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Expressive Therapies

Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Expressive Arts Therapy Specialization

Master of Arts (MA), on-campus or low-residency graduate program

Integrate the full spectrum of artistic expression into therapeutic practice.

Creative expression can promote positive intrapersonal and interpersonal change and growth.

As an expressive arts therapy student at Lesley, you’ll train to become both a licensed mental health counselor and an expressive arts therapist whose therapeutic practice integrates principles of creativity, imagination, attunement, embodiment, performance, expression, and experience. You’ll learn from pioneers in the field, gain 1,150 hours of clinical experience, and graduate ready to guide individuals, groups, and communities toward wellness.

REGISTER: MA in Expressive Therapies Virtual Information Session

Work with arts processes that allow us to access our inner resources and make meaningful connections with one another. As an expressive arts therapist, you’ll facilitate creative processes through the most meaningful medium for each person and situation. Through reflective practice and clinical exploration learn to select approaches through the expressive arts (including music, drama, dance, writing, and visual arts) that fit clients’ needs, abilities, strengths, and goals for treatment.

While here, develop your identity as an artist as well as a therapist. Commit yourself to working within a social justice framework. With a foundation in clinical mental health counseling, gain an understanding of how one’s mind, body, spirit, and socio-cultural identity affect physical and behavioral health.

Led by innovators in the field, our program has an international reputation that opens doors to partnerships around the world. Gain the experience you need to apply to become a licensed mental health counselor in Massachusetts and gain eligibility for the Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT) credential through the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association.

Graduate Program Inquiry Form

Program Structure

3-Year Program, Full-Time; On-Campus or Low-Residency Formats

60 Credits
  • Prerequisites
    • To enroll in this program, you’ll need to show proof of your:

      Bachelor’s degree

      GPA of 3.0 or better

      Life experience and/or volunteer work related to human services.

      3 credits of completed coursework in abnormal psychology and 3 credits of completed coursework in developmental psychology with grades of B or better. Not all coursework must be complete before you apply. Contact Graduate Admissions for details.
  • Required Core Courses 42 Credits
    • Required core courses in expressive therapies theory, research, and practice, human development, and ethics
  • Electives 6 Credits
    • Electives chosen in consultation with your faculty advisor
  • Field Experience 12 Credits
    • Field experience including clinical skills and applications coursework and supervised internship experiences
  • Approximate Time to Complete
    • On Campus

      Full-time, 3-Year Program
      Take 3-12 credits/semester for 8 semesters, including summers.

      Low-Residency
      Take 6-9 credits/semester for 9 semesters, including summers. Complete in 3 years.
View Program of Study

Program Goals and Learning Statement

Learn more about the expected program goals that our Expressive Therapies master's degree programs meet.

  • Program Goals

    The goal of the Expressive Therapies master’s degree programs is to provide students the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to practice in a range of professional settings, including health care facilities, schools, community agencies, and private practices. The Expressive Therapies 60-credit programs meet the academic and field training requirements for mental health counselor licensure (LMHC) in Massachusetts. (Students intending to work outside of Massachusetts are advised to review their state's regulations to determine their eligibility for licensure.) Specialization tracks prepare graduates for certification or registration by their respective professional associations.  

    The Expressive Therapies faculty established these program goals. Aligned with the mission of Lesley and the Graduate School of Arts & Social Sciences, they are also specific to the Graduate Expressive Therapies Department, with deep consideration of our program’s history and the contemporary landscape of expressive therapies and mental health counseling.

    1. Dual Identity as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor and Expressive Therapist 

    Students will demonstrate a dual identity as a clinical mental health counselor and expressive therapist, and an understanding of the ways in which the professions enhance and complement one another. 

    2. Professional Orientation and Ethics 

    Students will demonstrate an understanding of the counseling profession and their modality profession. Students will demonstrate the capacity to provide counseling services within the ethical codes of the counseling profession and their modality specializations, and with an understanding of legal issues. 

    3. Clinical Mental Health Counseling Theory 

    Students will gain substantial knowledge of core counseling theories as applied to individual and group processes, skills, and approaches. 

