Art Therapy Internship Program

Currently, TriStar Centennial Medical Center is able to offer Art Therapy internships with the facility’s inpatient psychiatric hospital, Parthenon Pavilion. Through this experience, students will work with Art Therapists on staff and gain experience planning and facilitating Art Therapy group sessions with the hospital’s adult and geriatric populations. Students will work with individuals experiencing a wide range of mental health needs, including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, substance abuse issues, thought disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and other age related dementias.

• Potential applicants must be currently enrolled in a master's degree program for Art Therapy accredited by the American Art Therapy Association.

• Potential applicants must have prior experience with the practice of Art Therapy through facility observation and practicum, Parthenon Pavilion cannot be a student's first experience working as a student Art Therapist with clients.

• Potential applicants need to have completed and passed or be enrolled in the following courses or their equivalent during the time of their internship:
  • Psychopathology: Art and Diagnosis
  • Counseling: Art Therapy Process I
  • Counseling: Art Therapy Process II
  • Group Art Therapy
  • Human Development and Art Therapy
  • Potential applicants must submit a resume and provide 2 letters of reference.

• Potential applicants must present in person for a half-day interview where they will meet the supervising ATR for the hospital's Art Therapy internship program as well as other staff members including Art Therapists, the Manager of the Therapeutic Interventions Department and the hospital's Assistant Administrator. During this time, potential applicants will observe group Art Therapy sessions with the hospital's varied patient populations.

During the course of an Art Therapy internship with Parthenon Pavilion, students will observe and learn the points listed below and by the end of their internship experience will be expected to perform and demonstrate the same criteria:

• Adjunctive Therapies Assessment
  • Ability to gather information needed for assessment
  • Ability to do so while both showing empathy to patient and setting appropriate boundaries

• Facilitating Art Therapy Groups for All Patient Populations
  • Knowledge of patient populations
  • Ability to set appropriate goals for group based on patient population
  • Ability to appropriately use materials based on patient needs
  • Ability to plan Art Therapy directives to meet patient goals
  • Ability to assess patient progress within group and within length of treatment
  • Ability to set boundaries and limits for patients to maintain the integrity and safety of the group

• Documentation
  • Working knowledge of Meditech
  • Ability to document assessments and group notes
  • Ability to document for staff communication, tracking patient response and progress toward goals

• Ethics and Professionalism
  • Knowledge of laws and regulations affecting therapy
  • Awareness of potential ethical and legal issues relevant to inpatient work
  • Use of effective and ethical case management skills
  • Demonstrate ethical and responsible involvement with colleagues and facility
  • Maintains overall professional appearance in compliance with Parthenon’s Dress Code Policy
  • Maintains overall professional behavior with colleagues and patients
  • Set and maintain appropriate boundaries with ATR Supervisor, facility staff, and patients

• Therapist Self-Awareness and Self-Care
  • Ability to recognize student’s response to patients and effects of transference and countertransference
  • Ability to practice self-care
  • Ability to use personal art making for awareness and self-care