Yep. That is definitely an...art? (Source)

So you fancy yourself an artist but your parents are nagging you that they're not going to send you to art school or pay for college unless you get a "real major."

Then you hear something about art therapists. You imagine spending a few hours a day drawing butterflies with kids or cancer patients, hoping to cheer them up while in the meantime you spend nights slaving away painting your masterpiece. You'll be getting your own show at a Soho or Santa Monica gallery in no time, right?

Back away slowly; this isn't the major for you.

There are as many explanations of what an art therapist does as there are to explain what art means to people.

In the case of using art as a tool—art is more than something to jazz up your living room, or function as the token decoration in a forlorn highway motel room.

Art therapy isn't just doing a bunch of painting or crafts because "it's good for you," and an art therapist has nothing to do with what a regular art teacher does. It's a totally different thing—like comparing what Beyoncé does to construction work.

Art therapists are trained therapists with advanced degrees in psychology who use art as a way to encourage people who have emotional, physical, or developmental issues to communicate their feelings and eventually heal. You can pull down about $40,000 a year doing just art therapy, however you can make a lot more (around $70,000) as a generic therapist who specializes in art therapy (source).

Did you get that? Art therapists are therapists first and foremost. They have to get a degree to practice psychology—a master's degree to be specific.

In fact, you'll probably want to get an MS degree in counseling, clinical psychology, or a Master's of Family Counseling and Social Work (MSFSW)—or you could go straight for the gusto and have your degree read "Master's of Art Therapy" (but you don't have to). You could also get an MS degree in psychology/counseling with a specialty in art therapy. This means you're qualified to use art therapy in your sessions with your patient (source).

It also means that if you can't find a job specifically calling for an art therapist, you can still pay back all of those student loans by finding work as a counselor, therapist, or even a special education teacher (if you want to work with kids in schools).

See, the pipe isn't just a pipe after all. It's also a picture. (Source)

In addition to getting your master's degree, you may also want to get licensed by the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB). This makes the whole art therapy thing official—and will also help you get clients (source). You also may want to work with other doctors and therapists as the resident "art therapist." You'll be able to specialize if you're properly credentialed (source). In other cases, an art therapist can be the patient's only therapist.

A good therapist uses art as a way to bond with the patient. Art therapy is a great way to work on social skills—getting along with peers, doing something with others, or even just spending time creating art in the presence of another person has enormous value.

That's because art therapy is all about the process of creation. A patient's artwork is neither good nor bad. As an art therapist, you won't be putting your patient's work up for random critique or even hanging it on the fridge. The self-esteem that a patient gets from creating art is simply in the act of creating it (source).

Art therapists often work with children who have experienced psychological trauma or who, due to a number of causes, may have difficulty expressing emotions. Some patients are foster children who have had years of neglect and abuse from their parents or caregivers and no longer trust anyone. Sometimes it's easier to open up to a canvas than a person.

Additionally, art therapy is used on patients of all ages that have suffered loss, experienced traumatic events, or who are dealing with potentially terminal diseases. Other patients may have psychological disorders such as schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, eating disorders, depression, Alzheimer's, or chronic illness. 

If you like making art, great. If you believe art is a healing tool, fabulous. But if you want to be an art therapist, remember that you're going to need to train to be a psychologist or counselor first. Art will be your tool to diagnose and help people.

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