ABT Pioneered by WCCLF
The World Centre for Creative Learning (WCCL) Foundation is a pioneer organisation in the country training professionals in Arts-Based Therapy. The ABT certificate Course started in 2005-06 in response to lack of systematic, long-term training in the subject. WCCLF have trained over 250 ABT Practitioners from 2005 until 2017.
Since 2015, WCCLF launched a Train-the-Trainer format to create ABT-Educators by inviting select ABT-Practitioners in order to spread the ABT Course to other centres in India, including Mumbai.
A study conducted w.r.t the ABT Course (WCCLF) Machado, N. et al (Tata Institute of Social Sciences 2009), in a paper that won a CII award say, “ABT Course fares better than compatible International Courses on parameters of studentintake, teacher student ratio, tuition fees while maintaining the same international standards on admissions criterion, curriculum and pedagogy, assessment system”
According to the TISS authors, between 2005/06 and 2009, the ABT Course appears to have addressed multiple challenges:
- Availability of Arts-based healers in India
- Integration of a range of Complementary therapies
- Renaissance of traditional and Complementary healing systems
- Making Complementary health education formal and affordable
- Creating knowledge through research
The authors conclude their paper with a commendation of the ABT Course: “The WCCL innovation [ABT Course] is a significant step towards the revival of India’s traditional healing arts. The therapies taught by WCCL are not only artistic, inexpensive and effective; but are also culturally relevant and acceptable in India. WCCL has demonstrated that a range of arts can be integrated in education and treatment. This interplay of different disciplines helps find knowledge at fringes of specialisations; it generates holism and spurs innovation.”