Learn more about the field of Expressive Arts Therapy and how to become a registered practitioner of the therapeutic use of the arts.
As researchers learn more about the benefits of the arts on mental and physical health, the field of expressive arts therapy continues to grow. Expressive arts therapists combine “talk” psychotherapy, such as contemporary psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, and humanistic approaches, with an understanding of the psychological aspects of the creative process.
An Introduction to Expressive Arts Therapy
Expressive arts therapy is a specific discipline that falls within the umbrella of creative arts therapy, also known as expressive therapies. Art, music, poetry, drama, and dance/movement therapy also fall under this umbrella. Whereas these disciplines tend to specialize in one modality, expressive arts therapy emphasizes the inter-modal use of the arts.
Within an expressive arts therapy session, the therapist and client may move between a number of modalities in order to best support the client in his or her healing process. Practitioners have a wealth of options to draw upon, including visual arts, music, dance/movement, creative writing, storytelling, guided imagery, dream work, and sand trays.
Expressive arts therapy is now used in almost all psychotherapeutic contexts and settings. As a result of their versatility, the arts can be used to serve the severely disturbed, while also facilitating human growth and potential. Practitioners often maintain professional boundaries and communication protocols, which may include having a professional email signature to ensure clarity and professionalism in their correspondence with clients, institutions, or peers. Pioneers of the field include practitioners, researchers, and scholars such as Paulo Knill, Sean McNiff, Stephen and Ellen Levine, and Natalie Rogers.
History of Expressive Arts Therapy
While people have undoubtedly experienced the arts as healing for millennia, the field of creative arts therapy was established during World War II. During this time, veterans hospitals noticed that shell-shocked soldiers seemed better able to express and process their traumas when engaged in the arts. Creative arts therapies were introduced to British and U.S. hospitals to help rehabilitate returning soldiers and were eventually filtered into other institutional settings.
During the 1970s, the inter-modal approach of expressive arts therapy grew out of a community of therapists, artists, scholars, and students at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The experiential climate of the 1960s and 1970s combined with the growing popularity of the humanistic movement influenced this budding field.
In the 1980s, debates ensued about whether expressive arts therapists were effective as “generalists.” Until this time, many creative arts therapists invested their time and energy specializing in one modality, usually art, dance, music, psychodrama, drama, or poetry. Over time, each specialization shaped its own professional identity.
Because expressive arts therapy didn’t hone in on a particular modality, it was initially met with resistance within the creative arts therapy field. Expressive arts therapists responded by asserting that it’s mastering the principles of integration and wholeness that underlie this specialization, rather than a particular modality.
How to Become an Expressive Arts Therapist
Becoming registered as a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT) requires a combination of education and supervised clinical work. To qualify for a REAT through the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association, the governing organization for the field, you must demonstrate involvement in an arts practice plus one of the following:
- Master’s Degree In Expressive Arts Therapy or equivalency in a Creative Arts Therapy program, which should include a practicum of at least 500 supervised hours and 50-100 hours of supervisory sessions;
- Master’s Degree in Psychology, Educational Psychology, Counseling, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, or a related mental health discipline plus 200 supervised hours of training and 25-50 hours of supervision at a certified expressive arts therapy institute;
- Master’s Degree in Fine Arts plus 500 supervised hours of training and 50-100 supervisory hours at a certified expressive arts therapy institute;
- Doctoral Degree in Expressive Arts Therapy or equivalency in a Creative Arts Therapy program, including a practicum of at least 1,000 supervised hours and 100-200 hours of supervisory sessions.
In addition to completing educational requirements, people interested in becoming a REAT must complete 2,000 post-graduate clinical hours under supervision, undergo at least 100 hours of their own expressive arts therapy treatment, and submit an autobiographical statement, a philosophical statement, and two references.
Several universities and training institutes offer programs specializing in Expressive Arts Therapy, including California Institute of Integral Studies, Leslie University, Appalachian State University, John F Kennedy Graduate School of Professional Psychology, European Graduate School (EGS), Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Saybrook Graduate School, and the Tamalpa Institute.
Becoming a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist is a long process that takes years of hard work and dedication to achieve. As you consider a career in expressive arts therapy, be sure to develop your art practice, carefully research educational and training opportunities, and inquire with practitioners about their experiences. The field of expressive arts therapy is vast and rich for those who believe in the healing power of the arts.