ATCS Required Education

Before applying for the ATCS, you must hold the ATR-BC for a minimum of 24 months. Retaining the ATR-BC is also one of the conditions for maintaining your ATCS credential.

There are two options for attaining the ATCS certification and each has different requirements for experience as a supervisor.

Education-Based Path: Applicants are required to have completed a minimum of 100 hours of clinical supervision of supervisees providing art therapy services.

PLUS

A 3-semester hour course or a minimum of 35 continuing education credit hours of supervision.

If you have not completed a course in clinical supervision with a minimum of 3 semester hours of graduate-level credit from a regionally or nationally accredited institution, continuing education credits are required. The continuing education credits must meet ATCB recertification standards in place at the time of application.

OR

Experience-Based Path: Applicants are required to have completed a minimum of 36 months and 500 hours of experience as a clinical supervisor of supervisees providing art therapy services.

Both paths to ATCS also require a letter of endorsement from a current ATR-BC to attest to your competence as a supervisor and a draft of the Professional Disclosure Statement you intend to use with supervisees.

Details about the requirements are described in the current ATCS Application Handbook.