Thinking of Getting a Master’s Degree? Think Again.

An article by Walter Russell Mead talking about what those us working art therapists already know. Here are some highlights, but this article is definitely worth an in-depth read.

“Young people graduating from master’s programs with low-paying jobs and crippling debt…

‘About one-third of people with master’s degrees make less money on average than a typical bachelor’s degree holder’.

Masters programs hit the sour spot of higher education — they tend to be more expensive with fewer financial aid opportunities than other programs, with a smaller payoff.

The jobs of the future will be more based on innovation and less on bureaucracy, and expensive degree programs will do little to help people navigate them.

In light of the recent classification of Art Therapy under “Recreation Therapy” by the Dept. of Labor, and the fact that one needs to hold a BA in order to become a recreation therapist, and my own personal experiences, Russell Mead’s words resonate with me more than ever. This plus the guild mentality that is so present in the mental health profession leads me to recommend that all those seeking a degree in Art Therapy to think twice. There are many ways to help others, and unless you are prepared to diversify your skill set beyond your MA and innovate, you may end up like so many art therapy graduates—working as baristas, secretaries, artists and sales people with a few hours a week here or there for actual art therapy.

Art Therapists are Recreation Therapists?

Sigh. As Cathy Malchiodi pointed out on her Facebook page today, it’s very disappointing to see that the US Department of Labor considers Art Therapists to be Recreation Therapists. Not Therapist or Mental Health Counselor. And of course, not just plain old Art Therapist. Art Therapy apparently can’t stand alone, like Marriage and Family Therapist, Counselor or Social Worker.

Oddly enough, according to AATA, Art Therapy is now a “distinct employment classification” according to the Department of Labor:

“The Association has been working diligently in the past 2 years to add the profession of art therapy to the Bureau of Labor Statistics database as a distinct employment classification.”

Apparently, according to AATA, the definition of a “distinct” profession is to simply be classified at all. But, the meaning of the words and the taxonomy used to describe any given thing defines how we perceive that thing. If Art Therapy is merely a sub-classification, then we’re on a path of public misconception. And once that path is forged is very difficult to gain back ground.

And, while I’m glad that Art Therapist made it onto the list of jobs recognized by the Labor Dept, it’s a blow to the profession that AATA did not come through for and Art Therapy classification that is worthy of the Art Therapy field. To be a certified Recreation Therapist you need a BA. All art therapists at minimum have an MA, and many are PhDs, with specializations in specific psychotherapeutic techniques to treat mental illness and trauma. I’ve worked with several rec therapists, and they all were fly by the seat of their pants when it came to clinical work (if they were even expected to do any clinical work)…because they were not trained in clinical work at the level of an Art Therapist or any other clinician for that matter.

I’m having trouble understanding AATA’s rationale for this decision. Is it that they’ll take what they can get and be happy to be included in the Labor Dept statistics at all? How can they justify Art Therapists needing an MA in order to practice if we’re lumped in with a profession that only requires a BA? Why are they ok with placing the Art Therapy profession on the wrong path? Is it not worth struggling for a longer period of time, but actually being a truly distinct profession, such as Marriage and Family Therapists?

Volunteers Needed in Montreal

I receive emails from time to time from readers trying to decide if art therapy is the right career path for them. I always suggest volunteering with an art therapist to see if they like it and to get their toes wet a bit.

Here’s a volunteer opportunity in through Concordia University at their Loyola Campus in NDG. Good luck!

What Is It About Art That Can Potentially Cause Harm?

Shared by Dr. Laura Dessauer via the Art Therapy Alliance on LinkedIn.

This article, found in the International Journal of Art Therapy, is an excellent reminder that although using art therapeutically may seem straight forward, it isn’t. Art making is powerful and reaches parts of oneself that may have been unconscious, semiconscious and defended away. Therefore, when therapists or therapeutic programs incorporate art into their practice with little training they may not realize they are exposing their clients to the risk of doing more harm than good.

Abstract:

The notion of arts-based risk is rarely acknowledged outside of art therapy. This paper describes an injury sustained as a result of art activity. The case was subject to legal proceedings which established arts practitioner and organisational negligence. The case was consequently settled out of court for a large sum. The paper reports the legal argument and explores what the process tells us about how art can both help and harm participants. This specifically concerns the power of art to make the subjective seem real and the need for practitioners to able to competently assess participants’ psychological vulnerability to this. The case represents an important milestone in the current arts and health debate, particularly with regard to the protection of the public. Lessons to be learnt for organisations seeking to deliver arts and health projects to vulnerable people are discussed.

