How Nonclinical “Art as Therapy” Looks Different (Detailed Comparison with Clinical Art Therapy)
How Nonclinical ‘Art as Therapy’ Looks Different (Detailed Comparison with Clinical Art Therapy)
Today we’re going to go in-depth on non-clinical art therapy service, and how that looks different from clinical art therapy.
If you don’t know what nonclinical art as therapy (aka therapeutic art) vs. clinical art therapy is, then I have a past blog post explaining the exact thing here. Go watch it first and come back to this one again.
I’ve been getting questions about how nonclinical work might look and feel different, especially from art therapists who have a more clinical art therapy training and have been working in the clinical realm for so long. When you do try to switch to or just introduce a bit of nonclinical art therapy into your practice or business, it can get confusing, how one is different from the other.
Based on my experience of doing these two types of work in the past, I am sharing the differences I’ve seen. So of course, these are not hard and fast rules about art therapy services at all, but it can give you some guidelines and boundaries, esp. if you’re venturing into nonclinical world.
Hopefully this will clear up any confusion and give your a crystal clear idea of what you can offer differently for nonclinical art therapy services. Continue below to see the differences between the two.
Specificity
The first difference I want to share is: specificity. Usually nonclinical services are specific; certain theme or issue or topic or medium is the focus and the service is named as such.
On the other hand, clinical art therapy services are broad and general. It encompasses a lot. Usually it’s not specific. Art therapist is an art therapist, so they help everyone from those who are dealing with anxiety to OCD to trauma to personality disorders in the clinical realm. However, with nonclinical art therapy, the services are usually more specific, and it has a focus on serving specific types of people.
Usually nonclinical art therapy services are specifically titled or named like: self-discovery through art, or expressive painting to release anger, or creating oracle cards for personal growth, or using clay work to improve self-esteem. In clinical work, sessions are just sessions especially in terms of 1:1 work.
Quick note about names: naming of nonclinical vs. clinical art therapy can be quite different. First of all, nonclinical “art as therapy” most likely do NOT claim to be “art therapy.” Because in US, some states regulate that term and define it as psychotherapy / see it as strictly mental health treatment. THUS nonclinical art as therapy type of service CANNOT be art therapy actually unless the service provider IS licensed as an art therapist (or sometimes counselor/lmft/lcsw) in that state. SO they might have many other names like: creative arts, therapeutic art, expressive art, healing art, etc. So, for those of us who are clinically trained with a masters in art therapy, we can do nonclinical services but not clinical services until we get licensed.
Goals
Instead of “treating” mental illness, which is the goal of clinical art therapy, nonclinical art therapy is focused on non-diagnosable issues or challenges and/or even broader and inclusive topics. These might include grief, self empowerment, spirituality, self development (in terms of financially, relationship wise), creativity, dealing with grief/loss, self-love.
If clinical art therapy goals look like these:
treat panic disorder
treat ptsd
treat trauma
treat bipolar disorder
basically there HAS to be a diagnosis based on (DSM, if in the states)
Then nonclinical art therapy goals are like:
improving self-expression, confidence, letting go of the past, stress management, mindfulness, improving relationships, listening to your intuition, improving health/managing illness, abundance, etc.
Setting of the service
Most often, nonclinical art therapy services are not provided in medical settings. They are usually provided in non-medical places like community centers, art studios, retreat centers, after-school programs, private practices/business, universities...)
On the other hand, clinical art therapy is done in a clinical or medical setting - oftentimes in psychiatric hospitals, mental health clinics or treatment centers, where clients’ medical information is collected and maintained. In those settings, art therapy is considered a mental health treatment so those things will be a part of client’s medical records. There’s usually a lot of paperwork and documentation involved.
While clinical services can only happen behind closed doors and in full confidentiality, nonclinical art therapy can happen in public settings like in outside, in parks, in communities, in fairs, conferences, museums, public schools. The setting is pretty limitless.
ONE NOTE: nonclinical services CAN be done in medical or clinical settings. E.g., there can be creative arts-based programs within hospital settings. And they are mostly group programs or community-based programs. However, you have to be clear that it is nonclinical — oftentimes this means that you do NOT have access to client’s medical information or history - so most likely you are not working 1:1. You are NOT there to treat their disorders and thus you are NOT their mental health treatment provider. That’s not your job.
Boundary Setting
Nonclinical service cannot step on clinical services; because of this, boundary setting has to be in place.
Clinical realm is where there is treatment of mental health disorders, so nonclinical services cannot step on that type of work. You may be able to see someone who does have mental illness diagnosis, but your role is clearly separate from treating their diagnosis, that’s the psychotherapist’s/psychiatrist’s job, not yours.
So when you set your boundaries, you may say that you only see clients who might already have their own psychiatrist/psychologist if they have a diagnosis. OR, you may not work with anyone with a diagnosis.
So in the case where you don’t work with someone with a diagnosis, you can give referrals to anyone who does have a diagnosis and want to address / treat that.
Packages & Payment
With clinical services, in many states there are certain rules regarding receiving payment from clients (eg., one is that you cannot be paid in advance, and this means you can’t offer “packages”). You are only receiving payment right before a session, or afterwards. One session, one payment. OR, you work through insurance and “claim” the session by submitting paperwork and get paid after session of course.
However, with nonclinical services, your payment is determined by your own business structure or practice. You can determine whether you want to be paid after each session, or you can also offer “packages” — offering several sessions as a package that clients can sign up and pay for once. This means you can get paid upfront.
There is also another flexibility - which is to offer payment plans. If you have a 3 month package, you can have a one-time payment price $x, AND offer a monthly payment plan for 3 months or something like that. So this gives the client flexibility.
Most important differentiator
ALL in all, the biggest differentiator between clinical vs. nonclinical work is that clinical work almost always involves a diagnosis, the treatment of that diagnosis, and client’s medical records.
Nonclinical work? None of it.
So what do you think of doing in terms of nonclinical or clinical work types? Let me know in the comments.
P.S. If you are curious about therapeutic art and want to learn how to facilitate it or incorporate it in your work, then I’ve got the ✨perfect✨ resource for you. My Therapeutic Art Facilitation School course is THE place where you can learn the foundation of nonclinical, therapeutic art work. I teach you my step by step signature method of using therapeutic art to help people, even if you’re just starting (no artist or therapist background needed). Want to learn how to do this? Check out my therapeutic art course here.
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