Notre Dame de Namur University

My experience at NDNU was exceptionally negative. Nobody, paricularly in the finacial aid and business offices are willing to be of assistance. Instead of simply answering questions, they send students on wild goose chases around the school, provide confusing information amd demand major payments in order to sign up for mediocre classes. Professors are allowed to be wildly unprofessional with no punishment. The needs of students are largely ignored by the president and by the majority of the advising... Read More team. If you plan on obtaining a four year degree, do not attend NDNU because due to mismanagement, you will be signed up for classes you do not need, will skip classes you do need, and finacial aid will trap you into owing copious amounts of money without warning.

My reason for choosing to attend NDNU and specifically NDNU's art therapy psychology doctoral program is because it is the only one in the country. I received my master's degree in art therapy in 2005. There were no PhD programs in art therapy at that time. I am so very grateful to be able to attend an art therapy doctoral program that is in the bay area where I live, yes...but what is more important is that it is such a wonderful program. I began the cohort in fall of 2019, and I feel so honored... Read More to be a part of it. Art has been a vital part of my existence. Like so many others in the world art helps a person to understand themselves and the world around them more fully. Art helps those struggling with physical pain or mental pain. Art helps those returning from combat find a voice and art helps those who have trouble functioning in the world to function more effectively and efficiently through arts ability to relax the mind and body which in turn may increase longevity. That is why I am an art therapy doctoral student...to help others do the same. To get the word out there and to be a voice in the field among others and to help improve one’s quality of life. These voices need to be heard. Art therapy may give your sister with a terminal diagnosis a little more time here on earth. Art therapy may give a family member with debilitating pain a reason to get up in the morning. Art therapy may help that teenager with low self-esteem become more confident...down the road that teenager may make real positive changes in this world. We as art therapists can help these hurting people through in person care and also through our research. To not have a doctoral program in art therapy psychology means that we who have a voice and an avenue to write and contribute to the field in a meaningful way will be stopped before we even have a chance to begin. We who want to contribute to the field and help others find alternative ways of healing will not be able to do so. We (art therapy doctoral students) have so much to say and we are working hard to find new and original areas of research that have not been formulated yet. We need doors to be open in order to do this. We need NDNU to be open and functioning in order to do this. I believe that I am speaking on behalf of all art therapy students at Notre Dame de Namur University when I say that we are excited about having the chance to contribute to the field of therapy on such a prestigious level and that we would be devastated it we were not given the opportunity that each of us rightly deserves. It would be very sad, and it would be a shame to see the art therapy psychology department fall to the waste side. So many who may have been helped by our contributions to the field may never find the help they need. I have had professors such as Amy Backos, Richard Carolan and Lisa Hinz as my professors so far and they are all outstanding faculty members who go well above and beyond to make a difference for their students and their school.

I am grateful for my art therapy education at NDNU. The small classes offered an opportunity to get to know professors and receive the support and guidance that I needed. I was challenged to grow as a student and a professional, and feel proud of the education and experience that I received through this program. The fact that NDNU also offers a PhD in art therapy is an added bonus; several professors were PhD candidates or recent graduates of the PhD program, which meant that they were also immersed... Read More in the learning process and were excited to expose students to the most current and relevant art therapy research.

This is my truth & not speaking on behalf of all students. As a person of color my experience hasn’t been the best. I do appreciate the diverse community of students but I have had discouraging encounters with students/ staff that aren’t culturally aware of their prejudices. It’s frustrating coming to school having to educate others & be in the defense in order to get through the day. There needs to be longer courses covering diversity to prepare students for the diverse communities we will work... Read More in & live in. I do appreciate the few professors that invest in students By sharing real stories & bringing in non traditional tools for art directives. Many classes can be taught online because they don’t involve art & we read directly out of the book out loud during class. Be prepared if you’re to grow thick skin & seek outside support.

This is a degree factory, people who have no business being therapist are passed through the program without ethical consideration. There is no real cultural competency, I have had racist instructors, the faculty is all white. In my two years, I have never encountered a guest speaker of color from the mental health community. Critical ethical classes, like child abuse, domestic violence and cross-cultural competency are condensed into a weekend or a few weeks. Teachers, they do not deserve the title... Read More of professors, do the minimal in regards to instruction. My psychological assessment class was a waste of time and money, along with the psychopathology course, I have never experienced the avoidance of instructional time to this extent. We should be being prepared to properly assess, diagnose, and treat people, but we are not. Furthermore, if you are a person of color who identifies with your community you will likely feel frustrated, discouraged and lost here, especially with the limousine liberals who say all the right things sans actions.

