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 Practise 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, Programme 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 Practise 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; Ageing, 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 Behaviour.

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 & Seminar will provide students with a field experience designed to apply socially responsible Practise 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 course will also offer opportunities to consult with professional colleagues, to develop effective working relationships and to build awareness of clinical art therapy. The Doctoral Internship & Seminar provides the foundation for the dissertation and the development of the student’s advanced clinical theory. Students are responsible for developing a 700 hour internship, in consultation with a core faculty and Adviser and will be encouraged to tailor their individual experiences in a manner that best enhances their unique professional goals. The 700 total hours will span Doctoral Internship & Seminar I, II, and III. The course serves as a peer consultation group in which students learn to present information in a standard format to question and Analyse their work and to function as peer consultants to their colleagues. Students participate in supervision through case presentations, discussion, art-based experiential activities, reflecting upon and evaluating their field experiences in research, teaching, clinical supervision, and/or social action. A credentialed clinical art therapist guides interactive Dialogue and experiential exercises. Students are expected to connect emerging theoretical foundations in art therapy with their internship experiences. Students will be introduced to Adlerian concepts and asked to consider how Adlerian art therapy relates to their experiences in their internship.

This is a continuation of the Doctoral Internship & 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 student will engage in in-depth scholarship and research on an important issue in the field of art therapy. The research is student-directed and conducted in consultation with a doctoral committee and Adviser on a topic of quantitative, qualitative, or art-based study relevant to the theory and Practise of art therapy. The Doctoral Internship & Seminar will provide students with a field experience designed to enrich their professional portfolios and to strengthen their career possibilities as expert clinical supervisors, educators, researchers, and social activists. This course will also offer opportunities to consult with professional colleagues, to develop effective working relationships, and to build leadership in the field of clinical art therapy.

Doctoral Internship & Seminar III is a continuation of the Doctoral Internship & Seminar III and covers advanced intensive experience congruent with the student’s professional goals and the completion of the 700-hour requirement. The student will engage in in-depth scholarship and research on an important issue in the field of art therapy. The research is student-directed conducted in consultation with a doctoral committee and Adviser on a topic of study relevant to the theory and Practise of art therapy. Doctoral Internship & Seminar III continues to provide students with a field experience designed to enrich their professional portfolios and to strengthen their career possibilities as expert clinical supervisors, educators, researchers, leaders, and social activists. This course will also offer opportunities to consult with professional colleagues, to develop effective working relationships, and to build awareness of clinical art therapy.

The doctoral dissertation is designed to contribute to a student’s knowledge, skills, and values in scholarship and its importance to the Practise 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 Defence. Students successfully defend their doctoral dissertation before the dissertation committee.