Licensure OverviewThe Pennsylvania Art Therapy Association Governmental Affairs Chair and Alternate, in conjunction with Art Therapists in PA, are proposing an AMENDMENT to the existing Professional Counselor/Social Work/MFT License adopted in 1987.
We are seeking an independent license that defines and differentiates “Professional Art Therapy” as a distinct profession with unique education, theory, and techniques. If the art therapy license bill is passed, it will create the Licensed Professional Art Therapist (L.P.A.T.) law in Pennsylvania, which will establish title protection, legal standards of education, ethics, and training, and regulate the practice of Art Therapy in PA, ultimately protecting the clients and those served in our state. |
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Why do we need an independent Art Therapy License (LPAT)?
Protect vulnerable individuals seeking or receiving therapy services
The LPAT provides a clear parameter within which art therapy practice will occur, ensuring individuals receiving services are receiving art therapy provided by properly educated and trained art therapists. The LPAT will also provide a means of accountability for those working outside of their scope of practice, causing the potential for harm to persons receiving services.
Recognition
Representation: The proposed amendment establishes two positions as representatives on the State Licensure Board for Art Therapists. There currently are none.
Title protection
Title protection will ensure that non-Art Therapist, undertrained or untrained individuals will not hold themselves out as Art Therapist or unwittingly claim to be doing Art Therapy. The public will know if they see the letters LPAT after a professional’s name, that they can safely believe they will get a level of Art Therapy expertise no other profession can claim.
The LPAT also establishes clearly who can NOT call themselves art therapists. Professional art therapists’ high quality and unique training and services will be publicized, enabling the public to seek out and participate in high quality art therapy from appropriate practitioners.
The LPAT provides a clear parameter within which art therapy practice will occur, ensuring individuals receiving services are receiving art therapy provided by properly educated and trained art therapists. The LPAT will also provide a means of accountability for those working outside of their scope of practice, causing the potential for harm to persons receiving services.
Recognition
Representation: The proposed amendment establishes two positions as representatives on the State Licensure Board for Art Therapists. There currently are none.
Title protection
Title protection will ensure that non-Art Therapist, undertrained or untrained individuals will not hold themselves out as Art Therapist or unwittingly claim to be doing Art Therapy. The public will know if they see the letters LPAT after a professional’s name, that they can safely believe they will get a level of Art Therapy expertise no other profession can claim.
The LPAT also establishes clearly who can NOT call themselves art therapists. Professional art therapists’ high quality and unique training and services will be publicized, enabling the public to seek out and participate in high quality art therapy from appropriate practitioners.
- Penalty for violation of the LPAT law: Title protection is further strengthened with a civil penalty (identical to the social work and counseling licenses). People who illegally hold themselves out as art therapists, or advertise or engage in private practice of art therapy without the license may be served a penalty of up to $10,000, after a hearing is held.
What are the goals of HB 786?
A) to protect the public from ineffective/inappropriate care
B) to ensure that Pennsylvanians have awareness of and access to the highest quality treatment available from this valuable mental health profession
C) to place one professional art therapist as a representative on the State Licensure Board
D) to generate more work opportunities and prosperity for PA art therapists and the larger Commonwealth.
B) to ensure that Pennsylvanians have awareness of and access to the highest quality treatment available from this valuable mental health profession
C) to place one professional art therapist as a representative on the State Licensure Board
D) to generate more work opportunities and prosperity for PA art therapists and the larger Commonwealth.
