Program Requirements
The Master’s in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Expressive Arts Therapy is a BBS-approved low-residency degree program for California residents. At the start of each Fall and Spring semester, students participate in an in-person retreat for six days at a site in the Bay Area. The remainder of the semester, students participate in synchronous and asynchronous learning via a range of methods, including: video meetings, asynchronous online discussions, regular partner and group work, and individual assignments. Students choose between a full-time three-year option or a part-time five-year option. Part-time students have reduced retreat schedules and fees after the first semester.
Throughout the program, all students commit to ongoing engagement with new or existing arts practices. First semester courses facilitate each person’s reflection and sharing the modalities with which they are familiar and exposure to new, less-explored areas. At the end of the first semester, each person outlines a practice plan which will promote their learning and preparation to become an expressive arts therapist. Plans are flexible and adaptive to respond to a student’s growth and changing needs over their time in the program.
Students have the freedom to choose less formal, self-guided practices and/or those involving more structure such as: guided training/classes, presentations, publication, performances, etc. All costs and materials involved with a student’s individual arts practice are the sole responsibility of the student.
Expressive Arts Therapy courses offer frequent opportunities for art-making, response art, and arts-based inquiry, where students can apply their arts practices and experiment with new ones.
Personal Psychotherapy Requirement
In order to graduate, students are required to complete 50 hours of personal psychotherapy with a mental health professional, ideally an Expressive or Creative Arts Therapist.
Course of Study
Hybrid MFT Track (60 units total)
The Master’s in Counseling Psychology with a Concentration in Expressive Arts Therapy degree program meets the educational requirements for MFT licensure in the state of California, and LPCC in the state of California with additional optional units. After graduation, students must complete a supervised internship and pass the MFT licensing examination before becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist. This process takes, on average, 3 to 5 years.
CIIS is one of the largest educators of MFTs, and is also the leader in pass rates among larger schools in California.
Practicum
The Master’s in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Expressive Arts Therapy includes required practicum training at a CIIS-approved community mental health site, where students provide clinical services to the public under the supervision of licensed mental health professionals.
Practicum takes place during a student’s final year and can last 9 to 12 months, depending on the site. Students typically work 16 to 24 hours per week at their practicum site, plus participate in advanced Expressive Arts Therapy coursework, including a weekly consultation group with other students and faculty.
Students must complete a minimum of 225 qualifying BBS hours during practicum training to qualify for graduation for MFT and a minimum of 280 qualifying BBS hours for LPCC.
The CIIS Field Placement office assists in providing resources and support for finding the right practicum site for you.
Curriculum Highlights
The principles of liberation psychology and relational-cultural theory provide overarching theoretical frameworks for the curriculum. The Expressive Arts Therapy program also provides you with foundational knowledge and skills of the major schools of psychotherapy through multicultural and feminist lenses.
Questions? Contact us.
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