How Did Art Therapy Begin?
Even though visual expression has been a fundamental part of humanity throughout history, it was not until the 1930s that Arts Therapy emerged as a distinct profession. In the early 1900s, psychiatrists began to take notice of the art work of their patients. They saw a link between the art and the illness. At this same time, art educators were discovering that the spontaneous and free-spirited artistic expression of children represented communication, both emotional and symbolic in nature. Since then, the profession of Art Therapy has developed into an effective method of communication, assessment and treatment across many demographics.
Where Do Art Therapists Work?
Art Therapists may function as integral therapeutic team members, serve as consultants or work in private practices; they may also function as supervisors, administrators, consultants and expert witnesses. Art Therapists work in primary and adjunctive capacities with people of all ages in clinical, educational and rehabilitative settings including the following:
* Medical and psychiatric hospitals
* Out-patient facilities
* Clinics
* Hospices
* Residential treatment centers
* Halfway houses
* Shelters
* Schools
* Correctional facilities
* Elder care facilities
* Pain clinics
* Universities
* Art studios
What are the Requirements to Become an Art Therapist?
Personal Qualifications: An Art Therapist must possess sensitivity to human needs and expressions, emotional stability, patience, a capacity for insight into psychological processes and an understanding of art media. An Art Therapist must also be an attentive listener, a keen observer, and be able to develop a rapport with people. Flexibility and a sense of humor are important in adapting to changing circumstances, frustration and disappointment.
Educational Requirements: The AATA Education Standards has outlined a required core curriculum that must be completed in order to qualify as a professional Art Therapist. Art Therapy studies are conducted at the graduate level. Program options include:
* Master's degree in Art Therapy
* Master's degree with an emphasis in Art Therapy
* Master's degree in a related field and twenty-one semester units post master's in Art Therapy
Registration and Board Certification Requirements: In addition to the educational requirements, those pursuing status as a Registered Art Therapist (ATR) must complete a minimum of 1,000 direct client contact hours using Art Therapy. Every one hour per ten hours must be supervised by a credentialed therapist, with a minimum of 500 hours supervised by an ATR. The ATR and ATR-BC are the recognized standards for the field of Art Therapy and are conferred by the ATCB (Art Therapy Credentials Board.)
What is the Employment Outlook for the Profession of Art Therapy?
Art Therapy is a growing field. Recently, Art Therapy was noted as one of the Top Ten Jobs by Hot Jobs for 2007; see the link for more information.
(http://jobs.aol.com/article/_a/10-hot-jobs-for-2007/20060822125209990005) Employment continues to increase as it becomes recognized by professionals and clients. Graduates of Art Therapy programs are successful at finding employment in both full and part-time positions. Those with ATR and ATR-BC have a distinct advantage as it is the recognized credential of AATA.
Art Therapists earn different amounts depending on their location, type of practice and job responsibilities. Income ranges from approximately $25,000 for entry level to between $40,000 and $60,000 for salaried administrators. Earning potential can reach $75.00 to $90.00 per hour for therapists who obtain doctoral degrees, state licensure, or who qualify in their state to conduct private practice.
State requirements for private practice vary across the country. Practice rules and regulations are available from state licensing boards.
How Do I Find a Job in Art Therapy?
Professional journals and local newspapers may list positions available. Art Therapists are hired under multiple titles including counselor, therapist, caseworker, activity therapist, rehabilitation therapist, social worker and art therapist/teacher. There are several resources available to an Art Therapist seeking employment including college placement offices, contacts formed during internship placements, memberships in AATA and state affiliate chapters, newsletters, job hotlines and websites. Probably the most effective way Art Therapists find jobs is through networking with professional peers often met through membership in local professional chapters such as NCATA. Art Therapists often write grants to get Art Therapy programs funded at the institution of their choice thus paving the way for future Art Therapists.
How Do I Make a Donation to the Legislative Affairs Fund (LAF)?
Because of NorCATA's 501(c)3 status, and because we're not a 501(c)6 organization, we have to keep any monies that are used for legislative, lobbying, or advocacy separate from the general account. We have a separate LAF checking account that is monitored by a NorCATA member and former board member. Therefore, please send donations to the Northern California American Art Therapy Association post office box.
Please make checks payable to the Legislative Affairs Fund (LAF).
PO Box 642593
San Francisco, CA
94164-2593
How Do I Become a Member of the Northern California Art Therapy Association?
We are currently renewing memberships for NorCATA! Our membership year runs from January 1st to December 31st. Members can now register online. Please visit our Membership page and follow instructions to renew your membership or become a new member of NorCATA.
