Art Therapy Minors

Alumni Profiles

• Sarah Baracos

  “SUNY Plattsburgh’s art therapy minor has truly changed my life. I had never heard of art therapy prior to attending SUNY Plattsburgh. My academic adviser at Plattsburgh knew my love of art but also knew how much I wanted to help others. SUNY Plattsburgh’s program was introduced to me during my sophomore year of school. I was encouraged to take the intro to art therapy class to see if it was something I was interested in. The introductory class changed my life! I fell in love with art therapy and knew this was the field I wanted to be in.

  “All the classes that are mandatory for the minor were also mandatory in order to get into a master’s program in art therapy. I found all of SUNY Plattsburgh’s classes helpful and knowledgeable. The minor really prepared me for my master’s degree in the field. Right now I’m currently finishing up my master’s degree in art therapy at Hofstra University (Long Island, N.Y.). The Hofstra art therapy program is absolutely amazing. I couldn’t have picked a better program for myself.

  “SUNY Plattsburgh truly has an amazing art therapy minor! Hofstra University was very impressed by it!”

• Sarah Hosmer

  “I feel as though I learned a lot as I finished the art therapy minor at Plattsburgh last year, but most of all I valued the practicum experience. Working with the children at a local public school really opened my eyes to the true fit art therapy is for me. Not only was I reading about art therapy and how to apply it in a therapeutic setting, I was also given the opportunity to put the ideas into practice.

  “I chose to attend Lesley University (Cambridge, Mass.) in pursuit of a master’s degree in expressive therapies with specializations in both art therapy and mental health counseling. Overall, I could not be more excited about my future in this field and thankful for the strong foundation SUNY Plattsburgh gave me.”

• Cherie Crowningshield

  “Art therapy practicum (PSY 301) has provided me the opportunity to utilize the skills learned in previous classes, while simultaneously working with children in a therapeutic art-making environment.

  “Through my experiences, I have also grown as an individual. I have gained valuable insight on how art therapy can be utilized in a public school setting. In working with children with disabilities, I have found that art can help children communicate their feelings, conscious or unconscious, when verbal language fails … this experience has provided me with the opportunity to share my passion for art while helping students express themselves in an alternative manner.”

• Omewha Beaton

  “The art therapy program at SUNY Plattsburgh has both a practical and theoretical component to it. My practicum at the Traumatic Brain Injury Center at the college was an experience of a lifetime.

  “I find art therapy to be an important medium for healing mental and physical needs. I strongly believe the dynamics of art therapy is underestimated. I am excited about the art therapy minor being a part of the SUNY Plattsburgh curriculum.”