Becoming an Art Therapist
It’s an exciting time to enter the mental health field. Whether you are a high schooler exploring career options, an undergraduate honing in on a major, or a professional considering a career change, we hope these insights and resources will help you learn more about the path to becoming an art therapist.
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO BE AN ART THERAPIST?
I discovered the field of art therapy during high school. I have almost always been drawn to the creative process— and the idea of being in a helping profession. So, art therapy seemed like a good fit.
After settling in to undergrad coursework, psychology alone didn't seem quite right. I knew the power of the creative process from personal experience. I confirmed that I would need a master’s degree to do the work I wanted to do (counseling) and I revisited the idea of art therapy. At that point I completed the prerequisites for art therapy master’s programs and continued my training after undergrad.
WHAT TRAITS MIGHT MAKE ME A GOOD ART THERAPIST?
A good therapist is compassionate, empathic, and knows how to hold space for others (you learn this through training, practice, and supervision). A good therapist values continuing education to stay up to date on the latest research to provide evidenced-based interventions. A good therapist does their own work too--working with people brings up our own emotional experiences. We must be able to understand the emotional experiences that occur within our body in order to connect with our clients in a grounded way --ensuring that "our stuff" does not interfere with us holding emotional space for our clients.
"Doing the work" not only includes personal therapy, it also includes peer supervision and working with fellow clinicians to discuss ideas, interventions, and challenges.
I’M IN COLLEGE AND I JUST DISCOVERED ART THERAPY--WHAT CLASSES SHOULD I TAKE NOW?
While every graduate program will have its own requirements, a good place to start if you’re an undergraduate student is with 18 credits of studio art (drawing, painting, pottery) and 9-12 credits of Psychology courses. This could look a lot of different ways as far as a “major” and “minor”--it’s not required that your undergraduate institution have a pre-professional art therapy major. You could double major in art and psychology, or major in one and minor in the other.
WHERE SHOULD I GO TO GRAD SCHOOL? WHERE DID YOU GO?
Because licensing for art therapists and counselors can vary a lot from state to state, if you go to graduate school in the state where you eventually want to practice, that can smooth a lot of complications. Of course, this is a big ask--anyone who has ever made and revisited a “five year plan” knows that life has a way of introducing all variety of detours and diversions.
The best place to read more about accredited art therapy master’s programs is on the American Art Therapy Association’s website. You can also read more about educational standards for these programs here.
I received my master's training in art therapy at George Washington University.
HOW LONG IS THE PROCESS AFTER UNDERGRAD?
Many master's level programs are approximately 61 semester credit hours--2 years of full-time classes with on-site internships (usually unpaid) and supervision. The post-graduate requirements towards licensure can take anywhere from 2-5 years depending on credentialing requirements and access to supervision (for example, in VA, a full-time clinician can participate in 1 hour of supervision per week per 10 hours worked up to 40 hours).
WHAT CERTIFICATIONS OR LICENSES DO I NEED TO WORK AS AN ART THERAPIST?
Historically, art therapists have practiced under a national certification. Over the more recent years, art therapists have worked with state legislators to create Art Therapy Licenses on a state level. Read more about credentials and licensure for art therapists here.
Not only is art therapy licensure essential for title protection, it ensures that services are considered reimbursable for insurance purposes. Many people rely on medical health coverage to access mental health care. This is why many art therapists hold dual credentials in art therapy AND counseling, to make services more accessible for clients.
You can also learn more about art therapy credentials at the Art Therapy Credentials Board’s website.
WHAT IS A TYPICAL DAY LIKE AS AN ART THERAPIST?
A typical day will vary greatly depending on the type of job site.
At Alexandria Art Therapy, LLC, I provide therapy services and function as the owner of the practice / clinical director. My primary services are providing art therapy and counseling for adults seeking support for perinatal mental health, anxiety, depression, trauma, and / or general life stress. During the pandemic, our practice has been providing services virtually, and clients are provided an art kit to participate in art therapy from home. In my current job, I primarily provide individual services, but have also facilitated groups, couples work, and creative arts workshops.
My career has also included work in schools and psychiatric hospitals, working with a variety of mental health needs including behavioral support, trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and substance use disorders. Your role as an art therapist will differ based on the structure of the organization. Most art therapists provide some assortment of individual and group services. I’ll go into what a “typical” individual session is like, and then share a bit more about my experience working in schools and hospitals.
WHAT HAPPENS IN A TYPICAL SESSION?
As a client-centered trauma-informed therapist, I start where the client is. What does that mean? Sometimes that looks like checking in verbally ("how are you feeling today?" or "what's on your mind?") or checking in with a small piece of art (lines, shapes, colors on paper) as a way to focus the session.
When working virtually, clients may create artwork before the session and begin by introducing the art piece to the therapist. We use this as the starting point for our conversation, exploring the content of the artwork and what it might mean.
