PROGRAM  Education is an art, science is an art, politics is an art, life is an art.                                                                                                                           M.C. Richards                      

Expressive Arts Therapy at Appalachian State University is offered as a concentration within the Master of Arts degree in Community Counseling . Appalachian also offers a post-master's Graduate Certificate in Expressive Arts Therapy. The program is interdisciplinary and courses are taught by faculty from the Departments of Human Development and Psychological Counseling, Psychology, Theatre and Dance, Art, Leadership and Educational Studies, Anthropology, and English, and the School of Music. Students may also work with faculty to design independent study courses in their field of interest. Expressive Arts Therapy at Appalachian has an affiliation with the European Graduate School in Switzerland for the exchange of faculty, students, and scholarly activities.

The Expressive Arts Therapy concentration requires 15 semester hours of coursework within the 60 hour master's degree in Community Counseling.

The Graduate Certificate In Expressive Arts Therapy requires 18 hours of coursework. To be eligible for the certificate, candidates must currently hold a master's degree in counseling or related mental health area or a master's degree in an arts therapy field, or be enrolled in one of the counseling graduate programs at Appalachian's Department of Human Development and Psychological Counseling.

Click on the video below to hear Tom Harris leading a therapeutic drumming class.

Required courses and electives are listed below, followed by course descriptions.

Required Courses for the Expressive Arts Therapy Concentration (15 semester hours)
HPC 6360: Therapy and the Expressive Arts (3)
HPC 6370: Intermodal Expressive Arts Therapy (3)
HPC 6900: Internship in Community Counseling (with a focus on Expressive      Arts Therapy) (6)
AND
3 additional semester hours of course work selected with the advice and approval of the graduate advisor

Required Courses for the Graduate Certificate in Expressive Arts Therapy (18 semester hours)
HPC 6360: Therapy and the Expressive Arts (3)
HPC 6370: Intermodal Expressive Arts Therapy (3)
AND
12 additional semester hours of course work selected with the advice and approval of the graduate advisor

Elective Courses in Expressive Arts Therapy
HPC 5535: Expressive Arts Institute: The Use of Creative and Expressive Arts with Children and Adolescents (3)
HPC 5538: Summer Institute in Expressive Arts in Counseling (3)
HPC 5870/DAN 4870: Creative Process, Movement & Therapy (3)
HPC 5860: Dreamwork: Clinical Methods (3)
HPC 6160: Gestalt Therapy (3)
HPC 6340: Ecotherapy (3)
HPC 6350: Body/Mind (3)
HPC 6380: Therapeutic Writing (3)
HPC 6390: Current Issues in Expressive Arts Therapy (3)
DAN 5460: Somatics (3)
DAN 4480/5480: Advanced Pilates (3)
ANT 5530: Qualitative Research Methods (3)
MUS 5006: Philosophy of Music (3)
ART 5541: Creative Thinking & Art Making (3)

INDEPENDENT STUDIES in special topics.

Course Descriptions
HPC 6360: Therapy and the Expressive Arts
An examination of the relationship between artistic expression and individual mental health. Theories and techniques of various art therapies will be studied relative to diagnosis and treatment as well as to personality integration and personal growth.

HPC 6370: Intermodal Expressive Arts Therapy
An examination of theories, techniques and functions of psychotherapeutic approaches using intermodal expressive arts, emphasizing cross-cultural contexts of creative expression and human development.

HPC 5900: Practicum in Counseling (with a focus on expressive arts)
An in-depth study of the counseling and therapeutic process and the nature of the counseling relationship. These factors will be examined in relationship to the application of basic theoretical principles.

HPC 5535: Expressive Arts Institute: The Use of Creative and Expressive Arts with Children and Adolescents
This institute is designed to present a comprehensive and developmentally oriented approach for the application of play theories, techniques, and the creative/expressive arts  to the process of counseling children and adolescents. The course consists of class discussions, presentations, cooperative and group experiential learning activities, videos, and "hands on" type of activities/projects which students will prepare and present. Students will learn the techniques of play therapy, art, music, movement, creative dramatics, sand-play, bibliotherapy, and puppetry in both the school and agency setting.

HPC 5538: Summer Institute in Expressive Arts in Counseling
This Summer Institute offers graduate students and professionals the opportunity to work with faculty and other students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines. There is a large experiential component with opportunities to experience a number of different modalities. This "multi-level learning" experience includes content, personal growth, and professional development.

HPC 5870/DAN4870: Creative Process,
Movement & Therapy
An examination of body awareness, creative expression, and movement in therapy. Particular attention will be paid to the concept of creative process and how it relates to human development, personality integration, and healing.

HPC5860: Dreamwork: Clinical Methods
An in-depth study of dreamwork as a clinical method, including theoretical approaches to dreams, clinical issues and current trends, and cross-cultural perspectives on the role of dreams, myths and symbols in psychological healing. Click on the videos below for more information and to view a dreamwork dance presentation.

HPC 6160: Gestalt Therapy
An examination of the Gestalt Therapy model. The course combines experiential and conceptual approaches. Emphasis is placed on developing personal and unique styles of interventions within the framework of Gestalt Therapy.

HPC 6340: Ecotherapy
An in-depth study of the relationship of personal healing and the healing of the earth, including an examination of relevant emerging paradigms in psychology and counseling, including systems theory, the nature of consciousness, and ecopsychology.

HPC 6350: Body/Mind
A study of the interrelationship of physical and mental functioning as it pertains to counseling, including the mind/body problem as a systematic issue in psychology, exploration of the current resurgence of interest in the mind/body functioning relative to total well-being, and an overview of current uses of mind/body experiences as therapeutic techniques.

HPC 6380: Therapeutic Writing
An exploration of writing and the therapeutic process. Students will experience a variety of methods in using the written word to enhance client change as well as for self-care for the therapist.

HPC 6390: Current Issues in Expressive Arts Therapy
An examination of current issues in Expressive Arts Therapy, emphasizing cross-cultural contexts of creative expression and human development.

DAN 4460/5460: Somatics
A survey course exploring several different approaches to body centered learning. A broad overview of methods of current bodywork will be introduced and explored. A secondary focus of the survey will be to foster body/mind/spirit integration through movement reeducation, conditioning, and an examination of lifestyle habits. The course will be lecture and experiential in nature.

DAN 4480/5480: Advanced Pilates
A second level study of the Pilates method, base on the concepts of centering, concentration, control, precision, breath, and flow. This course will introduce the equipment and the apparatus developed by Joseph H. Pilates. Prerequisite: Pilates Conditioning (DAN 3480) or permission of the instructor.

ANT 5530: Qualitative Research Methods
An introduction to qualitative methodology and research design. The primary purpose of the course is to develop, carry out, and produce a written report on a qualitative research project on a topic relevant to the student's program of study.

MUS 5006: Philosophy of Music
An investigation of the major philosophies of music in both historical and contemporary perspectives. Particular emphasis is placed on aesthetic theory. The relationship between aesthetics of music educational methodology will be examined.

ART 5541: Creative Thinking & Art Making
This course emphasizes art as a means of better understanding life experiences and as a way to communicate ideas about the world to other human beings. Students will perceive and study art making as a reflection of the artist's individual consciousness and will experience art in the service of transformation and self-discovery.

INDEPENDENT STUDIES in special topics.

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