Springham, Neil (2008) ‘Through the eyes of the law: What is it about art that can harm people?’, International Journal of Art Therapy, 13:2, 65 – 73

Why Choose Art Therapy…

…because it’s very very useful for many many people!

How To Use Art Therapy – Funny blooper videos are here

Art Therapy Decision Time

Posted with Leia’s permission:

Hi Liz,

I have been following your blog for awhile and have found it incredibly helpful this past year. I’ve wanted to become an Art Therapist for years but have stayed in my current career (film industry) because of the convenience. I’m at a crossroads here and was wondering if I could get your advice.

I’ve been accepted into a program here in California (PGI) and am due to begin in the Fall but I recently have began to have some major doubts due to articles I’ve read and wondering if you could lend your insight and opinion here.

I’ve been reading on several blogs and articles about the discontent within the Art Therapist community about finding jobs that one can actually practice the “art therapy” rather than just being an MFT. I wouldn’t want to go through all that schooling to find that I am not actually practicing art therapy. The other complaint is the low pay (after spending 60K on grad school) not making the money back. Do you have any personal insight on this or through other Art Therapists you may know out there? I saw on one of your posts you put the salary at 45-65K…

My next question involves the family aspect. Do you know of any who have gone back to school while trying to start a family and how that has affected their path to practice? My partner and I want to start a family soon and I’m concerned how this will prolong getting through my internship and the lack of income for following years because of the delay it may cause in having the kids. Any insight on others who have managed this? And what to expect?

Lastly, I have been searching online for other routes (shorter and less costly) that would lead me to working with children and using art. Do you know if I can obtain an Art Therapy Credential along with a teaching credential? To teach art in california? I’m really open to any options or ideas at this point that involve children and art :)

I’m sorry to overwhelm with the long list of questions- you just seem to know quite a bit about all this. Any guidance, insight or ideas on any of the above would be greatly appreciated!

Best,
Leia

Hi Leia,

I’ve been thinking about your questions, and they’re difficult ones to answer in many ways.

The reality about being an art therapist is that in order to be marketable and have a wide range of job options, you definitely want to have an state license along with an ATR. You may have been picking up on some frustration art therapists express about the ATR not being able to stand on it’s own, and that it’s not a viable path towards obtaining a state license in many states.

The MFT is currently one state licensing option in California for mental health professionals. The ATR is a national license and is not recognized by insurance companies for reimbursement, meaning that if you were in private practice, you could take cash only. If you wanted a job in a hospital or another institution they would not hire you (at least not for the positions you’d want to qualify for) because they need you to have a state license in order for them to get paid, so they can then pay you. Also, once the LPCC license finally gets going in California, it’s my understanding that having only an ATR and being in private practice will not longer be legal, since all practitioners practicing counseling or providing therapeutic service will need to have a state license.

Most of the time, you can find a job that is asking for an MFT and integrate your art therapy skills into the job. When you’re doing a job interview, for example, you can talk about how the art therapy aspect is very important to you as a clinician and that it will be the primary orientation that you use in group and individual practice. Also, you can check to make sure they’d be willing to offer you some kind of an art supply budget, as well as a space where it’s ok to get messy and make art work. Many times art therapists have to be creative about budgeting and spacing issues. In my previous job, I didn’t have an art room, but I was able to get a cart that I used to store art supplies, which I wheeled into whatever group room that was available.

Salaries are a difficult thing to give an accurate picture of. It really depends on whether you’re working towards licensure or currently have a license and whether you’re working for a private or public institution, or in private practice. To start, in CA, I would expect to be making between $30-45K a year while you’re working towards licensure. But, that’s simply my experience, and others may have had a different salary range to start. I’ve seen job postings through the City of San Francisco for recreation therapists (art therapists sometimes find jobs under this title as well) making $75K to start…but those government jobs are highly competitive and few and far between. Plus, with the budget issues facing CA at the moment, I don’t think the inflated public sector salaries can last. But, who knows?

Your question about starting a family is something that resonates with me at the moment. I’m currently pregnant with twins, and I’m staring the earnings/work/life balance issue in the face. One of the major realities I had to come to terms with was the cost of childcare if I was to work outside of the home. Do you have family nearby? Would they be willing to care for your child while you’re working? If not, take a look at how much infant daycare or a nanny costs. Since I’m having two at once, it quickly became clear that I needed to find a way to work from home (hence the development of Liz Beck Designs) because otherwise I’d be spending my whole salary on childcare.

