Are you curious about working with a creative arts therapist but don’t know how to choose one? Choosing any type of therapist can be overwhelming since there are so many things to consider, but choosing a creative arts therapist often feels even more overwhelming since the work is sometimes confusing and misunderstood.
This article will help you feel more equipped to pick a therapist that is right for you.
Preferred Modality
As mentioned in a previous article, therapists trained and credentialed in the following modalities are considered creative arts therapists: art therapy, dance/movement therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, poetry therapy, and psychodrama. There are also expressive arts therapists that are trained in all of these art mediums.
Things to consider when you are deciding on which type of therapist to work with:
• Which modality helps you express yourself the most? It does not have to be the same modality that brings you the most joy, although that is another aspect that you might wish to consider. The most important thing about choosing the modality is that you feel it will allow you to fully and safely explore the issues that you wish to work on in therapy.
• If you feel most expressive when making visual art, you might wish to pursue art therapy.
• If you feel most expressive when dancing or doing other movement, you might wish to pursue dance/movement therapy.
• If you feel most expressive when acting, creating stories, or dramatizing things in other ways, you might wish to pursue drama therapy or psychodrama.
• If you feel most expressive when listening to or creating music, or when singing, you might wish to pursue music therapy.
• If you feel most expressive when writing or reading poetry and other creative writings, you might wish to pursue poetry therapy.
• If you feel most expressive when doing any or all of the arts, you might wish to pursue working with an expressive arts therapist. However, you might also wish to explore if local therapists trained in one particular modality have training in and use other ones in their work. As I mentioned in this prior article, many creative arts therapists blend modalities. I suggest inquiring about this when you contact your local creative arts therapists for consultations about working together.
Credentials
For a complete overview of the credentials and training requirements for creative arts therapists, please see this prior article. For a general idea of what to look for when seeking creative arts therapists to work with, these are the credentials to look for (in the United States):
• Art therapy: ATR, ATR-BC
• Dance/movement therapy: R-DMT, BC-DMT
• Drama therapy: RDT, RDT/BCT
• Music therapy: MT-BC
• Poetry therapy: CAPF, CPT, RPT (note that RPT is also the credential used for registered play therapists, so make sure to ask which the therapist has)
• Psychodrama: CP, PAT, TEP
• Expressive arts therapist: REAT
As noted in the article linked above, these credentials are not the same as state licenses. Because some states do not have licenses for creative arts therapists but allow them to practice legally with the national credentials mentioned here, the therapist may or may not have a state license. If they do, these are just a few of the common ones you might see: LCAT, LCPAT, LCPC, LPC, LMHC, LCSW-C, LMFT. When feeling confused about a therapist’s credentials or licensure, do not hesitate to ask the therapist to explain this to you.
Niche or Specialties
When choosing a therapist, it is important to consider matching their experience and expertise with the issues you are seeking help for. You don’t go to a heart doctor for a foot problem, right? So you also shouldn’t go to a therapist who specializes in substance abuse if you are seeking help with post partum depression!
I recommend doing some research online or asking any therapists you are interested in working with about their experience treating the symptoms that you are seeking help for.
Comfort Level
Studies show that the most important factor in a person’s healing in therapy is the therapeutic relationship itself, not the therapist’s theoretical orientation or modalities used. Thus, it is extremely important that you feel comfortable with the therapist that you are considering working with.
I recommend that you use the free consultation that most therapists offer to get a sense of how comfortable you feel with the therapist you are interested in working with. If the therapist does not offer a free consultation, I encourage you to get a sense of this in the first one to three sessions.
Another recommendation is to shop around, so to speak. This means that you might want to speak with a few therapists you are interested in working with to make sure you find the best person that fits your style and needs.
Cost
There is no doubt that therapy is an investment of time and money. Although the investment in your wellbeing is worth it, there are certainly some practicalities to consider, such as the following:
• Do you need to use your in-network insurance to pay? This is typically the most affordable way of paying for therapy, with copays usually being no more than $30 per session. If this is what you feel is best, you will need to find a therapist who accepts your insurance.
• Is it possible for you to get reimbursed through your insurance through out-of-network benefits? If your insurance company allows you to do this, does it feel affordable for you? This means paying your therapist in full each session, submitting receipts from your therapist to your insurance company, and getting reimbursed usually fifty to eighty percent of what you pay your therapist.
• If neither of the above are options or if you do not have insurance and cannot pay a therapist’s full fee, you might want to consider asking them if they offer sliding scale fees.
Feel free to ask therapists you are interested in working with how they deal with the aforementioned options.
Finding a Creative Arts Therapist
Now that you know what to look for in a creative arts therapist, we will talk about where to actually find creative arts therapists to work with.
• Therapist directories (e.g. Psychology Today, Therapy Den, Good Therapy, Open Path, etc.). Since these directories are for therapists in general, you will have to look carefully at the profiles to see what creative arts therapy training the therapists might have. Some of these directories have search functions to search things such as art therapy and psychodrama. They are not usually very comprehensive, though. Make sure to look for the credentials mentioned above, and again do not hesitate to ask questions to make sure they have experience with what you are seeking both modality-wise and symptom-wise.
• Do a Google search for your area, using key words such as “art therapist in Baltimore” or “dance therapist in Chicago”.
• Ask friends for recommendations.
Conclusion
Once you find the creative arts therapist that you are most comfortable with, I encourage you to give yourself at least three sessions to fully gauge how the therapist and the modality fit your style and needs. If it does not feel like a good fit, you might wish to consider seeking services elsewhere.
Contact me
If you’re looking for a creative arts therapist in the Reisterstown or Baltimore area, feel free to contact me to see if we’re a good fit to work together. I am also happy to help connect you with my fellow creative arts therapists in the area if I’m not a good fit, as I know a lot of great ones!
*This article originally appeared on the Psychology Arts website, which is no longer active.