How to become an art therapist
As an art therapist, you can profoundly impact someone's life. Through the creative process, art therapists help support their clients' emotional, mental, and physical health. This guide explains more about a career in art therapy.
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What does an art therapist do?
Art therapists use art to help clients express themselves, deal with emotional issues, and encourage healing. They use art techniques like drawing and sculpture to assess and treat people. These highly trained professionals typically have a background in both art and psychology.
Workplace settings
Art therapists work in various settings, from schools and private practices to senior communities, psychiatric hospitals, community clinics, and other medical facilities.
Required skills
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to be effective as an art therapist, you must be creative, interested in human behavior, and strongly desire to help others. You will also need exceptional listening and communication skills and a lot of patience.
Steps to become an art therapist
Since art therapists are mental health professionals with the required credentials, the training needed to enter this field is as rigorous as other health-related professions. Employers typically require an undergraduate degree in art or psychology and a master's in art therapy from an accredited degree program. Some art therapists also have a doctoral degree.
If you would like to become an art therapist, consider following these steps:
Step 1: Earn an undergraduate degree in studio art or psychology
If you pursue a studio art or psychology major, either is a good start for a career as an art therapist. Before you begin your education, or even while pursuing your degree, you could volunteer at an organization that employs art therapists. Seeing art therapists engage in their work can help determine if you'd like to do this before committing.
Step 2: Earn a master's degree in art therapy
You must have a master's degree in art therapy to practice in an entry-level position. As part of your graduate-level training, you will study creative processes, art therapy assessment and psychodiagnostics, psychological development, group therapy, and research methods.
Art therapy students must typically complete at least 100 hours of supervised practicum, often included in a graduate program, in addition to 600 hours of art therapy clinical internship. Other art and psychology requirements may depend on your program.
Step 3: Pursue an art therapy internship
To be accepted as an art therapy intern, you must be enrolled in undergraduate study or have a bachelor's degree in art therapy, psychology, sociology, social work, or a related program. During the required internship, you'll be supervised by a professional as you gain actual work experience with patients or clients.
Step 4: Earn required licensure and credentials in art therapy
An accredited master's program in art therapy will prepare you to become a registered art therapist. The Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB) outlines these art therapist certifications.
- Registered Art Therapist (ATR) certification ensures that art therapists have completed graduate-level education and post-graduate art therapy work experience. You can obtain a Provisional Registered Art Therapist (ATR-Provisional) certification while pursuing your ATR.
- Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC) is the highest-level certification. The ATR-BC certification requires that art therapists pass a national exam to show comprehensive knowledge of theories and clinical skills. The ATR-BC must be recertified through an exam or continuing education credits every five years.
- Art Therapy Certified Supervisor (ATCS) is an additional certification available to experienced, board-certified art therapists supervising art therapy students.
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