Art Therapy
"Art Therapy is an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship."
- American Art Therapy Association
How We Approach Art Therapy
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Whether you're creative or not, whether you like being messy or not, whether you're good at art or not, art therapy might be for you. This isn't like your elementary school art class where you were graded on perfect lines and how good your completed art piece looked. You'll hear us say more than once that its about the "process not the product". In other words, whatever your artwork looks like at the end is not our primary focus (in fact we will challenge you if you focus on that a bit too much) but instead we'd like to turn our attention to the entirety of the art making process itself.
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For folks who are curious but hesitant, we're happy to answer any questions you have in advance, as well as, try out a basic art directive in session once you've gotten started with us to dip your toe into the art therapy process. We'll check in together at the end of the directive to see how the process felt for you, what the art making was like, what the verbal processing was like, if it felt cohesive for you or disconnected in any way. We can explore if it's the right fit. Some may choose to move forward with art therapy and some may choose to move towards more verbal only, talk therapy. Both are great!
Finding a qualified art therapist is tough.
Here's what to look for:
ATR-BC
The Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC) is the highest professional distinction in art therapy, signifying advanced competency. This certification is awarded to ATRs who successfully pass the national board certification examination and demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of art therapy theories and clinical applications.
ATCS
Experienced Board Certified Art Therapists who supervise may pursue the Art Therapy Certified Supervisor (ATCS) credential. This designation signifies advanced expertise in art therapy practice and clinical supervision, ensuring that early-career professionals receive high-quality mentorship from qualified supervisors.
ATR
The Registered Art Therapist (ATR) credential ensures that an art therapist has successfully met established standards in education and supervised post-graduate clinical practice. ATR holders have completed a graduate-level art therapy program and fulfilled all supervised clinical experience requirements necessary for independent practice.
ATR-P
The ATR-Provisional (ATR-P) credential is designed for individuals working toward full Registered Art Therapist (ATR) status. Those holding an ATR-Provisional have completed the required graduate-level education in art therapy and are practicing under an approved supervisor.
Reminder!
You are always welcome to ask us (or any therapist for that matter) about their credentials. If you see someone offering art therapy but without the credentials, ask!
In order to ethically practice art therapy, a therapist must have a master's degree in art therapy and proper credentialing as listed above.
No credentials = unsafe practices.