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CAREER COUNSELOR
Art therapist
Question: I majored in elementary education in college with a minor in studio art. I was able to combine the two fields and work as an after school art teacher while raising my children. I am now thinking of becoming a licensed marriage and family therapist and integrating my background as a fine artist. Would the marriage and family therapist license allow me to utilize art therapy as well? Are there combined MFT and art therapy master's degree programs in the area?
— Felicia
Response: If you become licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) through the California Board of Behavioral Science (CBBS), you will be able to incorporate art therapy into your practice. However, you will not be allowed to call yourself a certified art therapist unless you complete training and are designated by the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB). This is a highly-recognized designation.
Marriage Family Therapist Requirements
Regarding licensure as a marriage and family therapist, please refer to my previous article on MFT (May 6, 2005). You can also contact the board for specific information on educational and work experience requirements:
There are various ways you can qualify to take the art therapist certification examination. One option is to complete an American Art Therapy Association (AATA) approved master's degree program in art therapy. You would also need to complete 1,000 hours of post-graduate work experience.
Once you've completed the education and work experience requirements, you can take the ATCB-administered written examination to become an ATCB board certified art therapist, or ATR-CB. ATCB offers a downloadable study guide.
The examination location for residents of California is Oakland. The examination fee is $235. The registration fee is $125.
For further information, contact:
There are two approved AATA art therapy master's degree programs in the Los Angeles County area that include a marriage and family therapist component. Both programs provide admissions on an ongoing basis. The programs are as follows:
Courses include Art Therapy Literature/Assessment and Art Explorations. Clinical internship sites include Cedars Sinai Medical Center and Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Center.
The program can be completed in two years. If you choose to go on a part-time basis, it would take three years to complete.
Admission requirements include a bachelor's degree, a minimum score of 396 on the Miller Analogies test, and completion of a minimum of 12 units in psychology including developmental and abnormal psychology. Additional requirements include a minimum of 18 units in studio art and a portfolio of artwork.
The graduate tuition fee is $695 per unit or approximately $37,100 for the entire degree program. Tuition fees do not include books and other miscellaneous fees. Many students secure financial aid through federal student loans, work-study and scholarships.
Admission requirements include a bachelor's degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0. You will also need to have 12 semester units of psychology including development and abnormal psychology plus 15 units of studio art coursework.
Students have the option of completing the full-time, two-year program (four semesters) or the part-time, three-year program (six semesters).
The graduate tuition fee is $645 per unit or approximately $40,000 for the entire degree program. Tuition fees do not include books and other miscellaneous fees. Many students secure financial aid through federal student loans, work-study and scholarships.
Professional Associations
While completing an art therapy master's degree program, you could also join the following associations:
Job Description
Art therapists combine creative arts with counseling and psychotherapy modalities to diagnose and treat emotional problems as well as to foster self-awareness and personal growth.
The basis of art therapy is that artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress and achieve insight.
Forms of art therapy include the use of art media and visual art such as drawing, painting and sculpture.
Increasingly, art therapists work as members of therapeutic teams consisting of psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and occupational therapists.
Art therapists may also be licensed as marriage and family therapists.
Employment Outlook
According to a representative of an art therapy master's degree program in Los Angeles, most students easily secure paid employment as intern art therapists.
Salary Range
The annual salary of an entry-level art therapist is approximately $35,000 to $40,000.
Susan W. Miller, M.A., is a National Certified Career Counselor, a Certified Vocational Evaluation Specialist and holds diplomate status on the American Board of Vocational Experts. She heads California Career Services, a private practice career counseling firm in Los Angeles.
E-mail career questions you'd like answered in this column to info@californiacareerservices.com or visit California Career Services at www.californiacareerservices.com.
— Felicia
Response: If you become licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) through the California Board of Behavioral Science (CBBS), you will be able to incorporate art therapy into your practice. However, you will not be allowed to call yourself a certified art therapist unless you complete training and are designated by the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB). This is a highly-recognized designation.
