 cr)
- Field Experience in EXAT (2 cr)
- EXAT Group Applications (1 cr)
- EXAT Electives (3 cr)
Registration as an Expressive Arts Therapist
Our EXAT specialty program is designed to meet the IEATA educational requirements under Category B to become a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT) with the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA). Please see the post graduate requirements at www.ieata.org. Program graduates must independently apply for registration through the IEATA.
