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Art Therapy Certification for Careers in the United States and Abroad
Art therapy is an expanding field that is gaining more acceptance as a form of psychotherapy. With roots in both psychology and art, it is now governed by its own national and international associations. Professional art therapists are master’s level practitioners who don’t necessarily need certification to practice in the field. However, new art therapists may be required to obtain a state license. To become a Board Certified art therapist in the United States, one must be certified through the Art Therapy Credentials Board. Many other countries have their own certification processes as well. Certification has its advantages and can allow for more career opportunities, as well as providing a clear structure of principles and ethics to guide the practice.
Art Therapy Certification in the United States
A U.S. based art therapist can begin with the entry level credentials through the Art Therapy Credentials Board. The first tier is a registered art therapist, or ATR. This requires the successful completion of a graduate-level education in art therapy from an accredited university, practicum and internship experience, and documented, supervised post-graduate clinical experience. Once recognized as an ATR, individuals can apply for Board Certification, or an ATR-BC. For certification, the registered art therapist must pass a nationwide exam that focuses on the theories and clinical skills associated with art therapy. Art therapists outside of the United States who wish to apply for Board Certification must complete an equivalency review for each of their courses. The review must be conducted by an Art Therapy Credentials Board-approved reviewing organization. Art therapists who possess skills and training in supervision have the option of applying to become an Art Therapy Certified Supervisor, of ATCS.
Obtaining certification requires dedication and a substantial amount of coursework and clinical experience. While certification is not always required to become a professional art therapist, the minimum requirement is a master’s degree in art therapy or counseling and related fields with a focus on art therapy. The American Art Therapy Association (AATA) states that while attending a master’s program, individuals must study and complete studio art in a variety of mediums to demonstrate artistic competency. Online college may suffice for this, but check and see if the college of your choice is credentialed. Students must also take a minimum of 48 graduate semester credits, including courses in psychology and abnormal psychology, and successfully participate in supervised practicums and internships.
Upon graduation, students are required to complete 1,000 hours of direct client contact in order to apply for an ATR, or registered art therapist certification. Upon obtaining an ATR, the Art Therapy Credentials Board allows individuals to apply for Board Certification. Board Certification is contingent on passing an examination. Exams are held once per year at the Art Therapy Credentials Board’s annual conference and simultaneously in four other U.S. cities. However, options exist to accommodate special circumstances. Licensing varies by state and some art therapists are licensed but not nationally certified. In some states individuals can become licensed as art therapists, creative arts therapistr mental health counselors. Individuals contact their state licensing board for the specific criteria.
International Art Therapy Certification
Since art therapy is a relatively new field, many countries don’t regulate the practice. Art therapists must contact their country’s governmental or regulatory boards that monitor mental health practices to find out about the certification process. Global associations, such as the International Association for Art, Creativity and Therapy (http://www.igkgt-iaact.com/), exist to serve as a way to guide and structure the field of art therapy on a worldwide basis. Various countries have associations and boards to certify art therapists, such as The Art Therapists Society of Thailand, The Hong Kong Association of Art Therapists, The Swedish National Association for Art Therapists, The European Consortium for Arts Therapies Educators, and The British Association of Art Therapists. India and most countries in Africa do not require certification, but do have organizations to promote art therapy and allow professionals to connect with one another.
As art therapy garners more attention, the number of worldwide certification programs will likely increase. While one doesn’t need a certification to become a professional art therapist in the United States, state licensure is often required. A national certification from the Art Therapy Credentials Board can result in more art therapist job opportunities and allow one to work nationwide. Continuing education courses are abundant, making it convenient to maintain this certification. A Board Certification reinforces to employers that an individual has completed all of the steps in order to practice effective art therapy.
**This is a user-contributed article by Justin Birch.
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Filed as Career Education | Comments (11)11 Responses to “Art Therapy Certification for Careers in the United States and Abroad”
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Thank you for the nice article. I am a Dutch Art Therapist I sometimes practice abroad. Now still as volunteer since getting my diploma accredited is not easy. Even though it fits the high standards set in the Netherlands, other country’s have different subjects and therefore do not easy acknowledge a Dutch/foreign degree. I hope that it will work through international association, Art Therapist should unite
As a way to protect and maintain the standards and ethics of the art therapy profession, you need to have the ATR or ATR-BC in order to call yourself an art therapist (in the US, anyway). This is important because there are so many nuances to the work. Someone who does not have the proper education or credentialing may not have all the resources needed to keep clients safe.
Hi–thanks so much for the great article. I am wondering about certificate programs which can lead already licensed therapists to become certified as art therapists. As a licensed professional counselor in the state of Virgina, I have already completed a master’s degree, had the required internship and residency, supervision and been granted license to practice as a clinician. I use a lot of expressive art-based techniques (also movement and yoga based) but I would love to pursue a certification in art therapy without going through another master’s program. Are there options for people like me?
@Karla
There are Art Therapy certificate programs and you can become a registered and board certified art therapist after earning the certificate. Marylhurst University’s Art Therapy Counseling program (where I teach) has a certificate in Art Therapy. You can check it out at: http://www.marylhurst.edu/arttherapy/cert-arttherapy.php
Saint Mary of-the-Woods College has a distance learning program for a Masters in Art Therapy that has received the necessary nod from the AATA as an approved program.
I thank the writer for this information, and just at the right time. Many of my classmates have questions regarding the certification process. Many have expressed that there is not enough information available as to the process. Kind of like a what to do next type of situation. I will pass the article on to my fellow classmates. Once again Thanks.
I find the topic of art therapy to be extremely interesting and consistent with my experience and interest which is expressive writing. I suspect the two strategies, writing and art, yield similar results because they both engage our brains in a non-linear fashion, facilitating reflective thinking, which I believe is the key to improving our emotional intelligence. I have had significant success in helping people improve their effectiveness through expressive writing and applaud the achievements in the other expressive arts.
thank you for this opportunity you give me to express myself.i am a Camerounian who study five years psychomotricity in my Country,so now i want to have Art therapist certificate,because i use Africa dance to work with my mentals patients.please can i follow courses online with your struture to get my certificate,and developped in this new field. i am so happy that at last we can have certificate as Art therapist.i ask you to give me this opportinity to helped Africa with this.hope you consider my request,because i helped so many people improving their state and behaviour.i believe they is hope and the raison to be happy.
Hi there !I am from Lebanon! I’m so grateful to this site ! it’s awesome to find art therapy “center” on line . I am an artist and I did a version of art therapy as part of my thesis program that I did with cancer children at my local hospital .I saw the transformation and the change from negative energy to positive ..it has been 2 years for me that Im searching for a site that can provide me online coarses in art therapy but there is none .Being an art therapist is my vocation and my passionate dream ! kindly ask you all if you know any online programs that provide art therapy coarses ,the universe will be grateful to you and you’ll get miracles ! I have 2 B.A’s one in psychology and another in Education and as well an M.A in clinical psychology ! waiting your genuine reply .keep shining you all !
Hi friends i thought that you will respond to my request,please can i have detail in how to take courses on line.because my thesis is Africa danse as therapy,so please i need your help to stand my courses urgently.Also we created an Association call ROPHE were we want to developped art therapy,we want to believe that you will contact us to build together this larger new area of therapy in Africa.thanks our e-mail;rophefoundation@yahoo.fr
Hello,
I really liked this blog because it fully explains all the work of going into art therapy. Art therapy is a new occupation out there and i’m hoping to be able to find a job in art therapy. The thing I was confused about is where to find a hospital that will accept a art therapist and how the salaries are going to be. Anyways, I like this blog and its very easy to read helps me understand the process.