Want to Pursue the Non-Clinical Art Therapy Path? Read This.
If you want to pursue the non-clinical art therapy path
Not every art therapist might want to do clinical work.
I’ve talked with many art therapists who have done clinical work all along and found that they want to expand out into something different.
I do see lots of art therapists being interested in non-clinical work, for many reasons, but the thing is there's not a lot of information about this. (FYI, if you want to see what is the different between clinical vs. non-clinical work, see my blog post here).
So I'm here to share what I know, based on my experience of starting and running my own non-clinical “art as therapy” (or aka "therapeutic art”) business from scratch, on my own and based on what I hear from fellow art therapists who talk with me and get my business coaching/mentoring support as well.
(BTW, if you don’t know me, I’m Youhjung, a registered art therapist in the U.S.).
So in this blog post I’ll be sharing some of my tips and advice for pursuing the non-clinical art therapy / therapeutic art work.
And a side note - I have a full podcast episode talking about this in-depth, which you can listen to it here:
(It’s also available to listen on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, Overcast, etc. Click here if you want the link to my podcast on the different apps).
Ok, now let’s get into the juicy parts! Continue reading below.
Is non-clinical for you?
First thing we need to talk about is actually deciding whether this non-clinical work, path is for you.
Not everyone might be aligned with this type of work, just like not everyone will be suited for clinical work.
So here’s a few things to consider if you are not sure whether choosing the non-clinical path is right for you or not. See how many “yes’s” you get from these questions (and be totally honest with yourself):
you feel like something’s missing and you don’t feel fulfilled with your clinical art therapy work
your ideal clients are not people “in crisis,” have a diagnosis, or necessarily need psychotherapy treatment
you have creative ideas as an art therapist - you might dream of doing retreats, workshops, consulting, community work
you feel restricted with clinical work - like you can’t do some things that are important for you as an art therapist
you feel that the medical model approach, often employed in clinical settings and systems don’t align with your own values
you believe it’s important to do the work you truly believe in, the work you love, and are willing to go commit to that value/goal
If you answered yes to most, if not all of those statements, non-clinical work may be a great fit for you.
And another telltale sign that non-clinical work is for you, is actually burnout. If you’ve been doing clinical work and been in burnout for a while, it is a good time to re-evaluate your career path and your art therapy work. Sometimes it’s a matter of setting boundaries, requesting changes within your work, and maintaining good self-care practices. However, for some folks, those things don’t cut it because the core of the matter is the “clinical work” itself.
No matter how much you try to align yourself with clinical work, these people often realize that doing clinical work is not truly for them. It’s not that clinical work is wrong, but simply that non-clinical work is better aligned with them.
What’s stopping you?
Now, there are people who know inside that non-clinical path is for them, but hesitate in actually deciding to go with that path.
You’re intrigued or interested in this work, but you don’t allow yourself to actually go for it, even though there are so many signs pointing you in that direction.
I see this in many people who reach out to me for mentoring/coaching. The one thing I can say is you will need to be aware first of all whether you are stopping yourself. And if so, then it’s important to identify what is stopping you.
The #1 reason I find is FEAR.
Fear around:
Am I worthy? (to do what I dream of)
Can I do this? Do I have permission?
What would happen if I do non-clinical work?
How would others see me? Will I be less valued or acknowledged?
It’s crucial to work through these fears. If you feel that clinical work is shrinking you, limiting you, and you know that non-clinical work will expand you, but you’re hesitant… then know that the fear is trying to keep you safe so that you don’t risk yourself to all these potential situations in the future.
It’s just like riding a bike or skating. It feels scary. We feel the fear - we might fall down and get scratched. But overcoming that fear is one of the required steps to do this much rewarding work.
Why you should choose this path
To help you out a little bit, I’m going to share some of the big reasons why should choose the non-clinical path when you know it is truly aligned with you. Sometimes we just need some validation and confirmation before we can proceed, right ;)
Here’s why you should choose this path:
People fall through the cracks of the medical model/psychiatric system we currently have (in the U.S.)
