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Art Therapists

Plan or conduct art therapy sessions or programs to improve clients' physical, cognitive, or emotional well-being.

$77,930 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).

now
77%

of the working time. Estimate.

Kinds of work
  • 86%
  • 9%
  • 5%
4%

Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.

Half the desk work within reach
Already

On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.

Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030

0%25%50%75%100%2027202820292030NowDesk work: 86% of the time
Chosen to Ceiling: the share
DateNow
NowEnd of 2030

What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .

At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.

How far this has come

With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 71%. Today's estimate: 77%.

0%25%50%75%2023202420252026GPT-4, March 2023: 0% within reachGPT-4 Turbo (Nov 2023), November 2023: 0% within reachGPT-4o, May 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.5 Sonnet (June 2024), June 2024: 0% within reacho1-preview, September 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.5 Sonnet (Oct 2024), October 2024: 0% within reacho1, December 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.7 Sonnet, February 2025: 0% within reacho3, April 2025: 7% within reachGPT-5, August 2025: 13% within reachGemini 3 Pro, November 2025: 30% within reachClaude Opus 4.5, November 2025: 30% within reachGPT-5.2, December 2025: 40% within reachClaude Opus 4.6, February 2026: 43% within reachClaude Mythos Preview (early), April 2026: 71% within reachToday (estimate), September 2026: 77% within reach
Each step is a new best model measured by METR, four in five; the dashed end is today's estimate. Point at a dot for the model.

A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.

The tasks

Sorted by . 25 tasks from .

TaskKind
Write treatment plans, case summaries, or progress or other reports related to individual clients or client groups.Done several times a day by most who do it. 11%1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h87%Half by now
Assess client needs or disorders, using drawing, painting, sculpting, or other artistic processes.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 10%50 min38 min to 1.3 h100%Half by now
Talk with clients during art or other therapy sessions to build rapport, acknowledge their progress, or reflect upon their reactions to the artistic process.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 10%38 min17 min to 1.1 h100%Half by now
Conduct art therapy sessions, providing guided self-expression experiences to help clients recover from, or cope with, cognitive, emotional, or physical impairments.Done several times a day by most who do it. 10%50 min38 min to 1.3 h100%Half by now
Design art therapy sessions or programs to meet client's goals or objectives.Done daily by most who do it. 9%1.3 h25 min to 2.5 h87%Half by now
Customize art therapy programs for specific client populations, such as those in schools, nursing homes, wellness centers, prisons, shelters, or hospitals.Done more than monthly by most who do it. 5%3.3 h1.3 h to 1 work day36%Half by Dec 2026
Analyze or synthesize client data to draw conclusions or make recommendations for art therapy.Done more than monthly by most who do it. 5%1.7 h38 min to 2.5 h90%Half by now
Observe and document client reactions, progress, or other outcomes related to art therapy.Done several times a day by most who do it. 5%25 min13 min to 38 min100%Half by now
Interpret the artistic creations of clients to assess their functioning, needs, or progress.Done more than weekly by most who do it. 5%38 min17 min to 1.1 h100%Half by now
Instruct individuals or groups in the use of art media, such as paint, clay, or yarn.Done more than weekly by most who do it. 4%50 min25 min to 1.7 hStays with people
Develop individualized treatment plans that incorporate studio art therapy, counseling, or psychotherapy techniques.Done more than weekly by most who do it. 4%1.7 h50 min to 2.5 h97%Half by now
Select or prepare artistic media or related equipment or devices to accomplish therapy session objectives.Done several times a day by most who do it. 3%25 min13 min to 38 minStays with people

Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.

Jobs that share skills with this one

From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.

Where this job works

The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.

Where the most of these jobs are

The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.