Canadian Art Therapy Association
The Canadian Art Therapy Association (CATA-ACAT) is a non-profit national professional membership association founded in 1977 that sets standards, issues the RCAT credential, publishes the Canadian Journal of Art Therapy, and serves Canadian art therapists, students, and the public through directories, conferences, and advocacy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersParksville, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Canadian Art Therapy Association does
The Canadian Art Therapy Association (CATA-ACAT / l'Association canadienne d'art-thérapie) is a federally structured non-profit professional membership association founded in 1977 and domiciled in Parksville, British Columbia. It functions as the national governing body and credentialing authority for the art therapy profession in Canada, issuing the Registered Canadian Art Therapist (RCAT) designation, setting education standards for approved training programs, and advocating for provincial regulation of art therapy as a counseling profession across Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The organization also publishes the Canadian Journal of Art Therapy (biannual, via Taylor & Francis / Routledge) and the Envisage online magazine, and maintains a suite of member-facing services including an Art Therapist Directory, a Supervisor Directory, a BIPOC Art Therapist Group, grants and bursaries, and professional development workshops.
CATA-ACAT's product portfolio is services- and community-led rather than technology-led. Core offerings include the RCAT credential (which requires 1,000 direct client hours and 50 supervision hours post-graduation), an online RCAT application system, annual conferences and virtual symposia with tiered pricing (e.g., $200 CAD single-day and $525 CAD three-day passes, with student, member, and BIPOC discounts), and the Art Therapist and Supervisor directories that serve both members and the general public. Distribution is direct via the website and email, with journal hosting handled through Taylor & Francis.
Revenue is generated from three streams: recurring membership dues across Professional, Registered (RCAT), and Student tiers; conference and symposium registration fees; and RCAT application and processing fees. The organization is member-funded, governed by an elected Board of Directors and an AGM, and operates with 1–10 employees. Its operating geographies span all Canadian provinces and territories, with select international collaboration through partnerships with the American Art Therapy Association, the International Journal of Art Therapy (IJAT), the Ontario Art Therapy Association, the Ontario Expressive Arts Therapy Association, and the WHEAT Institute.
Canadian Art Therapy Association firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Canadian Art Therapy Association
- Legal name
- Canadian Art Therapy Association / l'Association canadienne d'art-thérapie
- Website
- https://canadianarttherapy.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Canadian Art Therapy Association (CATA-ACAT) is a non-profit national professional membership association founded in 1977 that sets standards, issues the RCAT credential, publishes the Canadian Journal of Art Therapy, and serves Canadian art therapists, students, and the public through directories, conferences, and advocacy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Canadian Art Therapy Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Association Services
- NAICS
- Professional Organizations (81392), Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Programmatic Accreditors (Discipline/Profession-Specific) (EDADACAC)
Keywords
Where Canadian Art Therapy Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Parksville
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Canadian Art Therapy Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Professional Membership Dues: Annual membership fees for Professional, Registered (RCAT), and Student categories that provide access to standards, credentials, directory listings, journal access, and member benefits.
- Conference and Event Registration: Revenue from virtual and in-person conferences including single-day passes and multi-day symposium registrations with various pricing tiers for students, members, and BIPOC practitioners.
- RCAT Registration Processing: Application and registration fees for Registered Canadian Art Therapist designation with associated credential and professional standing verification.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Single Day Symposium Pass - $200 CAD |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Full Three-Day Symposium Registration - $525 CAD |
| Subscription | Annual | Student Discount - 20% off |
| Subscription | Annual | CATA-ACAT Member Discount - 10% off |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | BIPOC Practitioner Discount - 40% off |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Canadian Art Therapy Association product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Canadian Art Therapy Association (CATA-ACAT) is the national professional membership association and governing body for art therapy in Canada. It provides the Registered Canadian Art Therapist (RCAT) professional credential, sets standards for art therapy training programs, publishes the Canadian Journal of Art Therapy and the Envisage online magazine, maintains searchable directories of art therapists and supervisors, hosts an annual conference and virtual symposiums, and runs grants, bursaries, and community programs (including a BIPOC support group) for members.
