The Healing Ability of Art

Surely you’ve heard of the art of healing, but what about the healing ability of art? If you have a desire to help others and you believe in the power of artistic expression to promote wellbeing, UNE’s Art Therapy program may be the perfect minor for you. The only art therapy minor for undergraduates in Maine, this cross-disciplinary program combines elements from the fields of psychology and art, weaving them into a level of academic specialization not commonly seen at the undergraduate level. The perfect complement to a wide variety of majors, the minor explores the intersection between the creative process and the therapeutic process, giving you the ability to help others with the power of their own creativity.

Tour UNEs Creative and Fine Arts Facility

Why UNE

The only undergraduate minor program in art therapy in the state of Maine, the Art Therapy minor at 鶹ýserves as the perfect complement to many of our academic majors. As a student in this interdisciplinary minor, you will engage in active learning with both psychology and arts faculty as part of your program of study, which will provide you with a unique opportunity to experience graduate level specialization at an undergraduate level.

 

Art Therapy for me has been important in introducing me to the world of counseling and the different types of therapy that I could provide to people. It helped me realize, through a balance of art and psychology classes, that I want to pursue counseling in graduate school. I believe the creative arts are important for improving the mental health of people and can be used in any type of therapy.” — Emma Burke ’22, Environmental Studies major/Art Therapy minor

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Experiential Learning

Whether you’re engaged in the art component of the program by doing collage work, ceramics, painting, drawing, etc., or you’re participating in role playing to learn various counseling skills, the Art Therapy minor is brimming with hands-on experiences that translate to real-world skills.

You may even opt to gain research experience in your minor by working with a faculty member to investigate the psychological and physiological effects of art making on anxiety. Or you may choose to participate in an internship that enables you to implement art-inclusive counseling. Possible internship sites include: 

  • Assisted Living Centers 
  • Schools and Child Development Centers
  • Community Recreation Programs
  • Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Programs
  • Domestic Violence Intervention Programs
  • Community Behavioral Health Agencies
A student watercolors pages as part of a bookmaking project
A student painting a mask

Examples of Available Courses

UNE’s Art Therapy minor builds a bridge between psychology and the arts and provides you with a basic introduction to the field of art therapy. The following are just some of the exciting courses you can take: 

  • Painting I 
  • Ceramics 
  • Counseling Theories and Techniques
  • Listening and Communications Skills

Curriculum

A student with GPA of at least 2.25 and a major at 鶹ýmay minor in Art Therapy with the approval of the Academic Director of the School of Art and Humanities or the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Declarations must occur prior to the completion of the first semester of the junior year. Major programs of study with significant course overlap with Art Therapy minor requirements may be disallowed by the Academic Director.

The minor in Art Therapy requires a total of twenty-one (21) credits (twelve (12) from Psychology and nine (9) from the Arts) with a minimum grade of C- in each course.

Program Required CoursesCredits
PSY 105 – Introduction to Psychology3
PSY 205 – Abnormal Psychology3
PSY 410 – Theories, Research, and Practice of Counseling3
PSY 430 – Introduction to Art Therapy3
Total Credits12
Select Three (3) Courses From the FollowingCredits
ART 100 – Drawing I3
ART 101 – Watercolor3
ART 102 – Photography3
ART 103 – Introduction to Image Capture3
ART 104 – Painting I3
ART 105 – Elements of Acting3
ART 106 – Two-Dimensional Design3
ART 110 – Ceramics3
ART 113 – Three-Dimensional Fundamentals3
ART 114 – Printmaking3
ART 118 – Drawing and Design Fundamentals3
ART 124 – The Painted Book3
ART 199 – Topics Courses (any media)3
ART 206 – Expressions in Clay3
ART 214 – Color Digital Photography3
ART 234 – Digital Animation3
MUS 104 – Introduction to Singing Voice3
MUS 150 – African Drumming Ensemble3
Total Credits9
Minimum Total Required Credits21

In the event that the above courses have been taken to fulfill requirements for the Art Education Major or an Art Minor, students will be required to take nine (9) credits from the following options:

Alternate CoursesCredits
ART 102 – Photography3
ART 103 – Introduction to Image Capture3
ART 114 – Printmaking3
ART 199 – Art Topics Course3
ART 204 – Painting II3
ART 214 – Digital Photography3
ART 230 – Graphic Design3

For more information see the Academic Catalog.

Find Your Career

UNE’s Art Therapy minor is applicable to professional careers in diverse ways. If your ultimate goal is to become an art therapist, the program will introduce you to the practice of art therapy, helping you to develop skills that will foster placement in graduate programs. But having a minor in Art Therapy is beneficial to a number of careers, including those in education, psychology, social work, occupational therapy, and in any other career that uses art as part of the therapeutic process.

Majors That Pair Well With an Art Therapy Minor 

  • Art and Design Media 
  • Art Education K-12 
  • Communications and Media Arts 
  • Criminology 
  • Education 
  • Health, Wellness, and Occupational Studies 
  • Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities 
  • Medical Biology 
  • Neuroscience 
  • Psychology 
  • Social Work 
  • Sociology 
  • Special Education 

Potential Career Settings

  • Public Schools 
  • Private and Special Needs Schools 
  • Mental Health Centers 
  • Residential Treatment Centers 
  • Domestic Violence and Homeless Shelters 
  • Hospitals 
  • Occupational and Physical Therapy Practices 
  • Nursing Homes and Geriatric Centers 
  • Prisons and Juvenile Detention Centers 
  • Child Welfare and Human Services Agencies 
  • Private Practices 
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Art Therapy Careers by the Numbers

$68,293

average yearly salary of art therapist

Ziprecruiter.com, 2021
26,660

new art therapy jobs projected before 2029

Recruiter.com, 2021

Contact

Undergraduate Admissions

Contact Undergraduate Admissions at (800) 477-4863 or email admissions@une.edu. You can also stop by our office on the Biddeford Campus Monday–Friday from 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.