The Toronto Art Therapy Institute (TATI), established in 1968, was the first art therapy training program in Canada. We offer a Graduate Level Diploma in Art Therapy (DTATI) in two program formats (Onsite and Distance Learning).

Through a curriculum that includes a wide range of topics, we offer training for students to integrate art practices with theories and skills in psychotherapy with individuals, groups, adults, children, youth, older adults, couples, families, and diverse communities.

The TATI curriculum is delivered by art therapists, mental health practitioners and scholars with a diversity of experiences and outstanding contributions in their fields, as well as a shared commitment to ethical practices and social transformation in therapeutic arts-making. The program emphasizes arts-based collaboration and self-reflexivity in practice and research, grounded in critical reflection and application of theories. Students and the teaching team (instructors, supervisors, research advisors) actively co-create supportive learning environments both in the classroom and in the field, engaging in knowledge production and capacity-building that foster professional advancement, personal growth, as well as contribution to community well-being.

The TATI Graduate Level Diploma in Art Therapy Programs are recognized by the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) for both the academic and clinical experience (practicum) components. Completion of the TATI program meets the education requirement for registering with the CRPO. Please see here for further information on CRPO application and registration requirements.

TATI is also an approved training program by the Canadian Art Therapy Association (CATA). Students may join CATA for student membership. Graduates from TATI may apply for professional membership. With the completion of additional requirements, professional members may also apply to become registered members of CATA. For more information about CATA membership types please see the association’s website.

TATI is registered as a career college under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005. It is also a registered Canadian charitable organization (reg no. 891466591 RR 0001).

As a community of learners and educators, TATI is committed to anti-colonial, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive approaches in our teaching and therapeutic practices, as well as contributing to the continual transformation and decolonization of the art therapy and psychotherapy professions. We support individual and collective healing alongside and within diverse communities, while working to centre the experiences and perspectives of Indigenous, Black, and racialized communities, as well as communities who have been, and are ongoingly, marginalized and subjugated through colonial structures.