Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the goals of the coalition?
To provide Nebraskans with the best possible care and protect the welfare of vulnerable populations by certifying they are receiving professional, art-based therapeutic treatment.
What populations can art therapy serve?
Art therapy can be used with everyone. It is administered across the lifespan from children to the elderly. It can help clients with various mental health diagnoses. Nebraska art therapists serve clients with cancer, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injuries (TBI), eating disorders, autism, palliative care, grief/loss, abuse, and much more.
Art therapy can heal individuals, families, and communities. It can be used across the art ability spectrum, from no art experience, to a master artist, and well as the cognitive and physical abilities spectrums. Even those clients who are blind/visually impaired, or immobile, which some might find hard to believe can benefit from art therapy services.
Where can art therapists work?
With hospitals, schools, veterans associations, military bases, and mental health agencies, Nebraska has a plethora of locations were art therapists can serve a number of diverse populations through clinical work and research.
I am an Occupational Therapist and I use art materials in my practice. Will LB422 take that away from me?
No. Art therapists do not own the rights to art materials used in therapy. We encourage professionals in similar careers to use art materials and the creative process with prudence, but to describe their work accurately to clients.
How many art therapists are in Nebraska?
Currently, there are 13 Registered Art Therapists (ATR) throughout Nebraska to serve a population of 1.92 million people. The majority of professional art therapists are clustered in the Omaha Lincoln metro areas.
Is there really a big enough need to justify this license?
Yes. "One in five Nebraskans have reported experiencing mental illness within the past year, indicating that mental health disorders are relatively widespread, chronic health conditions within the state." (Nebraska Behavioral Health Needs Assessment, 2016) A license fosters job growth within the state because art therapists provide access to mental health services that help satisfy the cultural diversity of Nebraskans, their needs, and their lived experiences.
How much will this cost the state of Nebraska?
Nothing. Application fees will cover the administrative costs of this new license. It will likely bring in revenue to the state as new jobs are established, and training programs created to keep Nebraska educated art therapists in Nebraska.
Do other states have art therapy legislation?
Yes! Currently, 16 states have obtained art therapy license and title protection: Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin. At least 27 other states are seeking licensure.
States with legislation were post-master’s in art therapy graduates will not be able to work as of 2019 include: New Hampshire, Michigan, Louisiana, Utah, Pennsylvania, New York, Oregon, and Maryland
What can science tell us about visual information processing we can apply to art therapy?
About 90% of all information transmitted to the human brain is visual. It only takes about 1/4 second for the human brain to process and attach meaning to a symbol. By comparison, it takes humans an average of 6 seconds to read 20-25 words. This means the human brain can process images 60,000 times faster than text. Since we are visual by nature, we may be able use this skill to enhance therapeutic processing.
(http://visualteachingalliance.com/)
Why not make an Expressive Therapy license that covers all of the modalities?
A major disadvantage as seen in New York’s state license is with the initial structure of the license, which has to accommodate multiple professions with divergent educational standards and scopes of practice. This also hinders New York’s ability to improve or enhance the license. Since educational and credentialing requirements for the various expressive therapies professions varies widely, the licensure requirements will have to reflect the lowest educational level within the group, setting licensure at only the bachelor’s level, which is insufficient for art therapists.
Would graduate art therapy students want to work in Nebraska without a license?
It is possible that some new professionals, native or not, would want to move to Nebraska, but according to a 2017 survey conducted by the Virginia art therapy chapter, it is not likely. They found that 78% of participants reported that lack of licensure poses a barrier to remaining in Virginia, and 26% of participants reported plans to move or work in Maryland, where licensure is available to art therapists.
Do neighboring states around Nebraska have legislation?
Yes. Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, and Minnesota are all working to craft legislation.
To provide Nebraskans with the best possible care and protect the welfare of vulnerable populations by certifying they are receiving professional, art-based therapeutic treatment.
What populations can art therapy serve?
Art therapy can be used with everyone. It is administered across the lifespan from children to the elderly. It can help clients with various mental health diagnoses. Nebraska art therapists serve clients with cancer, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injuries (TBI), eating disorders, autism, palliative care, grief/loss, abuse, and much more.
Art therapy can heal individuals, families, and communities. It can be used across the art ability spectrum, from no art experience, to a master artist, and well as the cognitive and physical abilities spectrums. Even those clients who are blind/visually impaired, or immobile, which some might find hard to believe can benefit from art therapy services.
Where can art therapists work?
With hospitals, schools, veterans associations, military bases, and mental health agencies, Nebraska has a plethora of locations were art therapists can serve a number of diverse populations through clinical work and research.
I am an Occupational Therapist and I use art materials in my practice. Will LB422 take that away from me?
No. Art therapists do not own the rights to art materials used in therapy. We encourage professionals in similar careers to use art materials and the creative process with prudence, but to describe their work accurately to clients.
How many art therapists are in Nebraska?
Currently, there are 13 Registered Art Therapists (ATR) throughout Nebraska to serve a population of 1.92 million people. The majority of professional art therapists are clustered in the Omaha Lincoln metro areas.
Is there really a big enough need to justify this license?
Yes. "One in five Nebraskans have reported experiencing mental illness within the past year, indicating that mental health disorders are relatively widespread, chronic health conditions within the state." (Nebraska Behavioral Health Needs Assessment, 2016) A license fosters job growth within the state because art therapists provide access to mental health services that help satisfy the cultural diversity of Nebraskans, their needs, and their lived experiences.
How much will this cost the state of Nebraska?
Nothing. Application fees will cover the administrative costs of this new license. It will likely bring in revenue to the state as new jobs are established, and training programs created to keep Nebraska educated art therapists in Nebraska.
Do other states have art therapy legislation?
Yes! Currently, 16 states have obtained art therapy license and title protection: Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin. At least 27 other states are seeking licensure.
States with legislation were post-master’s in art therapy graduates will not be able to work as of 2019 include: New Hampshire, Michigan, Louisiana, Utah, Pennsylvania, New York, Oregon, and Maryland
What can science tell us about visual information processing we can apply to art therapy?
About 90% of all information transmitted to the human brain is visual. It only takes about 1/4 second for the human brain to process and attach meaning to a symbol. By comparison, it takes humans an average of 6 seconds to read 20-25 words. This means the human brain can process images 60,000 times faster than text. Since we are visual by nature, we may be able use this skill to enhance therapeutic processing.
(http://visualteachingalliance.com/)
Why not make an Expressive Therapy license that covers all of the modalities?
A major disadvantage as seen in New York’s state license is with the initial structure of the license, which has to accommodate multiple professions with divergent educational standards and scopes of practice. This also hinders New York’s ability to improve or enhance the license. Since educational and credentialing requirements for the various expressive therapies professions varies widely, the licensure requirements will have to reflect the lowest educational level within the group, setting licensure at only the bachelor’s level, which is insufficient for art therapists.
Would graduate art therapy students want to work in Nebraska without a license?
It is possible that some new professionals, native or not, would want to move to Nebraska, but according to a 2017 survey conducted by the Virginia art therapy chapter, it is not likely. They found that 78% of participants reported that lack of licensure poses a barrier to remaining in Virginia, and 26% of participants reported plans to move or work in Maryland, where licensure is available to art therapists.
Do neighboring states around Nebraska have legislation?
Yes. Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, and Minnesota are all working to craft legislation.