Today, Expressive Art Therapy is a general name for the profession in the Health Services field which that enlists processes of creation and expression in the arts for the sake of treating people with chronic health problems, especially in the field of mental health. The professional ideology of Expressive Art Therapy offers fostering of patients' mental strengths, an empowerment of patients' self-image, and solidification of patients' adaptation ability and flexibility of protective behaviors.
The profession of expressive art therapy that is acquired through designated and professional educational programs (usually certification studies) is based upon a combination of the field of art (in general, and as a reservoir of the practices of the art) and the fields of psychology and psychotherapy, and includes several practices: therapy through visual art, therapy through movement, psychodrama, therapy through music and bibliotherapy.
The program formed due to the rising need for M.A. in this field on the part of expressive art therapy therapists who work with patients in the community, hospitals and rehabilitation facilities.
The program is designated towards and M.A., in the graduate track without a thesis, in Expressive Art Therapy, in the framework of the Interdisciplinary Program in the Arts.
This program does not provide a caretaker certificate. However, it enriches and promotes those who possess a caretaker certificate (and those who currently study in the Expressive Art Therapy certification studies) to an M.A. degree.