Art Therapists

Career summary

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Art therapists work with clients to help them process emotions and deal with difficult situations. They interview clients to gather information. Then they help the patient select an art form to use during therapy sessions.

Art therapists work with a variety of clients, including children, the elderly, and those with emotional or development issues. They work in a variety of settings, including:

• Nursing homes
• Psychiatric hospitals
• Mental health centers
• Schools
• Detention centers

Art therapists usually let their client choose the type of art they wish to work with. Mediums include:

• Crayons
• Markers
• Paint
• Chalk
• Clay
• Found objects

Once a client has completed a project, the therapist helps the client interpret the emotions behind the work. For many people, expressing themselves through art is easier than talking about their feelings directly.

Art therapists keep detailed records about each therapy session. They often work with other care providers, such as social workers.

Related careers

This career is part of the Health Science cluster of careers.

Related careers include:

• Addictions Counselors
• Fine Artists
• Music Therapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Recreation Workers
• Recreational Therapists
• Rehabilitation Counselors
• School Counselors
• Social Workers
• Special Education Teachers
• Speech Pathologists and Audiologists

Job duties

Task list

The following list of tasks is specific to art therapists.

• Talk with clients during therapy sessions to build relationships and acknowledge progress.
• Conduct therapy sessions to help clients deal with emotional and physical problems.
• Design art therapy sessions and programs to meet a client's goals.
• Interpret client art to assess their needs or progress.
• Write treatment plans, case summaries, and progress reports.
• Observe client reactions to therapy projects.
• Work with clients to set up goals.
• Gather client information from various sources, including interviews, family members, and observation.
• Analyze client data to make recommendations.
• Use drawing, painting, sculpting, or other artistic processes to help clients.
• Deliver findings and recommendations.
• Customize art therapy programs for schools, nursing homes, prisons, and hospitals.
• Purchase and prepare equipment and tools for therapy sessions.
• Talk with other professionals about a client's treatment plan.
• Supervise staff, volunteers, and interns.
• Keep up-to-date on art therapy and treatment research.

Common work activities

Art therapists perform the following tasks. These tasks are common to many careers.

• Assist and care for others
• Think creatively
• Establish and maintain relationships
• Document and record information
• Communicate with supervisors, peers, or subordinates
• Explain the meaning of information to others
• Perform for or work with the public
• Get information needed to do the job
• Make decisions and solve problems
• Resolve conflicts and negotiate with others
• Develop goals and strategies
• Organize, plan, and prioritize work
• Update and use job-related knowledge
• Coach others
• Identify objects, actions, and events
• Monitor events, materials, and surroundings
• Judge the value of objects, services, or people
• Communicate with people outside the organization
• Provide advice and consultation to others
• Schedule work and activities
• Develop and build teams
• Perform administrative tasks
• Coordinate the work and activities of others
• Evaluate information against standards
• Teach others

Work requirements

Working conditions

In a typical work setting, art therapists:

Interpersonal relationships

• Have a high level of social interaction.
• Communicate with others in person and on the phone on a daily basis. They also write e-mails every day.
• Write letters and memos on a weekly basis.
• Often deal with patients who may be rude or angry as they work through emotional issues.
• Are sometimes placed in conflict situations.
• Are somewhat responsible for the health and safety of patients.
• Often work as part of a team.

Physical work conditions

• Almost always work indoors.
• Work physically near patients, sometimes within a few inches.

Work performance

• Must meet daily and weekly deadlines, especially when meeting patient appointments.
• Can make most decisions without consulting a supervisor. Their decisions impact their patients and their families.
• Can set daily tasks and goals without talking to anyone else. Art therapists work very independently.

Hours/travel

• Usually work full-time, about 40 hours a week.
• May work nights to accommodate client schedules.

Physical demands

Art therapists frequently:

• Sit for long periods of time.
• Use their hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools, or controls.

It is important for art therapists to be able to:

• Speak clearly so listeners can understand.
• Understand the speech of another person.
• See details of objects that are less than a few feet away.

It is not as important, but still necessary, for art therapists to be able to:

• Use fingers to grasp, move, or assemble very small objects.
• See details of objects that are more than a few feet away.
• See differences between colors, shades, and brightness.
• Hold the arm and hand in one position or hold the hand steady while moving the arm.
• Use one or two hands to grasp, move, or assemble objects.

Skills and abilities

Art therapists need to:

Communicate

• Understand spoken information.
• Listen to others and ask questions.
• Speak clearly so listeners can understand.
• Read and understand work-related materials.
• Understand written information.
• Write clearly so other people can understand.

Reason and problem solve

• Use reasoning to discover answers to problems.
• Combine several pieces of information and draw conclusions.
• Analyze ideas and use logic to determine their strengths and weaknesses.
• Judge the costs and benefits of a possible action.
• Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong.
• Think of new ideas about a topic.
• Understand new information or materials by studying and working with them.
• Think of original, unusual, or creative ways to solve problems.
• Recognize the nature of a problem.
• Follow guidelines to arrange objects or actions in a certain order.
• Recognize when important changes happen or are likely to happen in a system.
• Concentrate and not be distracted while performing a task.
• Develop rules that group items in various ways.
• Identify what must be changed to reach goals.

Manage oneself, people, time, and things

• Check how well one is learning or doing something.
• Manage the time of self and others.

