Maryland LGPAT Requirements: Hours, Exams & Step-by-Step Guide

Maryland’s Licensed Graduate Professional Art Therapist (LGPAT) credential is the entry‑level art therapy license issued by the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists. It allows you to practice “graduate professional art therapy” only under supervision while you complete the clinical experience needed for the independent clinical license (LCPAT). (health.maryland.gov)

Below is a step‑by‑step guide keyed to the Board’s own language and the COMAR regulations that govern licensure.

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1. Understand what the LGPAT license is for

Maryland regulations define a “licensed graduate professional art therapist” as someone approved by the Board to practice graduate professional art therapy under supervision while fulfilling the supervised clinical experience required for licensure as a clinical professional art therapist. (health.maryland.gov)

Key points:

• You must be supervised by a Board‑approved art therapy supervisor.
• You may not practice independently and may not provide supervision to others. (law.cornell.edu)
• The LGPAT is the required step before you can become a Licensed Clinical Professional Art Therapist (LCPAT). (marylandarttherapy.org)

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2. Meet the degree and credit‑hour requirements

To qualify for LGPAT, you must complete one of the following from an accredited educational institution approved by the Board: (health.maryland.gov)

1. Master’s degree route

   • A master’s degree in an art therapy program approved by the Board with:
     • At least 60 graduate semester credit hours, or
     • 90 graduate quarter credit hours. (health.maryland.gov)

2. Doctoral degree route

   • A doctoral degree in an art therapy program approved by the Board with:
     • At least 90 graduate semester credit hours, or
     • 135 graduate quarter credit hours. (health.maryland.gov)

3. Related graduate degree route

   • A graduate‑level degree (for example in a related mental health field) that:
     • Includes the specific coursework listed in the regulation (see Section 3 below), and
     • Is individually approved by the Board as equivalent. (health.maryland.gov)

The Board’s LGPAT web page restates this more simply as requiring a master’s or doctoral degree in art therapy from an accredited, Board‑approved institution with the required coursework content. (health.maryland.gov)

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3. Complete required graduate coursework and practicum/field experience

3.1 Required content areas (graduate coursework)

COMAR requires that graduate art therapy programs for licensure include at least 3 graduate semester credits in each of the following content areas: (health.maryland.gov)

1. Human growth and personality development
2. Social and cultural foundations of counseling
3. Theories of art therapy
4. Art therapy techniques
5. Group dynamics, processing, and counseling
6. Lifestyle and career development
7. Appraisal
8. Research and evaluation
9. Professional, legal, and ethical responsibilities
10. Marriage and family therapy
11. Supervised field experience (details below)
12. Alcohol and drug counseling
13. Psychopathology
14. Diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders

Maryland’s LGPAT information page presents a condensed list but explicitly says your coursework must include training in areas such as personality development; diagnosis and treatment of mental and emotional disorders; psychopathology; psychotherapy; marriage and family therapy; addictions; and lifestyle and career development. (health.maryland.gov)

3.2 Required supervised field experience during your degree

Your graduate program must include a supervised clinical internship, externship, field experience, or practicum that provides a minimum amount of direct client work in art therapy. The regulation specifies that supervised field experience must include: (health.maryland.gov)

• A supervised clinical internship/externship/field experience/practicum placement, and
• At least 125 hours of direct client contact in art therapy, delivered as face‑to‑face client therapy.

This “125 hours” is the only specific, quantified clinical hour requirement you must complete before you can be licensed as an LGPAT, and it is embedded in your graduate program.

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4. Pass the required examinations

To obtain the LGPAT, you must pass two examinations:

1. A national certification examination approved by the Board.

   • In practice, the Board identifies this as the Art Therapy Credentials Board Examination (ATCBE). (health.maryland.gov)

2. A Maryland jurisprudence examination covering:

   • Health Occupations Article, Title 17, Annotated Code of Maryland, and
   • COMAR 10.58 (the Board’s regulations). (health.maryland.gov)

If you fail an exam, COMAR allows you to retake it, subject to the testing authority’s timeframes or a Board‑approved waiver; otherwise you must submit a new application and fee. (law.cornell.edu)

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5. Submit your LGPAT application to the Board

Once your degree, coursework, field experience, and exams are complete, you apply to the Maryland Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists for LGPAT licensure. COMAR specifies that the applicant must: (health.maryland.gov)

• Submit a completed, Board‑approved application form for LGPAT.
• Provide an official transcript from the institution that awarded the master’s or doctoral degree.
• Pay all applicable fees as listed in COMAR 10.58.02 (fees are set by regulation and may change, so you must check the current fee schedule).
• Submit to a criminal background check.
• Demonstrate good moral character.
• Comply with Health Occupations Article, Title 17 and the Board’s Code of Ethics in COMAR 10.58.03.

The Board’s Art Therapists page hosts the “Application for Licensed Graduate Professional Art Therapist (LGPAT)” and related forms. (health.maryland.gov)

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6. Receive the LGPAT: license term and extensions

Once approved, your LGPAT license is valid for 2 years from the date of issuance. (health.maryland.gov)

If you have not finished the clinical hours required for the clinical license (see Section 7) within those 2 years, COMAR allows you to: (health.maryland.gov)

• Apply for a 2‑year extension before the LGPAT expires.
• You can receive extensions for up to a maximum of 6 years total in LGPAT status.
• In certain circumstances, the Board may consider an extension beyond 6 years if you notify the Board in writing and it grants the exception.

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7. Supervision and practice rules while you hold an LGPAT

Once licensed as an LGPAT, you are practicing clinical professional art therapy under supervision—the regulations call this “practice graduate professional art therapy.” (health.maryland.gov)

7.1 Supervision structure

Maryland’s regulations require that: (health.maryland.gov)

• You may not practice independent of supervision.
• You may not provide supervision to others.
• You must have a Board‑approved art therapy supervisor (the supervisor must be:
  • A Licensed Clinical Professional Art Therapist, or
  • Another Board‑approved mental health professional meeting specific criteria). (health.maryland.gov)

COMAR further requires that a Board‑approved supervision contract be signed before supervision begins, and that both supervisor and supervisee keep detailed records (dates, duration, and focus of supervision sessions) for at least 7 years. (health.maryland.gov)

7.2 What “under supervision” means in Maryland’s language

Maryland defines “under the supervision of a Board‑approved art therapy supervisor” as an ongoing process where the supervisor: (law.cornell.edu)

• Monitors your performance as a supervisee, and
• Provides documented and direct consultation, guidance, and instruction about your clinical skills and competencies.

A “client contact hour” is at least 45 minutes of direct session time with a client present, and a “clinical supervision hour” is at least 45 minutes of direct supervision time with you present. (law.cornell.edu)

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8. Clinical hours you must complete as an LGPAT toward the LCPAT

Although these hours are not required to obtain the LGPAT, they define what you must accomplish while holding the LGPAT in order to move up to the Licensed Clinical Professional Art Therapist (LCPAT) license. The Board regulations are very specific about the hours and types of experience.

8.1 Total hours and time frame (master’s‑level applicants)

For applicants who hold a master’s degree, Maryland requires a minimum of 3 years and 3,000 hours of experience in clinical professional art therapy for the LCPAT, structured as follows: (law.cornell.edu)

• 3,000 total hours of experience in clinical professional art therapy, which must include:
  • At least 1,500 hours of direct clinical art therapy services, and
  • Up to 1,500 hours of indirect clinical art therapy services.
• At least 2,000 of the 3,000 hours must be supervised clinical experience as a Licensed Graduate Professional Art Therapist, completed after the master’s degree is awarded.
• Up to 1,000 hours may be counted from your supervised field experience in graduate school (the internship/practicum described earlier).
• You must accumulate these hours over a minimum of 3 years.

