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"About two years ago I decided that I
wanted to be an art therapist. There are only about 30 graduate schools
in the country that offer a Master's Degree in Art Therapy. CNR was my
first choice."
Joyce Bellish
Class of
2009
Art
Therapy/Counseling
Graduate School
The College of New Rochelle
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Joyce, tell us something about your
family and where you are from?
I was born in the Bronx, New York. I
currently live in Ossining, New York with my husband and I have two
children. My daughter is away at college and is a sophomore, and my son
is a sophomore in high school.
Where did you go to college for your undergraduate degree?
I graduated from
SUNY/University of Buffalo in 1979. I spent 2006-2007 at Westchester
Community College getting the undergraduate credits I would need for
grad school (all 30 of them!)
Why did you decide to attend The College
of New Rochelle?
About two years ago I decided that I
wanted to be an art therapist. There are only about 30 graduate schools
in the country that offer a Master's Degree in Art Therapy. CNR was my
first choice. I also looked at the program at the New York University.
I was really impressed with CNR's emphasis on developing the artist
within the student and the wider range of theory and technique that was
taught. It was also more affordable. I think the school goes out of its
way to make itself affordable. When I went to the Open House, listening
to the director of financial aid, I really felt that she would sit down
with me and figure out some way to make it possible to attend. I'm
doing this full-time and not working. As my husband said, he hadn't
planned on having 2 "kids" in college at the same time! CNR has
certainly made it easier for us!
What are you studying, Joyce?
I'm getting my degree in Art
Therapy/Counseling.
Do you have any favorite teachers?
Tough question. So
far, I have had four teachers. Joanna Astor was my Collage &
Assemblage professor during the summer graduate institute. She did more
to help me develop as an artist then any teacher had done previously.
Dr. Patricia St. John, Associate Professor of Art Therapy and Art
Education in the Graduate School, knows the stress and confusion that
comes with starting graduate school and has done so much to help
eliminate all of that. Professor Carolyn Szala also does an amazing job
presenting the material. I wish she would teach more classes. I have
Robert Wolf, Professor of Art Studio, for two classes. I think the most
meaningful experiences I have had in the program so far have been in
Professor Wolf’s Psychology of Art Materials class and his Dream
Seminar class. He helps us truly understand what it would be like for
the client in the therapeutic relationship as well as the therapist.
Experiencing art materials first hand in the context of art therapy in
his Psychology of Art Materials class has been an amazing journey for
me. I've learned so much about myself and grown in ways I could never
have imagined. I think his Dream Seminar should be a required course
for the program. He poses tough questions, frequently about our own
reactions and feelings to the material, encourages us to experiment
with new ideas and offers tremendous support.
What has surprised you the most about the
Graduate School?
I really didn't know what to expect, so I
can't say I was surprised about anything. I'm just very impressed
with the quality of the teaching, the tremendous amount of knowledge my
classmates bring to the table and the resources available.
Do you have a job on campus?
Yes, I was fortunate to be offered a
Graduate Assistantship and I work in the Graduate School Dean's Office.
When do you expect to graduate?
I expect to graduate
in May of 2009.
What are your career plans?
My goal is to practice art therapy,
working with adults in an institutional setting and perhaps one day
work in private practice.
To
find out if CNR is the right choice for you, please contact:
Graduate School
Office
of the Dean
The College of New
Rochelle
29 Castle Place
New Rochelle, NY 10805
914-654-5334
email: gs@cnr.edu
