EUROPEAN CONSORTIUM FOR
ARTS THERAPIES EDUCATION
History of Art Therapy in Croatia
As in most countries around the world, Croatia has also taken the first steps in the development of art therapy within psychiatry and clinical psychology. Art in psychiatry has been firts documented through the works of patients at Psychiatric Hospitals „Vrapče“ and „Stenjevec“ since the end of the 19th century. The promotion of holistic health, including artistic expression, began with Dr. Gostl in the early 20th century, who worked with the notable Croatian painter Slava Raškaj, who was hospitalized there from 1902 to 1906. Soon, a collection of patients' art was formed, and this interest was passed down to subsequent generations. The renowned book by Dr. Pražić (1987), among other professional writings, discusses art in psychiatry from a scientific perspective. Today, in psychiatric clinics throughout the country—particularly those in the cities of Rab and Zagreb, which are immensely active—there is a strong inclination towards art. In clinical psychology, art has been present as part of assessments and tests, and in recent years there are increasingly more connections and points of intersection.
The first official education of art therapy started in 2016. with the opening of the University Specialist Study of Arts Therapies, with Art Therapy Program as one of the four existing modalities, at the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University, Academy of Art and Culture in Osijek. There are also art therapists educated outside Croatia who are offering informal shorter courses and education in expressive art therapy and art therapy.
The Croatian Association of Art Therapy (HART) was established by alumni of first cohort of Croatian Art Therapist (M.Jankovic-Shentser, J.Pacek, J.Kovacevic, M.Rubesa, J.Bukvic, K.Stojanovski) in 2018. to promote the practice and understanding of art therapy in Croatia. HART now serves as a professional organization for art therapists, providing resources, and support for practitioners in the field. The association also aims to raise public awareness about the benefits of art therapy in mental health and well-being. Over the past few years, it has evolved into a leading regional association for art therapy with a dedicated team of qualified professionals. HART is a full member of the European Federation of Art Therapists. https://www.harterapija.com/
History of Dance Movement Therapy in Croatia
Dance and movement as a form of therapy or rehabilitation have been applied in working with different populations since the 1970s (e.g. hearing and speech impairments and other conditions as a part of Verbotonal metod at SUVAG policlinic). Psychiatric clinics ''Vrapce'' and ''Sveti Ivan'' in Zagreb formally approved clinical applications of group dance movement therapy in a form of clinical practice since 2012. as well as many other NGO-s dealing with specific populations in need of additional supporting psychotherapeutic programs (e.g. Everything for Her, Associations for psychological support to women cured of breast cancer).
Dance Movement Therapy as a profession started to develop in Croatia in 2010. by the first 4yrs professional education set by the educational standards of the European Association Dance Movement Therapy EADMT, organised by Terpsichore Association in Zagreb. The program of the education was structured and led by Pennelope Ann Best, senior RDMP, RC supervisor, and educator (UK), and run by other UK senior professionals. The education was carried out under the name Dance Movement Psychotherapy following the same route of professional recognition as in the UK and although not formally recognised by the Croatian higher education authorities it was structured as MA equivalent and recognised by the EADMT professional educational standards.
Croatian Association for dance movement psychotherapy (HUPPP) http://www.huppp.hr/ was founded in 2012. by S. Janković Marušić (president), V. Kurjan Manestar (vice president) & J. Špoljarić (secretary) while there were still students of the first generation of education. Croatian Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy was admitted in EADMT to associate membership at the first EADMT conference iin 2014. Although dance movement therapy has not been formally recognized as one of the psychotherapeutic approaches by EAP (European Association of Psychotherapy) as well as in the majority of EU countries, Croatian Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy was nevertheless admitted to membership at the Union of psychotherapy associations of Croatia (SPUH) in 2015 while SPUH was preparing a new proposition of legislation concerning a Psychotherapy as an independent profession in Croatia. Students of this education can get professional recognition by applying at Croatian Chamber of Psychotherapists as psychotherapist or councelor, depending of their previous main profession.
The first official university education of dance movement therapy started in 2016 with the opening of the University Specialist Study of Arts Therapies, with Dance Movement Therapy at University of Osijek.
Croatian Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy was admitted to basic membership at EADMT in 2024, and as a national professional organization has approved both existing professional educations in Croatia and encourages students and certified new members to join in to keep professional standards and continuous professional development according to EADMT.
History of Music therapy in Croatia
Music therapy as a discipline began to develop in Croatia in the 1960s when rehabilitation centers started introducing music as a therapeutic tool. In the 1970s, music therapy was established at the „Vrapče“ Psychiatric Institution in Zagreb, which also published several books on the application of music therapy. In the early 1990s, the first music therapy study program was launched at the Academy of Music in Zagreb, although it did not last very long.