The Board’s professional association summary mirrors this: 3,000 total hours, with 1,500 face‑to‑face direct client contact hours, and at least 2,000 hours completed post‑graduation in no less than 2 years. (marylandarttherapy.org)

8.2 Direct vs. indirect clinical art therapy hours

Maryland defines these terms explicitly: (law.cornell.edu)

• Direct clinical art therapy services
  These are face‑to‑face clinical art therapy services provided to clients (and sometimes their significant others). They include, among other activities:

  • Individual, group, family, and couples counseling
  • Evaluation, intake, or assessment
  • Diagnosis and treatment planning with the client
  • Crisis management or intervention

• Indirect clinical art therapy services
  These are professional activities related to delivering art therapy but not direct client sessions, such as:

  • Case management and case staffing
  • Consultation and treatment planning with other professionals
  • Receiving supervision (individual or group)
  • Staff meetings
  • Record keeping, case notes, report writing
  • Related trainings and seminars
  • Other clinical administrative duties in your setting

The 3,000 hours you accumulate as or partly before being an LGPAT must be distributed between these categories exactly as described:

• 1,500 hours minimum in direct clinical art therapy services,
• Up to 1,500 hours maximum in indirect clinical art therapy services. (law.cornell.edu)

8.3 Required supervision hours within those 3,000 hours

Within the 3,000 hours described above, the regulations require specific supervision hour minimums for master’s‑level applicants: (law.cornell.edu)

• 100 hours of face‑to‑face clinical supervision must be completed within 2 years of the date your master’s degree is awarded.
• Of those 100 hours:
  • At least 50 hours must be individual, face‑to‑face clinical supervision, and
  • Up to 50 hours may be face‑to‑face group clinical supervision.

Remember, a “clinical supervision hour” in Maryland is at least 45 minutes of direct supervision time with you present. (law.cornell.edu)

8.4 Who must supervise those hours

During your time as an LGPAT, COMAR requires that: (health.maryland.gov)

• At least half of your direct and indirect hours (i.e., at least 1,500 of the 3,000) must be completed under the supervision of a Board‑approved art therapy supervisor who is a Licensed Clinical Professional Art Therapist (LCPAT).
• No more than half of your hours may be supervised by other Board‑approved art therapy supervisors (for example, other licensed mental health professionals approved under the regulation).
• You must have a Board‑approved supervisor contract in place, and that supervisor must meet specific education, experience, and supervision‑training requirements. (health.maryland.gov)

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9. Summary of the hour‑related requirements in Maryland’s own terms

Putting it all together, the Maryland Board’s regulations mean:

1. Before LGPAT licensure (during your degree)

   • Complete a practicum/field/internship experience with
     • At least 125 hours of face‑to‑face client contact in art therapy as part of your supervised field experience. (health.maryland.gov)

2. To become an LGPAT

   • Meet the degree and coursework requirements (60+ graduate credits in an approved art therapy or equivalent program, with specified content areas). (health.maryland.gov)
   • Pass the ATCBE (or another Board‑approved national exam) and the Maryland jurisprudence exam. (health.maryland.gov)
   • Submit the application, transcript, fees, background check, and attest to good moral character and compliance with Title 17/COMAR. (health.maryland.gov)

3. While holding the LGPAT, to qualify later for LCPAT (master’s level)

   • Complete 3,000 total hours of clinical professional art therapy over at least 3 years, including:
     • 1,500 hours minimum of direct clinical art therapy services (face‑to‑face client work), and
     • Up to 1,500 hours of indirect clinical art therapy services.
   • Of those 3,000 hours:
     • At least 2,000 hours must be completed after graduation as an LGPAT under a Board‑approved supervisor, and
     • Up to 1,000 hours may come from your graduate supervised field experience. (law.cornell.edu)
   • Complete 100 hours of face‑to‑face clinical supervision within 2 years of graduation, with at least 50 hours individual and up to 50 hours group supervision. (law.cornell.edu)
   • Ensure at least half of all direct and indirect hours are supervised by an LCPAT approved by the Board to supervise. (law.cornell.edu)

These provisions together describe both the immediate requirements to obtain the LGPAT license and the hour‑by‑hour framework Maryland expects you to complete while practicing as an LGPAT on your way to full clinical licensure.