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.
3. Clinical experience and written professional statement
The following guidelines will help you determine whether you meet the relevant (clinical) experience requirement. The rules of entry require that all applicants possess a degree in a mental health, social welfare or related area, or have completed an approved counselling skills program. These requirements can be met by one or more of the following:
- Possession of a relevant recognised degree (i.e. nursing, social work, social welfare, psychology, occupational therapy, medicine or a related field), plus 2 years of mental health or related practice;
- Completion of counselling course approved by the Head of School, plus 2 years of mental health or related practice in the welfare field. A counselling program would need to provide both theory training and certified competence in core microskills and counselling ethics.
Written Professional Statement
The professional statement will be a written statement of a minimum of 1000 words describing:
- How your training and experience meet the entry requirements for the program
- An interaction you have had with a client that demonstrates your understanding of a counselling scenario in either paid or voluntary work.
Experience in Mental Health or Related Practice
All applicants, with or without professional degrees, must be able to identify at least two years’ experience of mental health or related practice. In your initial written application, you must be able to demonstrate that you have met all these requirements. In considering your experience with mental health or related practice, it is suggested that you bear in mind the following:
- Teaching is not generally considered to be equivalent to mental health experience, unless it substantially involves a pastoral role, is substantially in special education, or another specialised role with responsibility for student welfare or behaviour management.
- Experience does not have to be in specialist mental health settings. Work in areas where exposure to people with mental health problems is significant, such as: general health settings, special education, youth work, substance use treatment settings and broader social welfare settings can be considered.
- Experience does not have to be in paid employment – voluntary work, personal experience with mental illness, care of family members and friends can also be taken into account.
Experience does not have to be continuous or full time, but it should include work periods of six months or more in the same agency or role.
Below are the criteria the professional and clinical experience needs to meet:
Professional statement |
Demonstrates skills working with people with mental health issuesand contains information about their professional experience |
Demonstrates knowledge about mental health issues and the clinical aspects of mental health issues |
Demonstrates appropriate awareness of professional issues. and contains information about professional practice values or framework |
Demonstrates appropriate awareness of ethical issues. such as ethical considerations |
In the written case example is able to demonstrate most of the above skills by detailing a description of an interaction with a client (voluntary or paid work ) |
PLEASE BE AWARE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE PROCESSED UNTIL ALL DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY .
Blue Card
Students will need a ‘working with children’ blue card to be able to access placements with children or young people in Queensland. In order to facilitate placement processes, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure they have a valid blue card prior to enrolment in the program. If there is any reason why you may not be eligible to apply for a blue card you must discuss this with the field co-ordinator prior to enrolment.
The blue card application form can be accessed from this link. There is no charge for student applications.