Celebrating My New Board Certified Art Therapy Credential: Expanding Art- and Body-based Therapeutic Approaches

Introduction: Celebrating the Achievement of My ATR-BC Credential

After 100 hours of supervised post-graduate work, 1,000 clinical hours dedicated to art therapy, and the successful completion of a rigorous written examination, I’m thrilled to share that I have now earned the Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC) credential. Awarded by the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB), this certification represents the highest level of professional recognition in art therapy. Achieving it has deepened my skills and affirmed my commitment to offering creative, ethically grounded, and compassionate therapeutic care.

The ATR-BC is more than just a credential—it is a testament to my dedication to advancing the field of art therapy and to enhancing the care I provide. This distinction not only represents advanced training and expertise but also brings an added level of international credibility to my practice. It complements my designation as a Registered Canadian Art Therapist (RCAT), allowing me to connect with clients here in Canada and internationally, bridging therapeutic practices across borders.

For my clients, the ATR-BC means access to a well-rounded, flexible approach that supports a variety of healing paths. This credential brings new dimensions to my work, whether I’m helping someone process past trauma, explore gender identity, or navigate life’s many challenges through body-centred and expressive modalities. I look forward to integrating these skills even more deeply in our work together, helping clients uncover inner resources, explore self-expression, and experience meaningful healing.

Understanding the Significance of the ATR-BC Credential

The Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC) credential is awarded by the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB) to art therapists who demonstrate advanced clinical skills, theoretical knowledge, and ethical practice standards. Achieving this certification is a testament to an art therapist’s dedication to their craft and to providing the highest level of care to their clients. To earn the ATR-BC designation, candidates must first complete a demanding set of requirements, including a comprehensive written examination—the Art Therapy Credentials Board Examination (ATCBE)—that assesses clinical competence, ethical knowledge, and mastery of art therapy theory (Art Therapy Credentials Board, 2023). This certification, recognized across the United States and internationally, is the highest distinction in art therapy, symbolizing a professional’s commitment to continuous growth and best practices.

The ATR-BC credential carries special importance for Canadian art therapists like myself. In Canada, professional certification standards differ, with the Registered Canadian Art Therapist (RCAT) designation offered by the Canadian Art Therapy Association as a mark of professionalism and adherence to national guidelines. However, many Canadian art therapists pursue the ATR-BC to further demonstrate their commitment to ongoing education and elevated ethical standards. This dual designation allows us to deepen our expertise and offer clients the benefits of internationally recognized practices.

In my practice, the ATR-BC credential reinforces my commitment to providing clients with a high standard of care. This certification represents not just advanced training, but also an ethical pledge to guide clients on their healing journeys with integrity, skill, and compassion. For my clients, this means knowing they are working with an art therapist who has completed specialized training and is committed to continually expanding their knowledge and refining their skills. By holding both the ATR-BC and RCAT certifications, I am positioned to bring a well-rounded, globally informed approach to my practice, supporting clients in meaningful and creative ways as they explore, express, and heal.

Integrating Art Therapy into Body-Centred Practices

Art therapy serves as a powerful bridge between body-centred therapeutic approaches and creative expression, enhancing the depth of healing for clients engaged in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Focusing-Oriented Therapy. These body-centred approaches recognize that emotions and memories, especially traumatic ones, are often stored within the body rather than the mind alone. Art therapy allows clients to express these sensations and memories without needing to verbalize them, which can be particularly beneficial for those who find it challenging to put complex feelings into words (van der Kolk, 2014).

Through mediums like drawing, painting, and sculpting, clients can access deep, sometimes subconscious parts of themselves, engaging with the body’s stored memories in a safe, structured way. For instance, the act of creating shapes or symbols may allow clients to explore and externalize emotions that are difficult to articulate, supporting a process of self-awareness that is both sensory and therapeutic. These creative techniques often reveal layers of the inner experience, providing insights that might remain hidden in talk therapy alone.

By integrating art therapy with body-centred modalities, I can guide clients to connect with their experiences on a somatic level, tapping into the body’s wisdom as a source of healing. Art therapy helps clients gently explore where emotions might be physically “held” in their bodies, and through artmaking, they can begin to observe and transform these sensations. For example, clients may use clay to represent physical tension or draw imagery that reflects a particular memory’s emotional impact. This process helps clients externalize and reframe their experiences in a way that feels empowering and manageable.

This fusion of art therapy and body-centred approaches aligns seamlessly with my philosophy as a therapist. My goal is to help clients access their own inner resources and discover self-awareness through safe, creative exploration. By working at the intersection of somatic and expressive modalities, clients can experience artmaking as an anchor that guides them toward healing. This integration supports a holistic journey, allowing each client to connect with, express, and reshape their internal world in a way that fosters resilience, empowerment, and emotional freedom.

