Day 25 and 26 The REAT and REACE credentials

Day 25 and 26 -  I’m still thinking about Potash’s (2022) editorial on Credentials and professional identity. I’m also thinking about the amazing work presented by my colleagues and our alumni at Lesley’s recent Arts and Healthcare Conference.  Did most of the projects presented at the conference require working with a license or a credential in order to take place?  What role did the professional identity of those presenting have in their embarking on such a project?

Potash (2022) begins his editorial by describing the cohort of art therapy students with whom he graduated as passionate about art therapy.  He notes that in the 1990s,

licensure was not yet widespread and plenty of us could work without it—and indeed, several of us did (and still do). After we graduated and settled on our professional paths, some have continued to work only with art therapy credentials, some pursued credentials in other fields, and some worked as artists. (p.3)

This interested me greatly, as I feel it stills describe the expressive arts therapy community – particularly those from the previous generation.  Those in the current generation also continue to sometimes work with the REAT, sometimes with other credentials (such as a license in counseling) and some practice as artists, or even expressive arts facilitators without credentials. 

 

While the International expressive arts therapy association (IEATA) does credential educator/consultants, this credential (a REACE) is even less understood than the REAT which credentials expressive arts therapists.  Please find a description below from IEATA. 

 

I was particularly pleased to find the REAT listed as a potential credential a mental health professional may hold.  This description of “Types of Mental Health Professionals: Education, Credentials, Licenses & More” lives on the “Choosing therapy” website – where the editors “help people find life changing therapists. (https://www.choosingtherapy.com/types-of-mental-health-professionals/)

 

The IEATA website states

One of IEATA®'s key missions is to promote professional excellence and standards of practice for practitioners and consumers. To that end, we established the titles of Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT) and Registered Expressive Arts Consultant/Educator (REACE®), and developed screening and registration processes to certify qualified members. All REATs and REACE®s agree to abide by a code of ethics, an expression of values and goals that help us define our behavior as a professional community. Although we do not offer a formal track for practicing expressive artists, we value their significant contributions to the field, and encourage and support their work through our Artist Committee. (https://www.ieata.org/professional-registration)

 

The REAT – registered expressive arts therapist

combines multiple forms of the arts (drama, movement, visual art, music, writing, etc) with counseling, psychotherapy or other forms of mental health professions to address behavioral and mental health issues or stressors with individuals or groups. That is to say, they work multimodal and intermodal using more than one arts form in their work with clients. They have received the REAT status from the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association, indicating that they have met all necessary requirements, including thorough training, education and supervised experience in expressive arts therapy to ensure that clients and individuals receiving this method and approach receive safe, beneficial and high quality treatment. (https://www.ieata.org/what-is-reat)

 

The REACE – registered expressive arts educator/consultant

The REACE® designation includes expressive arts consultants and educators who use the expressive arts in a broad range of approaches in education, organizational development, health fields and more. The REACE® candidate may have formal training or acquired experience by applying their skills in work situations. The applicant will choose one of two application tracks that best fits his or her education and experience. REACE applicants must thoroughly document education, work experience, expressive arts training, and personal and professional competency as an expressive arts consultant/educator, and agree to abide by our REACE® Code of Ethics. (https://www.ieata.org/what-is-reace)