Home Art Therapist Salary
Art Therapist salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for an art therapist is $78,000 per annum, before tax, up $16,600 since 2018.
Pay varies more by employer than by the work itself: public hospitals and health services apply their own enterprise agreements, while community organisations, schools and private practice set their own rates. Fixed-term contracts are common in grant-funded programs, so it is worth checking whether a role is ongoing before comparing it with hospital work. In private practice, earnings depend on how many clients you can carry and what they or their funding scheme will pay.
Roles that pay more than art therapist
The largest typical pay rise is $21,500 a year, moving into Occupational Therapist.
- Occupational Therapist+$21,500/yr
- Disability Support Worker+$13,600/yr
- Play Therapist+$5,200/yr
How to negotiate a higher art therapist salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time art therapist salary is $78,000; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Patient care and support and Clinical assessment and treatment tend to command a premium over general art therapist experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Occupational Therapist pays a typical $21,500 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Art Therapist salary questions
How much do art therapists earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for an art therapist is $78,000 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is art therapist pay rising or falling?
The median art therapist salary is up $16,600 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than art therapist?
Occupational Therapist pays a typical $21,500 a year more and draws on similar skills to art therapist.