CAAHEP Welcomes The American Art Therapy Association

Clearwater, FL, November 13, 2014 /3BL Media/ – At a special meeting of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP), Commissioners voted on the eligibility of the art therapy profession to participate in the CAAHEP accreditation system.  By unanimous vote, art therapy is now an eligible profession within CAAHEP, the largest programmatic accreditor in the health sciences field.  Work can now begin on formation of a committee on accreditation for art therapy education.

Under the CAAHEP umbrella, art therapy programs will be accredited when it is determined that they meet or exceed the educational standards and guidelines established by the profession.

“CAAHEP welcomes the art therapy profession to our system,” said Kathleen Megivern, JD, CAE, Executive Director of CAAHEP.  “The Board and staff look forward to working with the experts in the profession as they develop standards, procedures, and processes that will be used to review and evaluate educational programs.”

While CAAHEP is the accrediting organization, much of the accreditation process review is done by the committees on accreditation.  In the coming months, the art therapy profession will be working on establishing such a committee and the Commission expects to vote the committee in as a new member at the Annual Meeting in April 2015. The committee on accreditation’s first task will be to begin working to develop standards and guidelines for the profession.  Once the standards and guidelines are developed and approved, and accreditation processes are in place, art therapy educational programs will be able to request accreditation services. 

"We are honored to have the unanimous vote to include us in CAAHEP which represents the largest and oldest health-related accrediting organization in the country and to begin the process of offering a means for external accreditation of master’s level graduate art therapy programs." said Dr. Sarah Deaver, President of the American Art Therapy Association.

CAAHEP accredits more than 2,100 educational programs that prepare health professionals in 28 different disciplinary areas.  For more information about CAAHEP or the Committees on Accreditation with whom CAAHEP works, visit their website at www.caahep.org or call 727-210-2350.

Art therapy is a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem.  The American Art Therapy Association (AATA) represents nearly 5,000 members around the world and has over 40 Chapters throughout the United States.

To learn more visit our website at www.arttherapy.org or call 703-548-5860.