Did You Know?
Adrian Hill, the British artist credited with coining the term “art therapy” in 1942, later hosted Sketch Club, a children’s TV show on the BBC.
The Numbers Behind the Career
The median annual salary in 2025 for this category was $77,930.
There were about 56,100 jobs in the U.S. in 2025 in the category that includes art therapist, music therapist, and other specialized therapist.
About 3,600 job openings in this category are projected each year over the next decade.
Where This Career Is Headed
Over the next decade, art therapy could have more ways to show its results in numbers. Researchers are already measuring stress hormones and brain activity while people make art, and if those studies hold up, a therapist could one day point to measurable change alongside what they observe in a session. Researchers are also testing virtual reality tools that let a person paint or sculpt in a three-dimensional digital space, which could someday open art-making to people who cannot easily handle traditional materials. At the same time, licensing rules still differ by state, and professional groups are pushing for art therapy licenses in more states. Art therapists entering the field now will help decide what counts as good evidence for a creativity-based practice.
If measurement tools prove reliable, art therapists who pair clinical skill with research methods can lead studies and shape programs.
Video sessions and virtual reality tools could let art therapists reach clients with limited mobility or clients who live far from the nearest art therapist.
As the evidence grows, art therapy may be built into settings where it is not yet a regular part of the staff, such as school mental health teams and long-term care communities.
Education & Certification
Art therapists need a master’s degree to practice. The most direct path is a master’s program in art therapy, and applicants are expected to arrive with college coursework in both studio art and psychology. Graduate study combines art therapy courses with mental health subjects such as human development, psychological assessment, counseling theories, and research, along with a supervised practicum and internship working directly with clients. People who already hold a master’s degree in a related mental health field, such as counseling, can also qualify by completing an approved plan that fills in the art therapy training they are missing.
The Art Therapy Credentials Board offers national credentials. Graduates first earn the Provisional Registered Art Therapist (ATR-P) credential, which since July 2024 has been a required step for most people who want to become a Registered Art Therapist (ATR). Graduates of accredited art therapy programs earn the ATR after completing 1,000 hours of post-graduation client work, 100 hours of supervision, and three professional references. Registered art therapists can then pass an exam to become board certified (ATR-BC). Rules for practicing vary by state, and fewer than half of U.S. states license or regulate art therapy, so requirements depend on where someone works.
To Prepare...
Take psychology and sociology courses to understand how people think, feel, and cope.
Take art classes that use a range of materials, like painting, clay, and drawing, since art therapy credentials require experience with both flat, two-dimensional materials and sculptural, three-dimensional ones.
Look for volunteer opportunities with children, older adults, or community programs to build the habit of listening and staying patient with people.
