Dear Colleagues,
ATCB is dedicated to continual improvement and elevating the professionalism of the art therapy field in the eyes of the public and state licensures to the level of other medical and mental health professionals.
The ATCB is dedicated to publishing and revising the “Code” every five years to ensure it addresses the current challenges and ethical dilemmas that credential holders face as they provide quality care to diverse populations. In the past 10 years, rapid developments in art therapy have created an increasing array of professional standards for credential holders to navigate.
ATCB Board of Directors is seeking public comments on nine proposed changes to the Art Therapy Credential Board Code Governing Standards of Practice, Eligibility for and Regulation of Credentials, and Disciplinary Procedures. ATCB’s goal is to ensure that the Competency Standards remain modern, relevant, and practical for the evolving practice of art therapy.
The 2025 revisions were meticulously developed over several years by a diverse panel of experts to address evolving standards of practice and develop the proposed recommendations. The ethics committee and a select group of volunteers, including ATCB credential holders, educators, certification and credentialing professionals, members of the public, and legal counsel, painstakingly did this work.
The ATCB recognizes that changes to the Art Therapy Credential Board Code governing Standards of Practice, Eligibility for and Regulation of Credentials, and Disciplinary Procedures can significantly shape the profession’s future. As a broad range of voices, your input provides crucial context as the Board of Directors considers their next steps in this process. The ATCB requests your comments to ensure consideration of the insights of credentialed art therapists and the public they serve.
The deadline to submit comments is March 13, 2025, at 11:59pm EST.
The commentary is broken down into four sections:
Introduction:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ATCBSection1
Standards of Practice:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ATCBSection2
Eligibility and Regulation of ATCB Credentials and Board Certification:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ATCBSection3
Disciplinary Procedures:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ATCBSection4
These unique surveys present code sections and commentary so individuals can read the Code and respond confidentially and in real-time.
One notable change is the shift from the Code of Ethics to Standards of Practice. This change was made to align our terminology with industry standards and to provide a more comprehensive and practical guide for credential holders. While both ‘standards of conduct’ and ‘ethics’ relate to guiding behavior, ‘standards of conduct’ refer to a set of specific rules and expectations outlining acceptable actions within an organization, whereas ‘ethics’ represent broader moral principles that guide decision-making in complex situations, often with less concrete guidelines; essentially, standards of conduct are the practical application of ethical principles in a specific context. We defer to the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) Ethical Principles For Art Therapists to provide aspirational values and principles that cover many situations art therapists encounter.
The Board of Directors has prepared preliminary FAQs on the code. Please note that these FAQs will be updated throughout the commentary period to address any new questions or concerns that may arise.
Yours Sincerely,
Cheryl Doby Copeland, PhD, ATR-BC, LPAT, LPC, LMFT
President
Art Therapy Credentials Board