Course overview
BA Creative Therapeutic Practice City of Bristol CollegeAre you curious about how creativity can support wellbeing? Do you want to learn how the arts are used in health and social care? Are you passionate about working creatively with people?
The BA (Hons) Creative Therapeutic Practice is a full-time degree that prepares you to work in the growing field of creative health. You’ll explore how creativity and the arts can positively impact both physical and emotional wellbeing, and how they are being integrated into a wide range of community, health, and social care settings.
Throughout the course, you will engage with a variety of therapeutic approaches and explore the theory and practice behind them. You’ll work across diverse art forms including visual arts, crafts, drama, music, movement, and creative writing, learning how each can be applied to support wellbeing in different contexts.
You’ll also explore the role of nature connection and how creative practice that links with nature, both indoors and out, can enhance wellbeing at both an individual and community level.
The course is experiential and reflective, offering opportunities for personal enquiry, development, and growth. You’ll also engage in ethical discussions around sustainability, inequality, and the evolving role of artificial intelligence in creative health.
You’ll be taught by experienced practitioners and collaborate with a wide range of local organisations, gaining real-world, hands-on experience alongside your academic learning.
Apply through UCAS
Institution name: BCBC
Institution code: B20
Course code: X337
Campus code: J
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Dates and applications
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| Course Code | Dates | Days | Hours per week | Start Time | Location | Fee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HBF1368D01-1 | 14/09/2026 - 23/06/2029 | Date/Day(s) Being Finalised | 11.03 | 09:30 | College Green Centre |
This course is still in its planning phase; course details - including fee information - are subject to change. In June, course details will be finalised and enrolment will open.
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Additional information
Who is this course for?
This degree course is designed for those who already work with, or have a desire to support individuals to become more expressive and communicative using drama, music, movement, art and creative writing. You might be working in a care, health or education setting and have become interested in the impact of working creatively, or you might have an established creative practice and want to learn more about how to apply it when working with people.
What you'll learn
By the end of the Creative Therapeutic Practice degree course you will have developed the skills and awareness to work in a variety of settings using creative arts to support health and wellbeing.
Modules may include:
- Groups and Play
- Facilitating Creativity
- Arts and Health 1: Understanding the Field
- Creative Reflection and Personal Development
- Ethical and Inclusive Practice
- Professional Practice
- Exploring Drama and Story
- Exploring Movement
- Exploring Art Materials
- Exploring Music and Sounds
- Arts and Health 2: Contextual Issues and Health Inequalities
- Arts Management
- Creativity and Nature
- Facilitating Creativity Remotely
- Representations of Health
- Independent Project and Extended Essay
Throughout the BA Creative Therapeutic Practice, you will work in a practical placement setting in order to gain skills and enable the integration of theory and practice.
Every undergraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the course aims, the course structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.
The modules shown for this course are those currently being studied by our students, or are proposed new modules. Please note that programme structures and individual modules are subject to amendment from time to time as part of the university’s curriculum enrichment programme and in line with changes in the university’s policies and requirements.
Course entry requirements
You will need the following to join the BA Creative Therapeutic Practice:
- 80 UCAS points or an Access to Higher Education Diploma
- Related employment and qualifications are welcomed
- Satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Services (DBS) check for working with vulnerable adults and children. All information will be treated in confidence.
- Attendance at interview
We will take significant relevant work experience into account where appropriate. This must be directly relevant to the field of Creative therapeutic Practice and will be discussed and investigated at the interview.
All applications are considered on an individual basis.
How is the course delivered and assessed?
The course is taught at our Ashley Down centre.
Please note: this is an in-person course. Many of the classes are experiential and learning comes from your experience in the group. it is important that you are able to attend college regularly
You will be assessed via a range of methods including:
- Reflective writing
- Reports and essays
- Group projects
- Practical creative assessments
- Presentations
Future career and study opportunities
Graduates will be able to work therapeutically using the creative arts in art, health, care or education contexts. Work may be in the statutory sector or community/voluntary settings.
If you already work in creative arts and/or in one of these settings, this award will enhance your existing skills and your employment potential.
On completion of the programme students could apply to progress to Master’s programmes in Creative Therapies or Arts in Health.
Additional costs
Once accepted on the Creative Arts Therapy Studies foundation degree course, and prior to enrolling, you must complete the DBS (Disclose and Barring Service) application at a cost of £55. Once enrolled, students must receive a satisfactory DBS disclosure to continue on the course.
As a City of Bristol College student, you may incur additional costs to attend your course. For example, it is likely you may need to pay for travel and stationery.
Many courses offer learning opportunities that you may need to pay for. This may include things like study visits and visiting speakers. We will let you know in advance if there will be additional costs.
