Annual Salary
£32,305 to £45,838
Average UK salary in 2019 was £30,378
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Design or Fashion & textiles or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Design or Fashion & textiles or go back to all job sectors
Art therapists help people express difficult thoughts and feelings through creative activities.
Average UK salary in 2019 was £30,378
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: freelance / self-employed; managing your own hours
There will be
6% more Art therapist jobs in 2026.
In your local area
On a day-to-day basis, you may work with clients who have:
You'll help clients to:
You could work in a prison, in an NHS or private hospital or at a school.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.
You can get into this job through:
You'll need to complete a postgraduate qualification approved by the Health and Care Professions Council.
Full-time postgraduate courses normally take 2 years to complete. Part-time courses take 3 years.
You should have a degree in art or creative therapies to do a postgraduate course.
You may be able to apply if you've got a degree in a related subject, for example psychology, nursing or social work.
You'll usually need:
You may be able to do an arts therapist degree apprenticeship.
You'll usually need a qualification or experience in art, drama or music to apply.
To do this apprenticeship, you'll need:
You'll need paid or voluntary experience in community arts projects or youth work, or experience of working with people with disabilities or mental health issues.
You could contact the voluntary services co-ordinator at your local NHS trust for further advice. Do It also has more information on voluntary opportunities.
You'll need to:
You could try an introductory or foundation course in art therapy to give you an idea of what the work is like.
You can join the British Association of Art Therapists for access to professional development and networking opportunities.
You'll find more details about this career, courses and training through the British Association of Art Therapists and Health Careers.
You can also find out more about working in creative careers from Discover Creative Careers.
With experience, you could become self-employed and build up your own practice.
You could also become a senior arts therapist and manage a team of therapists, manage an arts therapy unit, or move into teaching.
You'll need: