November 21, 2024 | By the Virginia Art Therapy Association Board
On October 18th, Virginia advocates gathered once again at the Advisory Board meeting in Henrico to make public comments emphasizing the need for art therapy licensure regulations to be signed and ask board members how they could best advocate. For multiple years, these regulations—originally passed in 2020—have been stuck on the Governor’s desk awaiting his signature. As the meeting came to a close, there was a glimmer of hope, the music therapy regulations, also passed in 2020, had recently moved from the Secretary of Health and Human Service’s Office to the Office of the Governor.
Board of Counseling member Jaime Hoyle encouraged advocates to keep the pressure on by writing letters to both the Governor and the Secretary, emphasizing that such delays were unusual. Finally, after over 950 days, the persistence of advocates paid off.
Virginia Art Therapy Advocates at the Advisory Board Meeting on October 18th
On Monday, November 18th, Governor Glenn Youngkin officially signed the art therapy licensure regulations. This long-awaited milestone marks a huge victory for art therapists and their supporters.
A heartfelt thank you to every advocate who helped make this possible, from the initial legislative efforts to the relentless push for final approval. This success is a reminder of the power of perseverance—slow and steady truly wins the race!
What Comes Next?
While we want to take a moment to celebrate the fruits of our labor, we are not done yet! According to Board of Counseling member Jaime Hoyle there are a few more crucial steps licensing can begin.
A public comment period will begin on December 16th and end on February 14th, allowing members of the public to share their thoughts on the regulations. A public hearing will also be held on January 25. After the public comment period is over, the Art Therapy Advisory Board will meet on March 28th to consider all comments received and vote on final regulations. The full Counseling Board will vote on these final regulations at its meeting on April 25th. The final regulations then must go through the executive branch review, where, hopefully, they will move more quickly.
