Self-test: Is the course "Art therapist with federal diploma (HFP)" the right one for me?
Analysis of the activities of art therapists
Training in art therapy can be completed in five different directions, leading to a joint degree:
- Movement and dance therapy
- Drama and speech therapy
- Design and painting therapy
- Intermedia therapy
- Music therapy
What does the day-to-day work of art therapists look like?
The specific work differs depending on the method, but the basic aim is always to accompany and support people in cases of illness and crisis or in psychological problem situations. Art therapists use their artistic means to strengthen the resources and self-healing powers of their clients, promote sensory perception and stimulate processes of change. Through artistic activities, it is often possible to come into contact with forgotten or repressed feelings and needs, to express them and thereby facilitate change.
Art therapists often work together with doctors or are part of an interdisciplinary team, e.g. in rehabilitation centers, retirement homes, social or educational institutions.
Work with the individual methods:
Design and painting therapy encourages people to engage with the material and with the figures, forms and expressions they have created. By reflecting on their own work when they look at it, it can trigger emotions and insights that, for example, reveal connections with their own biography and open up new possibilities for interpretation and change. Through movement and dance, people are sensitized to their own bodies, their movement possibilities and their physical expression, thus creating new impulses for further development. Experimenting with the voice and instruments can also create new approaches to one's own body awareness and initiate energetic healing processes. Voice and speech exercises as well as playful theater and role play have a similar effect. The staged reality can open up new access to one's own body and resources in conjunction with one's own body awareness.
According to job advertisements, the tasks of art therapists and art therapists are roughly distributed as follows:
| Art therapy treatment of patients in inpatient or outpatient facilities or in your own practice | approx. 40% of the time |
| Care and activation of people in institutions (homes, retirement homes, clinics, etc.) | approx. 25% of the time |
| Planning and documenting therapy, working in an interprofessional team, writing reports | approx. 20% of the time |
| Administration, appointment scheduling, health insurance billing, etc. | approx. 15% of the time |
The distribution of tasks can vary greatly depending on the job profile and type of institution.
What is usually required in job advertisements for art therapists?
- Completed training in a method of art therapy
- High social competence and communication skills
- Empathy and flexibility
- Independence and personal responsibility
- Load capacity
- Willingness for interdisciplinary cooperation
- Ability to work in a team
Question 1:
Would I like to work as an art therapist?
Yes, if you like the actual job, you can assume that you are on the right track thematically. The next question is what type of training is right for you to acquire the relevant skills.
If you only like the job to a limited extent, you should think carefully about why you are interested in further training in art therapy and whether your ideas can be realized in a certain type of job.
If you have a completely different idea of what you want to do, perhaps consider other specializations that are possible in your profession.
Who is the "Art therapist (HFP)" course suitable for?
Target group:
- Professionals from the healthcare, social services or education sectors who wish to use their artistic talent for therapeutic purposes
- People working in the arts who want to train for a therapeutic activity
Personal requirements:
- Artistic talent
- Interest in psychological issues
- Enjoy accompanying people in their personal development
- Mental resilience and ability to reflect
- High social and relationship skills
Course description:
The other important features of the "Art Therapist (HFP)" course, such as duration, costs and content, are described here:
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Question 2:
Are you generally interested in this course?
If you have already answered "yes" to question 1, then this further training seems to fit your expectations.
If you like the training but not certain parts of the job, you could first study job advertisements to see if there are job profiles that suit you better or consider setting up your own practice.
If you like the job description under question 1 and you have marked "No" here, you could, for example, see if there are other training options such as a university postgraduate course or another specialization.
If neither the job nor the training really appeals to you, take a look at the following further training courses as an alternative:
Admission to the federal higher professional examination:
Admission to the final examination is required (at the end of the course):
- A tertiary-level qualification (BP, HFP, HF or FH) in healthcare, education, art or social services
- Three years of professional experience (at least 50%) in the healthcare sector or in education, art or social services
- Passed module qualifications or certificates of equivalence
Question 3:
Do I meet the requirements?
If you meet the requirements, you can start your training at the earliest possible date.
Are you not sure whether you have a tertiary-level qualification?
The tertiary level includes federal professional qualifications such as social care worker; federal diplomas from a higher professional examination such as complementary therapist; qualifications from a higher professional college such as nursing specialist HF or social pedagogue HF and degrees from universities of applied sciences such as a bachelor's degree in education.
If you have a Federal VET Diploma in one of the areas of healthcare, social services, education or art, but no further training, you can find out whether you can be admitted via an equivalence test of your skills.
If you have no training in one of the required areas, art therapy may not be the ideal approach for you. Take a look at other therapeutic professions for comparison, such as these:
Financing of further training
The course fees for the "Art Therapist (HFP)" course are to be paid per module or per semester. However, in individual cases it is also possible to arrange individual installment payments.
Since 1.1.2018, preparatory courses for federal higher professional examinations have been financially supported by the federal government. Graduates of these courses can therefore be reimbursed up to 50% of the course costs paid after taking the federal examination.You can find more information here.
Question 4:
Are you in a position to pre-finance between CHF 23,000 and CHF 36,000 for the course fee, depending on the provider and subject area, until you are reimbursed the federal contribution after taking the final examination?
If you have marked "Yes" and would even be able to pay the full amount upfront, many schools will give you an additional discount.
If you have marked "Partly" or "No": First ask the schools about the actual costs you would have to expect. And ask your employer about cost sharing or your professional association about support options. And then ask your school about the possibility of individual installment payments. Or try to find someone in your private social circle who will support your specific further education project with a loan. There are also banks and credit institutions that grant educational loans.
If you meet the conditions for applying the hardship clause, you can apply to the federal government for part of the refund to be paid out in advance.Further information can be found here.
