Art therapy interviews ask two things at once: can you talk about people, and can you talk about your art? Some programs add an art-making workshop or a recorded video. Here is what named programs say, from their own admissions pages.
From art therapy programs’ own admissions pagesFall 2027 admissionChecked October 28, 2026
Practice with a mock interviewOne-on-one on Zoom with Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP.
Jump to:FormatsArt tasks and portfolioPractice questionsHow to prepareFAQ
Interview formats at named programs
| Program | Format | What their page says |
|---|---|---|
| Old Dominion University (Counseling and Art Therapy) | All day, in person | “The all-day in-person interview dates are as follows”: January 29, February 26, February 27, and March 5, 2027. Source |
| NYU Steinhardt | Interview plus art workshop | “A select number of applicants will be invited to attend an interview and workshop.” The workshop has three art tasks. Source |
| Loyola Marymount (MFT with art therapy) | Recorded video, then virtual group | “You will be asked to answer four interview questions in 10 minutes.” Then a virtual group interview on February 6 or 7, 2027. Source |
| Southwestern College (Santa Fe) | Required, with admissions staff | For its MA in Art Therapy for Clinical Professionals: “In order to be accepted, applicants must have an interview with a member of the Admissions staff.” Source |
| School of the Art Institute of Chicago | By invitation | “Select applicants may be invited for an interview, however an interview is not necessarily required for an admission decision.” Source |
Art tasks, videos, and your portfolio
- Art workshop. At NYU, “The workshop is composed of three art tasks assigned for the purpose of getting to know the applicants’ styles of expressing their thoughts and ideas pictorially.” (NYU)
- Recorded video. At LMU, “Note that the questions will be provided before you start to record, but will not appear when you begin to record.” It recommends you print or write out the questions first (LMU).
- Portfolio. SAIC says your portfolio “should demonstrate sustained artistic practice, with emphasis on the applicant’s ability to articulate the relationship between their studio practice and their interest in art therapy.” (SAIC) LMU asks you to choose one piece and write about its meaning and psychological content in about 300 words.
Southwestern College says “the applicant’s presentation of self, including communication and reflective skills in the admissions interview, are critical factors in the determination of acceptance into this program.” (Southwestern College) Reflection is the key word: be ready to say what your own art does for you, and why that matters for clients.
Practice questions
Most programs don’t publish their questions. These are my practice prompts, not questions any program has published:
- Why art therapy, and not art education or counseling alone?
- Pick one piece from your portfolio. What does it mean to you, and what was happening when you made it?
- How does making art help you, and how might it help a client?
- Tell us about a time you worked with someone in distress.
- How would you respond if a client didn’t want to make art in a session?
- What populations do you hope to work with?
- Why our program?
How to prepare
- Know your portfolio. Choose two pieces you can talk about for two minutes each.
- Practice making art in front of others if your program has a workshop, as NYU does.
- Rehearse reflective answers. Southwestern College names communication and reflective skills.
- Write out recorded questions first if your video hides them while recording, as LMU’s does.
- Block the day. ODU’s interviews are all day, in person.
Your interviewers may have your application in front of them, so reread your own art therapy personal statement before the interview. If you haven’t submitted yet, see our art therapy personal statement examples, or work with Lauren Hammond, PhD, our personal statement editor.
For counseling, MFT, and MSW programs, see our counseling program interview guide and our MFT interview guide.
Practice with a real interviewer before the real one. My wife, Julie Cunningham, MA, CCC-SLP, is a licensed speech-language pathologist who runs mock interviews on Zoom for art therapy applicants. She coaches every format: one-on-one, panel, MMI, and recorded video interviews such as Kira Talent. She works on how your answers come across: clear key words, pace, voice, filler words, organizing an answer so it has a point, staying steady when you’re nervous, and how you look and sound on camera. It’s $250 an hour.
Frequently asked questions
Do art therapy programs interview?
Most on this page do. Southwestern College requires an interview for acceptance, while SAIC says an interview is not necessarily required for an admission decision.
Is there an art task in an art therapy interview?
At NYU, yes. Invited applicants attend an interview and a workshop with three art tasks.
Do art therapy programs use video interviews?
Loyola Marymount does: four questions in 10 minutes, with the questions hidden once recording starts, followed by a virtual group interview.
What do art therapy interviewers look for?
Southwestern College names your presentation of self, including communication and reflective skills, as critical factors in acceptance.
Related guides: Clinical psychology, Counseling programs, Marriage and family therapy, and Social work (MSW). See all interview guides by program.
Every date and quotation on this page comes from the program’s own admissions page, linked where it appears. Some of these pages give no cycle year; we used them only where they describe the program’s current process. Last checked October 28, 2026.