November 29, 2018 | By Janet Kempf, ATR-BC, Vice-Chair, ACATE
The Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education (ACATE) is seeking site evaluators to travel to art therapy programs and verify program components submitted for review. Site evaluator qualifications include:
- Current or Retired Art Therapy Educator, Art Therapy Practitioner, or Related Mental Health Field Educator (e.g., Creative Arts Therapy, Counseling, Psychology, Psychiatry, Social Work, and Marriage and Family Therapy, etc.),
- Licensure/Board Certification in given profession, and
- Five (5) years of experience in given profession.
As a site evaluator you will be volunteering to help advance the profession of art therapy! Accreditation has many benefits, including:
- For the public, accreditation promotes the health, safety and welfare of the public by assuring training of competent mental health professionals.
- For prospective students, accreditation serves a consumer protection purpose. It provides assurance the program has been evaluated and has met accepted standards established by and for the art therapy profession.
- For graduates, it offers assurance to employers of competency in the essential knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for entry level art therapy practice.
- For art therapists, it involves practitioners in the establishment of standards and assures that educational requirements reflect the current training needs of the profession.
- For the profession, it advances the field by promoting standards of practice and advocating rigorous preparation.
ACATE is requesting site evaluators commit to one site visit (2 days, plus travel) every three years. Training is offered online. Site evaluators are reimbursed for travel.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. If you are interested, please visit the ACATE web site at www.caahep.org/acate for more information and to download an application.
