Role Characteristics
- Encourage people to express themselves through art
- Support people though their therapy by listening and providing guidance
- Plan and facilitate activities for individual or group therapy sessions
- Encourage people to reflect on their artwork and the process they used to create it
- Constructively challenge the behaviour and attitude of the people you are caring for
- Work with other health and care professionals
Skills
- Creative thinking
- Active listening
- Communication
- Observation
- Advice giving
- Empathy
Day in the life
Find out more about careers in Art Therapy.
Routes into this role
Here are some example routes that can lead into this role.
- GCSEs
- Undergraduate degree
- Postgraduate degree
- Foundation degree
- BTEC, T-Level or A-Levels
How to become
To become an Art Therapist, you will need a degree in Art/ Art Psychotherapy. There are many ways to access university‑level education and you can explore lots of current opportunities in the section below.
You might:
- Study A Levels, BTECs, or T Levels – useful subjects might include Art & Design, Psychology, Sociology, Health & Social Care, or Biology. Explore some current opportunities below.
- Complete an Access to Higher Education Diploma (Health, Social Care, or Creative Arts) – a college course designed for adults who want to access higher education but don’t have the traditional requirements like A Levels.
- Complete a Foundation course – a year‑long university course designed to prepare you for studying Art / Art Psychotherapy if you do not have the required qualifications or grades to go straight into a degree.
You will then be ready to study at a university level. This can include:
- Studying an undergraduate degree in Art Psychotherapy, Creative Arts Therapies, or a related subject such as Psychology, Fine Art, or Therapeutic Arts. (Art Therapy is usually offered at postgraduate level, so you will often need to complete a relevant undergraduate degree first.)
Alongside education, you may also want to build some relevant work or voluntary experience in mental health settings, community arts projects, youth work, social care, education, or charities supporting wellbeing, and think about developing your communication, empathy, creativity, active listening, and reflective practice skills.
To work in this role, you must be accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and it is good practice to be registered with British Association of Art Therapists.
Where can this role lead
As an Art Therapist you could specialise further into roles such as a Mental Health Practitioner or Wellbeing Practitioner. You could also move sideways into roles that use similar communication, safeguarding, and behaviour‑support skills, like Youth Worker or Support Worker, applying your experience in building trust and supporting wellbeing in different settings.
With experience, an Art Therapist could progress into leadership or service‑development roles such as Service Manager, where you may oversee teams and shape therapeutic or wellbeing programmes.
If you wanted to move into more direct care, roles like Healthcare Support Worker or Mental Health Support Worker would allow you to provide hands‑on support.
Location
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Hospitals
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Community Settings
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At Home
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Schools, colleges and universities
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Prisons
Working hours
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Weekdays
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Full Time
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Part Time
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Casual Hours
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Flexible Hours
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Overtime
Opportunities
Level 5 Fine Art
- Organisation
- Wakefield College
Creative Arts Foundation Degree
- Organisation
- Calderdale College
Leeds City College Creative Arts courses
- Organisation
- Leeds City College
Qualify as an Art Therapist
Virtual work experience
- Organisation
- Aspiring Allies
Volunteering in Health and Care
- Organisation
- Volunteering Opportunities