What is an Art Therapy Specialist?

If you have ever wanted to use your artistic talents as more than just a hobby, then a career as an art therapy specialist might be for you. Art therapy specialists have learned how to promote the process of self-expression to treat a wide range of physical, mental, and emotional health issues.

By integrating human development, visual arts, and the creative process, these specialists can help others resolve emotional conflicts, develop social skills, reduce anxiety, recover from substance abuse, and much more! They provide their therapeutic services in a variety of settings, including hospitals, rehabilitation care units, assisted living centers, psychiatric facilities, senior communities, and schools.

Since art therapy is a mental health profession, to get into this field, you'll be expected to have a thorough knowledge of human development, psychological and behavioral disorders, counseling theories, and therapeutic techniques. Becoming an art therapy specialist requires serious study.

The American Art Therapy Association has established the minimum education standards for this profession, requiring all entry-level practitioners of art therapy to have a master's degree from an institution of higher learning recognized by a regional accrediting body and approved by the Council for Higher Education Education (CHEA). If you're interested in this field, you must also have a strong understanding of a variety of art forms, such as sculpture, painting, and drawing.