An Art Therapist is an Allied Health Professional who works with service users to use art as a medium to help them express and process difficult thoughts and feelings.
Art Therapy is closely related to psychotherapy and art therapy can help service users express themselves and communicate after experiencing trauma where they are unable to put their feelings into words.
Working life
Working as an Art Therapist will mean that you’ll take part in a variety of different tasks during your working day. These can include:
- Creating a safe environment for each service user
- Support the service user to build their self-awareness and self-confidence
- Support the service user to process their feelings in a non-verbal way
- Use art based mediums such as drawing, painting and sculpture to support a service user to process their feelings
Art Therapists work with people of all ages and support those who are experiencing:
- Emotional, behavioural or mental health challenges
- Learning disabilities
- Life-limiting conditions
- Neurological conditions
- Physical illness
- Trauma
Art Therapists work in a variety of settings including:
- The NHS
- Social Care settings
- Social Services
- Educational Establishments (primary schools, secondary schools, further and special education settings)
- Prison Services
- Private Practice
Art Therapists can work with service users on a one to one basis, in small groups or in larger groups depending on the clients specific need.
Art Therapists work alongside other Allied Health Professionals, medical staff, healthcare staff, teachers, prison staff and probation staff to support the wellbeing of a service user.
Requirements
Becoming an Art Therapist usually requires an undergraduate degree in art or another relevant subject before undertaking an approved full or part time Masters degree in art therapy or art psychotherapy which allows full registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Applicants to Masters degree Art Therapy programmes are usually those who have had previous experience of working in mental health services, education, special needs or social services before applying but there is no restriction on who can apply for a Masters programme. Applicants for the Masters degree programme will be required to show portfolio of artwork as evidence of eligibility.
Working as an Art Therapist will provide further opportunities to develop your career through apprenticeships and internal training in the future.
Degree apprenticeship route
For those interested in becoming an Art Therapist and who already hold an undergraduate degree, there is a level 7 apprenticeship programme for Art Therapists.
Opportunities to access these apprenticeships are currently limited and you will need to apply for an apprentice post at a healthcare employer willing to support the programme initially.
Personal characteristics
To work successfully as an Art Therapist, you need to consider your own personal characteristics. You would need to have the following attributes or similar:
- Be resilient and open to new ways of working
- Be supportive of service users who have experienced trauma
- Be able to reflect on your own emotions
- Be able to work with a variety of different people from differing backgrounds and experiences
- Be creative and resourceful
Skills required
To work successfully as an Art Therapist, you need to consider the skills that you have. You would need to demonstrate the following:
- Be well organised and able to plan your time
- Be able to communicate with a variety of people using different methods
- Be artistic and able to work with different mediums
Training and development opportunities
Once qualified and registered as an Allied Health Professional Art Therapist, you can continue to develop your career over time. You could specialise in working with a particular client group such as children, the elderly or offenders or you could specialise in a particular health issue such as dementia, mental health or palliative care. You may consider becoming self-employed and building up your own private practice. You can also do this alongside employed work.
Other development opportunities within Art Therapy include becoming a senior or consultant art therapist who manages the work of a team of therapists. Or you could become the head of an art therapy department and would be coordinating the work of therapists from other disciplines such as music or drama therapists.
Some art therapists complete further training to specialise in areas such as working with families or people with a diagnosis of mental health or personality disorders. There are also opportunities for further training in psychotherapy or in evidence-based interventions such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Once you are qualified you are also eligible to enrol with the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) who offer further development opportunities, email updates and networking opportunities so that you are able to continue to learn from others who work in the same role as you.
Pay and benefits
Art Therapists in the NHS usually work part time hours anywhere between 9 am and 5 pm however depending on the setting and the service users, you could be required to work evenings and weekends on occasion.
Art Therapists are paid using the Agenda for Change (AfC) system and will typically start their career on AfC band 6 but with experience, further training and additional qualifications, can progress further up the pay scale.
Art Therapists working for Social Care settings will be paid according to the employer they work for and the renumeration for the role should always be shown on their job advert. Other benefits of working as an Arts Therapist include access to a pension scheme, health service discounts such as a Blue Light Card and 27 days of annual leave in addition to bank holidays.