Art Therapy

Unlock the healing power of creativity

Share your love of art with your community. With an Alverno art therapy major, you’ll build foundational knowledge and gain professional experience in facilitating creative art experiences. Whether it’s engaging teens to build a strong sense of self esteem or helping adults improve cognitive function, you’ll explore the individual and societal of benefits of art therapy and make a difference.

The Alverno difference

Because Alverno is small by design, you’ll never feel like just a number here. With the opportunity to build strong relationships with faculty and peers, you’ll be known for you are and who you are meant to be.

At Alverno, hands-on learning is an essential component of your entire education. In the art therapy major, your classroom experiences, multiple field placements and an internship will introduce you to creative processes that enhance personal wellness. As you move from observing to leading, we’ll make sure you work with a variety of populations, such as the elderly or children on the autism spectrum, so that you’ll have a well-rounded understanding of the field.

In addition to the guidance you will receive from Alverno faculty, you’ll also start building valuable professional connections. We partner with field and internship sites in the greater Milwaukee area, so you will receive mentorship from skilled and credentialed art therapy professionals.

As an Alverno art therapy student, you will learn to:

• Design, facilitate and lead creative art experiences with a range of participants in a variety of community art settings.
• Interact with faculty, peers, field supervisors and participants using professional communication skills, behaviors, and interactions that are consistent with the art therapy discipline.
• Develop your own artist identity through studio courses and other experiential opportunities using a variety of artistic mediums and processes, as well as share your artwork publicly. You will learn to view and respond to your own artwork and artwork created by others. You will also learn the history and theories of art therapy and begin to develop your own philosophy of art therapy and its application with various populations.
• Assess your strengths as a student, artist and creative arts facilitator, as well as identify areas that you will continue to improve. Alverno faculty will provide constructive feedback for the purpose of helping you progress and develop the skills needed to be an effective facilitator.

“The art therapy program, especially the instructors and my Alverno sisters, have helped me to grow into a more mindful, compassionate, confident and strong person. This is a sisterhood that wants to see each other thrive and succeed in their pursuits.”

— Karina Polasky, art therapy major, class of 2021

Alverno art therapy graduates are ready for such careers as:

• Experiential or recreational therapies
• Creative case management
• Art studio programming and management
• Non-profit programming and management
• Individual direct care assistance
• Graduate school
• And more!

Alverno’s undergraduate program prepares students for employment and post graduate degree application and study if desired. A master’s degree, post-educational professional experience, and state certification is required to practice art therapy.