    4. Human Development Across the Lifespan 

    Students will assess and cultivate an understanding of human growth and development throughout the lifespan, including an understanding of arts-based development, and the connection between developmental theory, clinical issues. Students will be able to design interventions, as well as apply considerations of environmental, biological, and cultural factors. 

    5. Clinical Skills and Helping Relationships 

    Students will demonstrate counseling skills and techniques which exhibit awareness of self and other in the therapeutic relationship. Students will demonstrate the ability to document and evaluate progress towards treatment goals.  

    6. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

    Students will develop a critical multicultural lens of the sociocultural foundations in the counseling and expressive therapy process, including developing an awareness and knowledge of power, privilege, and oppression at the micro, macro, personal, and interpersonal levels. Students will develop strategies to identify and eliminate cultural barriers, prejudice, and discriminatory practices.  

    7. Career Development 

    Students will demonstrate knowledge of vocational counseling theory and apply career development methods to individual professional development. 

    8. Group Process in Counseling and Expressive Therapies 

    Students will develop a theoretical and embodied understanding of group process and dynamics, theory, skill, and approaches. 

    9. Assessment 

    Students will gain knowledge and skills in understanding and utilizing formal assessment instruments and information gathering techniques, used in case conceptualization, treatment planning. Students will also be able to analyze and critique assessment tools regarding ethical usage and multicultural competency.  

    10. Research and Program Evaluation 

    Students will develop the ability to locate, read, critique, and evaluate research to inform clinical practice. Through this activity, students will contribute knowledge to the profession of counseling and their modality specializations. 

    11. Psycho-diagnostics and Treatment 

    Students will gain an understanding of the broad spectrum of psychopathology and diagnostic criteria utilized in the current DSM 5 and ICD 10 to inform ethical clinical practice and evaluation within a diverse context. 

    12. Trauma and Crisis Intervention 

     Students will demonstrate trauma-informed skills within clinical practice, including knowledge of crisis intervention, and risk and suicide assessment. Students will understand current research and application in how the arts are used in trauma-informed practice, including individual, community, cultural, and systemic complex trauma across the lifespan. 

    13. Embodied, Experiential and Creative Clinical Practices 

    Students will be able to articulate, embody, and apply the transformative nature of creativity and the arts intrapersonally, interpersonally, and clinically, demonstrating the integration of knowledge and skills within practice.   

    14. Mental Health and Community Systems 

    Students will demonstrate knowledge and apply skills associated with working in diverse communities and multi-disciplinary teams. Students will critically analyze methods of treatment, referral, and interdisciplinary collaboration from a global health perspective.  

    15. Personal Growth, Insight, and Congruence 

    Students will develop and engage in multifaceted processes which foster self-awareness, and awareness of others’ experiences with cultural sensitivity. Students will develop and begin to articulate and evidence, in their scholarship and clinical practices, their theoretical orientation.   

    Students take courses in a scheduled sequence, where learning takes place in increments that align with their emerging competencies as clinicians. Following the program's course sequence ensures that students build upon knowledge and skills in a manner that maximizes their learning efforts, and that is appropriate and supportive, as they begin to practice in the field. 

man walking in harvard square, cambridge

Cambridge, MA

A nexus for higher education and mental health counseling practice and research, each year 250,000 students arrive to Cambridge from around the globe. The intellectual and cultural capital runs deep, and so do your opportunities addressing barriers to wellness. From Lesley’s location, access innovative community, hospital, and school-based mental health programs.

expressive therapies music classroom

On-Campus Option

Become part of a community of artists and scholars in Cambridge while pursuing your degree. Gain in-person access to leaders in the field and benefit from Lesley’s professional network in and around Greater Boston and New England. Taking three to four courses per semester, immerse in rigorous study and complete your program within a three year sequence.

Best if you:

  • Live near Cambridge or are able to relocate
  • Enjoy the rigor of an intensive program and want to take advantage of internships in Greater Boston
  • Want face-to-face time with faculty and peers and to become integrated into campus life
  • Are not planning to work full-time during your studies
close up of hand drawing a mandela

Low-Residency Option

Participate in one 3-week summer residency per year on Lesley University’s Cambridge campus. Between residencies, continue your studies online with Lesley faculty and through supervised field experiences in your community. Your courses correspond with those of our on-campus program, and will be completed within three years.

