Creative arts therapists use artistic media to help clients maintain and improve their physical and mental health by recognizing and developing often-untapped inner resources.

Creative arts therapists use creative, artistic approaches to:

• treat mental and physical illnesses
• support individuals who have disabilities
• promote wellness, creativity and personal growth.

They provide a supportive environment and therapy for people who have difficulty expressing themselves due to physical, emotional or other limitations. For example, children often can approach difficult issues more easily and convey messages more clearly through the creation of art than they can with words.

Creative arts therapists may use visual art, dance, drama or music, or a combination of arts.

• Art therapists use art in treatment, assessment and research. They provide therapeutic services for individuals and groups of people of all ages, and act as consultants for other mental health professionals.
• Dance therapists focus on the non-verbal aspects of behaviour by encouraging clients to use creative and expressive movement to address emotional issues and improve emotional and physical health.
• Drama therapists use drama, creative play, psychodrama, role play, improvisation and theatre to further clients' emotional growth and integration.
• Music therapists use techniques such as improvisation, guided imagery and relaxation to help people connect to themselves and others, and achieve therapeutic goals. They use sound, music and rhythm to actively or passively engage clients in the therapeutic process.

For each client or group of clients, therapists:

• assess client needs and strengths
• identify specific treatment goals and objectives
• choose an appropriate approach and develop a treatment program
• implement programs or strategies that involve music, art, drama and/or dance activities
• evaluate the program's effectiveness on an ongoing basis
• adjust programs as needed.

As members of therapeutic teams or as private practitioners, creative arts therapists work closely with other professionals (for example, psychiatrists, psychologists, teachers and counsellors).

Creative arts therapists often work standard office hours in settings such as hospitals, schools, nursing homes, community agencies and prisons. They may work in private practices and work some evenings or weekends.

All therapies require a specific, safe environment. Depending on the settting and client group, art therapists may remove toxic art supplies or sharp instruments such as scissors for safety reasons.

Music therapists may be required to lift and carry instruments and other equipment that weighs up to 20 kilograms.

Art, dance and drama therapists need an approved master's degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Admission to appropriate master's degree programs generally requires a four year degree in psychology or a related discipline, and a strong background in art, dance or drama. For information about related post-secondary programs offered in Alberta, see the Actor, Dancer, Instrumental Musician, Painter/Printmaker and Psychologist occupational profiles.

In Alberta, the following institutions offer master's degree programs in art therapy:

• Athabasca University offers a Master of Counselling degree program with a specialization in art therapy. The entrance requirement is a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.00/4 in the last ten full-course equivalents of a four year bachelor's degree program that includes specified courses in psychology or educational psychology and a counselling skills course, or equivalent.
• St. Stephen's College at the University of Alberta offers a Master of Arts in Pastoral Psychology and Counselling with a specialization in art therapy. The entrance requirement is a four year bachelor's degree in psychology or equivalent. An academic background in counselling or experience in a helping role is desirable. Successful applicants must submit a Security Clearance Check.

Outside of Alberta, art therapy programs are offered by the:

• Vancouver Art Therapy Institute in Vancouver, British Columbia 
• British Columbia School of Art Therapy in Victoria 
• Kutenai Art Therapy Institute in Nelson, British Columbia
• Toronto Art Therapy Institute in Ontario
• Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec 
• Centre de Ressourcement par les Arts et la Nature in Sherbrooke, Quebec
• Université du Québec en Abitibi-Temiscamingue.

No master's degree program in dance therapy is offered in Canada. Certification by the American Dance Therapy Association requires a master's degree with specified dance/movement therapy courses, at least five years of concentrated study in dance, 200 hours of fieldwork and a 700 hour internship.

Concordia University in Montreal offers a drama therapy program that includes some dance/movement therapy courses. Certification by the National Association for Drama Therapy requires a master's degree in drama therapy from an NADT approved program (or a master's degree in a related field and completion of specified education requirements), 500 hours of drama/theatre experience, 500 hours of additional training/experience, and completion of a 300 hour internship.

To qualify for accreditation by the Canadian Association for Music Therapy, music therapists must:

• be well-rounded musicians
• have successfully completed a four year bachelor's degree program in music therapy
• have successfully completed a 1000 hour internship under the supervision of qualified music therapists.

Bachelor degree programs in music therapy are offered by:

• Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia
• Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Capilano College/Open University in North Vancouver
• Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario (also offers a master's program)
• University of Windsor in Ontario
• Université du Québec à Montreal.

For current information about programs, admission requirements and mature student admission policies, please check post-secondary calendars or websites.

Creative arts therapists work with children and adults in a variety of settings:

• rehabilitation facilities
• hospitals
• schools
• prisons and other correctional facilities
• private practice
• community mental health facilities
• senior centres and nursing homes
• day-care centres
• counselling centres and clinics.

Creative arts therapists are part of the larger National Occupational Classification 3144: Other Professional Occupations in Therapy and Assessment. In Alberta, most people employed in this classification work in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry.

The employment outlook in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

• trends and events affecting overall employment (especially in the Health Care and Social Assistance industry)
• location in Alberta
• employment turnover (work opportunities generated by people leaving existing positions)
• occupational growth (work opportunities resulting from the creation of new positions that never existed before)
• size of the occupation.

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next ten years.

Incomes for creative arts therapists are generally comparable to other mental health professionals who have similar qualifications (for example, psychologists, social workers).

According to the 2009 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey, Albertans in the Other Professional Occupations in Therapy and Assessment group earned from $15.90 to $40.25 an hour. The average wage was $27.20 an hour.

For more detailed information, see WAGEinfo.

For information about current collective agreements in the public and not-for-profit sectors, see the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) website.

Post-secondary institution calendars and websites (see Educational Requirements above)

EDinfo website: www.alis.alberta.ca/edinfo

American Art Therapy Association (AATA) website: www.arttherapy.org

American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) website: www.adta.org

Association des Art-Therapeutes du Quebec (AATQ) website: www.aatq.org

British Columbia Art Therapy Association (BCATA) website: www.arttherapy.bc.ca

Canadian Art Therapy Association (CATA) website: www.catainfo.ca

Canadian Association for Music Therapy (CAMT) website: www.musictherapy.ca

Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) website: www.hsaa.ca

Music Therapy Association of Alberta (MTAA) website: www.mtaa.ca

National Association for Drama Therapy (NADT) website: www.nadt.org

Ontario Art Therapy Association (OATA) website: www.oata.ca