"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi

Art therapists are human service professionals who bring their creativity and passion into the helping relationship. Using the tools of the imagination, art therapists help people reconnect with their inner resources to restore and revitalize their lives. Art therapists bring the beauty we love - art and life - to the people for whom we care.

This rewarding profession draws on knowledge about human development and psychology to help people heal and grow. As an art therapist, you have the opportunity to enrich the lives of people with physical, emotional, social, and spiritual challenges. You can help them learn about themselves, express feelings, and communicate with others through the creative process of art making. Art therapy allows you to combine the power of your creative spark and your caring spirit to make a positive impact on the world around you.

The A.T.R. and A.T.R.-BC are the recognized standards for the field of art therapy. Visit the American Art Therapy Association website at www.arttherapy.org or the Art Therapy Credentials Board Inc. (ACTB) at www.atcb.org for more information.

To work as a credentialed art therapist or psychotherapist, you will need to attain a master's degree. Mount Mary's master of science degree in art therapy is the only fully accredited graduate degree in Wisconsin approved by the American Art Therapy Association. The program is targeted to both the working professional and the full-time student.

"The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless." - Rousseau

As an art therapy student, you will explore the "boundless world of imagination" - expanding your understanding of yourself, art, and humanity. Mount Mary art therapy program emphasizes student involvement in the educational relationship through small group work and cohort group structure. The program is holistic and nurtures the mind, body and spirit. Using art, movement, poetic response, coupled with current art therapy literature and the first hand knowledge of faculty, it provides a solid foundation for further graduate study in art therapy or other helping professions like social work, counseling, and art education.

"The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider's web" - Picasso

The undergraduate art therapy program at Mount Mary College is a preprofessional program that introduces the expanding field of art therapy. Built on a solid foundation of studio art and psychology, the program offers the opportunity to learn and grow in a creative, supportive environment. Through community service learning, fieldwork, and volunteer opportunities, you will realize the healing potential of creative action.

In conjunction with an art education major, you may earn adaptive art certification through a combination of art education and art therapy course work.