Distance Learning Program

Overview

For people living further away from Toronto, we offer a Graduate Level Diploma in Art Therapy Distance Learning (DL) Program. While the majority of the program is delivered online, it includes 176 hours of mandatory in-person, on-campus classroom learning through two 2-week intensive semesters.

As with the onsite program, the DL program includes 3 components: 16-months of accelerated full-time coursework, 600 hours of practicum, and a major research project. Students have up to two years after the last date of coursework to complete the practicum and research project components. Typically, the full program takes approximately 2-3 years to complete.

Most courses in the DL program are delivered asynchronously through an online learning platform, where students access weekly course materials and participate in learning through recorded lectures, videos, readings, discussion forums, and sharing of reflections and artwork. A number of courses are delivered synchronously via Zoom, including the Group Art Therapy Experiential course throughout the 16 months of coursework.

Both onsite and distance learning programs at TATI are cohort-based. This means that each cohort of students progress through the 16 months of coursework together.

The DL program is offered once per year (January start date), and we accept up to 15 students in each DL program cohort.

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.

Residency: Students must be residing in Canada for the duration of enrollment in the program due to limitations with providing liability insurance for practicum placements outside the country. The Distance Learning program is intended for students who live at least 100km from our campus in Toronto, who cannot attend Saturday classes for religious reasons, or who have accessibility needs that make attending weekly onsite classes infeasible.

International students: At this time, we are regrettably not able to accept applications from international applicants. For more information please see the following notice: https://tati.on.ca/distance-learning-program/#InterInfo

Distance Learning students are responsible for securing their own transportation to and accommodations in Toronto, and the costs of these, for the onsite intensive semesters.

Info Sessions:

Online information sessions are held before each application deadline and are hosted by TATI instructors & staff to share information about art therapy, the TATI program, and application process, and to answer questions.

Past Info Session:

January 2026 Distance Learning Program Admissions

Friday May 30, 2025

12:00-1:30 ET via Zoom

Upcoming Info Session:

We will be hosting an info session towards the end of September 2025 during the application period for the May 2026 onsite program. Sign up here to be notified when registration opens for the May 2026 onsite program admissions information session.

Distance Learning
Curriculum

For further details including course descriptions, please see the Distance Learning Program Calendar.

In order to access TATI’s remote learning platform and join classes via Zoom, students need to have stable internet connection, a computer with camera and microphone, a camera or mobile device to photograph artwork, and preferably a private space and headphones for attending class (required for Group Art Therapy Experiential to ensure confidentiality for all classmates). Students will also need to have Zoom installed on their computer or device. For more details about using Zoom, please see the Zoom New User Guide.

Group Art Therapy Experiential
Theories and Ways of Knowing in Psychotherapy Practices
Practicum Preparation
The History and Development of the Profession of Art Therapy
Ethics and Art Therapy
Principles of Group Therapy Process

At TATI in Toronto, over 11 days (Monday to Friday, Sunday to Friday)

Introduction to CBT and DBT in Art Therapy
Trauma-Informed Art Therapy (Part 1)
Art Therapy with Older Adults
Medical Art Therapy
Advanced Studio: Therapeutic Puppetry
Art Therapy and Mindfulness

Group Art Therapy Experiential
Cultural Humility and Art Therapy
Child and Adolescent Development and Art Therapy
Art Therapy and Mental Health
Art Therapy, Spirituality, Grief and Loss
Art Therapy in Diverse Settings
Trauma-Informed Art Therapy (Part 2)

Group Art Therapy Experiential
Family and Couple Therapy
Indigenous Issues, Health and Art Therapy
Research Methods in Art Therapy
Art Therapy Assessment Methods
Art Therapy in Diverse Settings
Advanced Studio: Eco-Art Therapy

At TATI in Toronto, over 11 days (Monday to Friday, Sunday to Friday)

Group Art Therapy Experiential
Digital Art Therapy
Art Therapy for Eating and Body Image Concerns
Group Clinical Supervision
Advanced Studio: Art Hives
Public and Private Practice in Art Therapy: Finding, Attaining & Creating Employment as an Art Therapist

*subject to changes for each cohort – this is to give a general idea of semester dates for the Distance Learning program.

Semester 1	16 weeks of remote instruction January to April One week break in March Asynchronous instruction via an online learning platform, with some live components over Zoom.
Semester 2 (on-site)	11 days of on-site instruction Early/mid May Monday-Friday of week 1 and Sunday-Friday of week 2, classes 9:30am-6:30pm (one hour lunch break each day).
Semester 3	16 weeks of remote instruction July/August to November One week break in late Aug/early Sept Asynchronous instruction via an online learning platform, with some live components over Zoom.
Semester 4	16 weeks of remote instruction December to April Two breaks: 1-2 weeks in December, one week in March Asynchronous instruction via an online learning platform, with some live components over Zoom.
Semester 5 (on-site)	11 days of on-site instruction Late April Monday-Friday of week 1 and Sunday-Friday of week 2, classes 9:30am-6:30pm (one hour lunch break each day).

