August 10, 2026

On July 27, 2026, the Creative Arts Therapies (CAT) department hosted the Pennsylvania Art Therapy Association and Pennsylvania House Representatives to discuss the potential passage of House Bill 1733 in support of state licensure for art therapists.

PA House Bill 1733 was written to amend the PA Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors Act of 1987, which created the State Board and established the official rules of licensure for professional counselors. The current bill is being evaluated on the House floor to establish official state licensure and standards for art therapists to ensure appropriate education, training, and credential protections.

“[The representatives] are looking to achieve licensure for art therapists to be accredited within the community. Part of the danger of not [being accredited/licensed] is having people who are not licensed begin to present themselves as art therapists, which can sometimes do a lot of harm. By licensing the profession, it adds credibility and protects the patients’ safety as well,” says Pennsylvania Representative Frank Burns (PA-72).

The visit began with a tour of the CAT program facilities, including the classrooms and research spaces for the art, dance/movement, and music therapy and counseling programs. Guests joined current art therapy students to learn more about the program and participated in an art-making session to explore the various mediums used in typical therapy sessions.

“This was the first time, ever, that PA state representatives, including the chair and vice-chair of the Professional License Committee, came to one of our five graduate art therapy programs in the state. And they picked Drexel! That said, it was exciting for PA state reps to visit, but the best part was witnessing the students interacting with them,” said Michele Rattigan, DHSc, director of Art Therapy and Counseling.

The representatives and PA-ATA board members were invited to participate in a round-table discussion with faculty about the importance of legal protections for art therapists and the harm to individuals counseling outside of their scope of practice.

One of the primary issues the industry faces involves counselors and other professionals practicing “art therapy” without the proper training, credentialing, or education required to guide patients through the counseling process properly. Many people are under the assumption that art therapy is merely doing arts and crafts with someone in a therapy session. Art therapists are psychotherapists and mental health clinicians with master’s-level or higher degrees trained in art and counseling. Clinicians are trained with a minimum of 700 supervised hours of practicum and/or internship earned in graduate school that include a minimum of 350 hours of direct provision of art therapy and counseling services to individuals, groups, or families.

“Let me be clear: none of us ‘own the arts.’ However, if you are using specific art media as therapeutic tools in treatment, especially with individuals who are ill, vulnerable, or recovering from trauma, you need the education, training, and hundreds of hours of supervised clinical experience required to do so safely and effectively. We have seen too many well-intentioned people assume it is acceptable to do the work of art therapists, dance/movement therapists, or music therapists without the necessary preparation,” said Rattigan.

This discussion is a part of a broader initiative to provide art therapists with unique, stand-alone professional licensure across the nation as opposed to an all-encompassing licensure for therapists and counselors. Currently, many art therapists are subject to differing requirements for state-to-state licensure in addition to board certification as an art therapist (ATR-BC). In conjunction with patient protections, the anticipated long-term effects of licensure will be the ability to obtain specific billing codes for reimbursement and a potential move towards a two-tiered employment system, allowing individuals with a bachelor’s degree to practice as art therapy assistants.

The goal is to recognize art therapy in Pennsylvania to match state licensure and title protections in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia, among others.

Photos and article by Myleah Herbert ’25