The roots of Art Therapy have been said to date back to prehistoric eras, when our archaic predecessors expressed the mysteries of their world in cave paintings and symbolized the meaning of existence in imagery, some 30,000 years ago. Symbolic expression in art can be understood as a distinguishing human behavior fulfilling a primal human need.

Art Therapy has grown out of the prevalent psychiatric movement, particularly Freud and Jung. Articles published in the 1920s appeared applying psychoanalytic principals and methods to the use of art in therapy.

A distinct profession of Art Therapists emerged in the 1940s and as graduate programs proliferated, the American Journal of Art Therapy was published in 1962 and The American Art Therapy Association was formed. Currently there are 10,000 Registered Art Therapists worldwide.