How Long Will It Take to Become an Art Therapist in Austin, TX?

These days we all want something for nothing.  The faster it comes, the better it must be, right?  But then we don’t like it when the things that came to us quickly fall apart, cheaply made of cheap materials and no capacity for longevity.

It’s true for garments and household products, and it’s also true for relationships and careers.

Relationships are Important for Art Therapy in Austin, TX

If you want to become an art therapist, your career will be about being in relationships—lots of them, with coworkers, colleagues, and clients.  You do not want your relationships and your career to fall apart quickly.

How do you avoid this?

How Can You Prevent Your Austin, TX Art Therapy Career from Falling Apart Before It Starts?

By investing.  Investing time, investing effort, and investing energy.  How long it will take to become an art therapist depends on your willingness to make these investments.  Although you can do an internet search and easily find cheap certificate programs that come quickly—not much time, effort, or energy required on your part—they don’t provide you with the capacity for longevity in your professional relationships and career.

Beware of Cheap Certificate Programs in Art Therapy

These cheap certificate programs don’t involve the kind or quality of investment needed for the ethical and effective practice of art therapy in Austin, TX, either.  In turn, they’ll negatively impact what coworkers, colleagues, and clients think of your work.

You won’t be able to stand behind the great outcomes you hope to achieve because you won’t be able to achieve them in the first place. 

Use Discernment When Weighing Your Art Therapy Training Options

Cheap certificate programs are there to take your money and promise you whatever it is you most want to hear.  If what you want to hear is that in no time at all, you, too, can become an art therapist in Austin, TX, there’s a cheap certificate program out there for you.

But if what you want to hear is that there’s a standard-driven, regulated process for ensuring your professional growth and development in the ethical and effective practice of art therapy, read on.

What Can You Expect from a Legitimate Art Therapy Educational Program?

Investing your time, effort, and energy into becoming an Austin, TX art therapist will prepare you for an appropriate entry into a regulated, master’s-level mental health profession.  The coursework and supervised practice involved will provide you with constructive and corrective opportunities for developing nuanced and intricate sensitivity in helping others utilize their own creative resources for addressing and overcoming challenges.

Art Therapy Instructors are Qualified

Learning to see and understand a person’s creative process and artistic output as language of the nervous system requires your full attention and the careful guidance of qualified instructors who have received formal art therapy education and training themselves and applied this with various client populations in different settings.

These instructors are held to standards that facilitate your competence in Austin, TX art therapy practice.

Plan Ahead for Your Art Therapy Education

Now that you have a better idea of what REAL art therapy education is supposed to look like, I’m sure you’re wondering how long the process takes.  Time is money.  If you are going to become an art therapist, you’ll need to plan ahead to make sure you can find the resources needed to make your dream come true.

You’ll Need a Master’s Degree if You Want to Become an Art Therapist in Austin, TX

Assuming that you already have a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree in art therapy will take you 2-3 years of full-time study.  Please note that the master’s programs in art therapy all have prerequisites; typically, these involve college coursework in psychology and studio art, but you can check with the specific program you’re interested in to see if it has any other requirements. 

What About a Bachelor’s Degree in Art Therapy?

You cannot get into a master’s degree program in art therapy if you don’t already have a bachelor’s degree.  And while you can earn a bachelor’s degree in art therapy, you cannot practice art therapy in Austin, TX with it.

A bachelor’s degree in art therapy prepares you for admission into a graduate art therapy program or a general career in the human services sector, but it does not prepare you to practice psychotherapy (nor does it prepare you to jump through all the credentialing hoops that are part and parcel of being a regulated mental health professional).

How About a Doctoral Degree in Art Therapy?

A doctoral degree in art therapy is not needed to practice art therapy in Austin, TX, but it will help you if your ultimate goal is to teach at the university level or be a program administrator at an agency or institution.

What About a Post-Master’s Program in Art Therapy?

Doctoral art therapy programs do not focus on teaching students how to provide direct services to clients.  So if your goal is to provide art therapy services, you’ll need a master’s degree in art therapy or a master’s degree in a mental health profession plus additional art therapy coursework and applied supervision through a post-master’s program in art therapy.

There are actually a few of those in the United States!  They can help you become an art therapist in Austin, TX.

Get More Info About How Long It Will Take to Become an Art Therapist

To learn more about art therapy education and get a better idea of how long it’ll take you to become an art therapist, you can check out the websites of the following entities:

• American Art Therapy Association

• Art Therapy Credentials Board

• Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs/Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education

Is It Time for You to Work with an Austin, TX Art Therapist?

I hope this overview has given you reason to rethink that cheap certificate program in art therapy and instead set your sights on a REAL educational path toward your dream career in art therapy!  In the meantime, have you considered becoming an art therapy client?

Many art therapists actually started out as art therapy clients themselves, never realizing that it would open up not only a psychological wellspring for themselves but also a deep desire to help others through the pursuit of coursework and supervision needed for an exciting new career.

Get a Free Consultation for Art Therapy in Austin, TX

If you’re looking for an opportunity to invest your time in creating a better outcome for yourself, please contact me for a free consultation to determine if I’m a good fit for you.  I work with adults through online art therapy in Texas, online art therapy in Indiana, and online art therapy in Arizona.

Anxiety?  Attachment issues?  Burnout?  Depression?  Grief or loss?  Self-esteem issues?  Spirituality issues?  Trauma?  I’ve got you covered.  I’d love to spend time connecting with you and answering your questions about how art therapy with me can help you make every day seem the time of your life.