Professional Issues • 245powerful stimulus for creative problem solving, as well as for research, critical thinking, and
articulating our ideas more clearly.
Apprenticeships, Courses, and Training Programs
Like artists through the ages, some who were in a setting that already had an art thera-
pist had an apprenticeship. At first, these were individualized situations, like Don Jones
training Bob Ault at Menninger’s, or Hanna Kwiatkowska training Harriet Wadeson at the
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (Junge & Wadeson, 2007). Just as early indi-
vidual courses like the seminars in Margaret Naumburg’s apartment (Figure 11.4) and at
different schools were the precursors of organized training programs, so these apprentice-
ships foreshadowed the development of formal clinical practicum and internship as part of
art therapy training.
Like the profession itself, art therapy education had a long incubation period prior to one
of rapid growth. Although isolated courses and some certificate training programs began
earlier, the formation of the American Art Therapy Association in 1969 was a tremendous
impetus to the development of formal training. The graduate schools initially offered one-
year programs, but within a short time all added a second year of full-time training. By
2009, there were more than 40 master’s degree programs, over 30 of which had been awarded
approval by AATA (www.arttherapy.org).
After intense debate within AATA about the adequacy of undergraduate preparation, the
master’s degree was ultimately recognized as the entry level for the practice of the profes-
sion. Clinical internships, once an alternative route to credentialing, are no longer avail-
able, although their essence—training by observing, assisting, and being supervised by an
art therapist—remains a central part of art therapy education. Undergraduate programs in
existence are viewed as preparation for graduate work.
Because art therapy is such an interdisciplinary field, training programs have always
been housed in a variety of schools and departments, which affects their student body and
Figure 11.4 A seminar at Margaret Naumburg’s.