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Job outlook for expressive therapists in the United States
Are expressive therapist jobs in demand?
Expressive therapist job and salary trends over time
Expressive therapist jobs over time
Expressive therapist job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 376 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 368 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 389 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 381 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 376 | 0.00% |
Average expressive therapist salary over time
Expressive therapist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $51,137 | $24.59 | +1.8% |
| 2025 | $50,255 | $24.16 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | $49,407 | $23.75 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $48,800 | $23.46 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $47,985 | $23.07 | +1.6% |
Expressive therapist jobs by state
Most common states for expressive therapists
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 170 | 23% |
| 2 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 347 | 18% |
| 3 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 1,074 | 16% |
| 4 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 491 | 16% |
| 5 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 468 | 16% |
| 6 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 171 | 16% |
| 7 | Delaware | 961,939 | 153 | 16% |
| 8 | Vermont | 623,657 | 94 | 15% |
| 9 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 1,436 | 14% |
| 10 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 884 | 14% |
| 11 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 787 | 14% |
| 12 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 187 | 14% |
| 13 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 98 | 14% |
| 14 | Illinois | 12,802,023 | 1,614 | 13% |
| 15 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 970 | 13% |
| 16 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 799 | 13% |
| 17 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,040 | 12% |
| 18 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 601 | 12% |
| 19 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 160 | 12% |
| 20 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 1,012 | 11% |
Most common cities for expressive therapists
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plymouth | 2 | 4% | $67,617 |
| 2 | Chicago | 1 | 0% | $53,971 |
Expressive Therapist job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of expressive therapist experts
Meredith College
University of Alabama in Huntsville
Springfield College
Jackson State University
Utah State University
Montclair State University
Beloit College
The University of Texas
Antioch University
What skills stand out on Expressive Therapist resumes?
Chelsea Waddelow: I expect all of the basic proficiencies required by the Certification Board as a bare minimum. Musically, I like to see an area of specialization that will make you stand out. For clinical skills, the ability to produce accurate, thorough, and professional documentation in a very short amount of time is a top priority. Non-musical or non-clinical skills that I would look for include knowledge of a second language, especially ASL or the second language most commonly used in the job area, multicultural awareness and sensitivity, and excellent attention to detail.
What soft skills should all Expressive Therapists possess?
Chelsea Waddelow: I would list the top three here: empathy, excellent verbal communication, and highly developed ethical decision-making.
Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Human FactorsUniversity of Alabama in Huntsville
Psychology Department
What hard/technical skills are most important for Expressive Therapists?
Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.: Technical skills like the ability to perform statistical analyses are critically important for most Psychology-related jobs. This allows a candidate to collect and analyze data but also to interpret and understand other existing data. A strong statistical background can also help set a candidate apart from their peers in the application process. This includes understanding when and how to use various parametric and nonparametric statistics to be able to answer questions regardless of the data one is working with.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Expressive Therapists to find work opportunities?
Elizabeth Morgan Ph.D.: One potential outcome of the pandemic is that place may matter less as jobs are created and sustained with remote work environments. For example, it might be possible to participate in education endeavors, community mental health, human services in general, or consulting remotely, which render geography less important.
In addition, there will likely be changes in the types of jobs available to graduates in Psychology as employers are rethinking employee productivity in the wake of the coronavirus and need human resources specialists or industrial/organizational psychologists to consult on organizational change. Individuals with training and experience in delivering services remotely may find themselves able to secure some of these new positions; recent graduates will have a leg up in that regard, since they experienced training in a remote environment.
How do you envision technology impacting Expressive Therapists in the next 5 years?
Carlos Wilson Ph.D.: One way technology may impact this field is the demand that has been created by the pandemic. There are industries that have been forced to work partially or fully remotely over the last eight months. I think that there will be a need for professionals that can operate in these alternative environments. Technology has been a primary means of conducting business for many of us. We may see students focusing on technology-based disciplines, as they choose their interdisciplinary coursework, over the next few years and possibly beyond.
Sonia Manuel-Dupont Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorUtah State University
Department of Speech-Language Pathology
What experience really stands out on Expressive Therapist resumes?
Sonia Manuel-Dupont Ph.D.: When I review resumes, I look for life skills and transferable skills. These include skills that emerge from leadership positions, interdisciplinary teamwork, work with individuals and communities who are ethnically and linguistically different from the applicant, and extended practice with technical and professional communication.
What type of skills will young Expressive Therapists need?
Lyndal Khaw Ph.D.: Most of our graduates in the field of Family Science and Human Development are in this field because they want to help professions that work with children, individuals, and families. Thus, there are several skills they should have when they graduate and enter the workforce. First, they need to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills. If you want to work with people, that is an absolute given.
Second, students should demonstrate their ability to adapt to new challenges and changes, including technology skills. When working with children and families, the natural ebbs and flows of family life, across the life course, necessitate flexible professionals and who can still be useful under changing circumstances. Third, skills make you stand out in working with people, like conflict management and leadership skills. Employers want to see that graduates are not only "book smart" but have the experience to use these skills when needed on the job.
Charles Westerberg Ph.D.
Brannon-Ballard Professor of SociologyBeloit College
Sociology Department
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Expressive Therapists in the next 3-5 years?
Charles Westerberg Ph.D.: Given that technology changes so fast, I'd think less about what specific technology will be most useful instead of new applications for the technology. How can you use the web, social media, and other applications to address questions and solve problems? If you practice this, you will adapt your findings to all sorts of new technologies.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Expressive Therapists to find work opportunities?
Dr. Eva Moya Ph.D.: Absolutely. Social Workers are well-positioned to work in multiple sectors at the local, state, national, and international levels. From health care, gerontology, safety net, mental health and substance abuse, child and family, education, immigration, and criminal justice sectors.
Employment is usually based on the market, economics, needs, and value of social work. The place does matter.
Social workers are in schools, courts, hospitals, community-based organizations, federally qualified health centers, mental health clinics, shelters, transitional living facilities, detention facilities, academic settings, prisons, industry, political arena, palliative care, hospice, research, international organizations, immigrant and migrant centers, elderly care facilities, protective services, the child welfare system, counseling centers, health and human service organizations, environmental and public health venues.
Dr. Erica Holmes
Associate Program ChairAntioch University
Psychological Trauma Studies Specialization
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Expressive Therapists?
Dr. Erica Holmes: It is difficult to guess what the future holds and what the long-term impact of a global pandemic might be for psychology graduates. We have certainly experienced many academic and training challenges that arise during this time. For example, many summer graduate students had to complete their remaining courses, graduate thesis, defend their dissertations, analyze research results, etc. using video conference technology, and adapt in-person therapy skills to continue seeing clients using teletherapy platforms.
I am sure that there will be an enduring impact of transitioning into the world of therapy during a global pandemic, and I'd like to think that the impact will include both positive and negative elements. Some positive elements may be increased resilience and flexibility, broader thinking about career paths and professional roles, along with the development of new skills and techniques to use with their clients, and increased access to mental health services.