Art Therapists and Art Psychotherapists in the UK
In short: art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art-making to help you express and explore feelings. You don’t need any art skill. Art therapist and art psychotherapist are protected titles, so check the HCPC register. You can find a private art therapist through BAAT.
This guide explains what art therapy involves, who it can help, how to check registration, and NHS, school and private routes. General information only, not personal advice.
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Please read. This is general information, not medical advice. We’re a directory: we don’t provide therapy and we don’t recommend or guarantee any practitioner. Details were checked on the BAAT, HCPC and GOV.UK websites on 22 October 2026. If you need help urgently, see the box at the end of this page.
What Art Therapy Is
The British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) describes art therapy as an established form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its main way of expression and communication. BAAT says it can help people of all ages and at all stages of life. Art therapists are also known as art psychotherapists. In sessions you might draw, paint or make things. The therapist helps you think about what comes up, at your own pace, within a safe and consistent relationship.
You don’t need any experience or skill in art. The aim is not to make something good, but to find another way to communicate.
Who It Can Help
Art therapists work with children, young people, adults and older people, one to one and in groups. It can help when feelings are hard to say out loud, for example after trauma or loss, with anxiety or low mood, or for people with learning disabilities, autism or dementia.
Training and Registration
The HCPC protects four titles for arts therapists: art psychotherapist, art therapist, dramatherapist and music therapist. Anyone using one of them must be on the HCPC register. Search by name, free.
NHS, School and Private Routes
Arts therapists work in NHS mental health and learning disability services, hospitals, schools, prisons, social care, charities and private practice. On the NHS or at school, arts therapy is usually offered by the team already supporting you or your child, so ask your GP, care coordinator, CAMHS team or the school’s special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). Your council’s SEND Local Offer lists services for children with special educational needs. Privately, you can contact an HCPC-registered therapist directly.
To find a private art therapist, use BAAT’s find an art therapist search.
Common Questions
Do I need to be good at art for art therapy?
No. The British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) says you don’t need any previous experience or skill in art. The art-making is a way of communicating, not something to be judged.
Is art therapy the same as art psychotherapy?
Yes. BAAT says art therapy is a form of psychotherapy, and art therapists are also known as art psychotherapists. Both titles are protected by law.
Who can art therapy help?
Art therapists work with children, young people, adults and older people, individually or in groups, in settings such as the NHS, schools, social care, prisons, charities and private practice. It can help when feelings are hard to put into words.
How do I find a private art therapist?
Use BAAT’s find an art therapist search, then check the person on the Health and Care Professions Council register.
Find an Art Therapist
On Therapist Circle, art therapists are listed under Arts therapist.
Therapist Circle is new and still growing, so there may be few or none listed near you yet. If so, please use the professional body’s own finder above. It is often the quickest route.
Browse by area: Therapists in London · Therapists in Manchester · Therapists in Nottingham · Therapists in Oxfordshire · Therapists working online
Other Professions
Please read. We’re a directory: we don’t provide therapy, give medical advice or diagnose, and we don’t recommend, endorse or guarantee any practitioner. Always check a practitioner’s registration yourself on the public register; any check we show was correct only on the day it was made.
Call 999 or go to A&E if life is at risk. For urgent help that is not an emergency, call NHS 111. To talk, ring Samaritans free on 116 123 (24 hours). To text, message SHOUT to 85258.
Sources: BAAT: what is art therapy? · BAAT: find an art therapist · HCPC: protected titles · GOV.UK: arts therapist. Not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the NHS, the HCPC or BAAT. Last reviewed 22 October 2026.
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