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Division of
Professional Regulation

Professional Art Therapist Licensure

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General Information

You may apply for a license as a Professional Art Therapist by examination or reciprocity.

  • If you hold a current Professional Art Therapist license in another jurisdiction (state, District of Columbia or U.S. territory), apply by reciprocity.
  • If you do not hold a current Professional Art Therapist license in another jurisdiction, apply by examination.

You must pass the Art Therapy Credentials Board Examination (ATCBE) before you submit your application.


Information on How to Apply for a License in DELPROS

All applications are submitted our online system DELPROS. We no longer accept paper applications.


PRIOR TO APPLYING

In order to apply for a license or submit a service request, you must first have a DELPROS user account. To LOG IN or CREATE a DELPROS (Delaware Professional Regulation Online Services) user account:

  1. Go to: https://delpros.delaware.gov/OH_HomePage.
  2. Click GO on the Apply/Manage a License and Service Requests tile.
  3. If you do not have a DELPROS user account, click the REGISTER button on the left side of page for NEW USERS.
  4. If you already have a DELPROS user account, enter your email address and password on the right side for EXISTING USERS and click the LOGIN button.

DELPROS allows you to save your incomplete application and return to it later to finish the process. You only have six (6) months to submit your application once you begin.

  • If you do not submit your application within six months of starting it, you will be required to restart the entire online application again.

You may check the status of your application online throughout the entire application process by using the “View Application Status” feature in DELPROS on your e-License dashboard.


KNOW YOUR REQUIREMENTS AND COLLECT YOUR DOCUMENTS

  1. Know the requirements for the license you are pursuing.
  2. Request and gather all documents required to upload on the Attachments page. All information and forms are located on your profession’s webpages.


ATTACHING AND ACKNOWLEDGING DOCUMENTS

On the ATTACHMENTS page of your application, you may be instructed to:

  • either “attach” or “upload” the required document(s) directly to your application. This means you will find the document(s) saved on your computer or device and upload it to your application, or .
  • click “acknowledge” . This means you will either mail the documents yourself or request the “third-party” to mail the document(s) directly to the Board office.
    • Examples of “third-party forms” are transcripts from schools, employment verifications from a supervisor, or license verifications from another state.
  • Forms requiring a supervisor signature, seal, or notary may have to be MAILED to the Board office directly UNLESS the document specifically indicates to UPLOAD the document.


Requirements for All Applicants

In addition to submitting the application and fee in DELPROS, you must submit:

  • A State of Delaware and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal background check (CBC). Go to the Criminal Background Check Process page to find the Service Code required to obtain a State of Delaware and Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal background check. Once you have your Service Code, you will be directed to the IdentoGO website for instructions to complete the fingerprinting process.
    • Criminal background checks completed for any other purpose (e.g., employment, licensure in other states) will not meet this requirement.
  • State/Jurisdiction Licensure Verification sent directly to the Board office from each state or jurisdiction in which you currently hold or have ever held a license.
  • A verification of your Art Therapy Credentials Board Examination scores (ATCBE) in writing. To request verification, email atcbinfo@atcb.org.


Requirements for Exam Applicants

In addition to submitting the application, fee, and supporting documentation required in the previous section in DELPROS, you must also submit:

  • Your official transcript from your college/university sent directly to the Board office.
  • An Evaluation of Coursework form and course catalog/descriptions when your graduate program of studies is not in the discipline of art therapy or you do not have a Master’s or Doctoral degree in art therapy. The documents must show that the degree you received encompasses the nine areas listed on the form.
  •  One or more Direct Supervision Reference form(s) signed by your approved clinical supervisor(s) that verifies that you have completed at least 1,600 hours under direct supervision.
  • One or more of the following verification form(s) to verify the experience that you gained when you were not under the direct supervision of a clinical supervisor.
    • An Art Therapy Experience Verification-Employment form(s) for experience while you were employed under a clinical or administrative supervisor(s).
    • An Art Therapy Experience Verification-Self-Employment form(s) from a professional colleague, supervisor or other individual who has personal knowledge of your professional practice experience while you were self-employed. The person who attests to your experience while self-employed cannot be your spouse, former spouse, parent, step-parent, grandparent, child, step-child, sibling, aunt, uncle, cousin or in-law.
    • For details on post-Masters professional art therapy experience, see Post-Masters Art Therapy Experience Requirements.
    • All verification forms must clearly state the total number of post-Master’s professional art therapy experience hours that you have provided. Giving only the dates of your employment or self-employment is not sufficient.
    • When combined, the mandatory 1,600 hours verified on the Direct Supervision Reference forms added to the hours verified on all of the Art Therapy Experience Verification-Employment form and Art Therapy Experience Verification-Self-Employment forms must total at least 3,200 hours.  All of these hours must span a period of not less than two but no more than four years.
    • Since you have passed the ATCBE, you may apply 1,000 hours of supervised experience towards the 1,600 hours of required direct supervised experience.


Requirements for Reciprocity Applicants

In addition to submitting the application, fee, and supporting documentation required in the Requirements for All Applicants in DELPROS, you may have to submit additional documentation. Whether or not you need to submit any more documentation depends on how long you’ve been licensed in the jurisdictions where your license is current.

  • If you have been licensed at least five years in any one jurisdiction, no further documentation is needed. You may be licensed by reciprocity.
  • If you have been licensed less than five years in each state/jurisdiction, submit copies of the licensing law/rules and regulations from each jurisdiction where you hold a current license in good standing. The Board will review the licensing standards of the other jurisdictions and determine if any of them is substantially similar to Delaware’s standards.
  • If any of the jurisdictions has substantially similar standards, you may be licensed by reciprocity. No further documentation is needed.
  • If none of the jurisdictions has substantially similar requirements, the Board office will notify you that you cannot be licensed by reciprocity. However, you may apply by examination or for an Associate Art Therapist license.

 


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