HB 786 Sponsorship + Support
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Primary Sponsor of HB786:
Representative Tim Briggs Co-Sponsors of HB786: Representative Rosemary Brown Representative Benjamin Sanchez Representative Joe Webster Representative Patrick Harkins Representative Kevin Boyle |
Friends of PA Art Therapy Licensure Efforts:
Judith Rubin American Art Therapy Association PA Music Therapists Other mental health professionals in PA |
Concerns with not establishing an independent Art Therapy License
Burgeoning awareness and popularity of art therapy has caused more and more non-art therapists and under-trained individuals to use art in clinical practice or claim that they are art therapists or “doing art therapy”. Pennsylvanians with developmental disabilities, mental health disorders, the elderly, and less educated, and other underserved populations are among our most vulnerable citizens. Untrained/under-trained practitioners may not be aware of the impact of various art media on a client’s emotional/mental functioning. They are likely untrained in the method and timing of interpretation of art and may traumatize or psychologically injure clients. They may cause clients to have bad experiences in therapy and cause them to avoid pursuing necessary mental health treatment in the future. Likewise, un/under-trained clinicians may not know how to guide the client to calm and safety if unexpected images, emotions, traumas, or impulses emerge. Errors due to insufficient training and experience may cause the client psychological or even physical harm. Presently, here is no legal recourse to protect consumers from people representing themselves as art therapists or claiming to “do Art Therapy”.
In the current law, Art Therapists are identified as Licensed Professional Counselors in an ambiguous category called “a field closely related to the practice of professional counseling”. Art Therapy is undifferentiated from professional counselors under the L.P.C. law. Social workers, counselors, or MFT's may be led to believe that art therapy is a merely a tool or intervention to enhance their work rather than a discrete profession with extensive training, experience, supervision, and ethical decision-making guidelines. This may cause confusion among even well-meaning mental health therapists who may unwittingly claim that they are "providing art therapy”. There is great potential for unknowing or knowing fraud, and the public would may not know the difference between art therapists social workers, MFT's and professional counselors if they all have the same LPC license.
Practically any untrained/under-trained therapist can claim to be an art therapist. Art therapists who ask under-trained practitioners to stop claiming that they teach or facilitate art therapy or claiming to be art therapists have no means to influence cessation of that inappropriate activity. Presently, there are no restrictions or penalties for violators or the art therapy title, and no legal remedies if current art therapists practice inappropriately/unethically. A professional art therapy license would create real leverage to stop people from holding themselves out as art therapists.
In the current law, Art Therapists are identified as Licensed Professional Counselors in an ambiguous category called “a field closely related to the practice of professional counseling”. Art Therapy is undifferentiated from professional counselors under the L.P.C. law. Social workers, counselors, or MFT's may be led to believe that art therapy is a merely a tool or intervention to enhance their work rather than a discrete profession with extensive training, experience, supervision, and ethical decision-making guidelines. This may cause confusion among even well-meaning mental health therapists who may unwittingly claim that they are "providing art therapy”. There is great potential for unknowing or knowing fraud, and the public would may not know the difference between art therapists social workers, MFT's and professional counselors if they all have the same LPC license.
Practically any untrained/under-trained therapist can claim to be an art therapist. Art therapists who ask under-trained practitioners to stop claiming that they teach or facilitate art therapy or claiming to be art therapists have no means to influence cessation of that inappropriate activity. Presently, there are no restrictions or penalties for violators or the art therapy title, and no legal remedies if current art therapists practice inappropriately/unethically. A professional art therapy license would create real leverage to stop people from holding themselves out as art therapists.
In pursuing a separate Art Therapy license, we have made sure to emphasize to related mental health professions that our intention in seeking regulation and a defined scope of practice is not to limit or infringe upon any profession’s scope of practice, nor interfere with these professions’ use of art or art materials as part of their practice. Our concern is that use of art, art materials, or creative expression be consistent with a licensed profession’s defined scope of practice and ethical codes and not be represented to the public as Art Therapy. Current licensed mental health professionals who use visual art (such as drawing for expression) in their practice, in a way that is consistent with both the scope of practice of their license and their professional training and experience (but who lack the coursework and postgraduate supervision by a credentialed Art Therapist, which is required to become a board certified Art Therapist), would not be precluded from continuing their practice, provided they do not describe their practice as Art Therapy or hold themselves out to the public as a professional Art Therapist.