Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Art Therapists
Occupation · SOC 29-1129.01
Plan or conduct art therapy sessions or programs to improve clients' physical, cognitive, or emotional well-being.
Also called: Art Psychotherapist · Art Therapist · Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC) · Registered Art Therapist (ATR) · Creative Arts Therapist · Group Therapist · Oncology Art Therapist · Therapist · Art Therapy Specialist · Arts Therapist · Board Certified Arts Therapist (ATR-BC) · Certified Art Therapist
Job family: Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-29-1129-01/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Growing fast employment outlook (+11.5% by 2034)
- 4,100 openings/yr
- Low AI exposure
- Median pay $65,010/yr
36th-percentile task overlap — yet about 4,100 openings a year (+11.5% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 46th | 0.6 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) Low | 30th | 0.1 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.0), with simple added tooling (β 0.3), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.6). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Communicate client assessment findings and recommendations in oral, written, audio, video, or other forms. | 2.3% | |
| Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of treatments or therapy approaches. | 1.6% | |
| Review research or literature in art therapy, psychology, or related disciplines. | 1.6% | |
| Write treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups. | 1.1% | |
| Instruct individuals or groups in the use of art media, such as paint, clay, or yarn. | 1.0% | |
| Analyze or synthesize client data to draw conclusions or make recommendations for art therapy. | 0.3% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Growing fast · +11.5% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 4,100 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 56,100 → 62,500 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Art Therapists sits at the 32nd percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
20% mean task exposure (2025)
32nd percentile of 427 placed occupations
+3 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Health Professionals Not Elsewhere Classified · 2269 | 20% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 25 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to art therapy. Core · importance 4.7
- Design art therapy sessions or programs to meet client's goals or objectives. Core · importance 4.7
- Conduct art therapy sessions, providing guided self-expression experiences to help clients recover from, or cope with, cognitive, emotional, or physical impairments. Core · importance 4.6
- Assess client needs or disorders, using drawing, painting, sculpting, or other artistic processes. Core · importance 4.5
- Confer with other professionals on client's treatment team to develop, coordinate, or integrate treatment plans. Core · importance 4.5
- Talk with clients during art or other therapy sessions to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to the artistic process. Core · importance 4.5
- Develop individualized treatment plans that incorporate studio art therapy, counseling, or psychotherapy techniques. Core · importance 4.5
- Write treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups. Core · importance 4.4
- Select or prepare artistic media or related equipment or devices to accomplish therapy session objectives. Core · importance 4.3
- Analyze or synthesize client data to draw conclusions or make recommendations for art therapy. Core · importance 4.1
- Interpret the artistic creations of clients to assess their functioning, needs, or progress. Core · importance 4.1
- Communicate client assessment findings and recommendations in oral, written, audio, video, or other forms. Core · importance 4.0
- Customize art therapy programs for specific client populations, such as those in schools, nursing homes, wellness centers, prisons, shelters, or hospitals. Core · importance 4.0
- Establish goals or objectives for art therapy sessions in consultation with clients or site administrators. Core · importance 4.0
- Recommend or purchase needed art supplies or equipment. Core · importance 3.9
- Supervise staff, volunteers, practicum students, or interns. Core · importance 3.9
- Gather client information from sources such as case documentation, client observation, or interviews of client or family members. Core · importance 3.8
- Instruct individuals or groups in the use of art media, such as paint, clay, or yarn. Core · importance 3.8
- Analyze data to determine the effectiveness of treatments or therapy approaches. Core · importance 3.6
- Review research or literature in art therapy, psychology, or related disciplines. Core · importance 3.6
- Conduct information sharing sessions, such as in-service workshops for other professionals, potential client groups, or the general community. Core · importance 3.5
- Teach art therapy techniques or processes to artists, interns, volunteers, or others. Core · importance 3.5
- Photograph or videotape client artwork for inclusion in client records or for promotional purposes. Supplemental · importance 2.9
- Coordinate art showcases to display artwork produced by clients. Supplemental · importance 2.6
- Coordinate field trips for client groups to museums or other public displays of art. Supplemental · importance 2.2
Work activities
- Analyze quantitative data to determine effectiveness of treatments or therapies.
- Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
- Evaluate patient outcomes to determine effectiveness of treatments.
- Communicate test or assessment results to medical professionals.
- Treat patients using psychological therapies.
- Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
- Develop treatment plans that use non-medical therapies.
- Establish treatment goals.
- Teach classes in area of specialization.
- Lead classes or community events.
- Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
- Record patient medical histories.
- Operate photographic developing or print production equipment.
- Record images needed to address work issues.
- Interact with patients to build rapport or provide emotional support.
- Prepare reports summarizing patient diagnostic or care activities.
- Communicate health and wellness information to the public.
- Design layout of art or product exhibits, displays, or promotional materials.
- Coordinate artistic activities.
- Collaborate with other agencies and institutions to coordinate educational matters.
