Learn from some the most experienced therapists in their fields, with high quality videos, case studies, exercises, references, and course materials.
We deliver high quality training, based on years of experience in both the practice of art therapy and in teaching courses in person to hundreds of students. Our content is engaging and stimulating, and filled with high quality audio-visual content.
Join us, learn more about us, and participate in a world-wide community through our forum, webinars and chats. Click here to join our mailing list and receive your free introduction to Outsider Art. We look forward to getting to know you.
Our approach to training is planted firmly in real world experience of working with clients. Our faculty are active practitioners and we are interested not only in academic theories but in the human experience of creativity and relationship.
Our courses make the most of audio and video content. We interview therapists working with different client types, such as children and those hearing voices or with psychosis. We also provide, thanks to the kindness and generosity of clients, interviews with clients themselves, giving their perspectives of their experiences in therapy. In addition to the audio-visual material, we include detailed course material, creative and reflective exercises for you to do in your own time, and references to further reading and exploration.
We currently offer four courses, with others in development. The first is An Introduction to Art Therapy, which gives a good basic introduction to art therapy. It is similar in content to what you might expect of a one-day training. The Introduction forms the first part of our more substantial Foundation in Art Therapy. This goes into much greater depth and is similar in content to a five-day on-site training. We also offer two Continuing Professional Development courses.
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This is a five minute free sample from one of our course modules – The Art […]
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6 Hours
Are you interested in personal growth, new insight and working creatively with others? This course […]
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This 10 hour course is intended for people who may be thinking about becoming an […]
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When thinking fails: Mentalization-based art therapy groups This short course is a filmed lecture by […]
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Group leadership style: Reflective practice exercise This course is a filmed lecture by Dr Neil […]
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In this course, you will learn in detail about studio and open art therapy groups. […]
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This page allows you to purchase a gift voucher for the Foundation course. This is […]
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6 Hours
This page allows you to purchase a gift voucher for the Introduction course. This is […]
View Course Details“I have wanted to become an art therapist since the age of sixteen. After now turning twenty-one and nearing the end of my fine art degree, I was caught worrying for my future due to being afraid of starting the next step. I was afraid of not having the knowledge to support my application for the degree course I needed to get into. It has been extremely hard gaining access to information and training for art therapy where I live which left me feeling at a dead end. I was introduced to these courses by a friend, and I am so glad I was! These courses have given me a major insight into art therapy and what is expected of myself and potential clients, I now cannot wait to train as an art therapist. They were informative, easy following, as well as professional, and I truly recommend them to anyone considering art therapy as their next career goal. After completing these courses I am excited and ready to build up my portfolio and get applying for the degree course that will get me into this amazing career.”
“I have worked in establishing and promoting the fair trade fashion industry over the past 30 years and have seen slavery, child labour, the aftermath of war, and abuse of all kinds. I’ve also seen first-hand the healing power of people making art, doing crafts, and being creative. I wanted to learn more about this and chose OCAT’s courses because of the well-known faculty members and that I could go through the material whenever it suited me. I really enjoyed the courses and well-structured modules. I especially valued the videos of practitioners and clients talking about their experiences of art therapy. Clearly a lot of time and effort went into making these courses and for me they were worth every penny.”