Best if you:

  • Live at a distance
  • Enjoy the flexibility of online learning
  • Want to take fewer courses at a time
  • Would like to complete internships/research in your community

Student location:

  • If you are are located in, or plan to be located in New York or North Carolina at any time during your enrollment, you are not eligible to enroll in our Low Residency program, due to regulations that exist in those states.
  • If you are located in, or plan to be located in Arkansas, California, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, or Wisconsin at any time during your enrollment, please discuss your location and licensure plans with an admissions counselor in order to determine if you are eligible to enroll in our program.  
  • Please visit Lesley’s Licensure and Credentialing webpage for more information. 
Licensure Information

Depending on your professional goals, where you reside or plan to practice, and the licensure requirements within that state, there are different pathways toward licensure or credentialing that may be relevant. In accordance with Lesley University’s institutional participation in SARA (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement) and with federal regulations, we strongly encourage prospective applicants who intend to pursue licensure in a state other than Massachusetts to visit the Lesley University Licensure and Credentialing webpage and review the “Licensure Information for Students and Applicants” document for their specific program.

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Remote Learning at Lesley University

Events

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Field Work
1,150

Hours you’ll spend turning theory into practice through field training and internships.

Colorful kids drawings

Understanding and healing at the border

Lesley’s expressive therapies community brings training and compassion to asylum seekers at U.S.-Mexico border
Read about the work in Juárez.
Student talking in psychology class

Online Psychology Boot Camp

If you don't have a background in psychology, Lesley offers training in advance of your program. Before starting your program you can take online Psychology Boot Camp courses to get the training you need.
elderly hands with pastels

How Creative Expression Can Benefit Older Adults

Expressive therapies professor Raquel Stephenson talks about the power of art making.
Learn about the benefits of creative expression.
Close-up of the architectural pillars on Lesley's campus.

Graduate Student Scholarships

Graduate study is an investment. That's why we offer generous merit scholarships. Awards are based on your admissions application and are announced when you're accepted.
Learn more about the scholarships we offer.
Psychology & Counseling
1,500+

Mental health practitioners, counselors, and therapists trained at Lesley in the last 5 years.

detail of oil painting

Gain Professional Credentials

Through this program, you'll gain eligibility for the Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT) and the Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Massachusetts.
Alumni Satisfaction
Ranked #20

by alumni

According to a survey published in Forbes, Lesley ranks #20 nationwide for providing a high-quality education that is worth the cost.
View the survey results.

Successful Alumni

Learn about some of our alumni who are making an impact in the expressive therapies field.

Simona Granfone teaching the elderly

Simona Granfone ’15

Art therapy alum Simona designs programs that encourage seniors to express themselves and connect.
Read more about Simona Granfone
Graduate Programs
95%

of our 2019 graduating class is employed or furthering their education.

Headshot of Bert Carter. He wears glasses!

Bert Carter ’83

An internship unexpectedly led expressive therapies graduate Bert Carter into a new community and accomplished career.
Read more about Bert Carter
Judith Yovel Recanati, founder of NATAL

Judith Yovel Recanati ’89

An Expressive Therapies graduate creates a center for healing in a country torn apart by war.
Read more about Judith Yovel Recanati

FAQs

Have questions about the expressive therapies master's program? View our frequently asked questions to find your answer.

  • Expressive Therapies FAQs

    When does the program start? 

    The master’s program in expressive therapies only has one start term per year, which is summer. On-campus students have an online orientation course in July, with on-campus courses beginning in the fall. Low-residency students have an online orientation course in July followed by a 2-3 week on-campus residency, with online courses in the fall and spring. 

    Do you offer the program online? 

    Through the low-residency format, students attend an in-person summer residency each July on Lesley’s campus. In the fall and spring semesters, students continue their studies online with a mix of asynchronous and synchronous coursework. Field work is completed in their home community. The completion time for this model is 3 years (20 credits each year with 2-3 courses per semester). Internships take place in years 2 and 3, alongside coursework in the fall and spring semesters.  

    Are the online courses in the low-residency program asynchronous or synchronous? 

