Credentials

IACAET Professional Credentials

IACAET Professional Credentials provide international professional recognition for qualified practitioners and educators working across the creative arts, therapy, education, health, and wellbeing.

Grounded in professional standards, ethical practice, and respect for diverse cultural and professional contexts, the IACAET credentialing framework recognizes demonstrated education, experience, and professional practice through three distinct credentials:

CCAT — Certified Creative Arts Therapist
For qualified professionals who integrate one or more creative arts modalities within therapeutic practice.

CCAE — Certified Creative Arts Educator
For qualified professionals who use the creative arts within educational, learning, and developmental contexts.

CAHP — Certified Arts & Health Practitioner
For qualified professionals who use arts-based approaches to support health and wellbeing in healthcare, community, and related settings.

Each credential has a defined professional scope and eligibility requirements. Multiple pathways to credentialing recognize established professional routes as well as diverse forms of education, professional development, and experience.

The IACAET credentialing framework is designed as a living framework. As research, professional practice, education, technology, and international standards continue to evolve, the Credentialing Committees will periodically review and update these Guidelines to ensure that they remain current, evidence-informed, culturally responsive, and internationally relevant.

Why IACAET Credentials?

The fields of creative arts, education, therapy, health, and wellbeing are increasingly interconnected and practiced across diverse professional and cultural contexts. IACAET Professional Credentials provide a shared international framework for recognizing practitioners and educators whose work meets defined professional and ethical standards.

The credentialing framework aims to:

– Promote professional recognition across the creative arts, therapy, education, health, and wellbeing;

– Establish clear professional standards while respecting differences in disciplines, cultures, educational systems, and professional pathways;

– Support ethical and responsible practice through adherence to IACAET’s professional and ethical requirements;

– Recognize diverse pathways into professional practice, including established, experienced, and exceptional practitioners;

– Encourage continuing professional development and ongoing engagement with evolving professional knowledge and practice; and

– Strengthen international professional connection and visibility across the interdisciplinary fields represented by IACAET.

IACAET credentials are professional credentials awarded by IACAET. They do not constitute a governmental license to practise, nor do they replace professional registration, licensure, certification, or other legal requirements that may apply in a credential holder’s country or jurisdiction.

Three Professional Credentials

IACAET offers three professional credentials reflecting distinct areas of practice across the creative arts, therapy, education, health, and wellbeing.

CCAT

Certified Creative Arts Therapist

For qualified professionals who use one or more creative arts modalities within a therapeutic relationship and framework to support psychological, emotional, relational, and psychosocial health and wellbeing.

Focus: Creative arts in therapeutic practice

[Explore CCAT]

CCAE

Certified Creative Arts Educator

For qualified professionals who use creative and arts-based approaches to facilitate learning, development, participation, and engagement across educational and community settings.

Focus: Creative arts in education and learning

[Explore CCAE]

CAHP

Certified Arts & Health Practitioner

For qualified professionals who use arts-based approaches to support health and wellbeing across healthcare, community, public health, and related settings, outside the scope of creative arts therapy.

Focus: Arts in health and wellbeing

[Explore CAHP]

Which Credential Is Right for Me?

While the three credentials share a commitment to ethical, arts-based, and professionally responsible practice, they recognize different scopes of professional work.

CCAT is centered on therapeutic practice.
CCAE is centered on education and learning.
CAHP is centered on health and wellbeing through the arts outside the scope of therapy.

Applicants should select the credential that most closely reflects the primary purpose, context, and scope of their professional practice. Detailed eligibility requirements and scope of practice are provided on each credential page.

Pathways to Credentialing

IACAET recognizes that professional education and practice develop through different routes across disciplines, countries, and cultural contexts. The credentialing framework therefore provides multiple pathways while maintaining the professional and ethical standards required for each credential.

Regular Pathway

The Regular Pathway is the standard route for applicants who meet the established education, training, professional practice, and other eligibility requirements for the credential.

This is the primary pathway for new applicants.

Grandparenting Pathway

The Grandparenting Pathway recognizes experienced practitioners and educators whose professional careers were established before current credentialing structures or formalized educational pathways became widely available in their field or region.

Applicants are expected to demonstrate substantial relevant professional experience, knowledge, practice, and contribution to their field.

Grandparenting is a transitional pathway and may be offered for a defined period as the IACAET credentialing system becomes established.

Exceptional Pathway

The Exceptional Pathway provides an individualized route for applicants with distinguished or substantial professional experience whose background does not fit neatly within the standard eligibility framework.

Applications under this pathway are considered on a case-by-case basis and require sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the applicant’s professional background, experience, and practice are appropriate to the scope and standards of the credential sought.

One Standard, Different Pathways

The pathways provide different ways of demonstrating eligibility; they do not represent different levels of the credential.

All successful applicants receive the same respective IACAET credential — CCAT, CCAE, or CAHP — and are expected to meet the applicable standards of ethical and professional conduct and ongoing credential renewal.

Professional Standards & Ethical Practice

IACAET Professional Credentials are grounded in a commitment to ethical, responsible, and culturally responsive professional practice.

