PROPOSAL:
ESTABLISHING
AN OPEN
ART THERAPY
STUDIO AT
UARTS

ABE ZUBAREV, LCSW
UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS
COUNSELING CENTER

• Proposal for an open art therapy studio on our campus at
the University of the Arts, in conjunction with the UArts
Counseling Center.
• Presented to Assistant Vice President of Student Services,
Office of Student Affairs
• Premise: Creating an open art therapy studio on campus
will benefit students and campus and bridge the arts with
health and wellness.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. OVERVIEW OF UARTS COUNSELING CENTER
& MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS AT UARTS
2. ART THERAPY: HOW CAN IT HELP OUR STUDENTS
3. PROPOSAL: OPEN ART THERAPY STUDIO AT UARTS
4. OPPORTUNITIES AND PROGRAMMATIC ACTIVITIES
5. COST, PERSONNEL AND STAFFING
6. LOCATION AND SPACE REQUIREMENTS
7. EXISTING ART THERAPY PROGRAMS AT UARTS
& INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
8. OPEN A.T. STUDIOS AT OTHER UNIVERSITIES
9. RECOMMENDATIONS & NEXT STEPS

Structure of Student Affairs

MOST PREVALENT MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OF UARTS STUDENTS

A PHYSICAL SPACE OPEN TO
STUDENTS & THE CAMPUS
COMMUNITY TO FOSTER ARTMAKING FOR SUPPORTING
MENTAL HEALTH & SELF-CARE.

ART SUPPLIES WOULD BE FREE
TO PARTICIPANTS.
THERE ARE NO DIRECTIVES.

THE STUDIO CAN BE A
DEDICATED SPACE OR USE
AN EXISTING CLASSROOM
OR OFFICE/CONFERENCE ROOM
WITH REGULAR HOURS OF
AVAILABILITY.

STAFFED BY GRADUATE ART
THERAPY INTERNS, UNDERGRAD
ART THERAPY MINORS AND
(SOMETIMES) WORK-STUDY
STUDENTS – UNDER SUPERVISION
OF COUNSELING CENTER

UArts Counseling Center - All Students
Fall 2018-Spring 2019

Fall 2017-Spring 2018
UArts Counseling Center - All
Students

Fall 2016-Spring 2017

Fall 2015-Spring 2016
0

Total Students Seen

100 200 300 400 500 600
Fall 2015 –
Spring 2016
330

Fall 2016 –
Spring 2017
356

Fall 2017 –
Spring 2018
393

Fall 2018 –
Spring 2019
503

UArts Counseling Center - All
Appointments Attended
Fall 2018-Spring 2019
Fall 2017-Spring 2018

UArts Counseling Center - All
Appointments Attended

Fall 2016-Spring 2017
Fall 2015-Spring 2016
0

All Appointments Attended:

1000 2000 3000 4000 5000

1977 (with
case mgt)
1403 (without
case mgt)

2773 (with
case mgt)
2298 (without
case mgt)

3481
(including
case mgt)
2717 (without
case mgt)

3831 (including case mgt)
-- (without case mgt)

Triage Screenings
(New Clients)

177 clients
(182
sessions)

209 clients
(214
sessions)

225 clients
(234
sessions)

316 clients
(326 sessions)

Triage Walk-In (Existing Clients
w/o Appointment)

44 clients
(73 sessions)

132 clients
(248
sessions)

183 clients
(411
sessions)

237 clients
(665 sessions)

UArts Counseling Center - Clients for
Individual Therapy
Fall 2018-Spring 2019
Fall 2017-Spring 2018

UArts Counseling Center Clients for Individual
Therapy

Fall 2016-Spring 2017
Fall 2015-Spring 2016
0
Individual therapy

Individual Therapy –
Internal Transfer
(Existing Client Moved to Alternate
Therapist)

100

200

206 clients
(1377
sessions)
N/A
(data not
collected)

300

400

258 clients
(1683
sessions)
9 clients
(9 sessions)

500
283 clients
(1836
sessions)
53 clients
(61 sessions)

392 clients
(2412 sessions)
79 clients
(84 sessions)