- Coordinate activities with suppliers, contractors, clients, or other departments.
- Gather medical information from patient histories.
- Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals.
- Order medical supplies or equipment.
- Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
- Select medical equipment for addressing patient needs.
- Prepare medical supplies or equipment for use.
- Supervise patient care personnel.
- Train caregivers or other non-medical personnel.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Therapy and Counseling | 5.0 | |
| Psychology | 5.0 | |
| Fine Arts | 4.6 | |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 4.1 | |
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.1 | |
| Education and Training | 3.7 | |
| English Language | 3.6 | |
| Philosophy and Theology | 3.2 |
Transferable skills
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.3 | |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 | |
| Service Orientation | 3.8 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.4 | |
| Coordination | 3.3 | |
| Time Management | 3.3 | |
| Persuasion | 3.1 | |
| Instructing | 3.1 | |
| Negotiation | 3.0 | |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 |
Essential skills
| Active Listening | 4.0 | |
| Speaking | 4.0 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 | |
| Monitoring | 3.9 | |
| Active Learning | 3.8 | |
| Writing | 3.6 | |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 |
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Written Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Oral Expression | 4.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.0 | |
| Near Vision | 4.0 | |
| Speech Clarity | 4.0 | |
| Written Expression | 3.9 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.9 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.9 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.9 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.8 | |
| Originality | 3.3 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.1 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.1 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 43.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 5 — Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
- Preparation level
- SVP (8.0 and above) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Health Professions and Related Programs . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Master's Degree | 90.6% | |
| Post-Master's Certificate | 6.3% | |
| Post-Doctoral Training | 3.1% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Work styles
| Dependability | 10.0 | |
| Integrity | 9.0 | |
| Cooperation | 8.0 | |
| Social Orientation | 7.0 | |
| Self-Control | 6.0 | |
| Empathy | 5.0 | |
| Adaptability | 4.0 |
Interest areas
| Professional Advising | 7.0 | |
| Social Service | 6.5 | |
| Teaching/Education | 6.0 | |
| Health Care Service | 5.2 | |
| Social Science | 5.0 | |
| Applied Arts and Design | 4.8 | |
| Visual Arts | 4.8 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Social | 5.6 | |
| Artistic | 5.5 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $38,840 |
| 25th percentile | $49,510 |
| Median (50th) | $65,010 |
| 75th percentile | $85,010 |
| 90th percentile | $120,050 |
| People employed | 19,320 |
Wages and employment are reported by BLS for the broader occupation group this specialty belongs to (SOC 29-1129), not for the specialty alone.
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 15,910 | $64,950 |
| Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists · National industry | 4,160 | $62,370 |
| Educational Services · Sector | 2,140 | $62,560 |
| Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) · National industry | 1,520 | $63,550 |
| Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers · National industry | 1,250 | $61,430 |
| Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities · National industry | 850 | $54,100 |
| Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities · National industry | 240 | $66,340 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 220 | $75,520 |
| Offices of Optometrists · National industry | 160 | $46,520 |
| Offices of Chiropractors · National industry | 120 | $27,430 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 110 | $84,440 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 100 | $64,680 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists · National industry | 69.66× | 4,160 |
| Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) · National industry | 50.17× | 1,520 |
| Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers · National industry | 32.22× | 1,250 |
| Offices of Optometrists · National industry | 8.37× | 160 |
| Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities · National industry | 7.4× | 240 |
| Offices of Chiropractors · National industry | 6.57× | 120 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector | 5.5× | 15,910 |
| Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities · National industry | 2.81× | 850 |
Related occupations
Part of the Healthcare & Human Services career cluster.
- Music Therapists · 29-1129.02 Compare →
- Recreational Therapists · 29-1125.00 Compare →
- Marriage and Family Therapists · 21-1013.00 Compare →
- Clinical and Counseling Psychologists · 19-3033.00 Compare →
- Occupational Therapy Assistants · 31-2011.00 Compare →
- Occupational Therapists · 29-1122.00 Compare →
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers · 21-1023.00 Compare →
- Mental Health Counselors · 21-1014.00 Compare →
- Occupational Therapy Aides · 31-2012.00 Compare →
- Psychiatrists · 29-1223.00 Compare →
- Psychiatric Technicians · 29-2053.00 Compare →
- Rehabilitation Counselors · 21-1015.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Art Therapists — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Bachelor's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 5 — Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Health Professions and Related Programs · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 32nd percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Art Therapists show 36th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 4,100 annual U.S. openings
- Art Therapists rank in the 36th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 4,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+11.5%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $65,010, across about 19,320 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Art Therapists show 36th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 4,100 annual U.S. openings • Art Therapists rank in the 36th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 4,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+11.5%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $65,010, across about 19,320 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Art Therapists". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-1129-01 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Art Therapists." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-1129-01
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Art Therapists. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-1129-01
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-29-1129-01,
title = {Art Therapists},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-29-1129-01}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.