New York University

New York University is a renown institution in the heart of the city. Even through an online program, there is a sense of joy and pride as an NYU student, because the reputation associated with the institution is one of honor and community. The school and staff stand for equality, inclusion, and diversity, which gives minorities a voice. The program itself provides a wonderful education and background for students looking to become future speech-language pathologists. I am proud to be a part of this... Read More school and its mission!

The online masters program for communication sciences and disorders has been tailored to meet the needs full-time students and, also those who do not have the privlage of moving out of state and being a full-time student. Truthfully, I am genuinely impressed on how NYU created the online platform of learning. As an online student, I often get asked if I feel alone in the process. The answer is, no. Students can connect with classmates across the country and with their professors on a weekly basis.... Read More Class sizes are small and, although there is a higher standard at which all graduate students are held to, professors want you to pass your classes and will provide you with the information you will need to be successful in the field.

I am a first year graduate student at NYU pursuing my masters in art therapy. I have always been fascinated by this human drive to create and express our selves. I aspire to utilize this drive, and understand why it continues to be a prominent and important aspect of society for thousands of years. In undergrad at Connecticut College I integrated my philosophy major with my psychology and art minors to better balance how we approach the psyche. I think it is vital we balance the quantitative with... Read More the qualitative and reiterate that mental illness is larger than a quantitative explanation. To balance this, I believe art has the strength to allow for personal growth and self-actualization. I in particular have utilized art for my own self-actualization and find that it allows me to express what I cannot formulate or contextualize it helps me process that which I cannot understand. The main medium I gravitate towards is clay in sculptural hand built forms. This tactile experience allows me truly engage with a material, use my body to sculpt, and create a piece that is not limited by a frame. It has minimal constraints. This medium enhances my child play drive, reminding me of mud pies I used to make. As I work I am constantly balancing binaries and understanding how we move within restraints. The material is fragile yet strong permanent but decaying, soft and then hard, structured while fluid. Use this section to write a short essay detailing your interest in therapy, and what you hope to accomplish with the education and knowledge obtained from your schooling. Also tell how you plan to use the scholarship funds to further your education should you be selected as a recipient. Min. 500 words, max. 1000. Through my college education I have integrated multiple perspectives and methodologies in studying the mind and the self through the varied lenses of a major in philosophy and minors in art and psychology. Although the field of psychology is beginning to utilize multidisciplinary approaches in order to better understand the causes of mental illnesses, as evidenced by the utilization of the biopsychosocial model, I have found treatments do not always implement a balance of multidisciplinary approaches. I am particularly drawn to the art therapy field because of its focus on balancing treatment approaches by utilizing multiple methods. I am especially interested in the way that it is utilizing the power of art in conjunction with empirically based research to demonstrate that multiple approaches are not distinctive approaches, but instead work together for a cohesive treatment. This approach relates to my professional goal: to demonstrate and understand how mental illness is more than a set of symptoms that can be biologically understood and quantified, but is also an experience that needs to be addressed in treatment. When information about an individuals mental state cannot be contextualized, either due to abstraction or language barriers, approaches from art can be just in explaining emotions, perception, and illusions. Often the subconscious is difficult to comprehend, but can be traced and uncovered through artistic expression. This form of expression is often another way for individuals to communicate, as an individual becomes more engaged and targets his energy into an alternative, beneficial form. Thus, through art, individuals can have a relatable understanding of each other on a more personal and intimate level. In an age reliant on empirical data that cannot embody the workings of the human mind, art can be a new way of understanding the human brain as a subjective experience, rather than as a statistic. My pursuit of art therapy reflects how I value and implement different principles of the human condition. Just as treatment themes for clients focus on the value of balance and paradox, art therapy in treatment too balances the quantitative with the qualitative, without giving one more priority. Especially in an age with the growing reliance on technology and biological measures, I believe it is important to retain a value in addressing each area of the brain and utilizing the values of other drives for a fulfilling treatment. I personally am drawn to this, as I typically utilize both literature and textbook readings to better understand the psyche and human experience. I firmly believe each client is in charge of his or her own personal journey. Clients must become self-reliant to understand the self and to understand that a balance of effort is necessary for this revelation and growth. In other words, as a therapist I cannot provide the only inspiration. I can influence creativity, however, a client must find his or her own outlet. When creating art, it must come from the personal self. In my practice I have occasionally heard, Im not artsy from clients. I find it is essential to help clients understand and reframe what it means to have a need to create. My role as an art therapist is to offer different forms and mediums in order to help each individual find a creative expression one was particularly drawn to. I do this by employing different materials and types of art therapy. As I grow and continue to learn more about mental health, I aim to continue applying a balance that allow for individuals to be healthy but also allow for neurodiversity. I do not think treatment is about normalization, but learning how to turn ones different way of thinking and perceiving into a healthy, positive, and enhancing trait.

Pros: Wonderful faculty who really know the material and are accessible. Financial Aid/Scholarhips are better than most schools of this level. The area is great and there are tons of things to do in NY, as one can imagine- the sky is the limit! Students also typically have a healthy work-life balance, which is assisted by the fact that the cirriculum is pass/fail. Students are diverse and come from interesting backgrounds. The school is connected with well-known grad programs, such as the MD/MBA... Read More program through Stern. Cons: The cirriculum and testing can be inflexible (tests all must be taken in person on the assigned day, unless one is ill- in which case the school will wok with you to make up the exam). IT problems have also added to this inflexibiliy, at times making lecture recordings unavailable. Exams have also tended to be at the beginning of the week for our class year, reducing the number of "free" weekends. NYC is an expensive place to live, as one can imagine. The cirriculum is 1.5 years of pre-clinical work, which has its own pros and cons. On the one hand, the pace is slightly faster to accomodate a 0.5 year decrease in classes. On the other, this allows for more time to explore clerkships and other passions (reseach, a masters).