Did you know Art Therapists train 8 years to become registered,
Board-certified, or licensed professional Art Therapists --
the same number of years as a physician?
Art Therapists and others can advance this fantastic healthcare profession by advocating for consumers' right to freely access this specialized healthcare service (parity),
and trained Art Therapists' right to work commensurate with
qualified training and experience standards.
It's what we trained for!
Art Therapy Clarion offers easy advocacy and education resources
to help bring about changes benefiting Art Therapy consumers, systems,
and credentialed Art Therapists. Advocacy is a Code-bound ethical imperative, to act to change laws and policies not benefiting consumers or credentialed Art Therapists.
Let's make advocacy easy together!
August, 2026 Interview
ADVOCACY
IS A
CONVERSATION
Art Therapists can discover current policies and initiatives that are quickly advancing the profession -- or could.
Circulate Art Therapy resources, knowledge, and insights to stoke a conversation about the scientific and social justice merits of this incredible technical healthcare profession.
Consider how one state passed Art Therapist licensure legislation in 8 days, joining 22 states that license, regulate, and recognize Art Therapists. Currently, 9 states have active licensure legislation efforts underway.
Art Therapy Champions, Policymakers & Employers -- be a partner in inspired change!
Review the rigorous Art Therapist graduate training and credentialing standards as you consider responsible healthcare policymaking. In other words, what training and experience do Art Therapists attain that make our work distinct?
Consider providers' respective Codes of Ethics that allow healthcare practice only consistent with qualified training and qualified experience.
Implement Art Therapist job descriptions and Art Therapist/Art Therapy workplace policies consistent with distinct educational, training, professional, and occupational standards.
Implement the 2021 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ O*NET Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) for "Art Therapists" under "Healthcare Workers."
O*NET recognizes 91% of Art Therapists have attained "Master's degree required;" the remainder hold a higher degree. O*NET recognizes "Extensive preparation is needed."
Importantly, O*NET recognizes that the job "Recreational Therapist," a job title Art Therapists have been hired under at VA hospitals and private settings, is concerned with "arts and crafts," a clear discernment from the work of "Art Therapists."
O*NET separately classifies "Fine Artist," a job which is not involved with healing, behavioral health, wellbeing, assessment, psychotherapy, or even "stress reduction," which is set forth in specific State statutes, defined as "Art Therapy," and "Art Therapy Services."
These Federal designations pave the way for employers to align job descriptions and healthcare delivery practices with these standards, and for insurers to reimburse Art Therapy Services provided by credentialed Art Therapists. You can help advance these needs to implement State and Federal healthcare parity laws, as well.
Thank you for updating policies that align with such important standards!
ELEVATING PROFESSIONAL
ART THERAPY
(Drawing, painting & sculpture are modalities)
Art Therapy is a "separate," "distinct" "specialized" "healthcare" "discipline" and a "qualified" "healthcare intervention" -- not a 'technique,' 'approach,' 'modality,' or 'journey.'
Words reflect a profession's evolution and designate practitioners' and policymakers' responsibilities and consumers' and trained workers' rights. These are the standards that are set for us!
So, customize a model job description and workplace policy to educate employers that "Art Therapist" is recognized by the Federal Department of Labor as a separately-classified job. It is also recognized as such by the American Counseling Association and quite a few States' licensing Boards.
When you advocate for the profession, you help enact that consumers require, and deserve, under law, access to available, best-practice interventions and the professionals trained to deliver those interventions. This is a general healthcare industry standard and prosocial tenet of society.
There is fantastic advocacy work to do, the work is here, and it is easy.
Do you advocate when non-Art Therapists try to deliver Art Therapy services? Or when they attempt to parse-out "non-clinical Art Therapy" (which doesn't exist),"lite art therapy," "community wellness and art," "arts engagement and healing" (What are they healing? What would an artist know about healing?), "art as therapy vs. art psychotherapy," and "art life coaching" by ignoring the myriad of statutes and standards that define this technical healthcare profession ?
US Public Law 89-209 (1965), enshrined in states' laws, confines artists and non-Art Therapists to "arts and culture" -- only, not "healing."
"Artists" lose nothing by continuing to do their separate O*NET job. So, simply, an artist or non-Art Therapist is not a stakeholder to the Art Therapy profession.
Holding the "minimum" Art Therapy Master's degree (CAAHEP, AATA) is the only way a practitioner can demonstrate Competency to comply with their separate Code of Ethics, plain and simple.
ADVOCACY,
EDUCATION & MENTORING
Credentialed Art Therapists & Art Therapy Graduate Students:
Subscribe to request or be notified of Art Therapy advocacy, mentoring & clinical practice CEU offerings for credentialed
Art Therapists through ClarionU's Clarion Call Series
Crusading for Art Therapy:
Workforce Development & Legislative Advocacy
Ethics, Standards & Ways
Discerning Art Therapy from Arts and Culture:
National and State Standards, Ethical Obligations & Policy Opportunities
Art Therapists as Social Justice Changemakers:
Ethics, Advocacy & Momentum
Are Social Determinants of Health Determinative?
Advancing Access to Trauma-Responsive Art Therapy Interventions
to Treat Consumers and Insulate Communities
Art Therapists, Other Professionals & Students
Explore non-Art Therapy courses as they are offered, such as:
Taming the Tentacles of Trauma through Responsive Systems of Care
Beyond Race, Beyond ACE: Manifesting Justice in Social Policy and Clinical Practice
95% Preventable: Developmentally-Sensitive Body Safety Training for Child Sexual Abuse Prevention
through
ClarionU.