Psychiatric Intake Evaluations
(Clients New to Psychiatry):

31 clients
38 sessions

80 clients
95 sessions

91 clients
122 sessions

73 clients
92 sessions

Psychiatry Med Check Appts:

37 clients
93 sessions

70 clients
242 sessions

92 clients
327 sessions

92 clients
392 sessions

19 clients
(20 sessions)
(2015-16
predates
psychiatry
increase 2 to
7 hrs per/wk)

2 clients
(2 sessions)

11 clients
(11 sessions)

9 clients
(9 sessions)

st

Psychiatry – 1 Appointment
Expedited (Urgent)

PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALIZATIONS & CRISIS INTERVENTIONS

Hospitalizations & Counseling
Escorts to Crisis Response
Center

3
hospitalizatio
ns

4
hospitalizatio
ns

11
hospitalizatio
ns

13 hospitalizations

Crisis Interventions

23 clients
34 crises
4 students
7 crisis f/u

53 clients
65 crises
21 students
34 crisis f/u

63 clients
92 crises
33 clients
61 crisis f/u

73 clients
95 crises
28 clients
36 crisis f/u

Crisis Intervention
Follow-Ups:

SUICIDALITY & PSYCH TREATMENT BEFORE UARTS COUNSELING

Student Issues Upon Entry

Spring 2016
DATA

Fall 2016Spring 2017

Fall 2017Spring 2018

Fall 2018-Spring 2019

Past psychiatric hospitalizations

No: 120
Yes: 14
No: 102
Yes: 33
No: 113
Yes: 21
No: 83
Yes: 50
No: 112
Yes: 21

No: 217
Yes: 37
No: 220
Yes: 36
No: 209
Yes: 46
No: 143
Yes: 106
No: 186
Yes: 64

No: 234
Yes: 30
No: 217
Yes: 49
No: 205
Yes: 56
No: 147
Yes: 115
No: 198
Yes: 64

No: 282
Yes: 40
No: 259
Yes: 65
No: 273
Yes: 50
No: 168
Yes: 148
No: 245
Yes: 79

Current thoughts of harming
self:
History of Suicide Attempts:
History of abusive relationships
Currently taking any psych meds
(at time of entry to UArts
Counseling)

is an integrative mental health and
human services profession
that combines:
• art-making and the creative process
• applied psychological theories
• and the psychotherapeutic relationship.
.
Source: https://arttherapy.org/about-art-therapy/

Art helps clients
to communicate
non-verbally

Source: https://arttherapy.org/about-art-therapy/

•

Research has indicated that art therapy is effective in
helping adolescents and young adults who experience
some of the following common symptoms & diagnoses:

•

Depression

•

Enhance coping skills

•

Anxiety

•

Personality D/Os

•

Stress

•

•

Eating Disorders

Autism & Social Skills
training

•

Trauma

•

•

Psychosis &
Schizophrenia

Engagement & trust in
counseling

•

Helping Veterans

• Promote a venue at our arts university
that highlights the therapeutic value of artmaking.
• Offer a dedicated venue for students to
seek solace as a “stress-free” place where
the availability of free art-making supplies
and space facilitate relaxation, community
building, self-efficacy and personal
empowerment.

• Make additional on-campus supports
available, both structured and unstructured,
for our students to cultivate their well-being
and be supported.
• Opportunities to offer additional campus
programming and workshops for students/
faculty/staff about wellness and mental
health strategies.

• Offer greater exposure and awareness
to the campus community about various
support services and on-campus
resources to address adjustment and
other routine college stressors.
• Disseminate information on creative
arts therapies as viable career path for
students with an interest in pursuing
arts-related work in healthcare.

• Provide additional opportunities for UArts students who
are pursuing the formal minor in Art Therapy to gain
experience in a new undergraduate field practicum (this
would not create conflict of interest, dual relationships or
breach of confidentiality because peer support offerings are
not counseling).
• Make available additional learning opportunities for
Counseling Center graduate art therapy/counseling interns
to learn about arts-based therapeutic interventions and
promote outreach and supportive group work.
• Existing interns from graduate programs in Clinical Social
Work, Counseling, and Creative Arts Therapies working at
the Counseling Center could gain experience with
mentoring UArts students in non-therapeutic ways that are
meaningful, yet supportive and educational.

