Do you believe art can ease suffering? Art therapy places creativity at the heart of emotional healing and personal growth. It encourages artistic production over verbal communication, helping individuals overcome barriers—social, medical, psychological—to find confidence, reduce anxiety, and foster positive change.

Research shows that artistic creation can relieve stress in hospitalized children and those in palliative care, and it’s equally effective for individuals facing autism, psychiatric disorders, attention deficits, or trauma. By focusing on activities like drawing, painting, music, theater, and writing, art therapy supports a wide range of clients. Imagine using this approach in workplaces, schools, senior centers, prisons, or rehabilitation facilities.

Worried you lack art skills or therapeutic training? Don’t be. This certification guides you through core principles—color symbolism, expressive exercises like mandalas and zentangles, and basic psychology. You’ll learn how to help clients express themselves, identify their strengths, and address emotional challenges without needing to be an art expert or a trained psychologist.

• Foundations: Explore psychology, neuroscience, and the roots of art therapy.
• Color & Meditative Practices: Understand color’s role and calming exercises like coloring pages.
• Pathologies & Adaptations: Address conditions like cancer, depression, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, stress, and addiction.
• Tailored Sessions: Conduct interviews, select activities, and support all ages, from children to the elderly.
• Practical Techniques: Apply hands-on methods and artistic mediums to achieve individual or group goals.

No deadlines. No pressure. Study on your own terms, accessing the course materials online anytime. Download PDFs and audio files for on-the-go learning. Whether you’re balancing a career, family, or personal interests, this self-paced format fits your lifestyle.

• Therapists, Coaches, Social Workers, Educators: Enhance your practice with a new therapeutic tool.
• Parents & Caregivers: Help children express emotions in healthy ways.
• Healthcare & Geriatric Staff: Improve mental well-being of patients and residents.
• Career Changers: Enter a holistic healing profession.
• No prior experience needed: Just a willingness to help others grow.

Our art therapy training is recognized by IPHM, CMA, CPD Excellence, and other leading bodies. Pass the final exam (with free retakes if needed) and instantly print your certificate. Join a global community of practitioners making a positive difference.

Enroll now for $195 USD (a value of $490). With a 30-day money-back guarantee and BBB A+ accreditation, you can explore art therapy risk-free.

Emily P.
★★★★★ 5/5
THANK YOU for this art therapy course. I almost want to say that it is better than my studies in psychology! And a lot more practical and focused on the positive, with suggested solutions… Art therapy doesn’t just put people in boxes!

Karen L.
★★★★★ 5/5
I’ve just passed the certification in Art Therapy by getting 84%.
I would just like to say that I find the modules very well done and very colorful, which made me want to go all out.
I’ve seen some people wonder about how long the training is. I think it can go very quickly for some if, like me, you have already taken classes or worked in this field. For those who are retraining, it will take a little longer but don’t worry, it’s so exciting that you will get there.

Sonia R.
★★★★★ 5/5
I registered yesterday. My husband, who is in the art therapy business, was surprised at the quality of the documents provided. And so am I. It is not a training of art-therapist but of a practitioner in art therapy. In any case, this is a serious and responsive site. I got everything immediately. Everything is clear.

Clarisse V.
★★★★★ 5/5
A clear and beautifully made course, various ways to improve learning, excellent customer service, very accessible modules with, if needed, payment in several installments, a way to experience continuing education in art therapy, which I greatly honor and for which I’m very grateful. After exploring the program by illustrated writing, I can enjoy audio revisions, with tests at the end of each module to prepare for my final exam. Everything is done to ensure success and encourage taking action

Before delving into the heart of the discipline of art therapy, we will examine the basics of psychology. This will allow you to understand your patients' problems better, how to deal with them, and the inner resources available to them.

In this first module, you will discover:

• The history of psychology
• The principles that guide this discipline
• The link between philosophy and psychology
• A practical exercise: the family portrait

This second module is still mostly theoretical. We will first examine how our brains work and can be affected by various disorders. We will then focus on a broad definition of art therapy: a therapy through art that aims to mobilize the patient's inner resources.

This module will cover:

• The creation of ideas
• The origin of dysfunctions and pathologies
• The relationship with neuroscience
• The history of art therapy and its origin
• The humanist approach to psychology

Now that we've covered the basics, we'll get to the heart of the matter: art therapy. It is about understanding how art can be therapeutic, the basic concepts that govern this discipline, and how it has changed over time.

Here is what you will see in this module:

• The connection between art and creativity
• The beginnings of art therapy
• When it was first recognized by science
• The Rorschach test
• Expressive art therapy

This module focuses on an essential notion with which you will work throughout the course: color. What it expresses is subjective, which is what makes it worthwhile to us. We will examine the different attributes of color, including its expressive abilities and how it works on emotions and feelings.

In this fourth module, you will discover:

• Conscious art
• Coloring and mindfulness
• Mandalas
• Zentangles
• The theory of colors
• Practical exercises

This module will help you better know your patients by working on the pathologies that may affect them. We will paint a portrait of the primary disorders you may encounter and how art therapy can provide answers.

This module will cover the following points:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy
• Addiction and art therapy
• Trauma and art therapy
• Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and art therapy
• Depression and art therapy
• Cancer and art therapy
• Art therapy when experiencing stress and negative emotions

Even if some people may have the same objectives because of their pathology, everyone is unique. In addition, specific audiences, such as children and the elderly, require special attention. We will work on the different modalities and how to address each of these groups.

You will discover in this module:

• Individual therapies
• Group therapy
• The aging process
• How you can work with a specific audience
• Precautions to be taken
• Exercises

Now that you have the necessary concepts in mind let's get down to the practicalities. This module focuses on the four stages of an art therapy session: the beginning, the artistic activity, the exchange that follows, and the end, each giving you the keys to building a successful session.

This module will cover:

• The context and setting of a session
• The notion of routine
• The work to be done before and after
• Relaxation and warm-up exercises
• Your role as an art therapist
• Examples of sessions
• Practical exercises

This last module is, above all, an assortment of activities! It presents one by one the different mediums that you can use, explaining their benefits, and each time suggesting suitable art therapy exercises that you can quickly set up.

In this module, you will discover:

• A catalog of activities by artistic medium
• How to choose your activities
• Painting, drawing
• Sculpture, modeling
• Writing, theater
• Photography, collages, multimedia activities
• Dance and music