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Creative Arts Therapists


Overview

Creative Arts Therapists

Introduction

Creative arts therapists treat and rehabilitate people with mental, physical, and emotional disabilities. They use the creative processes of music, art, dance/movement, drama, psychodrama, and poetry in their therapy sessions to determine the underlying causes of problems and to help patients achieve therapeutic goals. Creative arts therapists usually specialize in one particular type of therapeutic activity. The specific objectives of the therapeutic activities vary according to the needs of the patient and the setting of the thera...

Quick Facts


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Median Salary

$47,860

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Employment Prospects

Good

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Minimum Education Level

Bachelor's Degree
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Experience

Internship


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Skills

Drawing/Design
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Personality Traits

Artistic
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Earnings

A therapist's annual salary depends on experience, level of training, and education. Working on a hospital staff or being self-employed also affects annual income. Art therapists earned median annual salaries of $44,314 in 2019, according to PayScale.com. Salaries ranged from $34,000 to $61,000. Art therapists who have Ph.D.'s and are licensed for private practice can earn between $75 and $150 ...

Work Environment

Most creative arts therapists work a typical 40-hour, five-day workweek; at times, however, they may have to work extra hours. The number of patients under a therapist's care depends on the specific employment setting. Although many therapists work in hospitals, they may also be employed in such facilities as clinics, rehabilitation centers, children's homes, schools, and nursing homes. Some th...

Outlook

Employment for recreational therapists (a career category that includes some types of creative arts therapists) is expected to grow by 7 percent from 2018 to 2028, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, or faster than the average for all careers.

The American Art Therapy Association notes that art therapy is a growing field. Demand for new therapists is created as medical professiona...