Product overview
The Canadian Art Therapy Association (CATA-ACAT) is a national professional association that serves as the governing body for art therapy in Canada. Rather than a single software product, the organization offers a portfolio of membership services including professional registration (RCAT designation), scholarly publishing through the Canadian Journal of Art Therapy (biannual publication via Taylor & Francis), an online magazine (Envisage), searchable directories for art therapists and supervisors, annual conferences and virtual symposia, grants and bursaries, BIPOC support groups, and professional development workshops. The organization also advocates for art therapy regulation across Canadian provinces and maintains standards of practice for the profession.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Canadian Journal of Art Therapy: Research, Practice, and Issues / Revue canadienne d'art-thérapie: Official scholarly journal of the association published biannually through Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group
- Envisage Magazine
- CATA-ACAT Conference
Products and services
- Canadian Journal of Art Therapy The official scholarly journal of CATA-ACAT, published biannually through Taylor & Francis Group, featuring research articles, practice applications, and theoretical perspectives on art therapy in both English and French. Targeted at art therapy researchers, practitioners, and students.
- Envisage Magazine An online magazine published by CATA-ACAT featuring articles, creative works, and resources related to art therapy practice and research, intended for the broader art therapy community and the public.
- Art Therapist Directory A searchable online directory of Professional and Registered CATA member art therapists, searchable by location or keyword, that enables individuals seeking therapy to find credentialed practitioners.
- Supervisor Directory A directory connecting art therapy students and practitioners with qualified supervisors for the clinical supervision hours required for RCAT registration.
- RCAT (Registered Canadian Art Therapist) Designation A professional registration designation for qualified art therapists who meet CATA-ACAT standards, including 1,000 direct client hours and 50 hours of supervision post-graduation.
- Annual CATA-ACAT Conference Annual professional conference (the 40th was held in 2017) bringing together art therapists for education, networking, and knowledge exchange, held virtually or in various Canadian locations.
- Virtual Symposium Multi-day virtual arts-based workshops exploring themes such as land-based practices and social justice in art therapy, such as the 2022 Symposium 'Relationship & Reciprocity'.
- Grants and Bursaries Program Annual awards program providing financial support to CATA members who contribute to art therapy research, literature, and professional development, including dedicated BIPOC bursaries.
- RCAT Application System An online application system for the Registered Canadian Art Therapist designation, allowing applicants to start, save, edit, and track their application progress.
Companies that use Canadian Art Therapy Association
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Canadian Art Therapy Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Canadian Art Therapy Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Ontario Expressive Arts Therapy Association (OEATA)coreJoint collaboration on the 46th Annual CATA-ACAT Conference and the 'Dreaming Together' special journal issue, combining art therapy and expressive arts therapy perspectives on healing and belonging.
- WHEAT InstituteminorPartner in the 2025 conference 'Dreaming Us Forward: Co-Creating Belonging through the Healing Arts' hosted on Treaty 1 Territory in Winnipeg.
- Ontario Art Therapy Association (OATA)coreCATA collaborates with OATA on joint conference themes and special journal issues, including the 2024 conference 'Navigating Together and Creating Inclusive Spaces' and the 2025 'Dreaming Us Forward' themed issue exploring belonging through healing arts.
- LIFE as Medicine: Circle of Indigenous Healing ArtscoreIndigenous-led collaborative that facilitated the 'ReMatriation for heARTivists' day of the 2022 Symposium, providing immersive learning, witnessing, and arts-making experiences centered on Indigenous healing traditions and rematriation.
- American Art Therapy Association (AATA)coreMulti-journal collaborative special issue on Anti-Oppressive Art Therapy, with each journal focusing on distinct themes: AATA on Cultural Humility, CATA on Re-Indigenization and Anticolonialism, and IJAT on Intersectionality.
- International Journal of Art Therapy (IJAT)coreMulti-journal collaborative special issue on Anti-Oppressive Art Therapy, with IJAT focusing on Intersectionality themes while CATA addressed Re-Indigenization and AATA addressed Cultural Humility.