I am a new member. How will I receive information about upcoming workshops and events? As a member, you will automatically receive announcements for upcoming events and can register online through the website.
What do I do if I do not want to be a member, but want to attend a workshop? You can bypass the screen to sign up for memberships by registering directly through the workshop announcement screen. You will be instructed to pay $25 registration fee, which can be paid by PayPal, or debit or credit card online at a secure site.
How do I get CEU's for workshops? When you register for an event, you will be asked if you want CEU's., which you can pay for online at a secure site. After the event, you will receive an email instructing you to complete an evaluation for that workshop or conference. Once you have submitted your evaluation you will be sent a pdf with your certificate to download and print.
Will NorCATA events fulfill my MFT requirements? As an approved BBS provider, NorCATA's events will satisfy many requirements, including ethics. However, if you have a question about the content of a specific workshop as it pertains your particular license or credentials, you should contact the organization that oversees that license and/or credential for final confirmation.
As part of NorCATA’s mission to promote the therapeutic use of art throughout Northern California, we are providing the following list of Art Therapists (NorCATA members) who pay a fee to advertise their services and California Art Therapy groups facilitated by Art Therapists (NorCATA members) offered in the Bay Area. Effort is made to ensure the accuracy of their listings; please contact each Art Therapist individually for updated information, fees, and locations. These listings are provided as a service and should in no way be construed as endorsement for the services offered or rendered. Please contact us for more information.
If you are an Art Therapist and current member of NorCATA, and would like to be listed as an individual Art Therapist on NorCATA's "Find Art Therapists" list on this website, please contact us. The fee is $50.00 for 12 months. Your fee for this advertising service helps defray the cost of operating our website.
These postings are provided as a service for NorCATA members; contact each opportunity for further information. If you would like to submit a job listing, please send information to info@norcata.com.
Useful Links
For your interest and resource, we have provided the following categories of useful links:
Art Therapy Interests
- Arts and Healing Network
- Art Therapy on the Web
- Vicky Barber's Art Therapy Home Page
- The Prinzhorn-Collection of the Psychiatric University Hospital in Heidelberg
- The Enchanted Way
- Nurturing Art by Rita Loyd
Art Therapist/Therapist Associations
- American Art Therapy Association
- Southern California Art Therapy Association
- Board of Behavior Science
- National Institute of Art & Disabilities (NIAD Art Center)
- The Center for the Creative Arts Therapies
Education Programs
- Notre Dame de Namur University
- Phillips Graduate Institute
- Sonoma State University
- California Institute of Integral Studies
- Institute of Imaginal Studies
- John F. Kennedy University
- Loyola Marymount University
- California Center for Creative Renewal
MEMBERSHIP FAQ's
What are the benefits of becoming a NorCATA member?
Free quarterly workshops and e-newsletters. Access to our members only section of www.norcata.org, that includes a supervisor search and ability to register for workshops on-line. You can advertise your private practice and job postings and connect with other art therapy professionals to maintain your art therapist identity and strengthen our field.
How much is a year of membership cost?
$35 dollars for Credentialed and Active Professionals; $25 dollars for Students, Associates, and Friends; Free with proof for Retired Professionals; Free for Honorary Life Time members. See membership page for details of each membership type.
I'm a student or a mental health professional in another discipline but very interested in art therapy can I join NorCATA?
Yes! We welcome you to join with as an associate member. Attending workshops and local regional meetings is a great way to learn more about the use of art therapy and connect with other professionals supportive of the use of creative arts in healing.
Why have I not received a mailing related to the 2011 membership drive?
We at NorCATA have adopted a green mission to decrease our use of paper/resources. The membership drive is now paperless. To become a member you can do so here on www.norcata.org or attend the annual business meeting or a workshop and pay in person (with no extra fee).
Help, I am new to NorCATA and I want to know how to join?
Visit www.norcata.org and you will see on the right side of the page "Membership: NEW MEMBERS." Click on this link and you will be lead to a membership page and at the bottom you will see the membership types listed. Read the descriptions and click the paypal/subscription button below the membership type that best fits you. You do not need a pay pal account and can pay by credit card, just ignore request to log in or join paypal, there is always an option to proceed without it.
Once you have completed the payment process you will receive an e-mail from service@paypal.com with your receipt. You will also receive a second e-mail from info@ norcata.org that provides you with the login and password you will need to get into our members only section of www.norcata.org. If you do not see these e-mails in your inbox, please check in your spam folder. Note that the password will take 3-5 business days to work, as your account needs to be processed. If you try to log in before that time you will be redirected to a home screen with blank log in box. After your account has been processed you will log in and see a screen that says "Congratulations!!! you have successfully logged into NorCATA."