    Students in the low-residency program attend the on-campus residency each July. During the fall and spring semesters, students take their coursework online with a mix of asynchronous and synchronous learning.  

    How do students in the low-residency programs stay connected as a learning community? 

    During the 3-year program, students in the low-residency model come to campus each July for their residency. During this time, students and faculty make very strong connections that are fostered throughout the program. When learning online, students participate in both synchronous and asynchronous learning. Lesley’s Online Learning Platform also offers interactive tools that can be used for courses beyond just posting comments to a discussion board. You can use a collaborative tool to work on group projects, work with your class to find a time that works for everyone to video in to connect, instant message with faculty or peers, upload PowerPoint presentations and record yourself over the presentation as if you were giving it in person and faculty and peers can provide feedback. Faculty make the online work as engaging as possible and the in-person residency period is very hands-on and experiential! Students stay connected through email, phone, Zoom and social media as well! 

    How is the on-campus model formatted? 

    Our on-campus model has courses during the daytime, on weekdays, or in an intensive format as well (either a weekend-intensive course or a five-day intensive course). The completion time for this model is 3 years (20 credits each year with 3 courses per semester). Internships take place in years 2 and 3 alongside coursework in the fall and spring semesters. 

    Can I continue to work full-time while in the program? 

    We don’t typically recommend that students work full time while in the program. Our on-campus courses take place during the daytime as well as nights and weekends, and daytime courses cannot be avoided.  Please keep in mind that there are synchronous components to the low-residency model’s online coursework. Your place of employment would need to be flexible should you be required to attend your synchronous online course during regular business hours. 

    In the low residency model, it may be possible to work full-time for the first year of the program, as long as you can take the required weeks off in July for residency. If you can find an internship site in your second year of the program that has nights and weekend hours, you may be able to complete the 15 hours/week that are needed and still work full time and come for residency in July.  The third year of the program, however, requires about 25 hours/week at your site, making it impossible to work full time, complete your coursework, and fulfill those hours.    

    How do I submit my portfolio? 

    Portfolios should be submitted on Slideroom. Learn more about the portfolio requirements and how to set up an account with Slideroom.

    If my GPA does not meet the preferred requirement of a 3.0 or higher, can I still apply? 

    The program prefers that applicants have a GPA of a 3.0 or higher, however applicants with a lower GPA may still be reviewed. If you have a lower GPA and are concerned about it impacting your admissions decision, we recommend addressing this in your Written Personal Statement. You can address anything that may have affected your grades, or you can address why you believe you are prepared at this time to be successful in a graduate program. 

    How do I select a writing sample? 

    The Academic Writing Sample can be a previously written research-based paper from a college-level course. It should show your ability to think critically, synthesize information, and write at the academic level. Your submission can be on any topic and must be between 3 and 5 pages in length (double-spaced). If you have written a longer paper, you can submit an excerpt of 3-5 chronological pages (it is okay if the submission is out of context). If you do not have a paper from your previous studies, or if you graduated from college several years ago, you may choose to write a 3-5 page paper on a topic of interest. Please choose your best writing to submit for review.  

    If admitted into the program, can I defer? 

    If unexpected circumstances are preventing you from starting your Lesley graduate program in the term you were admitted, you may request to defer your enrollment for up to 1 year. You will be required to submit an enrollment deposit and deferral request form to hold your spot. Learn more about the deferral process.

    I am interested in more than one art modality. Can I apply to multiple programs?  

    Although you can’t apply to more than one specialization, a unique aspect of our program is that you still get exposure to each of the art forms. Meaning, if you chose to pursue Drama Therapy, some of your core courses would still train you in the other expressive therapies in a therapeutic setting. This helps you down the road when you may be working with a client who may not respond to one specific modality. Theory and practice are interwoven into this program’s curriculum.  

    Which prerequisites do I need in order to apply?

    Art Therapy Program

    Completed coursework in:

    Psychology (12 credits, including abnormal psychology and developmental
    psychology, with grades of B or better). Studio Art (18 credits, with grades of B or better). Not all coursework must be complete before you apply. Contact Graduate Admissions for details.

