What You'll Do

  • Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of treatments or therapy approaches.
  • Analyze or synthesize client data to draw conclusions or make recommendations for art therapy.
  • Assess client needs or disorders, using drawing, painting, sculpting, or other artistic processes.
  • Communicate client assessment findings and recommendations in oral, written, audio, video, or other forms.
  • Conduct art therapy sessions, providing guided self-expression experiences to help clients recover from, or cope with, cognitive, emotional, or physical impairments.
  • Confer with other professionals on client's treatment team to develop, coordinate, or integrate treatment plans.
  • Customize art therapy programs for specific client populations, such as those in schools, nursing homes, wellness centers, prisons, shelters, or hospitals.
  • Design art therapy sessions or programs to meet client's goals or objectives.
  • Develop individualized treatment plans that incorporate studio art therapy, counseling, or psychotherapy techniques.
  • Establish goals or objectives for art therapy sessions in consultation with clients or site administrators.

Essential Skills

Social Perceptiveness 4.25/5
Active Listening 4.0/5
Speaking 4.0/5
Reading Comprehension 3.88/5
Critical Thinking 3.88/5
Monitoring 3.88/5
Judgment and Decision Making 3.88/5
Active Learning 3.75/5
Service Orientation 3.75/5
Writing 3.62/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.38/5
Coordination 3.25/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to sense whether the day to day rhythm and focus of this path line up with what energizes you.

Top passions

  • Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.
  • Artist: Creating original work and expressing ideas feels natural.
  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.

Common styles

Concern for Others, Integrity, Dependability, Self-Control, Stress Tolerance

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Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Oral Comprehension 4.0/5
Written Comprehension 4.0/5
Oral Expression 4.0/5
Problem Sensitivity 4.0/5
Near Vision 4.0/5
Speech Clarity 4.0/5
Written Expression 3.88/5
Deductive Reasoning 3.88/5

Technologies & Tools

Adobe Acrobat Adobe After Effects Adobe Creative Cloud software Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop Appointment scheduling software Autodesk Maya Case management software IBM SPSS Statistics Image databases Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft Word Trimble SketchUp Pro Web browser software Zoom

Work Environment & Style

Common Styles for This Career

  • Concern for Others (High importance: 5.0/5)
  • Integrity (High importance: 4.94/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.81/5)
  • Self-Control (High importance: 4.78/5)
  • Stress Tolerance (High importance: 4.75/5)

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How to Become One

This career requires extensive preparation, typically including a graduate degree (Master's or Doctoral) and several years of experience. Most professionals in this field have invested significant time in education and training.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Art Psychotherapist Art Therapist Art Therapy Specialist Arts Therapist Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC) Board Certified Arts Therapist (ATR-BC) Certified Art Therapist Cognitive Therapist Creative Art Therapist Creative Arts Therapist Creative Therapist Expressive Art Therapist Expressive Therapist Group Therapist Hospice Art Therapist Licensed Therapist Medical Art Therapist Oncology Art Therapist Registered Art Therapist (ATR) Rehabilitation Creative Therapist Rehabilitation Therapist Therapist