When you are able to log in click"Manage Your Account Profile" and add your full name, address, region and credentials to our database. This information is used for the NorCATA board to identify you, and unless you select to be in the members-only directory it will not be viewed by others.
Help, I was a member years ago and now want to renew on-line, what do I do?
Our new on-line system has no knowledge of members previous to 2010. So you will go to www.norcata.org and click on "Membership: NEW MEMBERS" as you will be new to our on-line database. See the above question for more details on the process.
Help, I was a 2010 member and want to renew for 2011, what do I do?
Visit www.NorCATA.org and login using the login and password you were given in 2010. Once you are logged in you will be brought instantly to a screen with "renew your membership" on the top and membership types and payment buttons. Select the "paypal/pay now" button below your appropriate membership type and then follow the prompts. You do not need to have a paypal account or use a paypal account, simply ignore all requests to do so and use a credit card. Once you have paid in your e-mail you will receive an e-mail from both norcata (login/password) and paypal (receipt). This process will generate a new account for you. To maintain your profile information and allow you to maintain the same login and password our membership director will be manually deleting the new account and will re-activate your old account. Please allow 5 business days for this process to be complete, and then you will be ready to again access the members only section when visiting www.norcata.org.
How do I know if I am a current member?
We have suspended all expired 2010 accounts, so if you log in using your NorCATA login and password and are brought instantly to a screen with membership types and payment buttons then you are needing to renew. If you have never paid on line and/or received a on-line password/login name then you most likely have not been a member since before 2010 and its time to "become a new member" in our new on-line system.
I just joined in October why am I being asked to renew?
NorCATA, like many professional organizations including the American Art Therapy Association, collects dues annually at the beginning of each year. To ensure you get use of your full benefits be sure to renew in December or January.
Do I really need to "Manage My Profile"?
Yes! Once you are a current 2011 member please be sure to login at www.norcata.org and click on "Manage Your Profile." If you do not complete this information we only have an e-mail address as your identification and contact, with no name, credentials, region, or address attached. Also this is where you can select to be in our on-line members only directory and listed as a supervisor. If you intend to be in our directory it is recommended that you use your work or preferred professional contact information when completing the profile. If you chose not to be in the directory your address can be viewed only the board and will be used to send out important information including voting ballots.
Can I still pay by check and mail in my membership application?
Yes, however we now have a $15 dollar processing fee for use of the paper application. This fee is waived however if you attend our annual business meeting or a workshop and provide your check and application in person.
Do I need a pay pal account to pay on-line membership?
No. You can pay by credit card. Just select the button for payment and it will five you a credit card option. Ignore any prompts to get a paypal account, its not needed.
I just became a member on-line and my provided password did not work, why?
It takes 3-5 business days for your payment and account to be verified, please try again later.
You will know when your account is processed because when you log in you will see "Congratulations!!! You have successfully logged into NorCATA" instead of being returned back to the home page with a blank login box.
I don't remember my username or password, what do I do?
Visit www. norcata.org and go to the login box and look for "Lost your username or password, find it here." If you click the word "here" it is a link to help you get your lost information.
Who do I send my change of address to?
With our new on-line system you can change your address any time.
Visit www.norcata.org. Enter your username and password. Click on "Manage Your Account Profile."
Edit your information and it is instantly changed in our system.
I did not receive the NorCATA e-newsletter, why not?
If you are a current member (you have a user name and password that our site generated for you) it could be the e-mail went to your spam folder. For the future, please be sure that e-mails from info@norcata.org don't go to your spam folder. To access newsletter you may have missed visit www.norcata.org as all past newsletters are posted on our site.
How can I be included in the on-line membership directory?
Current members can select to be included in the on-line directory by visiting www.norcata.org. Enter your username and password to log on and then click on "Manage Your Account Profile." There is an option to be included in the members only directory. Please use your work address or the preferred professional contact when completing your profile.
I do not want to be included in the on-line membership directory, should I still give an address?
Yes. If you do not select in your profile that you would like to be included in the members only directory your address is still needed and will only be used for board members to send out important information, such as voting ballots.
I don't like to use e-mail and am not comfortable on a computer, can I still be a member?
Yes, however a majority of a membership benefits are not on-line and you would be missing out on them. NorCATA is keeping up with the current trends and use of modern technology to make our communication more cost effective and efficient and so our newsletter and notification of events now come via e-mail. We value all our membership and hope those not as comfortable on a computer will connect with other art therapist in there region to get support in making this transition. Regional Reps in your area are a good resource for both having face to face interactions and getting help with our new on-line system.
