AFRATAPEM
- Ecole d’Art-thérapie de Tours
School of Arts Therapy
3 rue Calmette – 37540 St Cyr/Loire
FRANCE
Tél. +33 (0)2 47 51 86 20
Fax +33 (0)2 47 51 76 23
Definitions
« Arts
Therapy is the use of the Artistic potential of each individual for therapeutic
and humanitarian goals. »
Tout savoir sur l’Art-Thérapie, Favre éditions, Lausanne, 2000 p.10
Arts Therapies are destined for people
experiencing problems in the fields of expression, communication or
relationships.
Sessions of Arts Therapy are prescribed by a
Doctor in accordance with patients who have a predisposition to the Arts (Music,
Painting, sculpture, Calligraphy, Dance, Drama, Mime, etc.).
Arts Therapies represent an original use of the
expressive and communicative power of Art applied to a therapeutic context.
Artistic skills are necessary for the arts therapist.
The Tours School of Arts Therapies has based
its teachings on the results of research by the Association Française de Recherches et
d’Applications des Techniques Artistiques en Pédagogie Et Médecine
(AFRATAPEM), an internationally reputed organisation in the field of Arts
Therapies and creator of the very first French University Diploma.
What is
an Arts Therapist ?
An Arts Therapist is a member of a
multi-disciplinary healthcare team, able to establish an appropriate protocol
for a course of treatment (therapeutic objectives, clinical observations ,
evaluation etc.) and put these into practice.
Clients with different problems can benefit
from an Arts Therapy workshop. Arts Therapy is used with children, adolescents,
adults and older adult groups to treat the following :
Alzheimer, age-related issues, physical, cognitive and neurological problems,
eating disorders, behavioural difficulties, psychiatric problems, illiteracy,
social exclusion, educational difficulties, etc. Arts therapy projects are
found in a number of settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, special
schools, homeless shelters etc.
The Arts Therapist is specialised in the use of
Artistic activities in a Medical and Social healthcare context in collaboration
with a multi-disciplinary team.
The Arts Therapist is able to work in numerous
institutions, both Public and Private (Health, Social, Education…) such as
Occupational therapy Centres, Special Schools, Hospitals and Clinics.
Nowadays, the Diplomas in Arts Therapies from
Tours and Poitiers are vocational qualifications officially recognised by the
current French Code of Working Practise.
The Arts
Therapist is not a Psychotherapist using the medium of Art.
(S)he does not
interpret the work of art
(S)he uses an artistic
activity to activate or reorganise the processes of expression, communication
and relation. (S)he is skilled in the application of a
variety of art modalities in a treatment context.
The Arts Therapist uses a working method
The Arts Therapist possesses numerous
professional skills based upon a therapeutic rigour and a scientific approach.
The Arts therapist uses a working method in
response to precise therapeutic objectives determined by the Therapist in
accordance with the general aims of a multi-disciplinary healthcare team.
The Arts Therapist possesses skills which allow
him/her to suggest an appropriate treatment protocol and a course of Art
Therapy based on observation and analysis. Following on from evaluation, an
Arts Therapist is able to construct a clear, concise, justified and
comprehensible report.
Becoming
an Arts Therapist
The Arts Therapist qualification is obtained
after qualifying in the following :
Specialised Practitioner in Arts
Therapies, pre-University Foundation Course (Professional training course)
University Diploma in Arts Therapies
(University Course – Practical work and Research)
Completion of the full
2 years of the Course is required to work as an Arts Therapist.
An Arts Therapist may work in France with a
private practice (Profession Libérale),
as an Employee of an Institution (under contract or tenure) and/or create a non-profit making organisation (Association loi 1901)
Professional
Training
Qualified Arts Therapists may attend AFRATAPEM
professional training courses for further training in order to develop
contacts, update professional practice, exchange ideas and participate in
Research into Arts Therapy.
Research
It is possible for Arts therapists to
participate in Research into Arts Therapies, to apply for a place on a
Postgraduate programme in a French University, such as the Sorbonne, Paris
(contact us for more details).
Artistique techniques : Music-Therapy,
Dance Therapy etc.
Art requires techniques (Music, Dance, Fine
Arts, Poetry etc.)
An Arts Therapist may exploit these artistic
techniques
Therefore an Arts Therapist specialised in
music may be called a Music-Therapist, an Arts Therapist specialised in dance
may be called a Dance-therapist
Etc.
The Professional Training course is generalised
(Arts Therapy), the University Diploma Course allows for specialisation.
Arts Therapists may practice in France or in
Europe (past graduates now work in Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Korea, Greece…)