• This proposal is cost effective because it is budget
neutral.
• Creating such a setting on our campus comes with
minimal investment of financial resources and staffing.
• The proposed open art therapy studio would be
operated by the Director of Counseling, with support
from the Counseling Center, counseling graduate
interns, and peer support options by undergraduates in
the art therapy minor and possibly work-study students.

• Unlike universities that offer their students “relaxation rooms”
with expensive electric massage chairs, we envision a space
with relaxing music, a meditative and spiritual area for quiet
contemplation, and with a focus on art as a means to fostering
health for our students and community.
• Limited cost for art supplies would be covered by existing
wellness outreach funding in the Counseling Center budget.
These funds already include expenditures for art therapy
supplies.
• Currently, Staff Council hosts a weekly “Maker’s Club” for staff
who are interested in coming together for a shared creative
outlet. Some staff enjoy coming together on a weekly basis for
knitting, crocheting or needlework. These activities fit nicely into
our goals, among others, and could be accommodated in an
open studio as a collaborative initiative with Staff Council.

• In the interim period, we do not need a tailored space. Any
available classroom or conference room could potentially
be reserved for use as an open art therapy studio. This
could be set up as an activity as opposed to a dedicated
space with exclusive full-time use of a room.
• An open art therapy studio would benefit from being within
close proximity to other resources such as Campus Life,
extracurricular activities, but also within close distance of
wellness and support services such as the Counseling
Center, Health Services, the Advising Center, and Office of
Educational Accessibility.
• We recommend that such a space, of modest square
footage, be incorporated into the ongoing plans to develop
a Student Center on our campus.

The UArts Counseling Center:
Since 2017, the Counseling Center has been recruiting creative
arts therapy graduate interns in art therapy and dance/movement
therapy to participate in our clinical training program. We have
collaborated with creative arts therapy programs at Drexel
University and Jefferson University.
The Art Therapy minor:
The University of the Arts is one of the first to offer
undergraduate studies in art therapy. The Director of Art Therapy
at UArts is Professor Michelle Dean, MA, ATR-BC, LPC and the
program offers electives to undergraduates taught by at least
three other adjunct faculty, requiring a practicum for students.
Broad Street Ministry – UArts Collaboration/Initiative:
UArts art therapy students help local community members in
need by providing supportive services at the BSM “Art Table.

Local universities with undergraduate
art therapy offerings:
• Tyler School of Art & Architecture at
Temple University
• Rutgers-Camden
• Cedar Crest College
• Arcadia University
• Holy Family
• Marywood
• Carlow
• Slippery Rock
• Seton Hill
• Caldwell

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
has recently developed an open art
therapy studio.
Open to the community as well as the campus.
It is advertised as “A Creative Environment Open To
Everyone” that “provides a safe and welcoming
community for all students, faculty, staff and
community members to express themselves creatively
and find support for their social, mental and emotional
needs.”
The program is free and art supplies are included. The
space is currently available four hours, twice per week,
and is on a drop-in basis welcoming both individuals
and groups as well as the option to schedule individual
private sessions for $30 per hour.

Marywood University
offers what they call the “Art Therapy Studio” in their
Sheilds Center for Visual Arts. It is a “multipurpose space”
that acts as classroom, studio, and "therapeutic space,"
offering art materials, a sink and basic equipment like a
computer, scanner and art-quality printer for student.
Given that this space is also used for teaching purposes,
there is also a “one-way viewing room that can enable
unobtrusive viewing of classroom processes for learning
purposes.”

Let’s Get Started!
Establishing an open art therapy studio at
University of the Arts has many potential benefits with
low cost and no overhead.
The programming of such a studio can enhance
campus wellness.
Expand Counseling/Art Therapy Graduate Intern
Mentoring/Supervisory Experience Opportunities.
Expand Art Therapy Minor Practicum Opportunities:
Possibly Expanding Work-Study Options.

Abe Zubarev, LCSW
Director of Counseling
University of the Arts
www.uarts.edu/counseling
Email: azubarev@uarts.edu