Art and Music Therapist Licensing by State: A Patchwork With No Compact

Creative arts therapists face a licensing map that is younger and patchier than the one for counselors. Some states have a dedicated license. Some regulate the work under a counseling or creative arts license. Some protect only the title. Many do nothing at all. There is no compact for either profession, and no reciprocity network beyond what each state writes into its own law.

Art therapy

The national credentials come from the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB), principally the registered art therapist (ATR) and board-certified ATR-BC. State regulation is a separate layer.

The American Art Therapy Association (AATA) counts art therapy as a regulated profession in 15 states and the District of Columbia, based on its map dated December 2024. Its list of dedicated art therapy licenses includes:

Connecticut (CLAT), Delaware (LPAT and LAAT), District of Columbia (LPAT), Kentucky (LPAT and LPATA), Maryland (LPCAT and LGAT), Mississippi (LPAT), New Mexico (LPAT), Ohio (LPAT), Oregon (LAT and LCAT), Tennessee (LPAT and LAAT) and Virginia (LAT and LAAT).
Nebraska, with a certified art therapist credential.
New Jersey (LPAT and LAAT), enacted but, per AATA, not yet implemented.

AATA also lists states that regulate art therapists under related licenses: New York through its creative arts therapist license, Texas through the professional counselor license with an art therapy specialization, Pennsylvania through the professional counselor license, and Wisconsin through a registered art therapist credential paired with psychotherapy licensure. Arizona, Louisiana and New Hampshire offer title protection or state hiring recognition only.

Music therapy

The national credential is the MT-BC from the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT). CBMT says board certification is voluntary in general but required for licensure, state certification or registry in the states it lists. Its current list:

Licenses: Nevada (2011), North Dakota (2011), Georgia (2012), Oregon (2015), Oklahoma (2016), New Jersey (2020), Virginia (2020), Maryland (2021), Illinois (2022), Connecticut (2023, converted from title protection), Ohio (2023), Washington (2023) and Mississippi (2025).
Title protection: California (2019) and Iowa (2021).
Registry: Rhode Island (2014) and Wisconsin (voluntary).
State certification: Utah (2014). Certificate: Tennessee (2024).

Because most music therapy licenses are built on the MT-BC, the application itself is often simpler than a counseling license. The work is in keeping each state's renewal separate from the CBMT recertification cycle.

New York's creative arts therapist license

New York regulates both through one license, the Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT), which covers art, music, dance, drama, psychodrama and poetry therapy. Requirements, per the Office of the Professions: a master's or doctorate with at least 48 semester hours including clinical instruction and a supervised internship or practicum of at least 500 clock hours; at least 1,500 contact hours of post-degree supervised experience, with at least 1,000 in direct client contact; and a passing score on the ATCB exam, the CBMT exam, or New York's case narrative exam. Like New York's LMHC, the LCAT offers endorsement to applicants with five years of licensed practice in the ten years before applying.

Why do so many creative arts therapists also hold an LPC?

Three practical reasons. First, in states without a creative arts license, a counseling license is often what lets you diagnose and treat independently. Second, a few states, such as Texas and Pennsylvania by AATA's description, regulate art therapy through the counseling license. Third, the LPC has portability tools the creative arts licenses lack, including endorsement routes in most states and, in live states, the Counseling Compact. A dual-credentialed therapist can use a compact privilege for counseling while the creative arts license stays home.

The compact covers licensed professional counselors only. It does not extend to an LPAT, LCAT or music therapy license.

Moving states as a creative arts therapist

Check whether the target state regulates your discipline, and through which agency. It is often a different board from the counseling board.
Find out whether it requires your national credential (ATR-BC or MT-BC) as the basis for the state credential.
Decide whether you need the creative arts license, a counseling license, or both, for the work you plan to do.
Keep your national certification current. In many states it is the foundation of the license.

We handle creative arts licenses alongside counseling licenses under our License by Endorsement and Full State License Application services, and can track ATCB and CBMT renewals with your state renewals. If you are not sure which license a state requires for your work, ask us before you apply.

Common questions

Which states license music therapists?

CBMT lists licenses in Nevada, North Dakota, Georgia, Oregon, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, Connecticut, Ohio, Washington and Mississippi, plus title protection, registry or certification in California, Iowa, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Utah and Tennessee.

Does New York have a license for art therapists?

Yes, the Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT), which covers art, music, dance, drama, psychodrama and poetry therapy. Applicants can pass the ATCB exam, the CBMT exam, or New York's case narrative exam.

Is there a compact for art or music therapists?

No. The Counseling Compact covers only licensed professional counselors. Creative arts therapists who also hold an eligible LPC can use privileges for the counseling license.

Should an art therapist get an LPC too?

Often it helps. In states without an art therapy license, a counseling license may be what allows independent practice, and the LPC has endorsement routes and, in live states, compact privileges that creative arts licenses lack.