Art Therapy
Professional Designation
Graduates of the Vancouver Arts Therapy Institute Art Therapy Diploma Program will be granted a Diploma in Art Therapy and can carry the title and designation of Art Therapist in Canada.
Professional Canadian Art Therapy Associations
Graduates of the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute are Art Therapists.
Graduate art therapists can become ‘professional’ members of Canadian national and provincial art therapy associations immediately upon graduation.
Depending upon where VATI students and graduates live, they are encouraged to obtain membership with:
British Columbia Art Therapy Association – www.bcarttherapy.com
Canadian Art Therapy Association – www.canadianarttherapy.org
Ontario Art Therapy Association – www.oata.ca
Association des Art-Thérapeutes du Québec – www.aatq.org
To be a registered member of any of these organizations can only occur after the graduate of an art therapy training program has completed the required number of post-graduation client contact hours (1,000 hours of client contact) in conjunction with the required hours of clinical supervision (50 hours of supervision). Art therapy supervisors are required to be a registered art therapist.
Other Registrations
Depending on which province graduates live in, memberships with these associations/colleges might help art therapists access a client’s extended health benefits:
CRPO (College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario).
The VATI art therapy diploma is a recognized program for registering as a psychotherapist in Ontario – www.crpo.ca
ACCT (Association of Cooperative Counselling Therapists of Canada).
VATI is a recognized training program. This is a good option to access certain health benefit plans – www.acctcounsellor.com
BCACC (BC Association of Clinical Counsellors)
In BC for those who have a Master’s degree + certain counselling credits – www.bcacc.ca
Associations & Registrations
VATI follows the educational guidelines for training established by Canadian Art Therapy Association and graduates can become members of any art therapy association in Canada. As well, the VATI art therapy program is recognized by the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) as an approved training program; graduates can become members of the CRPO upon completion of the VATI diploma.
Depending on where graduates from the art therapy program reside in Canada, they may be eligible to obtain the additional qualification of Registered Therapeutic Counsellor through the Association of Cooperative Counselling Therapists (ACCT).