By McDaniel College
After extensive theoretical and administrative preparation and a successful course approval process with the home campus, McDaniel’s new Art Therapy minor welcomed its first students in the Fall 2026 semester. The program grew out of a simple idea. Psychology and Art are two of the College’s very popular traditional programs, both with large enrollments and high-quality teaching. Finding a professional relationship between these areas could open up a new field in the true spirit of the liberal arts. For some students, this field may even become a profession of its own within applied psychology. Careful preparation was not enough on its own. The launch also depended on good timing, so that the right conditions came together at the right moment. The process was coordinated and guided by Prof. Zsófia Görömbei, Dr. Christopher Cox, Dr. Matthew Adamson, and McDaniel alumna in Psychology, Éva Törzsök-Connolly contributed her professional expertise to bring it to life.
Éva Törzsök-Connolly
Éva is a complex art therapist and pedagogical therapist specializing in mental and developmental conditions such as autism and ADHD. She has experience in applied psychological and art-therapy research, and more than ten years’ practice in art therapy and mental health across clinical, social and educational settings. As a member of multidisciplinary teams, she has helped develop several clinical good practices in special educational needs (SEN) rehabilitation with art therapy, including state child-and adolescent rehabilitations and somatic wards. She teaches at the Faculty of Special Education of the University of Miskolc. She also serves as an art therapy tutor for the Catharsis Complex Art Therapy method in state-accredited teacher training programmes in Hungary. As part of her doctoral studies in psychotherapy, she leads a research project on self-discovery art therapy groups for autistic adults. She has written and co-written numerous publications and conference presentations. Their topics include art therapy in pediatric rehabilitation, psychosocial crises in adulthood, and the clinical use of catharsis Complex Art Therapy. Among them is a chapter in A gyermekrehabilitáció sajátosságai (The Specifics of Child Rehabilitation, Medicina, 2018).
The minor introduces the theory and practice of art therapy to students of Fine Arts or Psychology who want to explore where the two disciplines meet. Its two core courses cover the main principles and approaches of art therapy. The curriculum also includes about 25 hours of hands-on self-experience in the creative process. The courses address the key theoretical areas required for entry into postgraduate art therapy programs in the US and the EU, which supports students who want to continue at master’s level. Completing the minor alone, however, does not qualify graduates for licensure or professional practice.
Early feedback from the first cohort has been very positive. The teaching draws on relevant, first-hand professional experience, and every session also includes a self-experience exercise focused on personal growth. Students describe these exercises as calming and supportive, and say they help them draw on their inner resources. The exercises also give students first-hand insight into how the method works. Students say they especially welcome these calming effects during the exam period.
Photos by Éva Törzsök-Connolly