So, it’s very probable that starting a family will delay your ability to intern and get the hours needed to become licensed. It’s also possible that you can find part time intern positions to work towards your hours, which could delay licensure by a few years depending on how many hours you actually work. But don’t be discouraged—if you start planning today, saving and setting up your life so that family or friends can help, you should be able to make things work. Many women go back to school with young families and they make it work—so can you! You may want to post this question on one of the Art Therapy Alliance groups on LinkedIn and see what ideas others have.

I don’t think there’s any way to become an ATR without an MA in the psychology, counseling or art therapy field. Art therapy is rooted in psychology, and the restrictions for credentialing reflects this. The only fast track to getting an ATR is if you already have an MA or PhD in the field of psychology. Then you’d qualify for a certificate program. Pratt’s MPS in Art Therapy/Special Education program seems to integrate education and an art therapy degree, but again, this is a master’s degree and it’s based out of Brooklyn. Saint Mary of the Woods College offers an online degree, which maybe helpful for you? Check out the American Art Therapy Website for more information about educational requirements.

Unfortunately I have no clue about the requirements to becoming an art teacher in CA. Sorry! Try looking on craigslist for art teacher jobs and see if you’re asked to have a specific educational or credentialing requirements.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

- Liz

Adding Art Therapy to a Nursing Background

This question was posted with Stephanie’s permission:

“Hi Liz,

I stumbled upon your blog today because I was surfing the web about art therapy. I am currently a pediatric registered nurse in the process of changing my career. I’ve been looking into a MFT program with specialization in clinical art therapy at Loyola Marymount University. I have a passion for therapy in the family setting and children and never knew this degree or career existed! I did have a few questions as to how to start this journey. How do I find therapists that I can shadow? I’m also a little worried about the time and money (more so the money) involved that I would have to invest in so I want to make sure there are jobs out there for art therapists and MFTs. Could you please email me with some advice or resources that I can use to research more about this field? Thank you for your time and patience :)

Stephanie”

Hi Stephanie!

Are you on LinkedIn? The Art Therapy Alliance has a bunch of sub-groups on LinkedIn with very active message boards. You may want to join one or more of these groups and ask if there are any art therapists in your area looking for a volunteer.

You also can look around for an art therapy oriented studio around LA. For example, in the Bay Area we have Creativity Explored, which is an art studio for developmentally disabled individuals. It’s not art psychotherapy, but volunteering at in a similar space will give you a good idea of what art-as-therapy is (also valid approach to art therapy).

At this point in California, getting licensed as an MFT is a must. After you’re done school and you’re doing your job search, you will most likely find jobs that are looking for MFT interns (they may not say they’re interested in art therapy), but during your interview, you can describe the added bonus that you’d bring to the job with your art therapy skills. That being said, there are some jobs out there specifically asking for art therapists, but the MFT portion will give you more range and choice in the jobs that you are qualified for.

Also, the fact that you’re a pediatric nurse is fantastic! There are many art therapists who work with medically compromised populations—in hospitals, in eating disorder clinics, etc…and your nursing background may prove to be very powerful in landing a job or even forging your way into new places that art therapy is not currently available.

Now for the money aspect…I can understand your concern with this. School is expensive, and then once you’re done your earning potential as an MFT will take a long while to match your current earnings as an RN. In California, while you’re working towards getting licensed you will most likely be in the 30-45K/year range. After you get your MFT, your salary will go up, and if you land a job working for the city or the state, the salaries are very inflated at this point, meaning that your earning potential will be at least double than the private sector…at least for now (we’ll see what kinds of cuts are in store). In your case, however, I suspect that your RN license will change your earning potential for the better, even before you obtain your MFT. Maybe you will find an art therapist with a similar background to guide you more in this matter on one of the Art Therapy Alliance’s message boards?

In terms of student loan repayment, there are jobs your can take once you’re licensed that will lead to student loan forgiveness. Check out this post for more information.

Also be sure to read Cathy Malchiodi’s 6 blog posts on art therapy education, job prospects and licensing issues.

Thank you for writing! I hope this helps clarify things for you.

Warm Regards,
- Liz

Masters Degree and Student Loan Debt…Should I Go There?

