When words alone fail to help
a client address difficult emotions
and memories,
art therapists use the creative process
to help them break through.
Art therapy combines psychotherapy
with the visual and physical experience
of creating art—
to express and process personal issues.
Art therapists plan and conduct
art therapy sessions or programs
to improve clients' physical, mental,
or emotional well-being.
They design projects to support
each client’s needs,
such as drawing or creating a collage
about an experience,
or creating a clay sculpture
describing a hope for his or her future.
Art therapists invite their clients to
reflect on their art and explore its meaning.
Art therapists administer assessments,
document clients’ progress,
and discuss client cases with colleagues.
They typically work in schools, hospitals,
mental health clinics, and in private practice.
Self-employed art therapists
usually have duties such as billing clients
and promoting their business.
A master’s degree in art therapy and licensure
are required to enter the field.
Some states specifically license art therapists,
while others license counselors
and therapists,
who may include art therapy
in their practice.
Art therapists bring the tools and materials
that can help individuals
give voice to their inner experience…
even when they lack words
to describe it.