How to become an art, music or drama therapist

Art therapists, music therapists and dramatherapists all qualify the same way: an HCPC-approved master’s degree in their discipline, followed by registration with the Health and Care Professions Council. Full-time courses usually take two years and part-time ones three or four. In the NHS, Health Careers says posts typically start at band 6 (£39,959 in England from 1 April 2026), but many jobs are part-time, so actual earnings are often lower than the band suggests.

Three professions on one register

The HCPC protects the titles art therapist, art psychotherapist, music therapist and dramatherapist. You cannot use them without being registered, which also means you cannot become one by doing a short course or a weekend certificate. Plenty of courses use words like “therapeutic arts” in their titles; check that any course you are considering is approved by the HCPC for registration.

All three use a creative medium as the main way of working. Clients might be children with autism or trauma, adults with severe mental illness, people with learning disabilities, people with dementia, prisoners, or patients in palliative care. Many find words difficult, which is part of why the arts are used. Each discipline has its own professional body: the British Association of Art Therapists, the British Association for Music Therapy and the British Association of Dramatherapists.

Getting onto a master’s

Most courses ask for a first degree, often in the art form itself (fine art, music, drama), or in a related field such as psychology, nursing, social work or education. Health Careers notes that some dramatherapy courses accept people without a degree if they have at least a year’s work experience with a relevant client group.

Courses usually want to see a good amount of paid or voluntary work with vulnerable people, such as support work in mental health, community arts projects or work in special schools. Music therapy applicants are normally auditioned. Interviews tend to explore how you reflect on your own reactions as well as your skills.

Most courses also require you to be in personal therapy while you train, which you pay for yourself. Ask each course about this before applying, because the cost adds up over two or three years.

A level 7 apprenticeship for arts therapists exists in England, but Health Careers describes opportunities as limited. You would need to find an employer, usually an NHS trust, advertising an apprentice post.

Paying for the training

Because the qualifying route is postgraduate, most trainees fund it themselves. In England, a Master’s Loan from Student Finance England can help with fees and living costs if your course and circumstances qualify; similar postgraduate support exists in the other UK nations. The loan is repaid through payroll at 6% of income above £21,000 a year, on top of any undergraduate loan. Postgraduate loan repayments shows how that works on a payslip.

Many trainees keep a part-time job through the course. Placements are unpaid and can be in different parts of the region, so check travel before you accept a place.

Where arts therapists work

In the NHS, arts therapists mostly work in mental health trusts: adult inpatient and community teams, child and adolescent mental health services, forensic services, and learning disability services. Some work in hospices, neurological rehabilitation or children’s hospitals.

Outside the NHS, arts therapists work in schools, prisons, charities and private practice. A lot of these posts are part-time or sessional, so many therapists build a portfolio: a part-time NHS post, a day a week in a school and some private clients. If you are self-employed for part of your work, you will need to register for Self Assessment and pay your own tax and National Insurance on that income.

NHS pay

Band	Typical role	England pay from 1 April 2026
6	Arts therapist (newly qualified)	£39,959, £42,170, £48,117
7	Senior or specialist arts therapist	£49,387, £51,932, £56,515
8a	Lead or head arts therapist	£57,528, £60,417, £64,750

The band for senior and lead posts varies between trusts, so read the advert and job description. In Scotland, band 6 runs from £43,169 to £52,603. Part-time pay is worked out pro rata, so a three-day job at the band 6 starting point pays three-fifths of £39,959. The take-home pay calculator can give a net figure for a part-time salary.

A band 6 starting salary puts you in the 9.8% contribution tier of the NHS Pension Scheme. That rate is based on what you actually earn, so a part-time therapist on a lower actual salary may pay a lower rate.

Applying for posts

NHS arts therapy jobs appear on NHS Jobs, and there are not many of them in any one area at a time, so set alerts across a wide radius. School, charity and prison posts are often advertised through the professional bodies and charity job sites. Applications usually need a supporting statement against the person specification, and interviews often include a scenario about a client.

Arts therapists often work in multidisciplinary teams with psychologists, psychiatrists and nurses; clinical psychologist describes a closely related role. Current NHS vacancies are under allied health jobs.