Marriage Family Therapist Requirements
Regarding licensure as a marriage and family therapist, please refer to my previous article on MFT (May 6, 2005). You can also contact the board for specific information on educational and work experience requirements:
- California Board of Behavioral Sciences
- 400 R Street, Suite 3150
- Sacramento, CA 95814
- (916) 445-4933
- www.bbs.ca.gov
- Sacramento, CA 95814
There are various ways you can qualify to take the art therapist certification examination. One option is to complete an American Art Therapy Association (AATA) approved master's degree program in art therapy. You would also need to complete 1,000 hours of post-graduate work experience.
Once you've completed the education and work experience requirements, you can take the ATCB-administered written examination to become an ATCB board certified art therapist, or ATR-CB. ATCB offers a downloadable study guide.
The examination location for residents of California is Oakland. The examination fee is $235. The registration fee is $125.
For further information, contact:
- Art Therapy Credential Board
- 3 Terrace Way, Suite B
- Greensboro, NC 27403
- (336) 482-2856
- www.atcb.org
- Greensboro, NC 27403
There are two approved AATA art therapy master's degree programs in the Los Angeles County area that include a marriage and family therapist component. Both programs provide admissions on an ongoing basis. The programs are as follows:
- Loyola Marymount University
- Department of Marital and Family Therapy
- 1 LMU Drive, Suite 2518
- Los Angeles, CA 90045
- (310) 338-4562
- www.lmu.edu
- E-mail: lgloyd@lmu.edu
- 1 LMU Drive, Suite 2518
Courses include Art Therapy Literature/Assessment and Art Explorations. Clinical internship sites include Cedars Sinai Medical Center and Didi Hirsch Community Mental Health Center.
The program can be completed in two years. If you choose to go on a part-time basis, it would take three years to complete.
Admission requirements include a bachelor's degree, a minimum score of 396 on the Miller Analogies test, and completion of a minimum of 12 units in psychology including developmental and abnormal psychology. Additional requirements include a minimum of 18 units in studio art and a portfolio of artwork.
The graduate tuition fee is $695 per unit or approximately $37,100 for the entire degree program. Tuition fees do not include books and other miscellaneous fees. Many students secure financial aid through federal student loans, work-study and scholarships.
- Phillips Graduate Institute
- 5445 Balboa Boulevard
- Encino, CA 91316
- (818) 386-5660
- www.pgi.edu
- Contact: Noah Hass-Cohen, Director
- E-mail: noah@pgi.edu
- Encino, CA 91316
Admission requirements include a bachelor's degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0. You will also need to have 12 semester units of psychology including development and abnormal psychology plus 15 units of studio art coursework.
Students have the option of completing the full-time, two-year program (four semesters) or the part-time, three-year program (six semesters).
The graduate tuition fee is $645 per unit or approximately $40,000 for the entire degree program. Tuition fees do not include books and other miscellaneous fees. Many students secure financial aid through federal student loans, work-study and scholarships.
Professional Associations
While completing an art therapy master's degree program, you could also join the following associations:
- American Art Therapy Association
- 1202 Allanson Road
- Mundelein, IL 60060
- (888) 290-0878
- www.arttherapy.org
- Mundelein, IL 60060
- Southern California Art Therapy Association
- PO Box 6201
- Los Angeles, CA 90066
- www.socalata.org/at/
- E-mail: info@SoCalATA.org
- Los Angeles, CA 90066
Job Description
Art therapists combine creative arts with counseling and psychotherapy modalities to diagnose and treat emotional problems as well as to foster self-awareness and personal growth.
The basis of art therapy is that artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress and achieve insight.
Forms of art therapy include the use of art media and visual art such as drawing, painting and sculpture.
Increasingly, art therapists work as members of therapeutic teams consisting of psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and occupational therapists.
Art therapists may also be licensed as marriage and family therapists.
Employment Outlook
According to a representative of an art therapy master's degree program in Los Angeles, most students easily secure paid employment as intern art therapists.
Salary Range
The annual salary of an entry-level art therapist is approximately $35,000 to $40,000.
— • —
Susan W. Miller, M.A., is a National Certified Career Counselor, a Certified Vocational Evaluation Specialist and holds diplomate status on the American Board of Vocational Experts. She heads California Career Services, a private practice career counseling firm in Los Angeles.
E-mail career questions you'd like answered in this column to info@californiacareerservices.com or visit California Career Services at www.californiacareerservices.com.
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