     Dance Therapy Program

    6 credits of completed coursework in psychology with grades of B or better and Anatomy and Kinesiology with a grade of B or higher. Not all coursework must be complete before you apply. Contact Graduate Admissions for details.

    Drama Therapy Program

    6 credits of completed coursework in psychology with grades of B or better. Not all coursework must be complete before you apply. Contact Graduate Admissions for details.

    Expressive Arts Therapy Program

    3 credits of completed coursework in abnormal psychology and 3 credits of completed coursework in developmental psychology with grades of B or better. Not all coursework must be complete before you apply. Contact Graduate Admissions for details.

    Music Therapy Program

    6 credits of completed coursework in psychology with grades of B or better.

    Principles and Practices of Music Therapy (3 credits) or a music therapy course that includes the history and survey of the profession, its theoretical approaches, and its application to various populations.

    Not all coursework must be complete before you apply. Contact Graduate Admissions for details.

    How can I gain experience in the field of human services and learn more about Expressive Therapies? 

    Prospective students can gain human service experience by pursuing community resources through volunteering and observation. This will greatly strengthen an application when ultimately applying to the program. Below are some resources for prospective students to explore: 

    www.volunteermatch.com   

    www.idealist.org 

    Students may also learn about what types of work Expressive Therapists are doing in the field by exploring the resources below: 
     
    Art Therapy: American Art Therapy Association (AATA) 
     
    Expressive Arts Therapy: International Expressive Arts Therapy (IEATA) 
     
    Dance/Movement Therapy: American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) 
     
    Drama Therapy: North American Drama Therapy Association (NADTA) 
     
    Music Therapy: American Music Therapy: American Music Therapy Association (AMTA)   

    Voices – An online journal that looks at social justice through the use of Music Therapy.  

    Jessica Kingsley Publishers – A publishing company that houses reading material for all creative arts therapies. 

    Barcelona Publishers – A publishing company “dedicated entirely to the field of music therapy” with the goal of expanding and moving the field forward.  

    How can I schedule an appointment to learn more? 

    Please click on the links below to schedule a time to meet with admissions or visit our campus.

    Schedule an Appointment with a Graduate Admissions Counselor

    Attend an Information Session or Campus Tour

1,005
Counselors, therapists, and other mental health practitioners were trained at Lesley University in the last 5 years, making us the largest provider of training for licensed mental health counselors in New England.
#1
Massachusetts is the best state in the nation for mental health care according to Mental Health America, with excellent access to care for both youth and adults.
22%
Careers in mental health counseling are expanding, with projections for a 22% increase in job openings from 2018 to 2028. (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Careers
Jobs You Could Have
The field of mental health counseling is expanding rapidly, making this an exciting time to pursue graduate study. Common job titles for people with masters degrees in expressive arts therapy include:
  • Mental Health Therapist
  • Activity Therapist
  • Creative Therapist
  • Art Therapist
  • Recreation Therapist
  • Mental Health Specialist
Careers
Where You Could Work
Massachusetts and the Greater Boston area has a large concentration of medical, healthcare, and mental health-related facilities and organizations. Graduates find careers in a wide range of places, including:
  • Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitals
  • Therapeutic Schools
  • Residential Homes
  • Substance Abuse Clinics
  • Domestic Violence Shelters
  • Nursing Homes and Senior Centers

Faculty

faculty Karen Estrella
Karen Estrella
Professor, Expressive Arts Therapy
Mitchell Kossak
Mitchell Kossak
Professor/Coordinator of Expressive Therapies
faculty-deb-spragg
Deb Spragg
Director of Field Training, Associate Professor, Expressive Therapies
faculty elizabeth kellogg
Elizabeth Kellogg
Temporary Core Faculty, Expressive Arts Therapy
Photograph of Jena Leake smiling at the viewer from the shoulders up.
Jena Leake
Associate Professor, Expressive Therapies
Photograph of Donna Owens smiling facing the camera
Donna Owens
Assistant Professor, Supervisor of Academic Affairs, Expressive Therapies Department Chair
faculty Karen Estrella

Karen Estrella

Professor, Expressive Arts Therapy

Dr. Karen Estrella, LMHC, REAT, MT-BC, ATR-BC, is a professor in the Department of Graduate Expressive Therapies at Lesley University. As a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT), Karen's work focuses on developing expressive arts therapy theory and practice. Her work includes an integrated arts approach to counseling and psychotherapy, and she has spent much of the past 20 years developing competencies and integrating theory in Expressive Arts Therapy.

