Art Therapy at School?

1. What is art therapy?
Art Therapy is a human service profession that utilizes art media, images, creative art processes and patient/client responses to the created products as reflections of an individual's development, abilities, personality, interests, concerns and conflicts. Art Therapy practice is based on knowledge of human developmental and psychological theories which are implemented in the full spectrum of models of assessment and treatment including educational, psychodynamic, cognitive, transpersonal and other therapeutic means of reconciling emotional conflicts, fostering self-awareness, developing social skills, managing behavior, solving problems, reducing anxiety, aiding reality orientation and increasing self-esteem (AATA, 1999).

The American Art Therapy Association (AATA) represents over 4000 art therapists who are dedicated to serving the mental health and educational needs of children, adolescents, and families.

2. Who are school art therapists?

School Art Therapists are professionals who work with preschoolers, children, adolescents, and their teachers and families. They work with all school personnel to help make education for students a positive and rewarding experience.

3. Why is art therapy used in schools?
When a student is distracted by emotional issues, learning disabilities, speech or language disorders, behavioral disorders or illness, even a well-trained, experienced teacher may be unable to get beyond these barriers to a student’s learning. As one professional on a student services team, the school art therapist is not only trained to recognize these barriers, but to diagnose problems and provide individualized interventions and services to help the student focus on learning.

Art therapy provides a visual and verbal approach to accessing and addressing student needs. As a natural mode of communication for children, it is a means of externalizing the complexities of emotional pain. Children rarely resist the art-making process because it offers ways to express themselves that are less threatening than strictly verbal means.

4. What do school art therapists do?
Consult
 Collaborate with teachers, parents, and school personnel about learning, social and behavior problems
 Help others understand child development and its relationship to learning and behavior
 Strengthen working relationships between educators, parents, and the community

Educate
 provide educational programs on: classroom management strategies, parenting skills, working with students who have special needs, teaching and learning strategies using art as informal assessment in the classroom, and child development and its relationship to cognitive and emotional growth

Research
 evaluate the effectiveness of academic programs, behavior management procedures, and other services provided in the school setting
 conduct research to generate new knowledge to improve learning and behavior

Assess
 Working closely with parents and teachers, school art therapists use a wide variety of techniques to evaluate:
 cognitive and emotional development
 academic strengths and weaknesses
 school and classroom programs
 personality development

Intervene
 work directly with students and families to help solve conflicts and problems related to learning and adjustment
 provide counseling and social skills training, behavior management, and other interventions
 help families deal with difficult crises such as separation or loss

5. Where do school art therapists work?
 public or private schools
 clinics
 universities
 institutions
 private practice
 hospitals
 community agencies

6. How do art therapy, art education, school counseling and school psychology differ?
 Art therapy helps to identify and reconcile emotional conflicts by emphasizing visual art processes and verbalization as the primary modality for assessment and treatment.
 Art education teaches children how to produce, evaluate and look at art products.
 School counseling services rely on verbal communication to understand the innermost feelings of students.
 School psychology emphasizes evaluation and placement of youngsters for diagnostic and prescriptive purposes.

Many helping professionals in schools have shared responsibilities as members of a treatment team. The goal of a treatment team is to create meaningful identities and produce high-quality outcomes for the student population.

7. What students should receive art therapy services?
Art therapy is valuable for all students, but especially for those experiencing difficulty at school because of personal crises, disabilities, and behavior. Such students may be in regular education, special education, and alternative education programs.

8. How is art used in the art therapy process?
In the art therapy process, children are encouraged to visually represent their thoughts and feelings, such as conflicts, wishes, and memories. Utilizing their artwork and verbalizations, they are helped to understand how they function as individuals and as part of a family and group system. Art therapy treatment in schools is art expression that lends itself to exploration, and as a result, to the adjustment of individuals to life.

9. Do art therapists in schools need state teaching certificates?
Situations vary. Since art therapists do not teach courses, a state teaching certificate may not be needed. A state license in art therapy, if available, may suffice. If a state license is not available, the state may consider the credentials of ATR-BC, as meeting the criteria equivalent to teaching certification in a specialized area of education. These credentials are the terminal credentials for the practice of art therapy, as set forth by the American Art Therapy Association and the Art Therapy Credentials Board. However, in states that do not offer licensure in art therapy, or when the ATR- BC is not accepted, professionals may need to obtain teaching credentials to work in schools. This presents difficulty for art therapists because most states do not offer certification in the field of art therapy. In these cases, certification in any educational area may be considered by individual school districts. State art therapy chapter organizations may want to consider developing official guidelines for state departments of education and local school districts. Such guidelines would make it possible for art therapists to easily fit into an official job code and classification.

10. How are art therapy programs and services in schools funded?
Federal funds for special students such as the disabled and alternative education students can be designated for art therapy through funding sources of the local school district, as long as eligible candidates for treatment are identified and there is a qualified staff art therapist to provide art therapy. Funds for all students may also be obtained from monies allocated through local school budget sources such as tax dollars or business support of programs and services. Grants, too, provide excellent vehicles for funding art therapy.

11. What are the salaries for art therapists in schools?
Salaries for art therapists in schools are commensurate with other professionals in schools, including teachers and psychologists.

12. How does one become an art therapist in schools?
Art therapy requires specialized graduate preparation. A Masters degree is the entry level. One approach is a four year college degree with at least 15 semester credits in psychology (including developmental and abnormal psychology) and a Master's degree in the field of art therapy. Another approach is a Master's degree in psychology or an allied field plus/including 21 units of graduate art therapy studies. Bachelor degrees in art therapy are available but not necessary. Beyond the Master’s level, is a registration/credentialing process, ATR-BC. Contact the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB) for guidelines.

13. Where is art therapy being used in schools?
Recognizing the strengths and advantages of art therapy, public and private schools across the nation have begun using services. The Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami, Florida, which has embarked on this educational frontier since Janet Bush founded and developed the program in 1979, believes the gains to be realized are considerable. Miami's program has comprised of twenty therapists who provide services to over 500 K-12 students. Miami's program is a model for several programs in Florida and the nation.

A database of art therapists working in schools is being developed to strengthen the advancement of art therapists working in schools.

14. What will it take to make art therapy a routine service in schools?
The current convergence of education and health care reform, along with the movement in the human service arena toward service integration models, provides a timely opportunity to redefine student services in schools. Art Therapists` unique knowledge and skills can assist in meeting today’s challenges to help children become more receptive to academic involvement and can help to maximize their social and emotional potential.

As a specialized discipline, it is possible for Art Therapy to stand at the nexus of these reform movements. However, it will be necessary to bridge several gaps which exist in the efforts to establish the notion that art therapy belongs in the schools: (a) improving the state certification/credentialing requirements for art therapists working in schools; (b) establishing consistent curriculum methods in graduate level art therapy preparation; (c) developing national guidelines for comprehensive school art therapy; (d) eliminating the biases of administrators, parents, and educators toward the use of therapeutic methods in educational settings; (e) strengthening the fiscal necessities that foster school student services; (f) helping art therapists to develop a clear role and purpose for art therapy in schools; (g) developing the employability skills of art therapists; (h) improving the availability of research on school art therapy outcomes; and (i) enhancing the marketing and promotion of school art therapy.

Making art therapy a routine part of school student services will require the above changes in attitude and behavior with the help of graduate school educators, art therapist practitioners, parents, teachers, school administrators, and other agents in a position to offer help. The end result should be movement toward school art therapy for all children who need it.

(J. Bush)