Les Pinceaux - ATEPP-CEFAT

What Les Pinceaux - ATEPP-CEFAT does

Les Pinceaux (ATEPP-CEFAT) is a Paris-based non-profit association (loi 1901) operating as an art therapy training center entirely dedicated to plastic arts. Founded in 1956 by Gladys Jarreau and formalized as a training center (CEFAT) in 1982 with Sara Pain, the organization offers a 904-hour professional art therapy certification program delivered over three years (Cycle I foundational, Cycle II/III clinical), supplemented by short workshops (Starters Plastiques, Lafabric, Itinérance-Palette), continuing education for practicing therapists (clinical days, supervision groups, research workshops), and individual art therapy sessions for children, adolescents, and adults in the Paris region.

The core intellectual product is a proprietary methodology — the "Atelier Palette" and "Work of atelier" approach — which integrates plastic arts practice with psychoanalytic and philosophical theoretical frameworks. This methodology is documented through the in-house research journal Revue Chantiers d'art-thérapie and is supported by 15+ referent trainers, 20 multidisciplinary instructors, and a community of 30+ active researchers. The organization holds Datadock registration and is a founding member of the EPAT federation of five French art therapy schools, providing sector legitimacy.

The business model is fee-based tuition with no government funding. Professional training fees are €4,100 (Year 1), €5,550 (Year 2), with Year 3 pricing adjusted annually, plus a €70 annual association membership. Supplementary revenue comes from discovery days (€70), short workshops (€250-500), clinical days (€120 single / €400 cycle), and supervision groups (€380 for 6 sessions). Go-to-market relies on information meetings, mandatory discovery workshops, and referrals from the art therapy professional community. The headcount is approximately 10 employees, with operations concentrated at a single Paris location (16 Rue Francis de Pressensé, 75014).

Name

Les Pinceaux - ATEPP-CEFAT

Legal name

ATEPP-CEFAT - Association loi 1901

Website

https://lespinceaux.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional art therapy training fees: Three-year professional training program with annual tuition fees (€4,100 year 1, €5,550 year 2, year 3 adjusted); Annual membership fees (€70); Equivalence and personalized pathways available
2. Short workshops and starters: Various short-format workshops including Starter Plastico-Cliniques (€500 for 4 days), Starter Plastiques (€250), and Lafabric exercises; Offered during school vacations and weekends
3. Continuing education for art therapists: Post-diploma formations including clinical days (€120 single, €400 for 4-session cycle), supervision groups (€380 for 6 sessions), and individual accompaniments
4. Discovery experiences: Day workshop discovery sessions (€70) providing first-hand experience of the atelier method; Required step in professional training admission process

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Les Pinceaux - ATEPP-CEFAT delivers a 904-hour professional art therapist certification program over three years (Cycle I: 151 hours, Cycle II-III: 753 hours), entirely dedicated to plastic arts-based art therapy. The offering is supplemented by short plastic arts workshops (Starters), discovery days, post-diploma continuing education for practicing art therapists (clinical days, supervision groups, research workshops), and individual art therapy sessions for children, adolescents and adults.

