Part Time option suitable for:

Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
International (Non EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. No

This course is crucially relevant to anybody whose work with children and young people has a therapeutic objective. It will be relevant therefore for:

• Psychotherapists

• Psychiatrists

• Psychologists

• Art therapists

• Artists interested in applying their formation to a therapeutic context

• Counsellors

• Social Care Workers

• Social Workers

• Nurses

Those who are working with children and young people in difficulty will find this course invigorating. It will make an invaluable contribution to their career and to their commitment to work with vulnerable children and young people. It is also inspiring for those who are working with children with long-term physical illnesses.

Am I eligible for this course?

Eligibility criteria

• A third level degree or equivalent is required.

• Experience of working with children and adolescents within mental health or educational settings is an advantage.

• Applicants are short-listed on the basis of their previous professional experience and the short-listed candidates are interviewed to assess their suitability.

• Successful applicants will be required to consent to garda clearance being sought which is standard procedure for professionals engaged in direct work with young people.

Art psychotherapy is internationally recognised as an effective support for children with mental health difficulties and is utilised across clinical, educational, and private settings. The Vasarhelyi Method of Child Art Psychotherapy [CAP] is a specific method of art psychotherapy for children and adolescents up to the age of 18, originally developed in the UK by Vera Vasarhelyi within the context of a multidisciplinary Child and Adolescent Mental Health team setting. CAP is a psychodynamic approach to art psychotherapy, where young people are supported in exploring and processing past experiences and current difficulties at both conscious and unconscious levels. This exploration is done through the medium of art materials  in a safe and contained therapeutic space. Vera Vasarhelyi said: ‘The symbolic content of images can facilitate a unique insight into the dynamics of the unconscious, and allow the privilege of seeing hidden processes, which would otherwise remain largely inaccessible to exploration.’

View All Modules Here

Overview

The course is designed to provide an understanding of the theory and practice of the Vasarhelyi Method of Child Art Psychotherapy. It provides therapeutic skills to enhance clinical practice when verbal methods alone are not sufficient to bring about a child’s engagement in a psychotherapeutic process. 

Academic Teaching

Teaching comprises lectures, seminars, training in Child Art Psychotherapy and group supervision sessions which are delivered each Friday (all day) of two fifteen week trimesters. Clinical practice and supervision continues through the Summer Trimester of year 1. 

Personal Psychotherapy

Engaging in one’s own personal psychotherapy is a fundamental component of training in the major modalities of psychotherapy. The MSc CAP programme requires that trainees engage in their own weekly psychotherapy with an accredited psychotherapist for the duration of the course, at least. 

Group Process

Group process work is a component of the Vasarhelyi Method Training and Experiential Modules. Students participate in a process group with an accredited group facilitator every Friday for the duration of the course during term time. Students reflect on their own therapeutic processes, experiences, and group dynamics. 

Clinical Placement

Clinical placement is an integral aspect of the MSc in Child Art Psychotherapy. Students are placed for one full day per week on a multidisciplinary Child and Adolescent Mental Health [CAMHS] team. The 18-month clinical placement commences at the end of Trimester 1 Year 1 and continues through to the end of the course. The clinical placement is usually arranged by the course coordinator and clinical placement supervisors who work in a variety of child and adolescent mental health multidisciplinary settings throughout Ireland. Fortnightly case management supervision in the clinical setting is provided by a senior member of the CAMHS team, and is provided within the CAMHS setting.

Individual Supervision

One-to-one, method-specific supervision of Child Art Psychotherapy practice is a focal point of the course and is provided by course supervisors. This supervision is provided fortnightly on the Fridays of the programme delivery. Over the course of the MSc each student engages in approximately 30 method-specific supervision sessions.

Independent Study

Trainees are required to allow a considerable amount of extra hours throughout the course for autonomous learning and specified learning activities e.g. reading of relevant literature, preparation of supervision material, preparation for case presentations, essay on clinical case studies, thesis dissertation, the research protocol assignment and written and oral examinations.

MSc Child Art Psychotherapy Studies (X987) Part Time
EU          fee per year - € 8320
nonEU    fee per year - € 13900

***Fees are subject to change

The MSc in Child Art Psychotherapy Studies is a two year, part-time taught programme offered by the School of Medicine, University College Dublin. This two-year MSc programme alone will not satisfy the minimum 4-year training requirement of the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACAP: acap.ie). Those interested in a four-year programme that satisfy requirements to apply to ACAP can consider the Professional Masters in Child Art Psychotherapy, the first two years of which are the MSc in Child Art Psychotherapy. The MSc in Child Art Psychotherapy Studies may appeal to those already in possession of another psychotherapy / clinical practice qualification who wish to expand their skills in working with children or young people. 

• International applicants should contact the academic programme director for a full list of entry requirements.

• A list of FAQs for international applicants is available here. 

• Prof Masters in Child Art Psychotherapy PT

Those interested in a four-year programme that satisfy requirements to apply for pre-accredited membership of ACAP can consider the Professional Masters in Child Art Psychotherapy, the first two years of which are the MSc in Child Art Psychotherapy. T

The following entry routes are available:

* Courses will remain open until such time as all places have been filled, therefore early application is advised