This career training program for college graduates and current undergraduates is about integrating modalities of music, drama, visual arts, and dance/movement into the practice of psychotherapy and social work in clinical settings.
Creative arts therapy modalities are an essential component of today's mental health care and social work. The New School's certificate program in Creative Arts and Health is didactic and experiential, grounded in the latest developments in psychology and mind-body healing. It is designed as preparation for advanced education as a licensed therapist and as general career development for human services professionals. Our curriculum is unique in that all students train in more than one artistic modality to develop therapeutic insight and mastery. Traditional arts therapy and psychodynamic practices are supplemented with mind-body techniques such as creative visualization, guided imagery, mindfulness meditation, and therapeutic touch. Fieldwork opportunities are available in diverse clinical settings.
The New School certificate attests to completion of the defined program of study. It is not an academic degree. Neither is it a professional certification or license. Professional credentials are awarded only by the several art therapies associations. The program is designed to be a two-year, part-time course of study (see the Curriculum page),
but this time frame can be modified to meet individual students' needs. All courses must be taken at The New School for Public
Engagement.
Most students take the certificate program in a noncredit status. However, all courses are offered for undergraduate credit, and students who plan to apply these courses to a degree program at this or another college or university must register for credit. The only difference between noncredit certificate and credit registration is the cost. Otherwise, all students have the same responsibilities and are treated the same in every course.
The New School does not currently offer job placement services, but graduates commonly find employment in social work and mental health recreation/activity programs and other psychotherapeutic services positions in psychiatric, rehabilitation,
and general hospitals; nursing homes; group homes; outpatient
psychotherapy clinics; special education; and private practice.
Admission
The Creative Arts and Health certificate program is open to anyone who has completed at least 30 college credits, preferably including courses in psychology and/or social work and in one or more of the four creative fields defined for the program: art, dance, drama, and music. (Applicants who have professional experience in the arts may be allowed to enter the program with fewer than 30 credits and take academic courses at The New School concurrently with their Creative Arts and Health courses.)
Prospective students should read the FAQ page. Then contact the program office by email to catinfo@newschool.edu or calling 212.229.5567 to obtain the simple application instructions, or contact the Office of Admission. The HEGIS code for the Creative Arts Therapy Certificate is 5299.00.
People not enrolled in the certificate program may be permitted to take some individual courses, but only if space is available. Note also that certificate status will not be assigned to any course retroactively. Contact the program office for permission to register: catinfo@newschool.edu or 212.229.5567.
Undergraduate Degree Programs
The New School for Public Engagement offers the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree (including a degree in psychology) in a program designed specifically for working adults and transfer students. Students completing a bachelor's degree may be able, by choice of electives, to earn the Certificate in Creative Arts and Health as part of their degree program. Students who take the certificate program courses for general credit and who subsequently apply and are admitted to The New School for Public Engagement undergraduate program can usually apply their Creative Arts and Health courses toward the bachelor's degree requirements.
