The PhD in Creative Arts Therapies is a research degree program for art therapists, dance/movement therapists, and music therapists who are interested in pursuing advanced scholarship and assuming academic leadership in their discipline. The primary mission of the program is the cultivation of scholars and academic leaders in the creative arts therapies who can:
- Generate and disseminate relevant, robust rigorous research
- Contribute to theory evaluation and building
- Develop evidence-based best clinical practices
- Cultivate academic proficiency in educating the next generation of art therapists, dance/movement therapists, and music therapists
The PhD program consists of four interactive learning modules plus a dissertation:
- Interdisciplinary- Delivered as seminars, these modules challenge students to study, explore, critically evaluate, and synthesize areas of interdisciplinary knowledge relative to creative arts therapies origins, philosophy, and theory.
- Research- Includes intensive study of multiple approaches to research. The purpose of the research module is to develop research skills along a spectrum of traditional and innovative approaches. The research curriculum contributes to the generation and dissemination of robust and relevant research in the students' respective fields.
- Self/Other Artistic Knowledge- Introduces the exploration of the intrinsic intersubjective therapeutic processes emergent through artistic inquiry and parallel to the actual arts therapies experience.
- Practicum- Emphasizes the transformation of theoretical knowledge to practical application and specialization. The research practicum is aimed at helping students gain hands-on experience in the design and conduct of research, collaborative team work, grant writing, data analysis, and writing of research reports and publications. All students are required to complete a teaching practicum for one term.
- Dissertation- An original robust research project that directly relates to the development of and contribution to the theory and practice of the students' creative arts therapy specialization. The dissertation is the culmination and representation of the students' doctoral work that not only advances knowledge in their field, but also positions them for career opportunities in academia and research.
Research
The professions of art therapy, dance/movement therapy, and music therapy have grown and become increasingly integrated as interventions in healthcare, education, and human services. Implicit in the emergent growth and integration of these professions is our responsibility to evaluate existing and develop new evidence-based theories and clinical practices. The mission of the PhD in Creative Arts Therapies is to generate, critically evaluate, and disseminate research to address this need and ultimately to advance the knowledge and evidence bases for these professions. Consequently, we have identified the following core values central to our research agenda.
Stewardship and scholarship in the Creative Arts Therapies includes:
- Critical evaluation of the philosophical assumptions inherent in and essential to the understanding, preservation, and advancement of theory and practice of the CATs
- Critical evaluation of the research approaches and methods best suited for the investigation of theories, processes, mechanisms, and outcomes in the creative arts therapies
- Generation of knowledge that contributes to the construction, evaluation, and credibility of evidence-based theory and clinical practices
- Translation, dissemination, and application of rigorous research that contributes to the preservation and advancement of our fields and the health of society.

