So You Want to be an Art Therapist, Redux

Back in January 2011 I put together a series of posts on the challenges of art therapy as a career path. Since that time I continue to get a couple of emails each day from students asking for more information on the field, job prospects, graduate schools, and doctoral studies. Some of you are art majors in search of a “real” career, others have an interest in using art to serve others; a few are already mental health or health care professionals who have discovered the value of introducing creative expression into your work with clients.

Much of what I said in these posts still holds true, but I do have some updates to share with you in the next few weeks. Since so many readers have asked me to put all this information in one place, here is a recap of the topics with links to each post:

So You Want to be an Art Therapist, Part One: Art Therapy as a Career Path. Seriously, can you really make a living in the 21st century?

So You Want to be an Art Therapist, Part Two: Art Therapy Education. The good, the bad and the “challenging” of art therapy education.

So You Want to be an Art Therapist, Part Three: The Art Therapy Credentials Maze. The alphabet soup maze of art therapy credentials.

So You Want to be an Art Therapist, Part Four: Can I Get an Art Therapy Job? A counselor in art therapist’s clothing?

So You Want to be an Art Therapist, Part Five: The Tale of Two Art Therapists. Two tales of art therapy career paths.

So You Want to be an Art Therapist, Part Six: Should I Get a Doctorate? Is it idealistic, a form of madness or a Ponzi scheme?

So You Want to be an Art Therapist, Part Seven: Art Therapist Identity Confusion Disorder. You have now entered the Art Therapy Twilight Zone…

In the next few posts, I will explore some of the current [and continuing] challenges to art therapy as a professional field, where it is making progress and where its identity confusion disorder continues to remain untreated. And I will try to articulate some strategies for those of you with a passion for using art and the creative process to help others so you can work toward making that career vision become a reality.

Be well,

Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, LPCC, LPAT, ATR-BC

www.cathymalchiodi.com [see my website for free downloads and additional information on art therapy and related topics]