The British Association of Art Therapists
The British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) is the UK professional membership organisation for approximately 2,500 HCPC-registered art therapists, providing publications, training and CPD, an annual conference, a public therapist directory, job advertising, advocacy, and clinical guidelines to members, NHS commissioners, and the public.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The British Association of Art Therapists does
The British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) is a UK professional membership organisation and private limited company registered in England and Wales, operating from 24-27 White Lion Street, London. It serves as the representative body for the UK's approximately 2,500 HCPC-registered art therapists and art psychotherapists, providing membership services, professional development, advocacy, and a public-facing 'Find an Art Therapist' directory that connects service users with qualified practitioners. BAAT is statutorily linked to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), which protects the titles 'art therapist' and 'art psychotherapist', and full membership is restricted to HCPC-registered practitioners — making BAAT the natural home for the regulated profession in the UK.
BAAT's core product portfolio centres on three publication streams — the peer-reviewed International Journal of Art Therapy (Inscape/IJAT) published with Taylor & Francis, the quarterly InSight magazine, and clinical guidelines such as the BAAT Guidelines on Art Therapy for People with a Psychosis-Related Diagnosis — alongside training and CPD offerings (in-person courses, self-study modules on Learnworlds, and an annual conference such as the 2026 'Sustaining care' event at King's College London), a job advertising service for employers, and a community infrastructure comprising Special Interest Groups, Regional Groups covering Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the Art Therapy Practice Research Network. Technology is conventional: a password-protected member database, the Learnworlds learning platform, and digital publication systems. There is no proprietary software product or AI capability.
BAAT's revenue model is a characteristic professional-body mix: recurring annual membership subscriptions form the base, supplemented by training and CPD course fees (including self-study), conference ticket revenue, job advertisement fees priced on a sliding scale from £100 (under 10 employees) to £300 (30+ employees) per posting, and publication-related income. Distribution reaches both members (via member portal, fortnightly bulletin, email, social media) and the public (via the directory, NHS commissioning channels, and educational settings). The organisation is governed by an elected Council and is not venture-backed, with ownership and control resting with its membership.
The British Association of Art Therapists firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The British Association of Art Therapists
- Legal name
- British Association of Art Therapists Ltd
- Website
- https://baat.org
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) is the UK professional membership organisation for approximately 2,500 HCPC-registered art therapists, providing publications, training and CPD, an annual conference, a public therapist directory, job advertising, advocacy, and clinical guidelines to members, NHS commissioners, and the public.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The British Association of Art Therapists industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Membership Services (Art Therapy)
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (81392)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE) (EDAAALAD)
Keywords
Where The British Association of Art Therapists is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The British Association of Art Therapists business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees providing access to professional development, publications, special interest groups, regional groups, and the Art Therapy Practice Research Network.
- Training and CPD Courses: Revenue from conferences, courses, and continued professional development programs including self-study options like Mentalisation-based art therapy foundations (6+ hours of self-directed learning).
- Job Advertising: Job adverts published on the Job Opportunities page within the members' area. Pricing on sliding scale: £300 standard rate for 30+ employees, £200 for 11-30 employees, £100 for fewer than 10 employees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Standard rate for large organizations (30+ employees) |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Discounted rate for medium organizations (11-30 employees) |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Discounted rate for small organizations (fewer than 10 employees) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
The British Association of Art Therapists product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BAAT is a UK professional membership organization that represents, regulates, and develops the art therapy/art psychotherapy profession. It sells annual membership subscriptions to qualified practitioners, paid CPD training courses, an annual conference, a public Find an Art Therapist directory, the peer-reviewed International Journal of Art Therapy (Inscape/IJAT), the InSight magazine, a tiered job advertisement service for employers, and a Code of Ethics and clinical guidelines.
Product overview
The British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT) is a professional membership organization, not a software product company. It provides a portfolio of membership services including the peer-reviewed International Journal of Art Therapy (Inscape/IJAT), the InSight magazine, a 'Find an Art Therapist' directory, training and CPD courses, annual conferences, job advertisement services, and professional standards including a Code of Ethics. These services support art therapists in their professional development and connect them with clients and the broader art therapy community across the UK.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- InSight: The organization's magazine offering accessible art therapy related articles
- International Journal of Art Therapy (Inscape/IJAT)
Products and services
- International Journal of Art Therapy (Inscape/IJAT)
- InSight Magazine
- Find an Art Therapist Directory
- Training and CPD Courses
- Annual Conference
- Job Advertisement Service
- Code of Ethics and Professional Guidelines
- Special Interest Groups (SIGs) and Regional Groups (RGs)
Companies that use The British Association of Art Therapists
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The British Association of Art Therapists technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The British Association of Art Therapists partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, regional and minor.
- Taylor & FranciscoreTaylor & Francis is BAAT's publisher for the International Journal of Art Therapy. They email the journal to members using printable lists of members' names and addresses. Contracts ensure information is only used for each mailing and not retained after publications are sent.
- Allied Health Professions Federation (AHPF)coreBAAT is a member of the AHPF and actively contributes to its work to ensure art therapy is recognised alongside other allied health professions in the health service. Representatives sit on the AHPF Board.
- Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)coreHCPC is the statutory regulator for art therapists in the UK. Both 'art therapist' and 'art psychotherapist' are protected titles. All full BAAT members must be HCPC-registered. BAAT representatives engage with HCPC on strategic, education liaison, and EDI matters.
- Wales Arts Therapies Advisory Forum (WATAF)regionalBAAT Cymru works closely with WATAF, which covers drama, music, and dance and movement therapy, to support art therapy in the Welsh context and legislative frameworks.
- Teapot TrustminorPartner organization providing art therapy to children and young people with chronic health conditions. BAAT featured Teapot Trust's RHS Chelsea Flower Show garden project in InSight magazine. Teapot Trust has supported 13,000+ children since 2010.
- Professional Standards AuthoritycoreBAAT is represented at the Professional Standards Authority. The Authority oversees health and care professional regulators including HCPC.
- NHS EnglandcoreBAAT has representatives on NHS England AHP Professional Bodies forums, NHS England Arts Therapies Leads Strategic Forum, Psychological Professions Network, and Simulation and Immersive Technologies group.
- Psychological Professions NetworkcoreArt, drama and music therapists have been formally recognised nationally and regionally as part of Psychological Professions as well as Allied Health Professions. BAAT's Chief Executive represents BAAT on this network.
- NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence)coreArt therapy is included, along with other arts therapies, in the England and Wales national NICE guidelines for psychosis care and treatment, providing evidence-based clinical recognition.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The British Association of Art Therapists competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO): UK umbrella body for voluntary and membership organisations; not a direct peer but provides relevant benchmarking on membership-organisation governance, revenue diversification, and operational best practice for small non-profit professional bodies.
Broad incumbents
- British Psychological Society (BPS): UK's principal psychology professional body; sits at the same NHS England and Psychological Professions Network tables as BAAT and represents a much larger, more established version of an allied psychological-professions membership model.
- College of Paramedics: UK professional body for paramedics; comparable AHPF-affiliated membership model with HCPC-registered members, peer-reviewed publications, conferences, and CPD programmes.
- UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP): Larger UK psychotherapy membership organisation; broader psychotherapist scope and overlapping mental-health policy and CPD territory, useful as a comparator for governance, member-service scale, and advocacy positioning.
- Royal College of Occupational Therapists: UK professional body and trade union for occupational therapists; a fellow AHPF member with a comparable member-services mix (publications, conferences, CPD, advocacy) and a larger, more established operational footprint.
Regional players
- Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA): Scotland's counselling and psychotherapy membership body; comparable governance and member-services structure but operating primarily within Scotland, useful as a regional comparator against BAAT Alba.
- ANZACATA: Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association; the regional equivalent membership body covering the Asia-Pacific region, with comparable member services but a different operating geography.
Direct peers
- British Association of Music Therapists (BAMT): UK professional body for music therapists; a near-identical model serving an adjacent arts therapy profession under the same Allied Health Professions Federation and Psychological Professions framework, with similar HCPC-regulated titles and NHS commissioning channels.
- American Art Therapy Association: The US national professional membership body for art therapists; directly comparable mission, member-services model (publications, directory, conferences, advocacy), and regulatory-adjacent function for the largest art therapy workforce outside the UK.
- British Association of Drama Therapists (BADth): UK professional body for dramatherapists; same HCPC-regulated, AHPF-affiliated structure as BAAT, with shared NHS England, NICE, and Psychological Professions Network touchpoints, making it a closely analogous comparator.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The British Association of Art Therapists social profiles
Digital presenceThe British Association of Art Therapists financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The British Association of Art Therapists leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles23 records
The British Association of Art Therapists funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The British Association of Art Therapists M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The British Association of Art Therapists
What does The British Association of Art Therapists do?
BAAT is a UK professional membership organization that represents, regulates, and develops the art therapy/art psychotherapy profession. It sells annual membership subscriptions to qualified practitioners, paid CPD training courses, an annual conference, a public Find an Art Therapist directory, the peer-reviewed International Journal of Art Therapy (Inscape/IJAT), the InSight magazine, a tiered job advertisement service for employers, and a Code of Ethics and clinical guidelines.
Is The British Association of Art Therapists a public or private company?
The British Association of Art Therapists is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The British Association of Art Therapists founded?
The British Association of Art Therapists was founded in -1. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The British Association of Art Therapists based?
The British Association of Art Therapists is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The British Association of Art Therapists make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are training and CPD Courses and job Advertising.
Who are The British Association of Art Therapists's main competitors?
National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are British Psychological Society (BPS), College of Paramedics, UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and Royal College of Occupational Therapists. Regional players are Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA) and ANZACATA. Direct peers are British Association of Music Therapists (BAMT), American Art Therapy Association and British Association of Drama Therapists (BADth).
Does The British Association of Art Therapists have an API?
No public API is recorded for The British Association of Art Therapists.
What industry is The British Association of Art Therapists in?
The British Association of Art Therapists's product category is Professional Membership Services (Art Therapy). Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAALAD, Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE). Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 8600.