Credential holders are expected to practise within the scope of their education, training, experience, and professional role; respect the dignity, rights, diversity, and wellbeing of the people and communities with whom they work; maintain appropriate professional boundaries; and comply with applicable laws, regulations, and professional requirements in their country or jurisdiction.

All credential holders are required to adhere to the IACAET Code of Ethics and other applicable professional standards and conduct requirements.

Where a credential holder works within a regulated profession, the IACAET credential complements rather than replaces any registration, licensure, certification, or other legal or professional requirements applicable to that profession.

[View Standards & Ethics]

Maintaining Your Credential

IACAET Professional Credentials represent an ongoing commitment to professional learning, ethical practice, and continued engagement with the field.

Credentials are valid for one year and must be renewed annually. Credential holders are expected to maintain active IACAET membership, remain in good professional standing, and complete the required Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

Continuing Professional Development

IACAET credential holders are required to undertake ongoing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as part of annual credential renewal. The required number of CPD hours and relevant professional development activities are specified for each credential.

Nature of IACAET Professional Credentials

IACAET Professional Credentials represent IACAET’s recognition that, based on the information and evidence assessed at the time of application or renewal, a credential holder has met the applicable requirements established for the relevant credential.

IACAET credentials are professional credentials and do not constitute governmental licensure or statutory registration. They do not replace any licence, registration, certification, safeguarding requirement, insurance requirement, or other legal authorization that may be required in the jurisdiction where a credential holder practises.

Credential holders remain individually responsible for practising within their competence and professional scope, complying with applicable laws and regulations, and maintaining appropriate professional and ethical standards.

IACAET does not employ, supervise, or direct credential holders through the granting of a credential and does not assume responsibility for the professional services they provide.

[Read the IACAET Credentials Guideline]

Credentialing Governance & Professional Oversight

The IACAET credentialing framework is supported by an international governance structure designed to promote professional standards, consistency, ethical practice, and responsiveness to diverse professional and cultural contexts.

The Credential Steering Committee (CSC) provides overall guidance and oversight of the credentialing framework. Three specialist credentialing committees support the development and review of standards and applications for their respective credentials, while the IACAET Ethics Committee provides expertise in ethical and professional conduct.

Credential Steering Committee (CSC)
– Helen Payne, Professor, PhD, R-DMP, R-UKCP
– Vivien Speiser, Professor, PhD, BC-DMT, LMHC, NCC, REAT
– Tony Yu Zhou, PhD, CMA
– Devika Mehta, R-DMP
– Joan Wittig, Professor, BC-DMT, LCAT

CCAE Credentialing Committee
Co-Chairs
– Teresa Torres de Eça, PhD
– Li Xu, PhD

CCAT Credentialing Committee
Co-Chairs
– Susan Scarth, UKCP, RSMT/E, EMDR, CMA, MCAT
– Hannah Sherebrin, ATR-BC, RYAHAT, OATR

CAHP Credentialing Committee
Co-Chairs
– Andrew Greenwood
– Edith Wolf Perez, MA

Ethics Committee
– Ronald PMH Lay, Professor, EdD, MA, AThS-HF, AThR, ATR-BC
– Ulrich Sollmann, Dipl. rer. soc.

Together, these committees support the integrity, professional relevance, and ethical standards of the IACAET credentialing framework.

IACAET Credentials Guideline

The IACAET Credentials Guideline sets out the professional framework for IACAET’s three credentials — CCAE, CCAT, and CAHP — including eligibility requirements, application pathways, core competencies, scope of practice, ethical standards, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and credentialing governance.

Applicants, credential holders, and organizations interested in IACAET Professional Credentials are encouraged to consult the Guideline for the complete credentialing framework.

[Download IACAET Credentials Guideline]

Current version: September 15 2026

Ready to Apply?

Before applying, prospective applicants are encouraged to review the scope, eligibility requirements, and pathways for the credential that best reflects their professional practice.

Choose Your Credential

CCAT — Certified Creative Arts Therapist
For professionals practising within a therapeutic framework using one or more creative arts modalities.
[Explore CCAT]

CCAE — Certified Creative Arts Educator
For professionals using creative and arts-based approaches within education and learning.
[Explore CCAE]

CAHP — Certified Arts & Health Practitioner
For professionals using arts-based approaches to support health and wellbeing outside the scope of creative arts therapy.
[Explore CAHP]

Before You Apply

Applicants should:

• review the eligibility requirements for their chosen credential;
• identify the pathway that best reflects their professional background;
• prepare the required documentation and supporting evidence;
• ensure that their IACAET membership is active; and
• review the applicable credentialing fees and application procedures.

Applications are reviewed according to the established IACAET credentialing procedures. Meeting the basic eligibility requirements does not in itself guarantee that a credential will be awarded.

[Application & Fees]

Questions?

If you are unsure which credential or pathway is appropriate for your professional background, please review the Frequently Asked Questions or contact the IACAET Credentialing Team.

credentials@iacaet.org

[Frequently Asked Questions]