Clinical vs. Non-Clinical Art Therapy Work
Clinical Art Therapy vs. Nonclinical Art Therapy
Did you know that there are 2 different art therapy work types?
Most people don’t know about this, and most art therapists don’t think about this so much, even though intentionally choosing which type they want to work with can make a HUGE difference in their work and career as an art therapist.
So in this blog post I will break down the differences between “clinical art therapy” and “nonclinical art therapy” as well as how this information can shape the big decisions you’ll make in your art therapy career/work.
(if you want to listen to this post instead of reading it, you can listen to the podcast version of this here.
First of all, you may be curious who I am if you haven’t met me before, so let me tell you a little about myself. I am Youhjung and I am a registered art therapist living and working in the U.S. (currently based in Maryland). I’ve worked the usual 9-5 art therapist work, delved into freelance art therapy work, and then I ventured into my own 100% online art therapy business. And this topic today about nonclinical work has been a big part of my own online business, so I’m excited to share about it here. Ready to dive in? Continue reading below.
The Clinical Art Therapy Work
Clinical art therapy work is the most common and widely known type of work done in many of the countries or places (e.g. U.S.) in which art therapy is more known/practiced.
Master’s programs train you for clinical work. State government or state-run facilities hire art therapists for clinical services.
So what is clinical art therapy? In a nutshell, it is a type of art therapy service that is considered a “mental health treatment” as defined by the government or a reputable mental health professional organization (like APA - the American Psychiatric Association).
Thus, this type of art therapy service is bound by the laws of the government and the art therapist is seen as a mental health treatment provider. The art therapist’s function is to treat people with mental illnesses.
Because of this, clinical art therapy work often:
revolves around the DSM diagnosis and pathology
is integrated within “medical model” systems and approach
establishes an “expert vs. patient” hierarchy (unknowingly or knowingly)
done “in private”
happens only locally, within a state (art therapist can’t see someone outside of his/her state in most cases)
involves working with insurances, aka taking insurance from clients
is seen as supplement to “main” psychiatric treatment
There are many things that come with working clinically, and these are just a few examples (of course, these are not absolute rules - they’re just a common occurrence). So now, what about the non-clinical work? Let’s talk about that.
The Non-Clinical Art Therapy Work
The less commonly known type of art therapy work is the “non-clinical” art therapy work. (Or, I like to think of it as non-clinical “art as therapy” work). When graduates of art therapy programs look for jobs, they look for clinical work. When research is done, they mention clinical art therapy. When they teach you art therapy, it’s often about clinical art therapy. BUT non-clinical work is there - and I can say from direct & indirect experience - it’s more common than you think.
Non-clinical art therapy work is the type of work we do outside the “treatment centers,” the unnamed work, the creative work, the work done in studios, communities, and sometimes in private practices.
Oftentimes, non-clinical art therapy work will not be called “art therapy” unless it is done by a formally trained and licensed/registered/board certified art therapist. For the sake of understanding, I use the term “non-clinical art therapy” here, for mostly my art therapist students and trainees, but for those of us who do not have an art therapist background and training, your work will not be considered nor called “art therapy.” (Please do not call your work “art therapy” if you don’t have the appropriate training and certification for it).
This non-clinical work is the more flexible, creative type of service that art therapists can provide. Here are some other characteristics of non-clinical art therapy work:
Doesn’t involve diagnosis
More well-being focused
Can involve both private and community-based, open type of work
Can involve global / international work
May integrate different disciplines like education, coaching, spiritual practices, fine art etc
Often sees art and art therapy as integral to people’s lifestyle, rather than an adjunct to treatment
Can specialize in various life themes like grief, relationships, racism, sexism, spirituality, self-worth, fulfillment, etc
Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the nonclinical work is that it is not recognized as “mental health treatment” (or an established form of psychotherapy) by government or other regulating agencies/organizations. And thus, there can be more freedom, flexibility, and creativity involved in doing this type of work.
Clinical OR not clinical?
Many art therapists are proponents of clinical art therapy, because it provides a strict boundary and a clearer definition on what art therapy is. When you make art therapy more medical and aligned with the established psychiatric field, it can be easier to show its effectiveness or importance.
However, sometimes the downfall of this is that we may feel constantly trying to prove our worth in these fields, because we are like the new next door neighbor who does (in their eyes) unconventional things like painting and drawing in the world of talk psychotherapy.
And sometimes we may feel restricted or limited in the way we can help people when we work in clinical workplaces. Often we have to adhere to the medical model, western medicine, insurances, etc. which might not be truly aligned with our own individual values or goals.
These were some of the reasons why I looked more into nonclinical work and made it my main focus for my art therapy business/practice.
Many times people don’t know that nonclinical art therapy has been in existence for a long time - even longer than clinical art therapy. If you are curious of what art therapists do non-clinically, you can read Pat Allen’s work, or look into the writings of Shaun McNiff as well.
Even before art therapy has been a form of psychotherapy / medical treatment in the eyes of our western society, art therapy (or the use of art for therapeutic purpose) has always been here, within tribes, different cultures and traditions, passed down from one generation to the next.
Different guides, elders, medicine man, the healers who used creative means to help people — they are not considered "trained therapists” but…are they not therapists in their own context?
And even before art therapy was a certification, a master’s degree, a licensure - art therapy was practiced by healers and therapists who did not have a formal art therapy background to provide “clinical art therapy.” But in retrospect, they are considered art therapists now.
One of the common responses I heard about clinical vs. nonclinical work is that many art therapists considered themselves as doing both. Or that these categories did not apply to them in their setting. So keep in mind that this is just one way to conceptualize art therapy work, and that things are not always black and white.
But I do think this concept helps many art therapists because knowing non-clinical work and being intentional about what kind of work you choose can be really helpful. This can open you up to more possibilities, more freedom, more work that is truly aligned with you.
Let me know if this was helpful to you. What specific challenges or questions do you have about clinical vs. non-clinical work? Let me know in the comments!
p.s. Curious about how to do non-clinical “therapeutic art” services online? Then I’ve got something for you! I created a course called Therapeutic Art Facilitation School (TAFS) for helping professionals (facilitators, artists, coaches, therapists), who want to utilize or incorporate therapeutic art to help people, without going the “clinical route” of doing art therapy work, but do it in a safe and appropriate way. Join us inside the TAFS course and start learning the essential skills you need to do therapeutic art work — it’s the exact skill/method I used to offer my popular nonclinical services. Learn more about it here.
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