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Kansas art therapists ask Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board to endorse licensure bill
Summary
Members of the Kansas Art Therapy Licensure and Advocacy Coalition asked the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board to endorse legislation creating a licensed professional art therapist credential, arguing licensure would protect the public, enable title protection and help insurance reimbursement.
Members of the Kansas Art Therapy Licensure and Advocacy Coalition urged the Behavioral Sciences Regulatory Board on Tuesday to endorse a bill that would create state licensure for professional art therapists.
The coalition was represented at the board meeting by Katie Leisman, a board-certified and registered art therapist, who described years of clinical work in Kansas including community mental health, skilled nursing and children's hospitals. "Licensure would also grant title protection for art therapists," Leisman told the board, saying a licensed credential would help the public identify trained professionals and distinguish them from undertrained clinicians.
The coalition argued licensure would improve public safety and continuity of care by ensuring practitioners have graduate-level training, clinical supervision and knowledge of how art media can affect a client's emotional state. Leisman pointed to recent federal grant work in Johnson County funded by the American Rescue Plan Act that enabled art therapists to offer free services in public schools, juvenile detention centers and community programs.
Board members asked about reimbursement and credentialing pathways. A board member asked, "Does licensure in any way impact reimbursability for your services?" Leisman replied that licensure would ‘‘help pave a way…for insurance reimbursement,’’ but said the coalition's bill does not specifically mandate payment rules.
Coalition members described the national credentialing and licensure landscape: the Art Therapy Credentialing Board (ATCB) issues a national exam and 15 states plus the District of Columbia already regulate art therapy through licensure. Raven Milam, Wendy Lynch, Amber Dalzell, Noelle Kearns and Sherry Jacobs — all introduced during public comment — outlined clinical roles in trauma-informed care, school systems and inpatient settings and emphasized the field’s origins in Kansas-affiliated institutions.
The board did not take a formal vote on the bill at the meeting. Board chair Dave Anderson invited questions and recorded the presentation for the meeting record. Coalition members left draft bill text with the board and said they would pursue a partnership with the BSRB during the upcoming legislative session.
Leisman closed by asking the board to "endorse a bill that would grant licensure for Kansas art therapists," citing workforce needs and patient safety as the primary drivers for the request.
The board discussion that followed focused on technical points — whether licensure would alter existing reimbursement mechanisms and which national credentials a statute should reference — and on next steps for working with legislative staff on bill language.
If the board decides to endorse the coalition’s proposal, that endorsement would be one of several steps before legislation is introduced and considered by the Kansas Legislature.