The Master's level Art Therapy program has been an incredible opportunity for me to dive into my deepest passions: art and psychology. This program clearly had a high level of expertise in designing a program to blend these disciplines, ensuring to prepare the graduate student of not only the intensive clinical components of the program, but also allowing students to find room to explore their personal curiosity and integrating that into the art therapy program and its assignments. By doing so, the... Read More program continued to allow each student to creatively explore how they wanted to navigate the professional world during and after graduation, (of course, with proper parameters in place, such as within our thesis research and oral presentations), providing guidance when needed, and then empowering us to trust to ourselves to step into our wiser self with the knowledge instilled within us.

The Masters Marriage and Family Therapy and Art Therapy Psychology program is amazing! All of the professors have been in the field of art therapy, or marriage and family therapy, or both and have great personal experiences to share along with utilizing their experiences to provide thorough training and teaching. All professors and fellow classmates support one another and guide all new students in the program. The program is small and close-knit. It was a great experience to have so much support,... Read More freedom to expand on my creativity, learn all that I need to do the jobs following graduating, and the opportunity to learn so much about myself! This program was the only one of its kind offered in Northern California at the time I was looking, and I was so thankful to find it. The career path is ideal for someone interested in art, psychology and helping others. Even after graduating, my professors stay in touch with me and make an effort to check-in and still support me. We have Facebook groups and a Google group, which are frequently sending out job, connection, training, and more opportunities.

The Masters Marriage and Family Therapy and Art Therapy Psychology program is amazing! All of the professors have been in the field of art therapy, or marriage and family therapy, or both and have great personal experiences to share along with utilizing their experiences to provide thorough training and teaching. All professors and fellow classmates support one another and guide all new students in the program. The program is small and close-knit. It was a great experience to have so much support,... Read More freedom to expand on my creativity, learn all that I need to do the jobs following graduating, and the opportunity to learn so much about myself! This program was the only one of its kind offered in Northern California at the time I was looking, and I was so thankful to find it. The career path is ideal for someone interested in art, psychology and helping others. Even after graduating, my professors stay in touch with me and make an effort to check-in and still support me. We have Facebook groups and a Google group, which are frequently sending out job, connection, training, and more opportunities.

I highly recommend this program if you want to be an art therapist. Small classes, caring committed core faculty, and a commitment to social justice. This program cares about each student and wants us to succeed and become the best art therapists we can be. The thesis process is rigorous and an effective learning experience in analyzing and conducting research, writing, and publishing. The school provides support and guidance in the practicum process, which provides excellent real-world experience... Read More and preparation for our future work.

I graduated from Notre Dame de Namur University. This is the best place to take Art Therapy for me. The classes, the colleagues, the professors, the training and guidance and the reputation that the college has is exceptional. As soon as I graduated, I was called for a job interview and I had good jobs in Art Therapy since then. The program is a good deal because it trains you to be a good Marriage Family Therapist as well as an Art Therapist. NDNU offers the best quality in California and around... Read More U. S. in art therapy and the faculty is very well known in the U. S. and around the world.

The dual graduate program in Marriage and Family Therapy and Art Therapy changed my life! I applied as soon as I discovered that there was an art therapy profession and am still so grateful for its existence. I remember when I had my interview with Doris Arrington, the then head of the program, I asked her: Can I really make a good living in this field? She assured me I could so I signed on. She encouraged me to get the Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy so that I could get a license that... Read More would allow me to set up my own private practice. I got my LMFT in 2000 and have had a very successful private practice since then. She was right!

I graduated from NDNU in 2017 with a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and Art Therapy. The Art Therapy Psychology Department prepared me to be successful as an AMFT as well as standing out from other candidates due to having a degree in Art Therapy. The rigor of the program provided me with the skills I use on a daily basis in a fast-paced and demanding population and I believe that the students that come out of this specific program are highly qualified to work in the field of therapy and art... Read More therapy.