Posted with Leah’s permission:

“Hi Liz,

I’m enrolled to start at Drexel this fall. But I’ve suddenly developed some weird cloud over my head about the enormous debt I’m going to face when I get out…(all the financial doomsday prophesies don’t help either) I mean, I am passionate about it, but it’s like some fear bug hopped on the train and is trying to get me to pull the brake. How has it been since you graduated? Did it take time to find work? What has been most rewarding from the degree? I’m beginning to think I should just continue volunteering and working a mediocre job to pay the bills.. but I don’t want to settle yet.

Thanks,
Leah

Hi Leah,

I can understand where you’re coming from. The idea of being buried under a sea of debt is scary, and I applaud your practical thinking!

For me (and most of the people I graduated with), I had no problem finding a job after leaving school…but that doesn’t mean that the jobs turned out to be “dream jobs”. In the psyc field, you need to pay your dues for a few years after graduating before you can begin being selective about the work you do. For example, it takes approximately 2 years of full time work before you gain enough hours to become licensed (as an Art Therapist and as a Licensed Professional Counselor). Also, the pay scale is not great for many of these jobs.

That being said, if you love art therapy, there maybe something you can do to help repay your student loan debt quickly. Since I’m not American, I never had to deal with the student loan system…so I’m unclear as to how this works. However, it’s my understanding that if you take a job with qualified agencies who work with underserved populations, and you work for X amount of time, your student loan will be forgiven. I did a quick google search, and here’s some info I came up with: http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loanrepayment/ At first glance, it seems that you need to get licensed first and then you can try for one of these jobs.

Going back to my Drexel degree—There were many rewarding parts of my education. Firstly, my cohort really connected with one another, and I keep in touch with many of my old classmates, even though I live across the country. I can say the same about the faculty. I found them to be nurturing and they really helped me to establish myself as a professional in the mental health field. Also, I found that the amount of learning that took place during my grad school education was tremendous! I grumbled about it while I was reading hundreds of pages a night and writing papers, but in retrospect, I got a lot out of it and found myself more prepared than most new therapists to work in mental health.

I hope this helps clarify things for you :) It’s one of those things that you need to decide to jump into somewhat blind…we cannot foresee what the future holds, but we can make an educated choice. I also would encourage you to check out my post about getting a Doctorate degree and Cathy Malchiodi’s 6 posts on choosing art therapy as a field.

Warm Regards,
- Liz

The Drexel Creative Arts Therapy Program

Left as a comment, Lauren asks:

How competitive is it to get into the Creative arts therapy program at Drexel? To my knowledge, it seems like the most intensive art therapy graduate program. Can you describe your experience in the program?

Any type of information would be really helpful! Thanks.

Hi Lauren,

At this point, I’m not sure how many people apply to the Drexel CAT program vs. how many are accepted. I remember there was a group interview (with multiple potential students, the director and assistant director of the program), which was followed by an individual interview. I brought my portfolio with me, which I went over during my 1:1 interview. I also had strong grades and Miller Analogies Test scores, which helped to seal the deal, although I think there’s some leniency afforded to those who seem like a “good fit” in the program.

The Drexel art therapy program was intensive—5 days a week, full time classes and internships, plus lots of reading and writing to do at home. There was still time for fun, but it was a pretty big adjustment for everyone in the program.

My background in taking lots of psychology courses (and history courses, that have huge reading and writing assignments) during my undergrad was extremely beneficial. Many students who had a fine arts background, with very little experience in academia, seemed overwhelmed by the workload and expectations for writing quality. They all made it through, but many needed extra support to help with their writing skills.

The program begins by teaching the basics of psychodynamic theory at the same time as teaching about the basics of art therapy theory, which is rooted in psychodynamic theory. If you already have taken a course on psychodynamic theory before entering the Drexel program, you’ll find the first semester much easier.

Some students took issue to the emphasis on psychodynamic theory, which is very prominent during the first year (in your second year there are courses focusing on various other paradigms). During your internships, you may experience the use of only cognitive behavioral therapy or behavioral therapy, and wonder why you need to know about psychodynamics. In my experience, however, this solid foundation in psychodynamics has made me a better therapist—one that can move dynamically between the practical solutions provided by CBT (or DBT) and the unconscious world that emerges through the artwork. Feedback given to me by seasoned therapists and psychiatrists have emphasized that this ability is unusual in younger therapists, since younger therapists tend to have little or no training in the unconscious, defense mechanisms and personality structures.

I have no experience with any other art therapy program—I’m sure they all teach the “art of art therapy”—but I feel that Drexel gave me a solid academic foundation and prepared me to be a solid clinician.

Now, if only I could get a license to practice counseling in California! Then I’d be set ;)