Counseling & Art Therapy Programs
Develop your identity as a world-class, culturally responsive counselor and artist-therapist.
The positive employment rate for Class of 2022, 2023, & 2024 graduates is 100% with in 3.5 months.
Our graduates are world-class counselors and art therapists who are culturally responsive, community-involved and ethical professionals with successful careers. We prepare all graduates to seek Professional Counselor Licensure and Registered Art Therapist Credentials.
Counseling & Art Therapy graduates help clients:
- Explore their emotions and lived experiences
- Foster self-awareness, self-esteem, and social skills
- Focus on growth, healing, and wellness
- Manage and recover from post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, addictions and other mental illnesses
Counseling & Art Therapy
The Counseling & Art Therapy program is an academic program based in growth-oriented and reflective classroom, studio, community and clinical experiences. It is unique for its balance of clinical practice, art making and research. For over 52 years, our nationally and internationally renowned faculty have prepared world-class counselors and art therapists who are culturally responsive, community involved, and ethical professionals for successful careers. Full and part-time study options are available.
- Students are encouraged to develop their own informed theoretical approach to the practice of counseling and art therapy applied to diverse individuals, groups, families, communities, and settings.
- Pre-practicum & internship clinical practice in assessment and basic skills with simulated patients.
- Internships provide students with three semesters (child, adolescent and adult) of hands-on experience in over 50 choices of settings throughout Hampton Roads.
- The completion of a master's Capstone Project allows students to apply knowledge in the continuum of practice in counseling and art therapy, specialty areas of focus and research.
- Areas of mental health counseling and art therapy sub-specializations include art therapy in the schools, medical art therapy, trauma informed care, research, and cultural humility.
- Personal art making is required and supported by our fully stocked, 2,000 square foot art-making studio which is conveniently located on campus and open to students around the clock.
- Students are prepared to seek LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor), ATR (Registered Art Therapist).
Our faculty members are talented educators and dedicated scholars with strong counselor identities who are members of the American Counseling Association, serve on the American Counseling Association Foundation, and have been elected to state and national leadership positions in the Virginia Art Therapy Association and the American Art Therapy Association.
Through our faculty members’ teaching methods, students in our 61 credit hour, two-year program engage with the elements of counseling and art therapy practice and the research that leads to improved care. Our instruction focuses on collaborative and experiential learning, reflecting on learning and applying those lessons to internships and clinical work.
To learn more about the Counseling & Art Therapy program, visit our website HERE.