In addition to being a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist, Karen is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and an active music therapist and art therapist, practicing community-based mental health counseling.

In addition to Expressive Arts Therapy as a unique specialization and discipline, Karen's research interests include issues of professional development and cultural identity for Counselors and Expressive Therapists. Karen has an interest in training, clinical practice, and supervision of Expressive Therapies; multicultural approaches to Expressive Therapies; arts-based and narrative research; psychodynamic psychotherapy and supervision and its applications to Expressive Therapies; and social action and activism through the arts, particularly when integrated with therapeutic practice.

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Scholarship,
Education
Mitchell Kossak

Mitchell Kossak

Professor/Coordinator of Expressive Therapies

Dr. Mitchell Kossak, LMHC, REAT is a professor in the Department of Graduate Expressive Therapies at Lesley University. He served as Department Chair from 2006 to 2013. He was the President and Executive Co-Chair for the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA) 2010-2016. He has been a licensed mental health counselor, since 1994, and is a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT).

He is the Associate Editor of the Journal of Applied Arts and Health and Co-Chair of the Institute for Arts and Health at Lesley University. His clinical work combines expressive arts therapies with body-centered approaches with a variety of populations addressing issues such as chronic pain, recovery from trauma, depression, anxiety, life transitions and relationships. In addition he has worked extensively with autistic children and adults.

Mitchell has trained in a variety of mind body modalities including Polarity Therapy, Craniosacral Therapy, Deep Tissue Massage and Bioenergetics. In Expressive Arts Therapies he has training in music therapy, experimental theater, psychodrama, and authentic movement. He studied Sound Healing with innovators in the field of sacred sound and transformation of consciousness, such as Dr. John Beaulieu author of Music and Sound in the Healing Arts and Silvia Nakkach director of the Vox Mundi Project. In addition to this training, he has studied and practiced energy based healing forms such as Tai Chi, Chi Kung, Vipassana meditation, and Iyengar yoga for over 30 years.

He earned his doctorate from the Union Institute and University in interdisciplinary studies with a concentration in Expressive Arts Therapy and transpersonal psychology. He has written about and presented his research on rhythmic attunement, improvisation, psychospiritual and community-based approaches to working with trauma and embodied states of consciousness at conferences nationally and internationally. He is the author of Attunement in Expressive Arts Therapy:  Toward an Understanding of Embodied Empathy. He is the Associate Editor of The Journal of Applied Arts and Health and Co-Chair of the Institute for Arts and Health at Lesley University. 

Mitchell Kossak is also a professional musician, performing for the past 30 years in the Boston area.

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Scholarship,
Education,
In the News
faculty-deb-spragg

Deb Spragg

Director of Field Training, Associate Professor, Expressive Therapies

Dr. Deb Spragg, Associate Professor in the Department of Graduate Expressive Therapies, has been teaching at Lesley since 2005 when she began as a clinical instructor in supervision. A core faculty member since 2009, Deb has long had a keen interest in the teaching and supervision of Lesley students.

Deb's clinical focus was working with people with psychotic disorders. She championed the use of non-verbal and artistic means for facilitating contact with self and connection to others for hospitalized clients. She worked full-time for 15 years in clinical settings with individuals and groups in hospitals, residential treatment, and private practice.

Deb was also involved in hospice and attending the bereaved. Since joining the Lesley Community on a full-time basis in 2012, Deb has been a mentor to the clinical instructor community in her role as Director of Field Training in the Graduate Expressive Therapies Department.

Her focus is on the role of mindfulness and arts-based inquiry in reducing implicit bias, and she has been heavily involved in cross-university social justice initiatives, including the Lesley University Diversity Council. In her teaching and in her clinical work, Deb has drawn inspiration from her meditation practice. The role of difference in relationships and a relational view of health wellness are her life-long interests.

