Dianne Dulicai

Training the creative arts therapist: Identity with integration

The most difficult issue facing educators of creative arts therapists in the 1980s and 1990s is how to continue to prosper in the present social and economic ambiance. Diminished financial resources available to support a mental health system in the United States have produced forces that demand that creative arts therapists collectively make a case for their efficacy and cost effectiveness. Accepting this premise leads to the conclusion that the graduates of creative arts therapy programs must be prepared to face that challenge. Therefore, a comprehensive ongoing program evaluation is required to continually measure progress in preparing students for this challenge. In assessing the academic and clinical qualifications required of the professiona therapist, three major goals in education emerge: (a) the graduate must be a competent team member and be able to maintain a professional and competent identity as a therapist; (b) the graduate must be taught the most updated concepts in the mental health disciplines, and trained and experienced with an increasingly widening population; and (c) the graduate must be trained to be at least a competent consumer of research and to be at least capable of participating with a research team. As educators, the authors have looked at these goals for graduates and continue to reevaluate whether we are meeting the goals. in this article we summarize the means of addressing these competencies. This represents only one view of the problems of growth and development of our profession in this period. As with any program in any discipline, the context in which it is placed, in our case a university Mental Health Sciences Department and Hospital, affects perspective and to a degree defines limitations .

Memories… and deeds

Israel Zwerling, M.D., Ph.D., passed away last year. He was a man who made things possible—a man who helped people make their dreams come true. In order to convey how he was the guiding force and support in the development of dance therapy the feeling of the times will be portrayed in a personal manner.