The MA Art Psychotherapy programme at Brunel is provided in partnership with CNWL NHS Foundation Trust. We developed the programme to advance creative interdisciplinary approaches to Art Psychotherapy building upon empirical evidence within a well-established arts culture at Brunel.

This programme will offer you the skills, knowledge and critical competence to reflect on and respond to a wide range of health needs across physical, mental health and community sectors.

At the heart of the programme are the cultural values of responding to the social and health care needs of the participants and this may vary according to the socio-economic context, age, disability, gender, sex, race and religion. You will learn ways of understanding different approaches to art psychotherapy which means you can tailor the practice according to the people you work with. You will be taught evidence-based practices, including arts-based innovative approaches to collaboration and co-production that are safe, effective and well managed. To this effect, some learning will be provided by people with lived experience and your placement environments will facilitate your understanding of adapting practice to meet the needs of those who are in most need. Ultimately, you will learn how to conduct transparent, accessible art psychotherapy that is accessible for the people you will be working with.

The MA qualification is awaiting HCPC approval and learners are expected to achieve advanced skills and knowledge of working in health contexts, including the NHS and third sector. This qualification aligns with Healthcare Employers strategic objectives and goals related to workforce planning and the strategic aims set out by NHS England and local NHS Trusts to have closer working relationships with the third sector.

Working with an NHS partner means that we are constantly sensitive to the professional environment and how we meet learning outcomes in light of evidence and employability. This means that you will have the opportunity to develop a career in a range of growing contexts. We are currently supporting the NHS to expand their arts therapies services to physical healthcare contexts such as neurorehabilitation and cardiology, so new opportunities for art psychotherapists are always being developed. On completion of their placements, some of the students have been offered posts with our partner NHS Trust as art psychotherapists in inpatient services, community rehabilitation and other health mental services.

As well as supporting service developments, we also support research in the field and a robust introduction to research methodologies will enable you to consider how you evaluate and research art psychotherapy practice and impact in a range of settings.