- Taylor & Francis / RoutledgecorePublisher partnership for the Canadian Journal of Art Therapy, providing online hosting, distribution, peer-review infrastructure, and discoverability through tandfonline.com platform.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Canadian Art Therapy Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association (ANZACATA): The regional professional association for creative arts therapies across Australia, New Zealand and Asia — closely comparable in scope, multi-modality creative arts practice, and credentialing function.
- American Art Therapy Association (AATA): The US national professional association for art therapists — directly comparable in mission (credentialing, journal publication, annual conference, standards-setting) and has an active multi-journal collaboration with CATA on Anti-Oppressive Art Therapy.
- British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT): The UK national professional and membership association for art therapists, with a comparable structure of credentialing, journal publication, conferences, and member directories — directly comparable as a national governing body.
Emerging players
- Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB): The US-based credentialing board that administers the ATR and ATCB credentials for art therapists — comparable in the credentials/standards function even though CATA delivers both credentialing and member services.
- International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA): A global professional association for expressive arts therapy practitioners — closely adjacent modality that competes for the same practitioner audience and has partnered with CATA-affiliated Ontario bodies.
- Canadian Music Therapy Association (CAMT): Canada's national professional association for music therapists — a structurally comparable Canadian professional body in an adjacent creative arts therapy discipline, useful as a regulatory-precedent benchmark.
Regional players
- Ontario Art Therapy Association (OATA): The Ontario provincial art therapy association — a direct CATA partner on joint conferences and special journal issues, comparable in mission but scoped to a single Canadian province.
Broad incumbents
- Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA): Canada's national professional association for counsellors and psychotherapists — broader and more established than CATA, representing the discipline CATA is actively advocating to enter via regulation.
Others
- National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapies Associations (NCCATA): A US-based coalition representing multiple creative arts therapy associations — comparable as an umbrella body for the broader creative arts therapy field, useful as a structural reference point.
- International Journal of Art Therapy (IJAT): The leading international peer-reviewed journal in art therapy, published via Taylor & Francis — directly comparable as a scholarly publishing platform and an active CATA collaboration partner.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Canadian Art Therapy Association social profiles
Digital presenceCanadian Art Therapy Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Canadian Art Therapy Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Canadian Art Therapy Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Canadian Art Therapy Association 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 Canadian Art Therapy Association
What does Canadian Art Therapy Association do?
The Canadian Art Therapy Association (CATA-ACAT) is the national professional membership association and governing body for art therapy in Canada. It provides the Registered Canadian Art Therapist (RCAT) professional credential, sets standards for art therapy training programs, publishes the Canadian Journal of Art Therapy and the Envisage online magazine, maintains searchable directories of art therapists and supervisors, hosts an annual conference and virtual symposiums, and runs grants, bursaries, and community programs (including a BIPOC support group) for members.
Is Canadian Art Therapy Association a public or private company?
Canadian Art Therapy Association is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Canadian Art Therapy Association founded?
Canadian Art Therapy Association was founded in 1977. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Canadian Art Therapy Association based?
Canadian Art Therapy Association is headquartered in Parksville, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Canadian Art Therapy Association make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Professional Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are conference and Event Registration and RCAT Registration Processing.
Who are Canadian Art Therapy Association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association (ANZACATA), American Art Therapy Association (AATA) and British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT). Emerging players are Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB), International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA) and Canadian Music Therapy Association (CAMT). Ontario Art Therapy Association (OATA) is listed as a regional player. Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) is listed as a broad incumbent. Others are National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapies Associations (NCCATA) and International Journal of Art Therapy (IJAT).
Does Canadian Art Therapy Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for Canadian Art Therapy Association.
What industry is Canadian Art Therapy Association in?
Canadian Art Therapy Association's product category is Professional Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHACAA, Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies), with a secondary code of EDADACAC, Programmatic Accreditors (Discipline/Profession-Specific). Its NAICS code is 81392 and its SIC code is 8600.