Tuition and Fees

Tuition Fee: The total tuition for the program is $18,800.00.* Tuition is paid in four installments, each in the amount of $4,700. Tuition payments are due at the beginning of each 4 month quarter of the 16 months of coursework.

*The above tuition fee amount is effective as of January 2025. It does not affect the tuition fee for students enrolled/beginning program sooner than January 2025.

Major Research Project Advisement Fee: An additional fee of $1,300.00 is required when students begin their major research project, usually at the end of coursework.

Program Extension: The completion due date of all practicum hours and the major research project is 2 years from the last day of semester 5. If students do not maintain contact with the program and progress in practicum and/or major research project after coursework, and the two-year completion due date has passed, the student will be recorded as inactive in the program. If at or after this time the student would like to continue practicum and/or major research project, they must pay a fee of $200 in order to reinstate their active student status in the program. For details please see Current Student & Alumni.

The Toronto Art Therapy Institute is registered as a career college under the Ontario Career Colleges Act, 2005 and receives no government funding. Tuition fee paid is eligible for the T2202 tuition certificate.

We are not registered with the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).

Important Dates

2025-2026 Admissions

*updated in July 2025*

Applications for our September 2025 onsite program and January 2026 Distance Learning Program are now closed.

We will be accepting applications for our May 2026 onsite program from September 2 – October 31, 2025.*

*NOTE: the timeline for May 2026 onsite program applications (previously announced as August 1 – September 30) has been moved forward by one month, with a new application deadline of October 31, 2025.

The deadline to open an application file is 7 calendar days before the application deadline, and applications must be completed by 12pm (noon) ET on the closing date of each application period.

Due to our review timeline and process we do not accept late applications. Incomplete applications are kept on file for one year and can be transferred over for completion during another admissions period within the year, by request.

Prerequisites and Application Process

A bachelor’s degree from a recognized university:
- A major, minor, or courses taken in fine or studio arts is highly preferable.
- A major, minor, or courses taken in relevant areas of studies relating to the care profession or human services is highly preferable, such as psychology, equity studies, social work, child and youth studies, disability studies, education, and health studies.
- If bachelor’s degree is not in one of the above areas of studies, professional or volunteer experiences in support or facilitation roles in mental health settings, social services, or community-based programs will also be considered.
Must have consistent and ongoing engagement with arts-making through academic, professional, personal, or community-based practices.

Applicant opens an applicant file with us by completing the application intake form a minimum of 7 calendar days before the application deadline (purple button on this page → “click here to open an applicant file with us.”). Please open a file with us before having any application related documents sent in.
Applicant submits all required application documents (please see next section below) and application fee by the specified deadline.
The admissions committee will review all completed applications.
Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for a virtual interview with the admissions committed.
Admission decisions will be communicated to all applicants at least two months before the program start date.

1. Official academic transcripts

Electronic copy of the official transcript(s) emailed to us directly from the academic institution(s) or via a secure third party service (e.g. MyCreds) to admissions@tati.on.ca. If an e-copy is not available, please have your transcript(s) couriered to our office at

Toronto Art Therapy Institute
124 Merton Street, Unit 407
Toronto, ON, M4S 2Z2

If you are currently in the final semester of your bachelor level degree and your transcript does not yet list a degree conferral/graduation date, we also require a letter emailed to us directly from your university’s registrar’s office or from a departmental academic advisor to confirm your completion or imminent completion of all requirements needed to graduate. If this applies to you, please note that you will be required to have an updated transcript with graduation date sent to us prior to enrollment/program start if you are offered admission.

If your degree was completed outside Canada, the United States, or the United Kingdom, we require a degree equivalency certificate from an organization such as WES or ICAS. If your original transcript is in English, a simple degree equivalency certificate along with the original transcript is enough. If your original transcript is in a language other than English, please select the “course-by-course” analysis/translation service. Transcripts from academic institutions outside of the above countries without equivalency certificates/ course-by-course translations will not be processed.

If English is not your first language and you have not previously completed post-secondary studies with English-language instruction, please provide English proficiency test results.

2. Three reference letters:

Two professional and/or academic reference letters from individuals who can comment on your suitability for art therapy training and practice from the perspective of a supervisory role in relation to you, the applicant.