Time and effort for classroom teaching and own learning achievements
Further training to become an art therapist takes an average of five years on a part-time basis. Either afterwards or during this time, 250 hours of supervised practical training are also required. The teaching days are often organized as block seminars, e.g. Thursdays to Saturdays. There is also time for individual lessons, supervision, group work, self-study and term papers.
The exact amount of time required depends on the previous training, the chosen therapy method and the training model, but amounts to several hours per week.
Question 5:
Can I cope with the total amount of time required?
If the workload is even very manageable for you, you could check whether there are intensive courses for this training. This would allow you to complete the same training in less time if you are able to accept a slightly higher time commitment.
If you are short on time, look for courses that extend over a longer period of time or can be completed in modules. And if this is still not enough, you should check whether you can free up more time in another way. Perhaps someone close to you can take on certain tasks for you for the limited period of your training?
Conclusion
Will I graduate?
To be admitted to the final examination, the 8 module examinations of the training course must be passed.
Module examinations:
| 1 | Anatomy, physiology, psychosomatics, pharmacology, hygiene | Written examination | At least 3 hrs. |
| 2 | Psychology, psychopathology, sociology, biography, pedagogy, mental hygiene | Written examination | At least 3 hrs. |
| 3 | Emergencies | Written and oral demonstration | |
| 4 | Artistic skills | Presentation of 2-3 own artistic works | 10 minutes each |
| Written reflection on their own artistic work | Approx. 3 A4 pages | ||
| Oral reflection + evaluation of own work in discussion with the experts | At least 30 minutes | ||
| 5 | Art therapy: portfolio as proof of own therapeutic competence | Implementation of an examination unit for individual therapy | At least 30 minutes |
| Written self-evaluation of the therapy session | At least 2 A4 pages | ||
| Individual oral examination | At least 10 min. | ||
| Written examination on the method | |||
| Confirmation of at least 2 case supervisions | |||
| Confirmation of at least 100 hours of art therapy self-awareness and teaching therapy | |||
| Proof of at least 30 hours of self-experience in at least one non-specialist art therapy method | |||
| 6 | Art therapy internship | Proof of 250 internship hours | |
| 7 | Project work | Written work and oral presentation of own project work | Oral presentation at least 30 minutes |
| 10 treatment protocols according to method-specific criteria | |||
| 8 | Professional role | Oral examination with simulation, completion of a work assignment and oral/written demonstration of the relevant activities. | At least 2 hrs. |
Higher professional examination:
The federal final examination consists of 4 parts and lasts a total of 12 hours:
- Oral presentation and technical discussion of the diploma thesis (1 h)
- Written case study (8 h)
- Practical treatment demonstration (2 h)
- Oral treatment demonstration (1 h)
Question 6:
Am I confident that I can meet all the requirements of this training course?
Congratulations. You are therefore well equipped to tackle your further training with motivation.
If you have marked "Partly" or "No", we recommend that you attend an information event about this further training and ask the school management for information about an aptitude test.
Conclusion:
Before you want to complete the "Art therapist (HFP)" course, you should want to use your artistic skills to work therapeutically with people with mental health problems. You should also like the course description. If you have answered these first two questions with a clear "yes", you can continue to look into this course. If you are unsure about these questions, you should consider which other further training courses are also suitable for you.
Financing further training is not always easy. Many thousands of francs have to be paid over 4-6 years. In individual cases, many schools offer the option of semester or even individual monthly installments so that the entire amount does not have to be paid at once. In addition, it is helpful for part-time courses that participants continue to work during the course and thus earn money for the entire duration of the course. If this is not enough to finance the training alone, it is sometimes possible to obtain a loan from a private source. Banks and credit institutions sometimes also offer educational loans. A good argument for financing further education is the relatively quick amortization of costs through wage increases. Do the following calculation: How much would a wage increase of 10% per year amount to? How many years would you need to recoup the costs of the course? How much more will you earn over your entire working life as a result of this pay rise? In most cases, this is a six-figure sum, which confirms that training or further education is the best personal investment there is.
The time required for training or further education should not be underestimated. Going out, vacations and spontaneous wellness weekends often fall by the wayside. However, this time usually passes relatively quickly. The prospect of better job opportunities and more pay should be motivation enough to get through this time. It often helps to organize yourself into study groups. It also makes sense to stick with it right from the start and schedule fixed study times. Good learning effects can be achieved by creating summaries and mind maps. Flashcard systems help with memorization. There are many tools and ideas to make learning easier. You can obtain the guide "The personal learning strategy" free of charge if you register with a school via Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch.
If you have any doubts about whether you will pass the final exam, speak to your head teacher or course leader and ask for support. But with good motivation, perseverance and hard work, it is generally possible to pass these exams. If you suffer from exam anxiety, good preparation, various practical tips, therapeutic treatments or, in severe cases, even medication can help. You can obtain the guide "Overcoming exam anxiety" if you register with a school via Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch. Here you will also findsuitable providerson the subject of test anxiety.
The benefits of further training are usually measured in terms of a higher salary, more challenging tasks or promotions. This presupposes that you make an effort to change your professional position accordingly and, if necessary, are able to assert your demands. If you have already experienced that this is not always so easy for you, you could also check whether personal job coaching could be of benefit to you in addition to further training.
Now it's up to you to decide. If in doubt, seek personal advice from a school or external counseling center. If you contact a school via Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch to enquire about course or training documents, you will receive a free educational or school consultation worth CHF 150.00 on request.
You can find a list of providers here: {#courseLink#}
We wish you all the best in your professional and private lives and a bright and exciting future!
The team of Ausbildung-Weiterbildung.ch
Linda, deine Weiterbildungsfinderin