Art Therapy Certification Exam (ATBCE)

The Art Therapy Credentials Board Inc (ATCB) is the credentialing agency for art therapists pursuing the profession. It conducts the exam Art Therapy Credentialing Board Examination (ATCBE) and awards the credentials of ATR (Registered Art Therapist) as an entry level recognition to those who pass the exam.

Exam Eligibility

• Candidate must hold a Master's degree or higher in an approved AATA program.
• Master's degrees in non approved programs or in related fields are eligible to apply provided the Candidate has 24 semester credits in specific art therapy coursework.
• There are additional requirements such as post education experience hours, supervision experience hours and references  in each of the eligibility categories.

Exam registration

• Application form for the ATCBE is available on the website www.atcb.org.
• Once the candidate has passed the ATCBE, he/she can apply for Board Certification.
• The application fees for the ATR-BC are $235 and for recertification is $20. ATR Maintenance is $50 annually.

• The candidate can also request a test on demand for an additional fee of $300.

Exam Details

• The certification exam consists of 200 questions in the multiple-choice format. 30 questions are experimental questions and are not scored.
• Exam results are mailed to candidates 8 weeks post examination.
• The exam is administered at various test sites across the country on pre specified locations, which can be found in the application form.
• The ATR-BC credential is valid for  a period of 5 years

Exam Duration

      The total allotted time for the exam is four hours.

Exam Content

• Administrative Functions and Therapeutic Environment
• Initial Interview and Evaluation
• Assessment
• Art Therapy Treatment and Services
• Professional Practice and Ethics
• Theory and Therapeutic Application

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Art Therapy Study Guide

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