TITLE 16             OCCUPATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSING

CHAPTER 27     COUNSELORS AND THERAPISTS

PART 7                REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE AS A PROFESSIONAL ART THERAPIST (LPAT)

 

16.27.7.1               ISSUING AGENCY:  Regulation and Licensing Department Counseling and Therapy Practice Board

[16.27.7.1 NMAC – Rp, 16.27.7.1 NMAC, 11/30/2021]

 

16.27.7.2               SCOPE:  All individuals applying for licensure by examination as professional art therapists.

[16.27.7.2 NMAC - Rp, 16.27.7.2 NMAC, 11/30/2021; A, 1/18/2023]

 

16.27.7.3               STATUTORY AUTHORITY:  These parts are promulgated pursuant to the Counselor and Therapist Practice Act, Sections 61-9A-1, 61-9A-3, 61-9A-5, 61-9A-9, 61-9A-13, 61-9A-15, 61-9A-22, 61-9A-23, and 61-9A-24 NMSA 1978.

[16.27.7.3 NMAC - Rp, 16.27.7.3 NMAC, 11/30/2021]

 

16.27.7.4               DURATION:  Permanent

[16.27.7.4 NMAC - Rp, 16.27.7.4 NMAC, 11/30/2021]

 

16.27.7.5               EFFECTIVE DATE:  November 28, 2021, unless a later date is cited at the end of a section.

[16.27.7.5 NMAC - Rp, 16.27.7.5 NMAC, 11/30/2021]

 

16.27.7.6               OBJECTIVE:  The objective of Part 7 is to state the minimum requirements for licensure as a professional art therapist and to list the documentation required for application.

[16.27.7.6 NMAC - Rp, 16.27.7.6 NMAC, 11/30/2021]

 

16.27.7.7               DEFINITIONS:  [RESERVED]

 

16.27.7.8               SUPERVISION:  No supervision is required to practice with a LPAT independent license.  The board strongly recommends that all independently licensed counselors and therapists have an ongoing consultation or peer review process in place.

[16.27.7.9 NMAC - Rp, 16.27.7.9 NMAC, 11/30/2021]

 

16.27.7.9               [RESERVED]

 

16.27.7.10             APPLICANTS FOR LICENSURE BY EXAMINATION:  AS A PROFESSIONAL ART THERAPIST (LPAT) MUST POSSESS THE FOLLOWING QUALIFICATIONS AND PROVIDE THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION WITH THE APPLICATION:  A licensed professional art therapist (LPAT) must possess the following qualifications and provide the required documentation with the application:

                A.            Age requirement.  Be at least 21 years of age.

                B.            Applicant must sign a statement provided in the application indicating the applicant has read the code of ethics and agrees to be bound and governed by the code of ethics.

                C.            Education requirements.  Professional entry into art therapy requires a masters or doctoral degree in art therapy, counseling or counseling related field. Individuals holding a master’s degree in a related field may enter the art therapy profession by completing 48 graduate semester hours or 72 quarter hours in the art therapy core curriculum.

                D.            Experience requirements:

                                (1)           a minimum of two years postgraduate professional art therapy experience;

                                (2)           evidence of having participated in a total of 3000 hours of postgraduate clinical client contact and 100 hours of appropriate face-to-face postgraduate supervision; 1000 clinical client contact hours may be from the applicant’s internship or practicum.

                E.            Application fee of $75.00 as provided for in 16.27.17 NMAC.

                F.            Is of good moral character with conduct consistent with the code of ethics.

[16.27.7.10 NMAC - Rp, 16.27.7.10 NMAC, 11/30/2021; A, 1/18/2023]

 

16.27.7.11             ART THERAPY CORE CURRICULUM:

                A.            History and theory of art therapy:  To include art therapy history and theory, events, practitioners and the development of art therapy as a distinct therapeutic practice.  Overview of psychotherapy theories relevant to art therapy, theories of creativity, and theoretical foundations of art therapy.

                B.            Techniques of practice in art therapy:  Direct experience of the therapeutic utility and psychological influence of art processes and materials. Identifying the therapeutic effect of art making leading to establishment of therapeutic goals and intervention strategies. Development of a framework for understanding symbolic language.

                C.            Application of art therapy with people in different treatment settings: Art therapy interventions for the treatment of children, adolescents, adults, couples and families in inpatient, outpatient, partial treatment programs, and aftercare. Critical thinking with regard to similarities and differences between art therapy intervention and counseling intervention. Exploration of several behavioral and artistic communication, assessment, treatment planning, treatment approaches, relationship dynamics, and the role of the art therapist on the treatment team.  

                D.            Group work:  Theoretical and experiential understanding of group dynamics, therapeutic factors, member roles and behaviors, leadership styles and approaches, selection criteria, and short and long term group process.

