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  #1  
Old August 10th, 2005, 05:19 PM
Keggys Keggys is offline
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Location: Long Island
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Default Any advice welcomed... recent graduate

I finished my program last May and have been job hunting since. The pickins are slim, and I am not at all picky. I have applied for all sorts of jobs and lower pays than I ever dreamed I would consider, lower than what I made twenty years ago as an office clerk. I really need to work since my massive student loan payments are now due.

I am getting a bit frustrated. The 3 interviews I have been on this summer all looked like they would pan out, and did not. I have an excellent gpa and great references that never get checked.

I have been considering getting some other credentials to make me more marketable. I considered getting certified in ABA since I have always been interested in working with children with autism (my daughter is HFA). But after searching out jobs for that today, I saw that wouldn't do much more for me.

If you have any suggestions or advice I would love to hear them. I did my internship in a psychiatric facility and there are few (if any?) populations I wouldn't enjoy working with.
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Old August 14th, 2005, 12:03 PM
hmazloomian hmazloomian is offline
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Location: Evanston, IL
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Default Re: Any advice welcomed... recent graduate

Art therapy is still in its pioneering stage in spite of its relatively long history. Most people who are in the position to provide funding for it do not truly understand the power it has to help in the healing of their clients. They see it as a good diversion at best and only if the financial situation is rosy. Art therapists, in my view, have to do everything and more just to be accepted and understood. Many from amongst our ranks are leaving because it is hard to make a living (read my opinion bellow regarding “the future of art therapy”). I think we need to help one another and work together (please read “Art therapist s working together” bellow). At the moment career development is limited to you own resourcefulness and belief in the profession. I have been over the last six years to develop two art therapy programs and to do several workshops in places that had no idea what art therapy was. However, I dare say, if I had put the same painstaking work in getting licensed, board certified and sent my material out in read state I would now will be very financially comfortable. But I seem not to be able to leave the profession. If took me a very long time to find something that brought all my interests together and Art therapy is a profession that I can do well and passionately believe in. You have to answer a lot of these questions yourself but these are some of the challenges. Ultimately you have to start by the belief that art therapy is a great way to help people and it is the natural way you can involve yourself in the process of healing. Then you go about educating others and attempt to make a decent living.
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  #3  
Old August 14th, 2005, 03:05 PM
Keggys Keggys is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Long Island
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Default Re: Any advice welcomed... recent graduate

Ah yes, I read your other posts. I agree with you that we should be helping each other out, but I don't see a lot of that happening where I am.

It seems to me that the newer graduates (like myself) are in a bigger bind. We can't go out and do workshops on art therapy. Not only may we not feel comfortable doing that yet, but because of the new legislature.. in some areas you really can't do that. For the past few years while doing grad school I had a few ideas of what to do when I finished, in the way of creating my own job.. But with the new regs, you really need a AT behind you to do them.
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Old August 21st, 2005, 01:51 AM
Artaide Artaide is offline
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Location: Montréal, Quebec
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Arrow Re: Any advice welcomed... recent graduate

Best way to go about locating a job Keggy, is to network in the right circles. I suggest you join the Arts in Therapy egroup, where you can access other professionals in the field, read job postings as they become available and get to know who is who in the field.

The Arts in Therapy egroup is 6 years old, is restricted to professional and students in the field, is international in scope, is email based and private (only approved members receive postings).
Join the 340 international members by following the instructions at the link provided http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/art_therapy/

Francine Lévesque Dpa, MA, [PhD in progress]
Art therapist, AiT egroup owner/manager
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  #5  
Old August 30th, 2005, 07:51 PM
Keggys Keggys is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Long Island
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Default Re: Any advice welcomed... recent graduate

Thanks for your help. I found a job I start this week.
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