Work with people

• Be aware of others' reactions and understand the possible causes.
• Look for ways to help people.
• Persuade others to approach things differently.
• Change behavior in relation to others' actions.
• Teach others how to do something.
• Solve problems by bringing others together to discuss differences.
• Use several methods to learn or teach new things.

Perceive and visualize

• Imagine how something will look if it is moved around or its parts are rearranged.

Education and training

Educational programs

The programs of study listed below will help you prepare for the occupation or career cluster you are exploring.

Programs of study directly related to this occupation

• Art Therapy

Other programs of study to consider

• Pre-Health Services
• Recreation Therapy

Training

To work as an art therapist, you typically need to:

• have a high school diploma or equivalent;
• have a bachelor's degree; and
• have a master's degree in art therapy or a master's degree with an emphasis in art therapy.

Education after high school

To become an art therapist, you must complete a master's degree in art therapy or a master's degree with a concentration in art therapy. You need a bachelor's degree to get into an art therapy master's degree program. You must also submit a portfolio of original artwork, and meet studio art and psychology prerequisites.

Master's degree programs generally take two years to complete. They include a minimum of 24-graduate credit hours in the art therapy core curriculum. You study theories of art therapy, counseling, and psychotherapy. You also study ethics and standards of practice; assessment and evaluation; and individual, group, and family techniques. You gain practicum experiences in clinical, community, and other settings.

A few schools offer doctoral degrees in art therapy. These usually take three to five years to complete after you finish your master's degree. Most people with doctorates become professors.

On-the-job training

While in graduate school, you must complete a practicum or internship. You spend at least 700 hours practicing art therapy while supervised. At least half of these hours must be spent working directly with patients in individual, group, or family formats. There also are opportunities for specialization with specific patient age groups, practice settings, and types of intervention.

Helpful high school courses

In high school, take classes that prepare you for college. A college preparatory curriculum  may be different from your state's graduation requirements .

You should also consider taking some advanced courses in high school. This includes Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses if they are available in your school. If you do well in these courses, you may receive college credit for them. Advanced courses can also strengthen your college application.

Helpful electives to take in high school that prepare you for this career include:

• Art
• Art History
• Child Development
• Computer Applications
• Introduction to Health Care
• Nursing
• Psychology
• Sociology

The courses listed above are meant to help you create your high school plan. If you have not already done so, talk to a school counselor or parent about the courses you are considering taking.

You should also check with a teacher or counselor to see if work-based learning opportunities are available in your school and community. These might include field trips, job shadowing, internships, and actual work experience. The goal of these activities is to help you connect your school experiences with real-life work.

Join some groups, try some hobbies, or volunteer with an organization that interests you. By participating in activities you can have fun, make new friends, and learn about yourself. Maybe one of them will help direct you to a future career. Here are examples of activities and groups  that may be available in your high school or community.

Things to know

Employers nearly always require a master's degree. Employers also prefer applicants who have work experience. Internships and volunteer work are good ways to get experience. Some employers hire graduates who completed internships in their agency. Employers also look for people who are dedicated and have excellent communication skills.

Many new art therapists begin work with an experienced therapist who has an established practice and clientele.

Licensing/certification

Currently, 6 states require art therapists to be licensed. They are Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Oregon. Requirements vary by state.

Job listings

Listed below are links to job categories from the National Labor Exchange that relate to this career. Once you get a list of jobs, you can view information about individual jobs and find out how to apply. If your job search finds too many openings, or if you wish to search for jobs outside of Washington, you will need to refine your search.

• Recreational Therapists 

To get a listing of current jobs from the WorkSource system, go to the WorkSource website .

Wages

Wages vary by employer, area of the country, and the therapists' level of experience.

Art therapists who work full time often receive benefits. Common benefits include health insurance, sick leave, and paid vacation.

National wage information is not available specifically for art therapists. However, they are part of the larger group of "recreational therapists."

Employment and outlook

Washington outlook

The table below provides information about the number of workers in this career in various regions. It also provides information about the expected growth rate and future job openings.

National employment

Major employers:

• Hospitals
• Nursing homes
• Government

National outlook

Demand for this occupation will be about average. The growth of the aging population will increase the need for art therapists.

Rehabilitation, home health care, and programs for those with disabilities will create the most jobs. Job opportunities in hospitals will decline, as services shift to outpatient settings.

This occupation is very small so the total number of job openings will be low. However, some openings will occur as current therapists retire or leave this occupation for other reasons.

Employment and outlook information is not available specifically for art therapists. However, they are part of the larger group of "recreational therapists."

Other resources

American Art Therapy Association 
4875 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 240
Alexandria, VA 22304
888.290.0878
703.548.5860

Art Therapy Blog 

Art Therapy Credentials Board 
7 Terrace Way
Greensboro, NC 27403
877.213.2822
336.482.2858

Explore Health Careers: Art Therapist 

References

Career cluster

• Health Science

Career path

• Social

O*Net  occupation

• Art Therapists (29-1125.01) 

O*Net job zone 

• Job Zone 5 - Extensive preparation needed. Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience.

DOT occupation

• Art Therapist (076.127-010) 

Strong Interest Inventory

• Recreation Therapist

Holland occupational cluster

• Social/Artistic/Investigative

COPSystem

• Service Professional