Product overview

Les Pinceaux - ATEPP-CEFAT is a Paris-based art therapy training center offering a unified portfolio of educational products centered on its 3-year professional training program (Formation d'art-thérapeute, 904 hours). The core program is supplemented by short workshops (Ateliers du faire créateur/Starters plastiques), discovery days, and post-diploma continuing education (formations post-diplôme) including clinical seminars and research workshops. The Atelier Palette provides personal plastic research during training, while supervision and accompaniment services support practicing professionals. A research journal (Revue Chantiers d'art-thérapie) and information sessions complete the offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Formation d'art-thérapeute (Certificat d'art-thérapeute spécialité arts plastiques) Three-year professional certification program (904 hours) covering foundations of creative practice, clinical theory, supervised internships and personal plastic research (Atelier Palette). Designed for healthcare, social work, education and plastic arts professionals seeking certification in plastic arts-based art therapy.
• Ateliers du faire créateur (Starters plastiques) Short 2-4 day intensive workshops on plastic arts techniques including gravure, textile (surfaces/volumes), terre (mêlées/façonnées), photo sensible, and recyclage poétique, enabling participants to explore specific materials and techniques.
• Journée Atelier Découverte One-day introductory workshop (€70) where prospective candidates experience the atelier method firsthand; required step in the professional training admission process.
• Formations post-diplôme - Starters plastico-cliniques Advanced workshops (€500 for 4 days) for certified art therapists including Constructions & architecture, Carnet (plier/relier), and Images regardées/transformées combining plastic practice with clinical reflection.
• Journées cliniques d'art-thérapie Clinical seminars (€120 single day, €400 for 4-day cycle) covering specific populations: autism/cognitive developmental disorders, adult psychiatry, elderly persons, and supportive care (oncology/palliative care).
• Ateliers de recherche théorico-cliniques Theoretical-clinical research workshops for practicing art therapists addressing topics like short-term interventions, parent-child workshops, plastic gesture, the gaze, nothingness, and the accompanied creative process.
• Accompagnement professionnel & supervisions Professional support including individual supervision and group supervision for art therapists and workshop animators to sustain and develop their practice.
• Groupe de supervision animateurs Six-session supervision group (€380) for expression workshop animators meeting monthly on Wednesdays (18h-20h) to share experiences and reflect on professional practice.
• Revue Chantiers d'art-thérapie Research journal published by Les Pinceaux featuring writings by art therapists that reflect the practice and thought of art therapy.
• Séances d'art-thérapie Individual and group art therapy sessions and accompaniments offered at Les Pinceaux in Paris and suburban areas for children, adolescents and adults facing difficulties and/or seeking alternative means of expression.

Quantifiable outcome

• 904 hours of training over 3 years leading to art therapist certificate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Fédération des Ecoles Professionnelles d'Art-Thérapie (EPAT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1982EPAT is a federation of 5 French professional art therapy schools founded to define shared values regarding art therapist training and establish quality standards. Member schools include ATEPP-CEFAT Les Pinceaux, INECAT, IRFAT, MAT, and PUZZLE. Schools commit to quality charter and code of ethics.
• Hôpital Sainte Anne / Paris MuséesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership coordinated by Vincent Chielens combining hospital psychiatric services with cultural visits to Paris museums and co-creation workshops with artists; Includes 'Un piano à Sainte Anne!' micros concerts and other impromptu musical collaborations with Conservatoire de Paris 6ème
• Grand Palais RMNcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Valérie De Rovira and Grand Palais RMN team creating art therapy workshop cycles with a lecturer on portrait, landscape, and objects in art, conducted in various institutions

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BAAT (British Association of Art Therapists): UK professional body for art therapy; maintains professional standards, training requirements, and registers qualified art therapists in the UK. Comparable as standards-setter and professional body governing art therapy training and practice in an adjacent geography.
• AATA (American Art Therapy Association): Largest professional association for art therapy in the US; sets educational standards, credentials (ATR/ATCS), and ethical guidelines for the profession. Comparable as the established standards-setter and industry body for art therapy training, though operating at much larger scale and in a different geography.

Others

• EPAT (Fédération des Écoles Professionnelles d'Art-Thérapie): Federation of 5 French professional art therapy schools including Les Pinceaux; sets shared quality charter and code of ethics, publishes a professional manifesto, and coordinates industry advocacy. Not a direct competitor but the ecosystem body Les Pinceaux operates within.

Direct peers

• IRFAT (Institut de Recherche en Formation d'Art-Thérapie): French art therapy research and training institute; EPAT federation member providing professional art therapy training and clinical supervision. Comparable as a fellow EPAT school with overlapping training programs and similar target student profile.
• INECAT (Institut National d'Expression, de Création, d'Art et d'Art-Thérapie): French professional art therapy training institute and EPAT federation member; offers multi-year professional art therapy certification in a comparable model to Les Pinceaux, making it the closest direct competitor in the same training category and federation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/atelierlespinceaux
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/brushes-in-brushes

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Les Pinceaux - ATEPP-CEFAT