The Arts Therapies were introduced into Poland through the pioneering work of music therapists at The Music Academy in Wrocław in the mid-1980s. At the same time a training course in Arts Therapies, entitled “Culture Therapy” was introduced at The University of Medical Sciences in Poznań.

In Poland the term art therapy is used in two senses:

1. in the strict sense, it is therapy through fine arts

2. in a broader sense, it describes forms of therapy which use different types of arts

The division has been operating since 1988. The classification of arts therapies includes art therapy in the strict sense, music therapy, dance therapy, dramatherapy, bibliotherapy, poetry therapy, play therapy, ecotherapy, and so forth.

The first regular training course entitled Early Education with Arts Therapies was held at the A. Mickiewicz University in Poznań, through the Department of Pedagogy and Arts in Kalisz. Wroclaw University was the first university to award doctorates in pedagogy, with specialisms in arts therapies and was also the first university in Poland to receive full Membership of ECArTE (2007).

The Arts Therapies have been growing progressively over the last two decades with a number of institutions offering training in music therapy, art therapy, bibliotherapy and dance therapy.

Art Therapy

Most training programmes are postgraduate courses. Bachelor and Masters programmes are offered in both art and music therapy at the following institutions in Poland:

Programmes are offered at the following institutions:

1. The Academia Ignatianum in Krakow * - masters programme

2. The University of Zielona Góra – bachelor programme

3. State University of Applied Sciences in Nowy Sącz – bachelor’s studies as a part of an Art education programme

4. The Pedagogical University in Krakow - postgraduate studies

5. The Maria Grzegorzewska Academy of Special Pedagogy in Warszawa - postgraduate studies (Art therapy with Therapeutic Pedagogy)

6. The Silesian University in Katowice - masters programme, and a new arts therapies training course is conducted jointly with The K. Szymanowski Music Academy, and the University of Medicine in Katowice.

7. The State University of Applied Sciences in Sosnowiec – postgraduate studies.

8. The Karol Godula Upper Silesian Academy of Entrepreneurship in Chorzów - bachelor programme (full-time and part-time studies).

9. UMCS Lublin Art therapy with Psychology of Creativity - postgraduate and bachelor programme (full-time and part-time studies).

10. University of Lower Silesia in Wrocław – postgraduate studies.

Doctoral programmes in the Arts Therapies tend to be offered under the auspices of Pedagogy, Fine Arts, and Psychology programmes.

Music Therapy

Programmes are offered at the following institutions:

1. The Music Academy in Wrocław - postgraduate studies

2. The Music Academy in Łódź – bachelor studies

3. K. Szymanowski Music Academy in Katowice – postgraduate studies

4. Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin – postgraduate studies

Dance Movement Therapy

The Polish Institute for Dance Movement Psychotherapy in Warsaw offers a 4-year postgraduate training (part-time) in Dance Movement Psychotherapy.

Dramatherapy

Dramatherapy is a specialization of the Arts Therapy programme at The University of Zielona Góra

Bibliotherapy

Wtroclaw University – postgraduate

The profession of Art therapist and Music therapist have had state recognition since 2015

(https://stat.gov.pl/Klasyfikacje/doc/kzs/pdf/KZiSDzU28-08-2014poz1145.pdf)

(http://prawo.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/download.xsp/WDU20170001643/O/D20171643.pdf)

There are two music therapy associations in Poland: The Polish Association of Music Therapists, founded in 1996; and the Music Therapy Association in Lublin, founded in 2012.

The Polish Association of Music Therapists collaborates closely with the Music Therapy Department of Music Academy in Wrocław, particularly in teaching and research. It has around a hundred members and represents the interests of the majority of Polish music therapists. Since 2002 it has published its own journal, Polish Music Therapy.

Art therapy in Poland is conducted in a range of different settings including medical and psychiatric hospitals, special needs schools, occupational therapy and private practice.

More information on the Professional Associations can be found at:

1. Association of Polish Arts Therapists Kajros founded in 2003: www.kajros.pl

2. Association Psychiatry and Art: www.psychiatriaisztuka.pl

3. Polish Association of Therapy through Art: www.arteterapia.pl

4. The Polish Association of Music Therapists: www.muzykoterapia.pl

5. The Music Therapy Association: www.arteterapia.pl

6. The Polish Bibliotherapy Society e-mail: biblioterapiatow@gmail.com

The Association of Polish Arts Therapist Kajros cooperates with universities (standards of education) and promotes ECArTE’s ideas and events

The Arts-Based Research (ABR) methodology was introduced at Ignatianum University in Cracow in 2024, allowing arts therapies students to carry out research projects, as part of their Master's theses, based on original projects of impact through the arts using multiple art modalities: music, dance, film, hortitherapy, visual arts, drawing, poetry and others.