Our Community

We invite you to join our community of academics, practitioners, and students from around the world who are interested in using the arts therapeutically. We look forward to getting to know you and to your contributions to the community.

If you would like to join our newsletter mailing list, we will send you a free paper on the benefits of art-making, as well as periodic emails of interest. Please complete the form below – it is free and you can always unsubscribe if you decide it is not for you.

Once you have become a student of the Oxford College of Arts and Therapies (OCAT), we will send you information on how to access the forum and the other ways in which you can interact with the community and faculty.

Please also check out our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, which addresses a range of common questions about training, OCAT, and arts therapies.

We would love to hear from you and especially if you would like to contribute Blog entries for this site and photos for the OCAT community Instagram. It would be great to share the results of your work, particularly if you have completed our art-based exercises and courses.

Our Courses

We currently offer four art therapy courses, with others in development. The first is An Introduction to Art Therapy, which gives a good basic introduction to art therapy. It is similar in content to what you might expect of a one-day training. The Introduction forms the first part of our more substantial Foundation in Art Therapy. This goes into much greater depth and is similar in content to a five-day on-site training. We also offer two Continuing Professional Development courses.

Here's what some of our users have to say

“I have wanted to become an art therapist since the age of sixteen. After now turning twenty-one and nearing the end of my fine art degree, I was caught worrying for my future due to being afraid of starting the next step. I was afraid of not having the knowledge to support my application for the degree course I needed to get into. It has been extremely hard gaining access to information and training for art therapy where I live which left me feeling at a dead end. I was introduced to these courses by a friend, and I am so glad I was! These courses have given me a major insight into art therapy and what is expected of myself and potential clients, I now cannot wait to train as an art therapist. They were informative, easy following, as well as professional, and I truly recommend them to anyone considering art therapy as their next career goal. After completing these courses I am excited and ready to build up my portfolio and get applying for the degree course that will get me into this amazing career.”

Katie-Jane Thomson
Margate, United Kingdom

“I have worked in establishing and promoting the fair trade fashion industry over the past 30 years and have seen slavery, child labour, the aftermath of war, and abuse of all kinds. I’ve also seen first-hand the healing power of people making art, doing crafts, and being creative. I wanted to learn more about this and chose OCAT’s courses because of the well-known faculty members and that I could go through the material whenever it suited me. I really enjoyed the courses and well-structured modules. I especially valued the videos of practitioners and clients talking about their experiences of art therapy. Clearly a lot of time and effort went into making these courses and for me they were worth every penny.”

Safia Minney MBE
London, United Kingdom

Oxford College of Arts & Therapies Community

About You

What's on your mind?

Our Courses

Free Sample!

Introduction to Art Therapy

Art Therapy Foundation

CPD: When thinking fails: Mentalization-based a...

CPD: Group Leadership Style: Reflective practic...

CPD: Studio and Open Groups

Gift Voucher: Art Therapy Foundation

Gift Voucher: Introduction to Art Therapy

Here's what some of our users have to say