Art Therapy for Trauma Healing

For many individuals, past trauma can be deeply challenging to process verbally. Art therapy offers a unique and gentle alternative, allowing clients to safely engage with these experiences without needing to revisit painful memories directly through words. Through creative expression—using images, shapes, and colours—clients can begin to externalize trauma, engaging with it in a contained way that promotes gradual healing at their own pace (Malchiodi, 2020).

Research has shown that trauma often becomes embedded in the body as implicit memory, which can impact emotions, physical sensations, and automatic responses long after the traumatic events have passed (van der Kolk, 2014). Art therapy directly addresses this connection between body and mind, inviting clients to access and process these embodied memories in ways that feel safe and supported. Rather than relying solely on verbal accounts, which can sometimes be overwhelming, art therapy uses the nonverbal language of visual expression to access memories stored in the body. This process can be particularly grounding, allowing clients to regulate their emotions and explore their experiences within a creative framework.

By engaging with artmaking, clients can work through traumatic material symbolically, representing emotions and memories with a level of distance that can foster resilience. Techniques like drawing, painting, or working with clay enable clients to externalize what they feel internally, helping to contain intense emotions and prevent re-traumatization. This externalization is not merely expressive but transformative; clients begin to see their experiences as something they can shape, reframe, and eventually release.

Art therapy also empowers clients by reconnecting them with a sense of agency. Trauma often robs individuals of control, leaving them feeling helpless or disconnected from themselves. Through art therapy, clients can actively participate in their healing process, making choices in their creative work that reinforce autonomy and self-direction. This ability to construct and reconstruct visual narratives allows clients to reframe their traumatic experiences from a position of strength and empowerment, turning what may have felt overwhelming into something they can process and reshape on their own terms (Malchiodi, 2020).

In my practice, I’ve seen how art therapy provides clients with a gentle pathway to reconnect with themselves, their bodies, and their stories in ways that foster profound healing. This integrative approach allows them to transform the echoes of trauma into expressions of resilience, offering a renewed sense of self that supports their ongoing journey toward empowerment and wholeness.

Supporting Gender Questioning and Gender Exploration through Art Therapy

Art therapy offers a uniquely supportive and open space for individuals exploring questions around gender identity. For clients who may be questioning their gender or contemplating aspects of their gender expression, art therapy provides a non-judgmental, affirming environment where they can freely engage with these complex and personal aspects of self. In this creative setting, clients can explore their identities without external expectations, allowing them to experiment with symbols, images, and colours that resonate deeply with their felt sense of gender.

Through artmaking, clients can visualise and externalize aspects of their gender identity in ways that feel authentic and meaningful. This creative process provides a flexible canvas for exploring diverse possibilities of self-expression, allowing clients to safely experiment with how they see themselves and how they wish to be seen by others. The use of visual symbols in particular—such as colours, shapes, or abstract representations—enables clients to reflect and embody aspects of their identity that may be difficult to articulate in words. This approach can facilitate a deep sense of self-recognition and validation, helping clients connect to their inner experiences of gender with a sense of authenticity and wholeness (Gender and Difference in Art Therapy, 2023).

Art therapy also creates a space where clients can safely explore thoughts and feelings around potential social or medical transitions. The creative process can support clients in imagining different paths for themselves, visualizing steps in a possible transition, or expressing the hopes and fears that accompany such decisions. By reflecting on these aspects of identity through art, clients are able to process their emotions without the need for immediate answers or labels. This approach respects each client’s unique journey, meeting them wherever they are in their exploration and allowing them to move forward at their own pace.

Furthermore, the non-verbal nature of art therapy can feel especially freeing for those exploring gender, as it allows clients to express themselves outside the often restrictive frameworks of language and social norms. In this way, art therapy becomes a form of self-empowerment, where clients can define and redefine their gender identity on their own terms, creating a personal narrative that honours their experiences and desires. This creative self-discovery process reinforces agency, enabling clients to envision and embrace a gender expression that aligns with their true sense of self, all within a safe and supportive therapeutic relationship.

Neuroscience Insights in Art Therapy: Why It Works

Art therapy’s effectiveness is grounded in neuroscience, which demonstrates how creative expression activates brain areas responsible for processing emotion, memory, and sensory experience. Unlike traditional “top-down” talk therapy, which primarily engages cognitive and language-centred brain functions, art therapy employs “bottom-up” processes. These processes start with sensory engagement, allowing clients to access and process experiences that may be stored nonverbally within the body’s sensory memory systems. This sensory-based approach can be particularly helpful for individuals dealing with trauma, whose memories might be stored implicitly, beyond the reach of words or conscious thought (Malchiodi, 2020; van der Kolk, 2014).