The check in enables us to have a starting point. Perhaps we are exploring an experience verbally and I prompt the client to create a piece of artwork to look at it on a deeper level. “When you're talking about this experience, what does it look like?” By having something on a piece of paper, it allows us to look at the experience externally, noticing complexity that might be difficult to express verbally.
Art therapy sessions tend to weave art making, discussion, and tuning into somatic experiences (sensations you are experiencing in your body). The therapist's job is to help connect experiences in the present moment with the goals of therapy -- personal growth, healing trauma, or alleviating symptoms (such as anxiety or depression).
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO WORK AS AN ART THERAPIST AT A SCHOOL?
As always, each setting is unique. Some school-based art therapists primarily facilitate groups while others run groups and work with students in individual sessions. Others function as a school counselor, blending art therapy techniques in with their counseling interventions.
In my experience, I was hired at a non-public charter school as the art therapist who provided individual and group art therapy for students who received services through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The IEP outlined services provided by the school to support needs related to a primary diagnosis of Emotional Disability. Art therapy services were focused on promoting healthy social interaction and emotional expression.
Each day I ran 2-4 groups, participated in treatment team meetings, and met with students individually.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO WORK AT A HOSPITAL?
I worked for several years at a psychiatric hospital that provided inpatient, outpatient, and partial hospitalization programming. I was the full-time art therapist on a team of expressive therapists. I provided 4 groups per day and participated in treatment team meetings. I facilitated art therapy groups for children, adolescents, and adults focused on promoting emotional expression in a safe environment for individuals seeking treatment for trauma, substance use, eating disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders, and behavioral needs.
WHAT IS SUPERVISION?
Supervision is a process that clinicians participate in during graduate training and after graduating. Credentialing boards set the requirements for the number of hours, type of supervision (individual vs. group), and qualifying supervisors (e.g. type of clinician: art therapist, licensed professional counselor, psychologist, social worker). Many clinicians do not have access to supervision at their job site and must pay for outside supervision.
Supervision provides the opportunity to work with a seasoned clinician to discuss cases, clinical needs, diagnoses, and grow as a therapist. For all of those times in which a clinician may say "hmm... how can I best support this client with what is happening right now?", supervision provides the opportunity to explore options with an experienced clinician.
It's also a chance to work through semi-personal issues with a clinician's role, identity, and confidence. Where do you feel strong in your role as a clinician? Where might your work with a client tap into your own personal experiences? This is where a supervisor can also recommend "this sounds like something for personal therapy" rather than blend the boundaries of supervision and personal therapy.
Group supervision is a great opportunity to connect with fellow (newer) clinicians. Hearing how other clinicians have approached clinical issues, "stuck" moments, and (for art therapists) art directives / art materials can be so supportive.
Supervision (in some capacity) never really stops. After licensure, it's highly recommended that clinicians continue to connect with fellow clinicians or a supervisor. Clinicians will often participate in a consultation group for similar needs.
Alexandria Art Therapy offers opportunities for individual and group supervision with Laura Miles, LPC, ATR-BC. You can read more about working with Laura here.
HOW DO ART THERAPISTS FIND JOBS?
There is no easy answer to this. Jobs are typically found through sites like indeed.com or through local listservs (like, a graduate school’s art therapy listserv, the Potomac Art Therapy Association listserv, etc). Word of mouth is also a huge resource, as we have a high population of art therapists in the DMV area.
There can be a large deficit of job postings at any given time. Many art therapy graduates seek positions that are not “art therapist” and instead “mental health counselor” to work their way into an organization.
The job field can be very tough.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB OUT OF SCHOOL?
I worked at a vintage clothing store :)
My first job using my clinical skills took approximately 6 months to find. I worked as a PRN Therapeutic Recreation Therapist. PRN typically means that a clinician provides coverage when other team members are out or work on a very part time basis. This position was the latter for me. I provided open art studio groups and a recreation group several times a week on an inpatient psychiatric unit at a medical hospital.
My next job was a full-time art therapist at a psychiatric hospital providing 20 art therapy groups per week for children, adolescents, and adults.
ANY FINAL ADVICE FOR SOMEONE JUST STARTING OUT IN THIS FIELD?
Be patient in the job search, participate in supervision (try to get supervision at your job), and connect with a therapist. Working in the field will bring up your own stuff--it's essential to have a space to address what comes up for you and process it so that it does not impact your ability to hold space for clients.
If you have individualized questions about finding your way in the art therapy field, a personal consultation can really help. Adele offers consultation services for prospective practitioners, as well as for established therapists exploring starting their own private practice. Email info@alexandriaarttherapy.com for rates and scheduling.
You can also find more about becoming an art therapist in our download, available for purchase.
