Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · Holland code SAI
Art Therapists
Plan or conduct art therapy sessions or programs to improve clients' physical, cognitive, or emotional well-being.
Also called: Art Psychotherapist, ATR (Registered Art Therapist), ATR-BC (Board Certified Art Therapist), Therapist, Activity Therapy Specialist, Clinical Art Therapist, Creative Arts Therapist, Expressive Arts Therapist.
O*NET 29-1129.01
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $77,930
- Middle half earn $58,850 to $105,760. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 5 of 5
- Extensive preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Conduct art therapy sessions, providing guided self-expression experiences to help clients recover from, or cope with, cognitive, emotional, or physical impairments.
- Talk with clients during art or other therapy sessions to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to the artistic process.
- Write treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups.
- Assess client needs or disorders, using drawing, painting, sculpting, or other artistic processes.
- Design art therapy sessions or programs to meet client's goals or objectives.
- Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to art therapy.
- Develop individualized treatment plans that incorporate studio art therapy, counseling, or psychotherapy techniques.
- Establish goals or objectives for art therapy sessions in consultation with clients or site administrators.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening4.0 / 5
- Speaking4.0 / 5
- Monitoring4.0 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.9 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.8 / 5
- Writing3.8 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Therapy and Counseling5.0 / 5
- Psychology5.0 / 5
- Fine Arts4.5 / 5
- Sociology and Anthropology4.1 / 5
- Customer and Personal Service4.0 / 5
- English Language3.6 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic33
- Investigative45
- Artistic75
- Social77
- Enterprising22
- Conventional31
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- aromatherapist · DE Aromatherapeut/Aromatherapeutin · FR conseiller en aromathérapie/conseillère en aromathérapie
- traditional chinese medicine therapist · DE Therapeut Traditionelle Chinesische Medizin/Therapeutin Traditionelle Chinesische Medizin · FR intervenant en médecine chinoise/intervenante en médecine chinoise
- speech and language therapist · DE Sprachtherapeut/Sprachtherapeutin · FR orthophoniste
- occupational therapist · DE Ergotherapeut/Ergotherapeutin · FR ergothérapeute
- occupational therapy assistant · DE Ergotherapieassistent/Ergotherapieassistentin · FR assistant ergothérapeute/assistante ergothérapeute
- art therapist · DE Kunsttherapeut/Kunsttherapeutin · FR art thérapeute
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Occupational therapists (2222)56,000 employed
- Psychotherapists and cognitive behaviour therapists (2224)53,300 employed
- Podiatrists (2256)16,200 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €61,714 |
| Germany | €59,529 |
| Ireland | €56,877 |
| Austria | €55,374 |
| Netherlands | €53,595 |
| Sweden | €43,567 |
| France | €41,515 |
| Spain | €35,735 |
| Italy | €33,649 |
| Portugal | €26,072 |
| Poland | €14,380 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
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