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Briefly, art therapy is the use of the creative process to promote healing and growth. This treatment approach combines elements of studio art with psychological principles and theories of human development.
“Art Therapy is an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship.
Art Therapy, facilitated by a professional art therapist, effectively supports personal and relational treatment goals as well as community concerns. Art Therapy is used to improve cognitive and sensory-motor functions, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, reduce and resolve conflicts and distress, and advance societal and ecological change.” (AATA, 2022)
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Art therapy can be adapted to support people from nearly every walk of life. In my practice, I’ve worked with children as young as three through adults in their nineties. Art therapy is practiced in community centers, hospitals, schools, shelters, nursing facilities, and nearly every place in-between.
A strength of art therapy is that is allow people to process emotional content differently than in conventional talk therapy. When you talk about a problem, you use words to access emotions and eventually bodily sensations. This is called “top-down” processing. Art therapy often takes an alternate route. The sensory stimulation from art making allows direct access to bodily sensations, which can help a person access and identify emotions, and eventually find the words to develop a coherent story about their experiences. This is called “bottom-up” processing. It is especially helpful for people who may have difficulty finding the words to express how they feel due to their age, physical abilities, history of trauma, or other factors.
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No one owns the creative process or the privilege of making art. That said, art therapy services are provided by trained professionals who hold a masters degree (or higher) in art therapy or a closely related field, uphold the ethical principles of their credentialing boards, and maintain licensure as required by their state.
Nationally, the Art Therapy Credentials Board certifies art therapists who have completed post-graduate, supervised training hours, licensing examination, and documented experience as supervisors with the ATR, ATR-BC, and ATCS credentials (respectively). In the state of New York, art therapists practice under the Licensed Creative Arts Therapy (LCAT) credential. In the state of New Jersey, art therapists practice under the Licensed Professional Art Therapist (LPAT) credential (alternatively they may hold the Licensed Professional Counselor credential and the ATR-BC).
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Licenses and credentials have been established to protect the public. It is important to choose a therapist who has the appropriate credentials to practice art therapy so that you are getting competent, safe, and effective treatment. Someone who is not credentialed may not have completed the proper training, is not required to abide by the strict ethical requirements of the profession, is not accountable to oversight boards, and is not required to complete continuing education training to ensure that they provide the most up-to-date and evidence-based services.
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Insurance companies contract with therapists, doctors, hospitals, and other providers to lower the cost of treatment. If a providers accepts your health insurance plan they are considered “in network” or “participating providers.” A doctor or provider who doesn’t take your plan is “out-of-network.” The differences between them are cost and whether your plan helps pay for care you get from out-of-network providers.
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If you want to work with a therapist who is out-of-network with your insurance your next steps depend on what type of plan you have. Your insurance card will tell you whether your plan is a PPO or HMO. If you are unsure, please contact me and I can run your insurance to give you a better idea of what your out of pocket expenses might be.
If you have a PPO (Preferred Provider Organization plan) your insurance company can reimburse you for a portion of your treatment (typically 60 to 80 percent). Services like Reimbursify will help you to quickly and easily submit claims which helps lower the cost of your care.
If you have an HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) your insurance company will not reimburse you for seeing out-of-network providers. Most Medicaid/Medicare plans are HMO plans. In this case, you are responsible for the cost of care if you go out-of-network.
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The best thing to do is to have a conversation about your circumstances. Many therapists offer what is called sliding scale fees. This means that they adjust the cost of treatment based on your income. If this option is still not affordable they may work with you to find someone who is in-network with your insurance. This may include other private practice clinicians, community-based organizations, hospitals, or mental health clinics. There are also low-fee therapists available through Open Path Collective. Another option to consider is group therapy which is typically less expensive than individual sessions.
New Jersey resources:
Private Practice Art Therapists
New York resources: