A Review of Art Therapy in the US - A New Form of Therapy

The Art Therapist is a relatively new occupation and was listed as one of the top 10 HOT JOBS in 2007. Passionate people who enjoy arts, psychology and working with people with special needs have chosen this career not for the sake of the job, but to enjoy the satisfaction of serving people to help them onto a better life. As a new form of therapy targeting different stage and spectrum of problems, art therapy is now getting fame in the scene.

The job is a combination of mental health with the educational profession. A few elements are involved including shifts in demography, change in legislation, business trend and consumer behaviour. Nowadays people work for longer hours, and longer years, are relatively higher educated, and this makes the employment market more and more versatile

"Employment opportunities for art therapist continue to increase for our members", said Paula Howie, the President of the American Art Therapy Association and Board Certified Art Therapist, "this is true in healthcare, education, community agencies and independent practices". The field is recognized by those job recruitment services as a cutting edge career.

Dr. Ellen Horovitz, another key leader in the field who served in this field for more than 30 years, feels that the job responsibilities of an art therapist vary in different positions, for example, as a consultant, in an agency or in a private practice. However it will be much more complex for art therapists working in the private agency,. They will extend further than in a group. A lot of them are social workers, family members, law guardians, physicians and community members, who are distressed by their profession.

The salary range for an art therapist is from about $35,000 to $70,000 per annum, depending on whether the job setting is in private or group. Jobs vary in their positions and responsibilities, from art therapy and human services to advertised therapy position. Nevertheless, adding knowledge in other areas will be a wise thing for those who want to extend their qualifications. Some forms of therapy includes speech therapy, music therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and auditory therapy or anything else that work well with the art therapy field.

People who are interested in pursuing their career as a Art Therapist should go through training before being certified as a therapist. There are only a few recognized institutes in the States including American Art Therapy Association (AATA). It is believed that there are a few specialization in the field itself as well.