MAART4500 Evaluation in Art Therapy Course description

Systematic documentation and evaluation of the art therapy process and outcome is crucial for developing both the quality and the evidence-base of art therapy practices. During this course students will experiment and learn to use different tools to observe and evaluate therapeutic change, art therapy process and its outcome. They learn to consider ethical issues as well as to know the principles and laws that regulate practice with different clients.  

The students’ own art therapy practice is at the core of learning during this course. They will practice evaluation of practice processes and utilize the findings in improving professional self-reflection and the quality of practice work. The course includes supervision of the student’s art therapy practice training.  

MAART4100 Introduction to Methods and Ethics of Art Therapy, MAART4200 Assessment and Intervention Methods in Art Therapy, MAART4300 Art Therapy in Prevention, Treatment, or Rehabilitation, MAART4400 Emotions and Relations in Art Therapy. 

Admission to the programme

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence:  

Knowledge 

The student: 

• can critically consider and use ethical principles in evaluating practice 

• can analyse and evaluate practice experiences to improve the quality and evidence-base of art therapy 

 Skills 

The student:   

• can apply different methods and tools to evaluate the process and outcome of art therapy 

• can critically reflect and evaluate art therapy process and outcome 

• can adjust and develop own practice work in a constructive and flexible manner according to the experiences and evidence of the process and outcome 

Competence 

The student: 

• can evaluate the process and outcome of art therapy 

• can contribute to professional collaboration and developing of the quality of art therapy services 

The course is combining campus seminars and distant learning. The course will use varied art-based and student-active learning methods. Teaching and learning methods include lectures, workshops and skills training in workshops and practice. It also includes supervised practice 

Between the seminars, there will be digital practice supervision and the students will work on the documentation and evaluation assignment that will later be presented and discussed in group. 

Skills training takes place during seminars. In professional experiential workshops, the focus is on simulating art therapeutic interaction to enable learning and reflection from the therapist perspective. In personal experiential workshops, students will explore and reflect art making and their own creative process from the client’s perspective.  

Practice 

The art therapy practice can be conducted both in live and in distant interventions depending of the context of practice and client group. For more detailed descriptions of practical training, see separate plan for practical training. 

The following coursework must have been approved in order for the student to take the exam: 

• participation in seminars, compulsory attendance of 80 %  

• 60 hours of art therapy practice, compulsory attendance of 90 % 

• Individual evaluation of own practice on a given format 

Course requirements can be conducted in English or in Scandinavian language. 

Individual written project exam up to 1500 words excluding references. Project exam is worked during the course period and contains reflection of the art therapy practice with a client or a group. 

The exam answer can be given in English or a Scandinavian language. 

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with. 

Graded scale A-F

All exams are assessed by two examiners, of whom at least one is external. 

BITPRA 6000 overlaps 60 hours of the art therapy practice. 60 hours of the practice hours can be replaced by it.