Practicum

Students are placed in clinical and community settings where they have the opportunity to apply the principles and practices that they learn in classes and weekend intensives. The practicum placement is a central component of the training.  This is the place where students get hands-on experience and begin to shape themselves as expressive arts therapists.
Practicum requirement:
  • Total over the three years - 600 hours
  • 250 hours are spent in direct client contact.
  • 350 hours are spent in *supervision, planning, presentations and other activities related to the placement.
          *80 hours of supervision must be completed within the 600 hours. 

Although our placements generally span the full school year (September to May), some sites are also available during the summer. Students either receive clinical supervision on their site or make alternative arrangements for supervision with the assistance of the practicum coordinator. On many of the sites, students are supervised by graduates of CREATE Institute.  A number of students have been offered paid employment on the placement site after their student placement period has ended.

We place students in a variety of settings, some of which include: 
  • special education classes in schools
  • child and adolescent mental health agencies
  • day treatment programs for adults with psychiatric disorders
  • addiction treatment facilities
  • homes for the aged
  • women's shelters
  • facilities for women dealing with eating disorder issues
  • hospice settings
  • and many more
On most of these sites, students have the opportunity to work collaboratively with other helping professionals.


In the first year of the program, the practicum coordinator works with each student to find the right placement situation.  In the second and third year, students are encouraged to develop their own placements with assistance from the practicum coordinator.  Through this process, students begin to learn about reaching out to the community, as well as presenting and articulating themselves as expressive arts therapists.