When clients participate in artmaking, they engage neural pathways that are linked to both emotional regulation and memory reconsolidation. Visual and tactile activities like drawing, painting, or working with clay stimulate areas of the brain such as the amygdala and hippocampus, which play key roles in emotion and memory processing. This activation allows clients to access stored emotions in a way that feels grounded and contained, supporting the safe exploration of difficult or complex feelings. Research suggests that by engaging with these parts of the brain through creative expression, clients can reshape emotional responses to traumatic memories, making them less overwhelming and easier to integrate into a coherent sense of self (Art Therapy and the Neuroscience of Relationships, 2023).

Additionally, art therapy encourages the brain’s natural capacity for neuroplasticity—the ability to form new connections and reorganize itself in response to experiences. For clients who have experienced trauma, neuroplasticity can be especially significant, offering a path toward healing that involves creating new associations with past events. When clients express their experiences through art, they may gradually form new neural connections that link traumatic memories with feelings of safety, resilience, and self-compassion. This transformative process can lead to a reorganization of the brain’s responses, reducing the emotional intensity associated with certain memories and fostering a greater sense of control and empowerment (Malchiodi, 2020).

Art therapy’s use of multimodal activities, like visual art, movement, and music, further amplifies these effects by engaging different sensory pathways. This integrated approach activates a wider range of brain regions than a single mode alone, promoting a holistic healing experience that encompasses both mind and body. By working across these sensory modalities, art therapy provides clients with a deeply personal way to process and express their emotions, resulting in a therapeutic experience that is both comprehensive and restorative. Through this process, clients can reconnect with their emotional worlds and foster a sense of balance, self-understanding, and inner resilience.

Building Trust and Safety in Art Therapy

Creating a safe, trusting environment is foundational to effective therapy, especially for clients working through trauma or exploring aspects of their identity. In art therapy, the therapeutic alliance between therapist and client facilitates co-regulation—a process through which the therapist’s calm, supportive presence helps clients feel emotionally stabilized. This sense of co-regulation is especially important in art therapy, where clients are invited to explore deeply personal themes through creative expression in a non-judgmental, collaborative setting (Malchiodi, 2020).

The relationship built in art therapy offers clients a secure base from which they can engage openly with difficult emotions and experiences. When trust is established, clients often feel more empowered to take creative risks, experimenting with images, symbols, or abstract forms that reflect their inner world. This sense of safety allows them to reach states of “flow”—a mental state in which they become fully absorbed in their artmaking. In these moments, clients process emotions and experiences with a natural rhythm, allowing insights and healing to emerge organically.

A safe, supportive environment in art therapy also fosters resilience. When clients feel heard, respected, and free from judgement, they are better able to confront challenging material without feeling overwhelmed. The artmaking process becomes a vessel for exploration, where clients can shape and reshape their experiences in ways that affirm their strengths and personal growth. This safety not only grounds clients in their therapeutic work but also provides a sense of continuity and confidence that they can carry with them into their lives outside of therapy.

Moreover, trust and safety in art therapy enable clients to build a strong sense of agency over their healing journey. Knowing they have a supportive witness in their therapist, clients feel empowered to define the pace and depth of their exploration. This collaborative, client-centred approach reinforces the idea that healing is a personal journey, one where the client is respected as the expert in their own experiences. Over time, this strengthened sense of agency builds confidence, resilience, and self-compassion, supporting clients as they continue their self-discovery and healing.

Conclusion

Earning the ATR-BC credential marks a meaningful advancement in my career, further equipping me to provide clients with creative, skilled, and ethically grounded therapeutic care. This certification strengthens my ability to offer a dynamic, client-centred approach, one that respects each person’s unique journey and adapts to their individual needs. With this credential, I am dedicated to creating a compassionate, inclusive space where clients feel supported in their healing and empowered in their self-exploration.

This credential also allows me to supervise emerging art therapists, providing clinical supervision to those in qualifying art therapy graduate programs, newly licensed art therapists, and ATR-P and ATR credential holders working toward their own board certification. I look forward to guiding future professionals in developing their skills, fostering ethical practice, and deepening their therapeutic expertise as they pursue their careers in art therapy.

Whether you’re navigating the impacts of past trauma, exploring questions of identity, or simply looking for a safe space to express and understand yourself, art therapy offers diverse and transformative possibilities. I invite you to reach out if you’re curious about how art therapy might support you on your path. Together, we can explore the power of creative expression to foster growth, resilience, and self-discovery.

References

Art Therapy Credentials Board. (2023). Code of ethics, conduct, and disciplinary procedures.

Canadian Art Therapy Association. (n.d.). What is art therapy?

Hogan, S. (Ed.). (2023). Gender and difference in art therapy: A comprehensive guide to inclusive practices in art therapy.

Malchiodi, C. A. (2020). Trauma and Expressive Arts Therapy: Brain, Body, and Imagination in the Healing Process.

van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma.

Note: This blog post was updated on Friday, October 25, 2024 to communicate my new ATR-BC credential.