Careers in Art Therapy

Art therapy is an alternative mental health career that combines both therapy and creativity, so if you want to pursue this career path, you will need to have both artistic ability and the desire to help clients deal with a variety of emotional problems.

What Art Therapists Do

Art therapists are mental health counselors that use the creative process as an outlet to promote healing. They deal with patients of all ages and conditions.

Where Art Therapists Work

Art therapists work at a variety of places, such as hospitals, mental health clinics, halfway houses, shelters, prisons or schools. Some therapists have private practices.

Education

You will need a master's degree with a concentration in art therapy or psychology with art therapy coursework, in addition to 1,000 contact hours with clients following graduation.

Career Potential

According to the Health Career Web, there are just over 5,000 practicing art therapists in the United States, and that number is expected to increase due to professional recognition of the benefits of art therapy.

American Art Therapy Association

The American Art Therapy Association is the accrediting body of Art Therapy Schools and the leading authority in the profession. This is a great place to start looking for information (see Resources).

References

• Health Career Web

Resources

• The American Art Therapy Association