Entry requirements for Master of Mental Health - Art Therapy
Please read this section carefully. It explains the prerequisites and application process, which is somewhat complex. We are continually updating this process to enable applicants to understand whether they meet these prerequisites, or if further preparatory training or work experience is necessary.
To enrol in the Masters of Mental Health – Art Therapy, applicants need to satisfy entrance standards in all of the following three areas: Academic Capacity, Art Practice, and Clinical Experience, and if eligible, will be invited to undertake an art making group experiential as the next step towards acceptance into the program. Potential applicants will be notified one week after attending the group art-making experiential session if they have been accepted in the program.
2. Art practice
The art practice requirement can be met by the following means:
- Possession of a recognised Visual Arts Degree plus evidence of demonstrated commitment to art practice in any medium, or
- A recent portfolio of artwork which has been completed with or without formal art training but which demonstrates a commitment to continuing art practice in any medium
Either a visual art degree or a social welfare/mental health degree such as social work, psychology, nursing or Occupational Therapy is considered to be a relevant degree.
Art Portfolio
The Portfolio should be a selection of six to ten recent (completed within the last 2 years) images and/or artworks created by the applicant over a period of time. This can consist of original work or reproductions (i.e. photographs or slide show) in a variety of media. The purpose of the Portfolio is to provide the selection team with evidence of the applicant’s ongoing art activity, which is a prerequisite of professional art therapy training. Your portfolio should include;
A maximum of ten pieces of artwork, which may be presented through;
- Original work
- Photos
- Video
- PowerPoint
The portfolio can also include:
- A description of an exhibition
- Examples of media exposure
- Community art projects
Brisbane Institute of Art, TAFE and other training institutions provide art courses which may assist in the process of preparing the Portfolio.
Written Art Statement
The art statement will be a written statement of a maximum of 1000 words which will;
1. Demonstrate how your art making equips you for study of art therapy
2. Demonstrate your ability to discuss your art making process and personal impact explaining how you use art as a reflective tool. You will select three pieces from your submitted portfolio to discuss.
Below is the criteria the art component needs to meet:
Artistic statement |
Demonstrates skills of art making used in the last two years with 6 - 10 pieces |
Demonstrates knowledge about using art as a reflective tool in the written artistic statement and can state examples |
Demonstrates appropriate awareness of personal process of using art as a reflective tool by being able to discuss three selected pieces of the art portfolio |
Demonstrates appropriate skills of using different art media |
Demonstrates an understanding of the skills needed to be an art therapist by discussing their reasons to pursue the program |