The Post-Graduate Course in Creative Arts Therapies to Support Resilience is aimed at providing competencies that can be applied in several professional contexts, through the use of the Arts Therapies to support resilience.

By focusing on the creative process for self-care and the care of others, the path explores different expression modes, such as: dramatic action, photography, music and writing. The teachings follow the standards of excellence of italian and international associations, with the goal of being placed in the current European Arts Therapies research and development network. Through the experience of international experts, it presents the methods used in palliative care, mental health departments, schools, and support centres for the elderly and women who survived domestic violence. The course is based on an integrated, innovative and multidisciplinary approach, through a dialogue between philosophy, psychology and pedagogy. It also covers fundamentals of research methodology.

The Post-Graduate Course in Creative Arts Therapies to Support Resilience is developed through seven modules:

  • Introduction to art therapy
  • Therapy through dramatic action
  • Therapy through photography
  • Therapy through writing and storytelling
  • Therapy through music
  • Arts therapies with children and adolescents
  • Research methodology

The Post-Graduate Course in Creative Art Therapies to Support Resilience exploits creative arts therapies as integration for professionals working in the mental health field, who have already acquired previous specific training (e.g. psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists).

It also supports the social-educational competencies of professionals working in the resilience promotion field, such as: educators, professors (of any class and level), pedagogists, healthcare professionals and social workers.

Through a multidisciplinary prospective, attendees learn how to use creative techniques and strategies to meet the needs of different groups of users, within contexts such as: hospital units, hospices schools, local structures, private institutions, and social private field.

The Post-Graduate Course in Creative Art Therapies to Support Resilience is developed through seven modules:

Module 1 – INTRODUCTION TO THE ARTS THERAPIES   

Theoretical fundamentals of the arts therapies and historical evolution of the different disciplines (Art Therapy, Music Therapy, Drama Therapy, Dance-Movement Therapy). It also presents some fields of practice, including the use of Arts therapies in pre and post bereavement support, with women who have experienced domestic violence, and with the elderly.

Module 2 – THERAPY THROUGH DRAMATIC ACTION  

Use of dramatic action as therapy. It presents the action methods where personal experiences are externalized and represented. In particular, it covers drama therapy, classic Morenian  psychodrama, and playback theatre elements with reference to goals, settings and intervention strategies with adults.

Module 3 – THERAPY THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY  

Use of photography as therapeutic strategy for resilience and well-being. In particular, theoretically, the module covers visual art psychology and visual anthropology, and application-wise, it covers techniques such as: Art Photo Therapy, Photolanguage, Photovoice, normally employed in the therapeutic relationship according to a psychodynamic perspective.

Module 4 – THERAPY THROUGH WRITING AND STORYTELLING  

Analysis of the relationship between experience and language, through the expression of one owns symbolic imagination and the construction of new significance systems. It presents topics such as storytelling and intersubjectivity, in reference to analytical psychology and phenomenological philosophy. Lastly, it covers narrative strategies in different contexts: poetry therapy, use of myths and fairy tales and narrative medicine.

Module 5 – THERAPY THROUGH MUSIC  

Use of music for resilience, well-being and care, through psychology, music therapy and musical anthropology. In particular, it presents techniques related to neuro-rehabilitative settings, and it provides hands-on exercises that can be applied in contexts where words and movement are limited or absent, due to physical pathologies or traumas.

Module 6 – ARTS THERAPIES WITH CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS  

Use of art therapies to support children, adolescents and parents, presented through individual, family and group interventions in schools, and social and clinical settings. It describes the use of the arts therapies in relation to: psychopathologies, neurodevelopmental disorders, incurable and degenerative diseases.

Module 7: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

It shows the potentials and limits of art therapy intervention evaluation. Specifically, it presents a few elements of quantitative and qualitative analysis in art therapy, through evidence-based psychological research approaches.

MODULE 1: Wednesday 16th November 9-18

MODULE 2: Friday 20th and Saturday 21st January 9-18

MODULE 3: Saturday 18th February 9-18

MODULE 4: Friday 17th and Saturday 18th March 9-18

MODULE 5: Saturday 22nd April 9-18

MODULE 6: Saturday 20th May 9-18

MODULE 7: Friday 16th and Saturday 17th June 9-18

Interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity characterize the entire curriculum, while maintaining a cogent unity of knowledge, focusing on the individual. Contents are dealt with by keeping the essential role of art therapy in well-being and resilience central, to meet individual and collective needs. For this reason, the course includes meetings, comparison and discussion with specialists presenting their research and studies, and also experiential workshops.

The Course focuses on the different disciplines of three fundamental fields of knowledge: philosophy and anthropology, psycho-pedagogy, and medicine-nursing.

The contents considered concern:

  • Theoretical fundamentals, contemporary models, applicative art therapy contexts (art therapy, music therapy, drama therapy, dance-movement therapy);
  • Dramatic action as therapy;
  • Use of photography as resilience support strategy;
  • Storytelling strategies: poetry therapy, use of myths and fairy tales and narrative medicine.
  • Care through therapy: musical anthropology and music therapy;
  • Art therapy to support children, adolescents and parents;
  • Elements of quantitative and qualitative analysis in creative art therapies.

The course professors include internationally-renowned experts and specialists, such as:

  • Cristina Marogna
  • Umberto Curi
  • Amedeo Boros
  • Richard Hougham
  • Salvo Pitruzzella
  • Shoshi Keisari
  • Gloria Garbujo
  • Lucia Moretto
  • Francesca Belgiojoso
  • Raffaele Schiavo
  • Dr. Riccardo Bononi

The general ranking of merit for the academic year 2023/24 will be published on the Italian page of this Master according to the timing provided in the Call.

Information

Mind and psycho-physical well-being
20/09/2024
70%
20
50
€ 802,50
€ 520,00
Find the admission titles in the selection notice 23/24.

FAQ

The Course is divided into thematic modules, usually held on the weekend. Mandatory attendance of in-person lessons is 70%, and it is supported by distance learning on Moodle platform. The course includes:

  • in-class lessons
  • experiential workshops and project work
  • field trips
  • distance learning
  • Moodle platform for materials and lesson recordings
  • Forum for communications with Tutors, Professors and students
  • optional possibility of participating to all seminars, conferences, educational meetings and congresses held by FISPPA and by the Course free of charge.

Art therapy workshops focused on the personal processing of the training path. Mandatory project work.

The “standard” path is addressed to those who meet the access requirements to the Post-Graduate Course, and consists of the acquisition of a course certificate, based on all attendance and mandatory project work completion requirements.

Those who do not meet the access requirements, can take part in the Course as listeners; there are 3 spots available. Listeners are exempt from traineeship and project work completion requirements.