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Education
faculty elizabeth kellogg

Elizabeth Kellogg

Temporary Core Faculty, Expressive Arts Therapy

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Education
Photograph of Jena Leake smiling at the viewer from the shoulders up.

Jena Leake

Associate Professor, Expressive Therapies

Jena Leake, Ph.D., R.E.A.T. is an artist, registered expressive arts therapist, educator, and consultant who is passionate about supporting others in becoming artists of their lives. Over the past 24 years, Jena has been designing and facilitating expressive arts trainings, workshops, and retreats in a wide variety of settings, including universities, mental health agencies, public schools, art galleries and museums, hospitals, non-profit community organizations, and through her studio-based expressive arts therapy practice in Charlottesville, Virginia. Jena previously served as Assistant Professor at Appalachian State University, teaching in the expressive arts therapy and clinical mental health counseling program. She has a private practice offering expressive arts therapy, creative coaching and mentoring, clinical arts-based supervision for therapists and helping professionals, and consultancy services for organizations interested in developing expressive arts and wellness programs.

As an interdisciplinary practitioner, Jena develops innovative learning environments integrating visual art-making, writing, movement, somatic awareness, and mindfulness practices.  Her research interests include women’s issues across the lifespan, contemplative practices, somatic inquiry, arts-based research, a/r/tography, and communal approaches to healing. Jena is passionate about supporting students in discovering their unique way of belonging to the field of expressive therapies as they cultivate their artistic and clinical skills.

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Selected Publications,
Education
Photograph of Donna Owens smiling facing the camera

Donna Owens

Assistant Professor, Supervisor of Academic Affairs, Expressive Therapies Department Chair

Donna C. Owens (she/her/hers) completed her dissertation research on multicultural counseling competency in the creative arts therapies. Her current research interests include multicultural competency training in the helping professions, use of poetic transcription in evaluation reports, and the role of spirituality in healing.

As an educator, Donna is committed to collaborative, inquiry-based methods, encouraging students to examine deeply the systemic, sociopolitical, and historical issues which are fundamental to understanding the communities in which they work. Donna has been an educator and trainer for many years–training children and youth in participatory action research, conducting train-the-trainer workshops with young adult leaders, and leading a multitude of trainings and workshops for nonprofit staff and managers.

Donna is an evaluation research consultant, specializing in process and outcomes evaluation, performance management, and organizational development. Her evaluation background includes youth development, gender-specific and arts-integrated prevention programming, community-based participatory action research, and mixed-methods evaluation.

Donna maintains membership in the American Evaluation Association (AEA) and the Greater Boston Evaluation Network (GBEN), and participates in the International Society for Evaluation Education (ISEE). Donna currently serves on the board of The Theater Offensive (TTO) and on the editorial board of the Journal of Poetry Therapy (JPT).

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Publications (select),
Education
Total approximate cost for this master's degree program.
Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Expressive Arts Therapy Specialization
  • Tuition
    $1,350/credit x 60
    $81,000
  • Fees
    Field Experience Fees
    $3,400
    Mental Health Field Placement and Licensure Software Subscription
    $200
    Comprehensive Fee
    $1,500
  • Total
Estimated Cost

All graduate students are reviewed for merit scholarships through the admissions process and are awarded at the time of acceptance. Other forms of financial aid are also available. Review all graduate tuition and fees, and what they cover. Tuition and fees are subject to change each year, effective in the Summer term.

  • Tuition
    $1,350/credit x 60
    $81,000
  • Fees
    Field Experience Fees
    $3,400
    Mental Health Field Placement and Licensure Software Subscription
    $200
    Comprehensive Fee
    $1,500
  • Total
Estimated Cost

All graduate students are reviewed for merit scholarships through the admissions process and are awarded at the time of acceptance. Other forms of financial aid are also available. Review all graduate tuition and fees, and what they cover. Tuition and fees are subject to change each year, effective in the Summer term.

Apply Now

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View Full Program Cost
Total approximate cost for this master's degree program. Tuition and fees are for the 2024–2025 academic year.
Financial Aid
Use our step-by-step guide to apply for federal and university funding. Scholarships, grants, Work-Study, and loans. It’s all right here.

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