One character reference letter from an individual who can comment on your suitability for art therapy training and practice, but is not a family member or close friend.

All three letters must be signed and emailed to us directly from the individuals writing the letters. Please have your reference letter writers complete the following linked PDF reference form and email it to admissions@tati.on.ca.

3. Statement of Interest:

Describe how your lived experiences contribute to your interest in pursuing art therapy as a profession.
Describe how your education, professional training, and/or volunteer involvements might prepare you for training in art therapy.
Describe why you wish to pursue art therapy training specifically at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute.

Maximum 5 pages double-spaced.

4. CV or resume

Applicant’s up-to-date CV or resume.

5. A portfolio of your artwork

10 images of artwork created by the applicant, and selected to demonstrate ongoing engagement with arts-making, personal creative and reflective process, and range of medium.
Include a brief statement for each image in regard to your reflections on the creative process and the image.

Please combine all images into one PDF file with the statements (other file formats not accepted).

TIP: Canva is a free online tool with which you can create compositions of images and text, and save as a PDF: https://www.canva.com/

6. Signed PDF application form

Click the “Download the PDF Application Form” button on this page to access the form. It is a fillable PDF.

7. Non-refundable $180.00 CAD Application Fee

Applicant will receive payment instructions when the application file is opened. Application will not be processed unless all documents are received and application fee is paid by the specified deadline.

Please begin by opening an applicant file with us by filling out the application intake form (purple button on this page → “click here to open an applicant file with us”). You can begin the application process anytime by completing this form, within a minimum of 7 calendar days before the application deadline. Please open a file with us before having any application related documents sent in. .
Submit your application documents during the specified application period for the program you are applying to (see “application deadlines” below).
- Transcripts and reference letters must be sent to us directly from the institutions(s) and from the individuals writing the references, to admissions@tati.on.ca.
- All remaining documents must be sent to us by the applicant, in a single email with the subject line Application: First name Last name to admissions@tati.on.ca
- Please do not combine all application items into one file. We require each document as a separate file for our processing system.

Application period opening and closing dates for our 2025-2026 admissions cycle are as follows:

Program/Start Date	Application Period Opening Date	Application Period Closing Date (Deadline)
On-Site Program – September 2025 start	January 6, 2025	February 28, 2025 by 12pm ET (noon)
Distance Learning Program – January 2026 start	May 1, 2025	June 30, 2025 by 12pm ET (noon)
On-Site Program – May 2026 start	September 2, 2025	October 31, 2025 by 12pm ET (noon)

The deadline to open an application file is 7 calendar days before the corresponding application deadline.

All application documents and payment of the application fee must be received by 12pm (noon) ET on the application period closing date in order for the application to be processed.

Please refer to the section above “how to submit the required application documents” for further details on the application submission process.

Click here to open an applicant file with us

Download the PDF Application Form

Testimonials

Thanks so much for everything… I am currently making a living as an art therapist at 6 different worksites (including groups and individual sessions with people with addictions, brain-injured clients, survivors of domestic violence, children and teens who have witnessed domestic violence, and people with severe mental illness) and I am always looking to expand my practice — I am currently proposing seniors groups at the various local retirement homes. I’m working in Lindsay, Sutton, Port Perry and Port Hope.
I cannot tell you what a difference my time at TATI has made in my life, and how grateful I am to you, and to all my instructors and supervisors.
I am so proud to say that I am an art therapist.
In 2013 The Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General awarded me a Victim Services Award of Distinction for textile art project with survivors of domestic violence in Kawartha Lakes.

Annalisa Danowski
DTATI

International Students

Important update: TATI is not able to accept applications from international applicants until further notice, due to a federal government decision in January 2024 regarding the cap on international study permits. For more information please click here to read our notice.

Language Requirements:

If you apply to either the On-Site or Distance Learning programs at TATI, TATI reserves the right to request a successfully completed language proficiency test. Language test scores are reviewed in combination with academic credentials to determine your admissibility to TATI.

You may meet our English-language requirements if you have successfully completed one of the following:

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language

Computer: 220
Paper: 560
iBT: 83

IELTS: International English Language Testing Service

Score in Academic: 6.5

Degree Equivalency Certificate

If your degree was completed outside Canada, the United States, or the United Kingdom, we require a degree equivalency certificate from an organization such as WES or ICAS. Transcripts from academic institutions outside of the above countries without equivalency certificates will not be processed.

International Credential Assessment Service of Canada (ICAS): www.icascanada.ca

World Education Services (WES): www.wes.org/ca

Practicum

As with the on-site program, students are required to complete 600 hours of practicum and a major research project in order to qualify for graduation.

PRACTICUM SITE LIST