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Dialogic-Diagnostic Arts Therapist Program
Dialogic-Diagnostic Arts Therapy is an innovative therapeutic approach that integrates artistic expression with diagnostic techniques to uncover and address emotional and cognitive processes. The program aims to qualify trainees as licensed Dialogic-Diagnostic Arts Therapy professionals. The significance of arts therapy is also acknowledged by the World Health Organization (WHO), which emphasizes the therapeutic benefits of creative expression in promoting mental health and well-being. Arts therapy under WHO’s framework supports holistic development, encouraging emotional, social, and cognitive growth through non-verbal communication and creative exploration.
Roles and Responsibilities
Dialogic-Diagnostic Arts Therapists (DDATs) are trained to use artistic methods such as drawing, painting, and other visual representations as diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Their responsibilities include conducting assessments through artistic expressions, interpreting the significance of symbols and artifacts, and understanding the latent psyche and mental states of the creator. They utilize various artistic methods, including drawing a house, a tree, a person, and a family, to analyze socio-emotional development and family dynamics. These therapists are also responsible for identifying hidden issues within the depicted scenarios and developing personalized intervention and counseling strategies to address social-emotional and behavioral difficulties.
Practical Therapy Knowledge and Intervention Skills
The program equips trainees with practical therapy knowledge and intervention skills essential for effective practice. Trainees learn to interpret artistic representations as visual manifestations of emotional and cognitive processes, serving as a means of transmitting information. They develop an understanding of artistic methods used as dialogic-diagnostic tools and analyze the significance of symbols, realia, artifacts, genograms, sociograms, and ideograms in visual representations.
Through this training, trainees gain insights into the phases of socio-emotional development and family dynamics, enabling them to identify hidden issues and concerns. They also learn to develop personalized intervention and counseling strategies to address the identified social-emotional and behavioral difficulties.
Who Needs to Be Trained as Dialogic-Diagnostic Arts Therapists?
Training to become a DDAT is crucial for professionals involved in mental health, education, and counseling. This includes psychologists, counselors, social workers, art therapists, and educators who seek to integrate artistic expression into their therapeutic practice. The DDAT program is also beneficial for individuals in related fields who aim to enhance their diagnostic and intervention skills through creative and non-verbal communication methods. Parents and caregivers can also benefit from this training, as it empowers them to understand and support their children’s socio-emotional development through artistic expression.
Program Requirements
1. Academic qualification: Minimum bachelor’s degree. English is preferred to be the medium of instruction for the bachelor’s degree. A score of IELTS 6.5 or equivalent is acceptable if the medium of instruction or first language is not English.
2. Guided learning hours to fulfil: 30 hours per module (150 hours per tier).
3. Internship hours: 220 hours (under supervision at a special education needs setting, counseling center or therapy clinic or hospital).
Program Modules
Credentialed Tier
Module 1: Arts (Drawing/Painting) as the Creative Mode of Communication
Module 2: Developmental Stages of Projective Drawing
Module 3: Types of Arts as Dialogic-Diagnostic Tools
Module 4: Arts (Drawing/Painting) for Socio-Emotional Behavioral Challenges
Module 5: Intervention for Persons with Socio-emotional Behavioral Issues
Registered Tier
Module 1: Psychological Complexes
Module 2: Mandala Assessment and Therapy
Module 3: Self-Awareness & Single Human Figure Projective Drawings
Module 4: Family Dynamics & Family-Centered Circle Drawings
Module 5: Miscellaneous Projective Drawings
Board-certified Tier
Module 1: Colors and Chromatic Analysis of Colored Projective Drawings
Module 2: Collective and Individudal Psyches
Module 3: Understanding Archetypes in Dialogic-Diagnostic Arts Therapy
Module 4: Kinetic Projective Drawing Techniques
Module 5: Case Studies in Dialogic-Diagnostic Arts Therapy
The Dialogic-Diagnostic Arts Therapist Program is delivered by IACT’s authorised training organisation, Merlion Academy.
