MAART5100 Emotions and Relations in Art Therapy Course description

Different emotional and relational problems effect on mental health and are often at the core of art therapy. This course focuses on clinical art therapy practice with clients who have different mental challenges or diagnoses. Art therapy takes place in triangular relationship and interaction between client or group, art and therapist. The working alliance consists of the client’s emotional bond to the therapist and art as well as the negotiation of art therapeutic tasks and goals. This course focuses especially on the emotional and relational aspects that effect on the quality of working alliance, the group dynamics and outcome of art therapy. Students will develop self-reflective skills and learn to reflect emotional and relational aspects of the therapeutic bond. They will learn to recognize and repair ruptures within the therapeutic relationship.

The students’ own art therapy practice and its reflection from the emotional and relational viewpoint is at the core of learning during this course. It includes supervision of the student’s art therapy practice training. Students will learn to use different tools for measuring the quality of working alliance in art therapy. They will learn principles of systematic reporting and presenting of practice cases. The course includes supervision of students’ art therapy practice.

Arbeids- og undervisningsformene består av forelesninger, gruppearbeid, oppgaveløsning, øvelser, prosessveiledning, fordypningsoppgave og selvstudier

Admission to the program

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 use principles of case-study to describe and communicate practice experiences
• understands emotional and relational theories, phenomena and problems within the framework of art therapy

• knows different research- and art-based tools for systematic gathering and reflection of emotional and relational data in art therapy

 Skills

The student:  

• can systematically assess and analyse the quality of therapeutic alliance and adapt own approach according to the findings
• knows research-based principles of rupture resolution and can apply them in own practice

• can critically reflect emotional and relational practice experiences and find constructive solutions for challenging situations

Competence

The student:

• can receive and utilize professional supervision, evaluation and feedback to develop practice related emotional, relational and reflective skills
• can present and communicate art therapy practice experiences and processes in a self-reflective, systematic and coherent manner

• can flexibly, creatively and constructively participate in professional reflections and change patterns of action to improve the quality of work, including own practice

Introduction to the methods and ethics of art therapy focuses on the interdisciplinary premises of art therapy. This includes both art making and reflecting the artistic expression within therapeutic relationship. Course introduces practical therapeutic skills that include the hands-on experience of visual arts and expression, understanding of therapeutic change mechanisms and ethical reflection of the personal and intersubjective aspects of the therapeutic relationship and setting. Students will also familiarize with the art-based research approach in art therapy and in studying art therapeutic change mechanisms.

Methods of art therapy include the use of both traditional and contemporary art media, methods and materials, such as digital art for reaching therapeutic goals. The students receive research-based introduction to developmental, neuro- and psychophysiological aspects of art therapy.

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

• participation in seminars, compulsory attendance of 80 %
• participation in the practice, compulsory attendance of 90 %
• individual self-evaluation of the practice on a given evaluation sheet
• 4 individual artistic response images based on the practice experiences with traditional or digital tools

The course requirements can be conducted using English or Scandinavian language.

Emnet gir en innføring i kvalitetsforbedring, innovasjon og endringsarbeid. Det er praktisk rettet og gir erfaring med forbedringsarbeid. Du vil utvikle ferdigheter om systematisk metodebruk, som omfatter teoretisk forankring, datainnsamling, analyse, diskusjon og skriftlig- og muntlig formidling. Du vil gjøre et forbedringsarbeid med utgangspunkt i din yrkesutøvelse knyttet til arbeid med mennesker med epilepsi. Forbedringsarbeidet kan være relatert til en prosedyre, direkte bruker-/pasientrettet arbeid eller annen kompetanseutvikling. Gjennomføring av emnet forutsetter arbeidslivstilknytning.

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:

• has acquired advanced knowledge of the common psychotherapeutic factors and change mechanisms in art therapy
• can describe the therapeutic components in creative art processes based on experiential learning and the theory of expressive therapies continuum

 Skills

The student:  

• can reflect art therapeutic process and its effects through personal experience of making and sharing various forms of art expression
• can utilize different traditional and digital art techniques and materials in the art therapeutic process
• can document and reflect the therapeutic change that takes place during art therapy process

• can critically reflect ethical aspects of the art therapeutic relationship, setting and its boundaries

  Competence

The student has a developed competence to:

• evaluate, value and implement different art therapeutic methods, and participate on reflective and ethical professional discussions
• use art-based research approach on exploring and studying art therapy process
• understand professional ethical principles and ability to reflect, evaluate and value their role in the art therapy relationship

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

• participation in seminars, compulsory attendance of 80 %

• presentation of a group task (2-4 persons) of professional ethics and regulations
• practice plan (1000 +/- 10% words) and contract/agreement of the practice place for the coming spring

The course requirements can be given in English or a Scandinavian language.

All exams are assessed by two examiners. External examiner is used regularly.