What Do Creative Arts Therapists Do?
Creative arts therapists use active engagement in art, dance or movement, drama, and music as therapeutic approaches to address mental, emotional, developmental, and behavioral disorders of their clients. Creative arts therapists work with individuals of all ages who may have a variety of mental or physical health issues, including those who are temporarily or permanently disabled. Creative arts therapists, working with clients one-on-one or in groups, strive to use creative processes to bring out artistic self-expression to help people resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, and achieve insight. Creative art therapy is also used to help people manage stress and promote overall mental and physical well-being.
Creative arts therapists are often part of a larger multidisciplinary rehabilitation team coordinating to develop and implement a client’s therapeutic goals and objectives. Using their skills in art, dance or movement, drama, and music in conjunction with psychotherapeutic theories and methods, creative arts therapists are able to elicit thoughts and feelings from clients to supplement traditional “talk” psychotherapeutic methods. Creative arts therapy uses the relationship between the patient and the therapist in the context of the artistic process as a dynamic force for change and expression.
Where Do Creative Arts Therapists Work?
Creative arts therapists work in a number of institutional and community settings, including hospitals; nursing homes; correctional institutions; adult shelters; schools; community centers; adolescent, substance abuse, and mental health group homes or half-way houses; and adult day care programs. Creative arts therapists usually work a 40-hour week, though they may work some evenings and weekends to account for working with the different populations they serve in non-traditional settings.
What Do Creative Arts Therapists Earn?
In 2022, the average annual income reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for recreational therapists in the United States was $56,310. The New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) reports that, in 2023, recreational therapists in New York earned a median annual salary of $63,832 (recreational therapists in the 25th percentile made approximately $47,457 while those in the 75th percentile made approximately $74,733).
Supply and Demand
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of recreational therapy jobs in the U.S. will increase by 4% between 2021 and 2031. The New York State Department of Labor projects that the number of recreational therapy jobs in the state will increase by 17% between 2020 and 2030.
New York Educational Requirements
For creative arts therapists, an undergraduate college education should include coursework in both creative arts and psychopathology, with specific courses in general, developmental, and abnormal psychology. Some colleges may offer an undergraduate degree in creative arts therapy, but a master’s degree or doctorate degree in creative arts therapy or substantial equivalent is required for licensure in New York. Advanced degree programs include additional coursework in fine arts, psychotherapy, and clinical internships. All creative arts therapy programs are going through an accreditation process, with some newly accredited and some going through the process. If the program is not accredited, go to the following link to ensure the program is registered with New York State: http://www.nysed.gov/heds/IRPSL1.html.
New York Certification/Licensure Requirements
To be licensed in New York as a creative arts therapist, an individual must have a master’s or doctorate degree in creative arts therapy from a registered, accredited program, or its equivalent and at least 1,500 hours of supervised experience in an approved setting. In addition, an individual must pass one of three exams: the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB) test, the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) test, or the New York State Case Narrative Exam. For more information on New York State licensure requirements, go to: http://www.op.nysed.gov/professions/creative-arts-therapists/license-requirements.
Financial Support
In addition to school-based scholarships, scholarships for undergraduate and graduate education are available through national organizations:
for art therapists: http://www.americanarttherapyassociation.org/aata-awards/;
for music therapists: http://www.musictherapy.org/careers/scholars/; and
for dance therapists: https://www.adta.org/encouraging-scholarship.
Education Programs in New York (subject to change)
The following programs offer bachelor’s and/or master’s degrees in one or more of the creative arts therapies:
| Hofstra University Creative Arts Therapy 1000 Hempstead Turnpike Hempstead, NY 11549 (516) 463-6600 |
Long Island University C.W. Post Campus Clinical Art Therapy 720 Northern Boulevard Brooklville, NY 11548 (516) 299-2999 |
| Molloy University Music Therapy 1000 Hempstead Avenue Rockville Centre, NY 11571 (516) 323-3000 |
Nazareth College Creative Arts Therapy 4245 East Avenue Rochester, NY 14618 (585) 389-2525 |
| NYU Steinhardt Art Therapy 34 Stuyvesant Street New York, NY 10003 (212) 998-5700 |
Pratt Institute Creative Arts Therapy Dept. 200 Willoughby Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11205 (718) 636-3600 |
| St Thomas Aquinas College Art Therapy 125 Route 340 Sparkill, NY 10976 (845) 398-4100 |
SUNY at Fredonia Music Therapy 280 Central Ave. Fredonia, NY 14063 (716) 673-3111 |
| Buffalo State- SUNY Art Therapy 1300 Elmwood Ave Buffalo, NY 14222 (716) 878-4106 |
School of Visual Arts Art Therapy 132 West 21st St., 3rd floor New York, NY 10010 (212) 592-2000 |
| Russell Sage College Creative Arts in Therapy 65 1st Street Troy, NY 12180 (518) 244-2000 |
SUNY Plattsburgh Art Therapy 101 Broad Street Plattsburgh, NY 12901 (518) 564-2000 |
Additional Web Links
For more information on creative arts therapists, go to:
American Art Therapy Association: http://www.arttherapy.org
American Music Therapy Association: http://www.musictherapy.org
North American Drama Therapy Association: http://www.nadta.org
New York Art Therapy Association: http://www.nyarttherapy.org.
National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapies Association: http://www.nccata.org
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