                E.            Art therapy assessment:  Fundamentals of art therapy assessment, statistical concepts including reliability and validity, selection of the assessment tool, and familiarity with a variety of specific art therapy instruments and procedures used in appraisal and evaluation.  Ability to recognize indicators of functional and organic disorders in the artwork of clients.  Understanding of development levels, cultural factors, symbolism and metaphor, psychopathology, psychological health manifested in artwork and art making.  Administration and documentation of art therapy assessment, formulation of treatment goals, objectives and strategies related to assessment and evaluation.

                F.            Ethical and legal issues of art therapy practice:  Professional identity, professional ethics, and the ethical practice of art therapy.  Familiarity with the ethical standards of the American art therapy association and ATCB, as well as ACA and other related fields.  The proper application of ethical and legal principles of art therapy practice.

                G.            Standards of practice in art therapy:  Professional role as an art therapist with regard to function and relationships with other mental health providers.  Knowledge of professional organization, credentialing and licensure, public policy, advocating for the profession, and client advocacy.

                H.            Cultural and social diversity:  Foundation of knowledge in cultural diversity theory and competency models applied to an understanding of diversity of artistic language, symbolism and meaning in artwork and art making across culture and within a diverse society.  Investigation of the role of the art therapist in social justice, advocacy, and conflict resolution.

                I.             Thesis or culminating project:  The integration of knowledge with regard to the profession of art therapy, including the literature in the field through a culminating project.  This may include, but is not limited to, thesis or extensive and in-depth; projects, use of structured methods and formats such as quantitative and qualitative research, formal case studies, and art-based research.

[16.27.7.11 NMAC - Rp, 16.27.7.11 NMAC, 11/30/2021]

 

16.27.7.12             EXAMINATION:  Applicants must demonstrate professional competency by passing the art therapy credentials board certification examination (ATCBE).

[16.27.7.12 NMAC - Rp, 16.27.7.12 NMAC, 11/30/2021]

 

16.27.7.13             DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED FOR LICENSURE BY EXAMINATION:

                A.            A completed application as specified in 16.27.3.8 NMAC.

                B.            Proof of education and experience:

                                (1)           The applicant is required to submit an official transcript in a sealed envelope from each institution contributing to the applicant's master or doctoral degree a total of no less than 48 semester hours or 72 quarter hours which includes the required clinical core curriculum. Applicants who have just graduated with an appropriate degree field, and whose degrees have not yet been conferred by their university, may submit the following documentation in while awaiting official transcripts to become available:

                                                (a)           A verification letter from a university official verifying

                                                                (i)                            their degree program;

                                                                (ii)                           that all courses have been completed and they have earned passing grades;

                                                                (iii)         their degrees will be conferred by the university; and

                                                (b)           A receipt verifying that they have ordered their transcripts to be sent to the board office once their degree is conferred.

                                (2)           A statement from each supervisor in a sealed envelope on a form provided by the board (attachment B) verifying the applicant's supervised experience and setting forth the nature and extent of such supervision must be submitted with the application; the statement shall verify that the applicant's performance was in accordance with adequate counseling and therapy standards of practice; if a supervisor's statement is not available, the applicant may submit documentation explaining why the supervisor's statement is not available and sworn affidavits from other individuals verifying that supervision took place and describing the nature and the extent of the supervision.

                                (3)           Documentation of 3000 client contact hours and 100 hours of appropriate face-to-face supervision.

                                (4)           Attachment F, listing only specific graduate coursework.  The board may request syllabi as needed to clarify course content.

                                (5)           Documentation of the applicant's licensure, registration or certification status must be submitted on application attachment form A, which must be sent directly to the board by the jurisdiction in which the applicant is licensed, certified, or registered.

                                (6)           Application fee of $75.00 as provided for in 16.27.17 NMAC.

[16.27.7.13 NMAC - Rp, 16.27.7.13 NMAC, 11/30/2021; A, 1/18/2023]

 

16.27.7.14             [RESERVED]

[16.27.7.14 NMAC - Rp, 16.27.7.14 NMAC, 11/30/2021; Repealed, 1/18/2023]

 

HISTORY OF 16.27.7 NMAC:

Pre-NMAC History:  The material in this part was derived from that previously filed with the State Records Center and Archives under:

Rule 6, Requirements for Licensure as a Professional Art Therapist, 3/24/1994

Rule 6, Requirements for Licensure as a Professional Art Therapist, 3/20/1995

 

History of Repealed Material:

16 NMAC 27.6, Requirements for Licensure as a Professional Art Therapist - Repealed 6/15/2001

16 NMAC 27.9, Licensure by Credentials - Repealed 6/15/2001

 

Other History: 16.27.7 NMAC - Requirements for Licensure as a Professional Art Therapist (LPAT), filed 6/15/2001, was repealed and replaced by 16.27.7 NMAC - Requirements for Licensure as a Professional Art Therapist (LPAT), effective 11/30/2021.