Most often, clinical art therapy is served to a certain segment of the population. They have to be in certain situations and have certain things set up - e.g., insurance, medicare, being hospitalized, being in-person/near an art therapist, etc. And people outside of that system, rarely have access to art therapy. Thus, non-clinical art therapy / therapeutic art provides another “basket” that catches those people who might not be in the system so to speak.
Non-clinical art therapy can provide a whole new approachability to art therapy services
Oftentimes, clinical art therapy happens behind doors, in private, and in full confidentiality - which is a good thing. However, for people who never was exposed to art therapy services before don’t know what art therapy is and what it’s like. Non-clinical art therapy / therapeutic art can be more approach because it can be done in a more public setting, through online, and various formats (such as in communities, across different countries, etc). From the client/consumer perspective, nonclinical art therapy can be approachable and easy to try out.
Non-clinical path will make you humble and abandon your ego
Going the purely non-clinical path made me go back to the essence of what I’m trying to do through art therapy - which is to help people using the creative process. If you do provide non-clinical art therapy / therapeutic art offerings, then you will realize that sometimes you can’t use the word “art therapy” or “art therapist” to define yourself and your work. Sometimes you have to be creative and work outside of those labels. But this made me realize how those are words, at the end of the day. I didn’t have to find my worth and value within words and labels, but in the knowing that I’m offering people something that is needed and can make a difference in their lives. That’s what’s important for me. So, in going this path, you’ll be able to let go of your ego, be even more creative, and actually make you become amazing at marketing as well :)
Tips on how to get started
Now, if you have decided to go this path, you might be wondering “how can I get started?”
I got you there too.
My first big tip in getting started, is getting started NOW.
(I know, I know, it’s weird to say the way you get started is to get started…but hear me out).
Getting started doesn’t have to be complicated. You can get started now. When you’re in school, when you’ve just graduated from your master’s, or when you’ve worked a while too. It doesn’t matter.
You can get started now. Think of an idea, an offering you can make. What would that be? What small step can you take right now, today, to help you get to that point of doing non-clinical work?
Would that be creating a facebook business page or an instagram account?
If so, go do it. Take that first step. The earlier you get started, the better! Building a business or offering non-clinical services takes time, so better start now than later.
My second tip is…
2. Show up online and create a community for yourself
Doing non-clinical work will involve way more marketing than doing clinical work. That’s just the nature of this path.
And these days the online world is a great place to market. That’s why I recommend you show up online and create an audience for yourself.
Once you have an audience, i.e., your own community of people who are interested in you and what you have to offer, you will always offer yourself to those people and have consistent business.
Without an audience, you can’t have clients, you can’t have buyers. Having an audience is the foundation of your business.
So show up online, create a social media account, create content, allow people to follow you, listen to you, get information from you. Provide them with valuable info, insights, tips, etc.
My last tip is to…
3. Seek help
That is, don’t do it all alone. Seeking information, perspective, and guidance from mentors, friends, colleagues who have experience in non-clinical art therapy work is so so so important.
To reinvent the wheel, is super hard. I don’t think you need to do that. You can always get help from others who have experience and understand what you’re trying to do.
If you do these, you’ll be motivated, inspired, and held accountable. It makes a tremendous difference when you have this kind of support. And this is precisely the reason I created my own membership of art therapists who want to have online businesses and provide non-clinical services.
We support each other, share information, hold each other accountable, and just be there for each other. I also teach and share my top tips and strategies on how to market, use social media, offer online services, etc. in the membership. Honestly, it’s exactly what I wanted when I first started out with my business…but I’m so happy and honored to be able to provide this for fellow art therapists who have this calling to do something more than the traditional clinical work.
(If you want more info or join this membership, you can do it here).
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Do you have any questions about doing non-clinical art therapy work? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks and see you next time!
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