Breaking down the NDIS art therapy hourly rate
The NDIA has announced that art therapy will no longer be recognised as a “therapy” under the NDIS, but that it can continue under the Community, Social and Recreation Activity rate of $67.56 per hour.
Let’s break down the suggestion that art therapy is viable to continue under this significantly lower hourly rate. I’m using a few generalisations and hypotheticals here as everyone’s situation is different, but let’s look at it from the perspective of a sole trader art therapist in private practice.
Clinical supervision
Art therapists are Masters-trained professionals who have completed hundreds of hours of clinical placement to qualify for their profession. To maintain our professional registration we are required to complete one hour of clinical supervision for every 10 client hours. My supervisor charges $160 p/h (not a bad rate, I had another who charged $240). So if we average that cost out over 10 sessions that’s $16.
$67.56 - $16
= $51.56 remaining
Rent
We then need to factor in room hire. Many therapists hire a room by the hour, with a standard rate for a small studio space being around $20 per hour. (The other option is to visit participants in their homes, which has its own money and time costs associated.)
$51.56 - $20
= $31.56 remaining
Art materials
Art therapy also involves (twist!) art supplies. I budget for about $10 per session but let’s say we stick with Kmart products and allow for $5.
$31.56 - $5
= $26.56 remaining
Fixed costs
We also need to factor in fixed costs (professional registration, professional indemnity and public liability insurance, accountant fees, web hosting fees, subscriptions to business systems, etc.) This is hard to factor into a per session sum but let’s use a generalised example. For me, as a small business owner in private practice, these costs average around $45 per working week (assuming I work 48 weeks). If we average this out over 15 clients a week over 48 weeks, that’s $3 per session. No private practice therapist is ever likely to work at full capacity for 48 weeks of the year, so assume this amount is higher in reality when averaged out over fewer sessions. There also appears to be a new requirement that creative therapists be NDIS registered, which involves an audit that costs an average of $1200. I’m not even going to touch that right now.
$26.56 - $3
= $23.56 remaining
Superannuation
Don’t forget to pay yourself super!
$23.56 - 11.5%
= $20.86 remaining
Time commitment
The final thing to consider is that a one hour art therapy session takes, at a minimum, two hours of the therapist’s time (e.g. 15 mins set up, 15 mins pack up, 30 mins clinical notes and planning).
$20.86/2
= $10.43 per hour
The result
Which leaves us with the staggering final hourly rate of $10.43, without any allowance for annual or personal leave. As a bonus, this means you would need to work four weeks full time to pay for your NDIS registration audit.
So… Is Aldi hiring at the moment?
Art Therapy and the NDIS
Yesterday, the NDIA announced that creative and experiential therapies would no longer be recognised by the NDIS as a “therapy”. It’s unclear what this means for the future of art therapy in Australia at this time, but I would like to share the ANZACATA media release on the topic:
Wednesday 27 November 2024: The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) advised the Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association (ANZACATA) on Monday 25 November that arts therapy will not be continued as a Therapy Support after 2 December 2024. On 26 November the NDIA posted different guidelines on its website without consultation or explanation. The NDIA has left the profession reeling from its poor process, lack of consultation and different advice from one day to the next. The unexpected removal of art therapy from the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) approved services list will leave hundreds of Australians living with a disability without access to crucial therapeutic support.
Dr Kate Dempsey, CEO of ANZACATA, the peak professional association for Creative Arts Therapies in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, said the organisation and its members are shocked and dismayed at the lack of transparency, poor process, absence of fairness and the lack of communication surrounding this change.
“We were not consulted and the reason given for our sudden exclusion (that art and music therapy are not evidence-based therapies) is incorrect.
“We have been given nothing in writing to explain why after more than a decade, art therapy is to be excluded from the NDIS. There has never been mention of a review and no paperwork has been provided to us,” stated Dr Dempsey.
Arts therapy is a proven, evidence-based treatment modality, currently providing essential support to NDIS participants who often struggle to engage with conventional therapeutic approaches. The proposed changes will affect vulnerable Australians nationwide, including those with complex communication needs. Art Therapy has been a funded therapeutic support since the NDIS commenced.
"This decision will have devastating consequences for NDIS participants who rely on arts therapy as their primary means of therapeuticsupport," says Dr Dempsey.
"Many of our members’ clients cannot effectively engage with traditional talk-based therapies, making arts therapy their vital link to therapeutic support."
Key impacts of the proposed changes include:
Loss of a key therapeutic support for hundreds of NDIS participants
Potential closure of numerous small healthcare practices across Australia
Job losses for Masters-qualified Arts Therapists
Reduced access to disability support services, particularly in regional areas
Significant disruption to existing therapeutic relationships.
Arts therapists in Australia complete rigorous clinical training specifically designed to support people with disability. This professional workforce has developed specialised expertise in making therapy accessible to vulnerable community members who may otherwise be unable to access appropriate support services.
“The removal of arts therapy services contradicts the NDIS's founding principle of providing choice and control to people with disability. It represents a significant step backward in Australia's commitment to providing accessible disability support services,” commented Dr Dempsey.
ANZACATA calls on the government to:
Maintain arts therapy as an approved NDIS service
Engage in consultation with practitioners and service users
Review the extensive evidence base supporting arts therapy's effectiveness
Consider the broader economic and social impacts of this decision