Providing for the licensure of clinical art therapists, making penalties applicable, providing for fees, and including effective date and implementation provisions

A simple misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than days or a fine of at least $65 but not more than $625 or by both. The bill defines several terms including “art therapy” and “clinical art therapy”. The bill provides for temporary licensure of clinical art therapists. The bill requires that to acquire a license to practice art therapy, an applicant must have a master’s or doctoral degree in art therapy from a program approved by the American art therapy association, accredited by the commission on accreditation of allied health education programs at the time the degree was conferred, or another program approved by the board of behavioral science, pass a national board examination, and complete at least two years of supervised experience. The bill allows other licensees under Code chapter 154D to use art or art materials as part of their practice without an art therapy license if they do not represent that they practice art therapy.24. The bill provides that the board of behavioral science may waive the licensing requirements established by the bill for persons with certain qualifications in the first year after rules implementing the licensure of clinical art therapists are adopted. The bill also directs the board to grant temporary licenses to applicants seeking to practice clinical art therapy under supervision whose supervision plan includes supervision by a registered art therapist who has been practicing for at least five years. This directive applies for the first three years following the effective date of rules implementing the bill. The bill includes an effective date of January 1, 2020, except that the board of behavioral science may begin implementation prior to that date, to the extent necessary to fully implement the provisions providing for the licensure of clinical art therapists by January 1, 2020.