Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Art Therapy

This course will provide students with an opportunity to meet in a small group with peers and faculty. The professional orientation covers advisement and mentoring around Adler University degree requirements and mission and an orientation to the fields of art, art therapy, clinical supervision, education, advocacy, and art therapy research, informed by Adlerian values and concepts as they relate to the students’ personal and professional growth.

In this course, students will learn to think philosophically about human creativity symbol, image, and metaphor and the role of the arts for the advanced practice of art therapy. Historical and western perspectives of arts-relevant philosophies will be examined in relationship to the role of aesthetics in service of alleviating human suffering.

Integrating the Adlerian foundation of community engagement into current approaches to leadership will help the student gain skills in best practices in art therapy research, education, clinical supervision, program development and social advocacy.

This course will examine individual differences, primarily through the lenses of neuroscience, neuroaesthetics, and evolutionary psychology. The role of art and art-making in enhancing individual strengths will be a primary focus.

This course will continue to provide students with an opportunity to meet in a small group with peers and faculty. The professional orientation covers advisement and mentoring around Adler University degree requirements and mission and an orientation to the fields of art, art therapy, clinical supervision, education, advocacy, and art therapy research, informed by Adlerian values and concepts as they relate to the students’ personal and professional growth.

This course provides a continued exploration of art philosophy/aesthetics, focusing on Eastern, interdisciplinary approaches, and contemporary thinking such as eco-aesthetics. Students will gain an understanding of and appreciation for philosophies of art as these philosophies relate to current practices in the field of art therapy, particularly as they influence practices in clinical supervision, education and research.

This course will survey major qualitative research methodologies with an emphasis on ethical and socially responsible research practices. The course will include critical reviews of major qualitative methods, such as phenomenology, case studies, ethnographic and heuristic research designs.

This course focuses on how the Ethical Principles for Art Therapists set forth by the American Art Therapy Association (AATA), the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB), and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) promote and maintain the standards of Art Therapy.

This course focuses on best practices in quantitative research and the application of both descriptive and inferential statistical analysis with a focus on art therapy. The course will include a critical review of current research, including design limitations and recommendations for improvement.

This course will give students an opportunity to research models and theories informing consultation and clinical supervision, including art-based supervision, in a variety of settings. A review of all dimensions of supervision will include the supervisory contract, the supervisory relationship and issues related to countertransference, diversity, gender, and power differentials.

This course focuses on the foundational principles, applications and cultural expressions within the field of thanatology. Topics to be examined include personal and societal attitudes towards death, dying, grief, bereavement, and loss as well as different models of grief.

This class explores the teaching and learning approaches to cultural and clinical mental health education, application, and practice through the exploration of epistemologies of justified beliefs and the rationale of different knowledge claims as they relate to Intersectionality in regards to race, ethnicity, language, spirituality, religion, values, beliefs, abilities, class, sexuality, gender and marginalized populations.

This course provides an overview of advanced statistical methods and techniques. Upon the completion of the course, students will be able to select and apply appropriate statistical methods to specific research questions.

The Special Topics course is designed to examine special interests, including current and emerging issues and interdisciplinary topics. Topics will alternate and address the following: Advanced Lifespan Issues; Aging, Military Veterans and Families, Spiritual and Alternative Approaches to Healing, Advanced Adlerian Theory & Integrative Therapy Experientials & Interventions, and Advanced Methods and Theories of Intersectionality & Community Engagement.

This course provides an advanced examination of conceptualizations and approaches to trauma related to emotional, sexual, physical and political violence and terrorism, emotional abuse and neglect, including forms of system-induced trauma.

This course examines personal and interpersonal dimensions of the human sexual experience, including sexual issues in the context of oppression, liberation and social justice. Several domains that influence sexuality will be explored, including gender identity, sexual orientation, sexual attitudes and sexual behavior.

This course examines basic principles of expressive arts therapy, education and consultation; in particular the underlying theory that supports the integrated application of the arts in therapy. Course content will focus on what all art forms have in common.

This course covers the theoretical principles of individual psychology and Adlerian theory, including striving for holism, phenomenology, teleology, and social interest. This course addresses the cognitive, affective, and sociocultural dimensions of the individual’s development; the selectivity of perception in the formation of one’s worldview; motivational factors; creativity and the arts; and the indivisibility of the person.

The Doctoral Internship and Seminar provides students with a field experience designed to apply socially responsible practice within a focus of their choice, to engage in research activities, to enrich their professional portfolios, and to strengthen their career possibilities as researchers, clinical supervisors, and educators.

This is a continuation of the Doctoral Internship and Seminar experience toward the goal of completing the 700 hour requirement. This course focuses on the implementation of the student’s dissertation proposal developed and approved in Dissertation I.

The third term of externship field placement includes delivery of sport and human performance services under the mentorship of a sport psychology consultant who is certified by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (CMPC). The field experience is paired with a seminar during which students utilize a peer consultation model to develop skills related to sport and health psychology and professional development.

The doctoral dissertation is designed to contribute to a student’s knowledge, skills, and values in scholarship and its importance to the practice of clinical art therapy. The student will engage in in-depth scholarship and research on an important issue in the field of art therapy.

Students will submit their study for review by Adler University’s Institutional Review Board. Completion of this phase is the goal of Internship I. Once IRB approval has been granted, the student will complete the necessary actions to conduct research and write the document.

Once students have received IRB approval, they may enroll in the Dissertation III. Completion of the project is the goal, including preparation for oral defense. Students successfully defend their doctoral dissertation before the dissertation committee.