Resources

When Did Arts Therapy Become Something We Raffle Off?

05/04/2026

This week, I saw an arts therapist offering free therapy sessions as a door prize at an event. I scrolled past at first, but the post kept nagging at me. The more I thought about it, the more it troubled me, not because of this individual practitioner, but because of what it says about how our profession is valued.

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I don't know this therapist. They may work primarily in group wellbeing spaces rather than clinical settings, and their context might be completely different from mine. But the post made me reflect on a pattern I've noticed: arts therapy, and other creative or "fringe" professions, are often expected to prove their worth through discounts, free trials, and giveaways in ways that more established allied health professions simply aren't.

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The Broader Pattern:

When was the last time you saw a psychologist offering vouchers at a community event? Or a speech pathologist raffling off sessions? It's rare, because these professions have established their value in the public consciousness. Their clinical rigour isn't questioned in the same way.

But arts-based professions? We're still fighting for that recognition. And actions like discounting or giving away sessions, however well-intentioned, can inadvertently reinforce the idea that what we do is less valuable, less clinical, or somehow "extra" rather than essential.

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As a relatively new practitioner in this well-established profession, I've heard stories from long-term arts therapists about the decades of work it's taken to gain professional recognition. Just last year, the NDIS attempted to remove arts therapists from the scheme with questionable evidence. After an external review, it was shown that we do provide the essential support our community needs. These battles for legitimacy are ongoing, and every interaction with the public shapes perception.

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Why Does This Happen?:

I think there are a few reasons arts therapy faces these pressures more than other professions:

The "passion tax": Because we work with creativity, there's an assumption that we'd do it for free anyway, that it's a calling rather than a profession. This logic doesn't apply to other clinical work.

Gendered professions: Many therapy and arts-based professions are female-dominated, and there's well-documented research showing that women's professional work is consistently undervalued and underpaid.

Public misunderstanding: Many people still don't understand that arts therapy is a clinical, evidence-based practice requiring years of training and ongoing professional development. They see "arts" and think "hobby" rather than "health intervention."

Marketing pressure: As private practitioners, we're told we need to "get people through the door" and that discounts are the way to do it. But at what cost to our professional standing?

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The Cost of Devaluing Our Work:

When we consistently discount or give away our services, we send several messages:

• To potential clients: "This isn't worth full price"

• To other practitioners: "This is the standard we should compete with"

• To other allied health professions: "We're not on the same level as you"

• To ourselves: "My training, skills, and time aren't as valuable"

 

This affects more than just individual income. It impacts:

• Professional sustainability: Practitioners burn out when they can't charge what they're worth

• Service quality: Underpaid practitioners take on too many clients to make ends meet

• Professional credibility: It's harder to advocate for inclusion in health schemes when we're positioning ourselves as "optional extras"

• The next generation: Why would someone invest in years of training for a profession that gives away its services?

 

Finding the Balance:

I want to be clear: I'm not saying arts therapists should never offer reduced fees or pro bono work. There's an important distinction between:

Appropriate concessions:

• Sliding scales for genuine financial hardship

• Structured pro bono hours as part of a sustainable practice

• Reduced rates for specific populations (with funding to support this)

• Genuine community contribution that doesn't position therapy as a prize

 

Systematic devaluing:

• Marketing through constant discounts

• Positioning therapy sessions as competition prizes

• Offering introductory rates that suggest the full price isn't justified

• Competing primarily on price rather than expertise

 

The question isn't whether we should make therapy accessible, of course we should. The question is: how do we increase accessibility without undermining the professional value of what we do?

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Moving Forward:

So what's the alternative? How do we promote our services and build our practices without devaluing our profession?

• Educate rather than discount: Offer free information sessions, workshops on arts therapy benefits, or Q&A sessions, not free clinical work

• Demonstrate value through outcomes: Share (anonymised) case studies, research, and client feedback

• Collaborate with established professions: Position yourself alongside psychologists, OTs, and speech pathologists, not as the "budget alternative"

• Be clear about what we offer: Help the public understand the clinical training, evidence base, and therapeutic process

• Support each other: When we hold our professional boundaries around pricing, we make it easier for others to do the same

 

A Question for the Community:

I'm genuinely curious about your perspectives:

• How do you balance accessibility with professional sustainability?

• Have you felt pressure to discount your services? How did you respond?

• What strategies have worked for building your practice without devaluing your expertise?

 

I'm not interested in calling out individual practitioners, we're all doing our best in a challenging landscape, but I am interested in having honest conversations about how we collectively build and protect the professional standing of arts therapy.  Ultimately, our clients deserve therapists who are valued, sustainable, and recognised for the clinical expertise we bring, and we can't achieve that if we're giving ourselves away.