Art therapy is a specialized mental health profession that uses creative processes to help children address emotional, behavioral, and developmental challenges. This therapeutic approach provides a non-verbal outlet, which is helpful for young people who may lack the vocabulary or emotional capacity to articulate complex feelings. The career requires training in both art and psychology to guide children through self-expression and healing. This guide provides a step-by-step overview of the academic, clinical, and credentialing requirements necessary to become a practicing child art therapist.
Understanding the Child Art Therapist Role
A child art therapist is a mental health professional who utilizes various art media, such as drawing, painting, and sculpting, to facilitate communication and emotional processing. This practice differs from general art education because the focus is on the therapeutic process and the visual product as a form of clinical assessment and treatment. The therapist’s training in psychological theories allows them to interpret a child’s creations to gain insight into their inner world.
The typical clientele includes children and adolescents, often ranging from ages 3 to 18, who are struggling with psychosocial issues. These professionals address problems such as trauma, grief and loss, anxiety, depression, and behavioral issues. Art therapy provides a safe environment for children to externalize internal struggles, helping them develop coping mechanisms, improve emotional regulation, and enhance self-awareness. For children who have experienced trauma, art offers a way to “tell without talking,” circumventing the need for complex verbal exchanges.
Educational Requirements for Art Therapy
The pursuit of a career in art therapy culminates in a master’s degree, which is the minimum entry-level requirement for the profession. Prospective students often complete a bachelor’s degree in a related field such as psychology, studio art, or education. Preparing for a master’s program involves completing specific undergraduate prerequisites to ensure a balanced skill set in both creative and clinical areas.
Most graduate programs require a minimum of 12 semester hours of study in psychology, including foundational courses like developmental psychology and abnormal psychology. Students must also demonstrate competence with a variety of art materials, typically submitting a portfolio of original artwork and completing a minimum of 15 undergraduate credits in studio art. This combination ensures the student has the artistic skills to introduce various media and the psychological knowledge to understand human development and psychopathology.
The master’s degree must be in art therapy or a related mental health field with specific art therapy coursework, ideally from a program approved by the American Art Therapy Association (AATA). AATA-approved programs meet national standards and typically require a minimum of 48 to 60 graduate semester credits. Core curriculum components include:
- Training in the creative process
- Theories of art therapy
- Group therapy
- Clinical assessment
- Research methods
- Ethics
This specialized coursework, which must be taught by Registered Art Therapists, provides the necessary theoretical framework to integrate art-making with psychotherapy.
Completing Supervised Clinical Experience
Art therapy education involves extensive supervised clinical experience, providing the hands-on training necessary to qualify for professional credentials. This practical training includes a supervised practicum and a clinical internship completed during the master’s program. AATA standards require students to complete a minimum of 100 hours of practicum and 600 hours of supervised art therapy clinical internship.
The internship is a structured placement where the student applies therapeutic theories and techniques under the guidance of a qualified supervisor. During this phase, the student must accrue a minimum of 350 direct client contact hours. Those specializing in work with children must focus the internship on the youth population in settings like schools, hospitals, or community mental health clinics.
Upon graduation, the Provisional Registered Art Therapist (ATR-P) credential allows the professional to begin accumulating post-education supervised experience toward full registration. Achieving the Registered Art Therapist (ATR) designation requires a total of at least 1,000 post-education direct client contact hours. These hours must be accumulated over a period of at least two years and require a minimum of 100 hours of supervision from a qualified professional, with at least 50 hours provided by a Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC) or an Art Therapy Certified Supervisor (ATCS).
Achieving Professional Certification and Licensure
The culmination of education and clinical experience is the attainment of national certification and, where required, state licensure. The Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB) oversees the national credentialing process. This begins with the Registered Art Therapist (ATR) credential, which verifies the completion of a master’s education and supervised post-graduate clinical experience. Once the ATR is obtained, the professional can pursue the Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC) credential by passing the ATCB Examination.
The ATCB Exam is an internationally recognized test that assesses knowledge of art therapy theories, interventions, ethics, and clinical skills. Passing this certification demonstrates a higher level of competence and advanced knowledge, making the ATR-BC the highest national credential. Maintaining the ATR-BC requires ongoing professional development, including the completion of 100 continuing education credits every five years.
State licensure is a separate requirement that varies significantly by location. A license is a state-level credential that legally permits an art therapist to practice and accept insurance for reimbursement. In states without a specific art therapy license, professionals may pursue a license as a Licensed Professional Counselor or a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist. This often requires the ATR-BC credential plus additional state-specific supervised hours post-graduation. Professionals must verify their state’s requirements, as some states mandate licensure to practice art therapy, even if the national ATR credential has been achieved.
Exploring Employment Settings
Once fully credentialed, child art therapists find employment in a variety of settings where the non-verbal nature of the therapy is valued. Many professionals work in hospitals, particularly children’s hospitals, providing services to patients and families coping with illness or long-term care. These roles involve collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, including physicians and social workers, to address the emotional and cognitive needs of young patients.
Common employment settings include:
- Mental health clinics and residential treatment centers, providing services to children with severe emotional and behavioral disorders.
- Schools, supporting students struggling with learning difficulties, developmental delays, or behavioral management issues.
- Hospitals, especially children’s hospitals.
- Private practices, offering specialized services to children and adolescents and often contracting with child welfare organizations.