Loyola Marymount University's Marital and Family Therapy Art Therapy Graduate program provides a full-time two year education that combines rigorous academic course work with two clinical traineeships. A modified three-year program allows students to fulfill program requirements at a slower pace but still requires daytime class attendance.
Students are trained to integrate their visual art backgrounds with psychotherapeutic skills as they work with a variety of clients, including children, adolescents, adults and families. The training fully prepares students to become practicing marital and family therapists committed to utilizing art processes in their work as psychotherapists.
Our program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs upon the recommendation of The Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education.
The Program:
- Integrates art therapy training within a family systems orientation informed by a psychodynamic perspective
- Features small classes where individualized approaches to learning are encouraged
- Embraces a multicultural focus throughout the curriculum
- Maintains practicum sites creating a network of diverse, well-respected training facilities
- Is the center of a network of successful alumni in positions of leadership in both clinical and educational institutions
- Provides graduates with academic requirements for California state licensure (MFT) and registration by the American Art Therapy Association (ATR). (The program has not made a determination as to whether it meets other states' requirements for licensure. Interested applicants/students are encouraged to research the identified path for transferring the license outside of CA based on their specific interests and needs).
- Provides community outreach through the Helen B. Landgarten Art Therapy Clinic
- Offers an international program
- Publishes the Journal of Clinical Art Therapy
Program Requirements
The Master of Arts is granted upon satisfactory completion of a minimum of 60 semester hours. A total of eleven practicum units are applied towards the required total semester hours of credit.
The traineeship enables the student to accumulate up to 840 hours with a minimum of 350 accumulated hours providing art therapy services to individuals, groups, and/or families. It includes two hours a week of supervision. This is provided by a licensed psychotherapist and an art therapist approved by Loyola Marymount University.
Students enrolled in the full-time program will ordinarily complete degree requirements in two years. A part-time program (typically three years) is also available.
Students are highly recommended to engage in personal psychotherapy during the first two semesters of the program.
Students are required to maintain a B average in both academic and clinical tracks. The program takes seriously its role in the training of therapists. The personality as well as the intellectual capability of each student is carefully evaluated. In light of this, a student may be disqualified from the program for factors other than grades.
It is the responsibility of students and alumni exporting this MA degree outside of California to be knowledgeable about another state’s degree and licensing requirements.
Employment Statistics Class of 2022
The class of 2022 which graduated in May was given a job survey in September. 87.5% of the respondents indicated that they had received jobs during this four month period. Of these respondents, 100% said their jobs were full time. The employers of the respondents were asked how they rated our graduates. 100% of the respondents rated our graduates as “good” to “excellent”.