Since 1999, music therapists have been registered as health professionals. The Croatian Association of Music Therapists (HUM) https://www.muzikoterapeuti.hr/ was founded and began educating interested participants. This was followed by programs at the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation in Zagreb (ERF), and in 2016, the University Specialist Study of Arts Therapies was established at the Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek, where Musictherapy is one of 4 possible mayors.
History of Drama therapy in Croatia
A wide range of theater practices related to dramatherapy have been developed since the 1970s and have appeared under various names, such as community theater, educational theater, theater for education, theater for progress, forum theater, and others. In the 1990s, a broad and diverse field of theater practices emerged under the name of applied theater. Zlatko Bastasic, considered a pioneer of drama therapy in Croatia, introduced puppetry into psychotherapy in the 1980s. He has organized workshops and training sessions for therapists interested in using puppetry, aiming to demonstrate its effectiveness in facilitating communication and expression. Additionally, his involvement with puppetry often includes collaboration with theater groups and educational institutions to create resources for practitioners. Puppets made from wood by Bastasic were used in both psychotherapy and education. Family relationships were mirrored in puppet play, and unconscious conflicts were symbolized.
The formal beginning of drama therapy in Croatia started in 2016 with the establishment of the Postgraduate University Specialist Study of Arts Therapies, which includes a Drama Therapy Program. There is no Dramatherapy Association established in Croatia yet.
Croatia has only one academic ECARTE-approved program for educating Arts therapists, based at J.J.Strossmayer University of Osijek. It unites the capacities of the Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek, the Faculty of Medicine in Osijek, Faculty of Health Sciences and Dental Medicine, and the Clinical Hospital in Osijek. University Specialist Study Program of Arts Therapies has four separate mayors
· Art Therapy,
· Dance Movement Therapy
· Music Therapy,
· Drama Therapy.
http://www.uaos.unios.hr/eng/postgraduate-specialist-study-programme-creative-therapies/
The program was established in 2016. , and was approved by ECARTE in 2024.
University of Osijek is a public university, government recognized, and the program is based on Bologna Declaration objectives with BAMA System. The enclosed program is carried out as a Postgraduate program with requires applicant applying into the program to have completed MA program in arts, social sciences, humanities or health sciences (visual arts, music, theatre, dance, psychology, social pedagogy, social work, education and rehabilitation, pedagogy, medicine, ect.)
In each modality curriculum, there are segments of
· Artistic classes: to include the artistic and experiential practice of a particular field (visual arts, music, theatre, or dance /movement)
· Medical classes: to include psychological and psychotherapeutic approaches
· Arts therapies classes: to include basic principles, theories, and practices of a specific single modality
· Research class and Final Research Thesis: to include an introduction to the research of the particular modality as well as extensive final thesis
· Supervised clinical practice: to include number of clinical hours working directly with clients and supervision/intervision hours
· Elective classes: to include an introduction to other nonmajor modalities, as well as additional art and medical classes
· It is recommended that students go to personal therapy throughout the entire course of studies.
Titles awarded are on the postgraduate level:
Postgraduate Specialist in Arts Therapies , (univ.spec.art. therap.) with specialization in Art Therapy or Music Therapy or Drama Therapy or Dance Movement Therapy
After repeated appeals in the period of 2019 to 2023 to the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare regarding the process of including new professions of creative therapists in the National Classifcation of Occupations (The documents title NKZ 10), in March 2023 the president of the The Committee for creating occupational standards of Creative therapists, Sanela Janković Marusic, appointed by the Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek, Croatia, managed to get included all 4 modalities of creative therapies in the table of NKZ 10 according to the Decision on determining the list of individual occupations according to NKZ 10, under the common name Arts therapist code 2269
It is important to note that creative therapies moved from the lower category of occupation at NKZ 10 under number 3 - health technicians, code 3229.14.6 (art therapist) and code 3229.13.6 musictherapist (the only two modalities which were previously listed),to the higher category of occupation under number 2 - health experts under the new code 2269, which includes higher acquired qualifcations and expertise at master or postgraduate level of education, and all 4 modalities including dance movement therapists and drama therapists.
Research in all four disciplines—art therapy, dance movement therapy, music therapy, and dramatherapy—is part of the curriculum of the University Specialty Program in Arts Therapies at University of Osijek, at the postgraduate level. Students are expected to conduct research and write a thesis as their final paper.
Therefore, research in the field of arts therapies is primarily conducted by students in the Postgraduate Study of Creative Therapies, but there is also a significant amount of research coming from related fields such as education, rehabilitation, psychology, medicine, and art.
Most of the research conducted by students includes case studies, systematic reviews, and heuristic studies. All students research thesis are available at the digital repository of the Academy of Arts and Culture in Osijek
The Croatian Art Therapy Association is a publisher of the international Journal for Art Therapy, “Transfer”, which published its second edition in 2025. The journal is oriented towards research in art therapy and related sciences, initiating, inspiring, and communicating research in art therapy and promoting professional connections.
