NDIS Art Therapy 2026: Funding, Eligibility and How to Access It

Home » NDIS Art Therapy 2026: Funding, Eligibility and How to Access It

For NDIS participants asking “does the NDIS fund art therapy?”, the answer in 2026 is yes, with conditions. After 12 turbulent months that saw the NDIA propose to remove art therapy from the scheme, then commission an independent review, then reverse the proposed removal, art therapy NDIS funding is now confirmed and stable, but the rules and pricing have tightened.

This guide walks you through the current art therapy NDIS framework: who can deliver it, how funding works, the price changes that took effect from 24 November 2025, who benefits most, and how to add art therapy to your plan. Throughout, we cross-check every fact against the NDIA’s published statement on the Duckett Review, the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits (PAPL) 2025-26, and the Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association (ANZACATA).

Quick summary: NDIS art therapy in 2026

The NDIS funds art therapy. It sits under Capacity Building, Improved Daily Living, as a therapeutic support.
Only Creative Arts Therapists registered with ANZACATA can deliver it. Specifically, the standard requires a Master’s degree (AQF Level 9) plus 750 hours of supervised clinical placement.
The price limit sits at $156.16 per hour, effective 24 November 2025. That represents a drop from the previous $193.99 limit and now aligns with the rate for counselling.
From 1 July 2026, ANZACATA moves to Master’s-only entry. The body no longer accepts Tier-level (sub-Master’s) qualifications for new members. Meanwhile, existing Tier members transition to a new category.
The NDIA assesses every art therapy request against the “reasonable and necessary” criteria. Therefore, the therapy must relate to your NDIS goals and address your functional impairment.
NDIS funding cannot pay for the art activity itself. Instead, it funds the therapeutic process, not the materials, classes, or community art group fees.
The funding scare is over. Following the Duckett Review (September 2025), the NDIA confirmed art therapy as a funded therapeutic support and accepted all 15 recommendations directed to it.

What Is Art Therapy?

Art therapy is an evidence-based clinical practice. A qualified Creative Arts Therapist uses art-making (drawing, painting, sculpting, collage, mixed media, and digital art) as the medium for therapeutic work. The participant works on specific goals through making art, while the therapist guides the process and reflects on the work together.

Importantly, art therapy is not art lessons. Nor is it entertainment, and it is also not a community craft group. Instead, the therapist works with the participant on individualised goals, using art as the medium rather than the destination.

ANZACATA defines a Creative Arts Therapist as “an allied health professional who has completed ANZACATA recognised and endorsed training with a university or a registered training organisation. They use creative processes to help clients explore feelings that may be hard to put into words.”

The Non-Verbal Advantage

The single biggest reason therapists recommend art therapy for many NDIS participants is its non-verbal nature. Specifically, for participants who struggle to put feelings into words because of trauma, autism, intellectual disability, acquired brain injury, or psychosocial disability, art therapy offers a different communication channel. The work happens through the image, the colour choice, the rhythm of the brushstroke, the spatial arrangement on the page. Then the therapist responds to what the participant has made, opening conversation that direct verbal therapy cannot always reach.

This is particularly relevant for:

Adults processing complex trauma where direct verbal recall is difficult or overwhelming
Children with autism who think visually and may communicate more effectively through images than language
Participants with acquired brain injury where aphasia limits speech but visual processing is preserved
Young people who find traditional talk therapy intimidating or stigmatising

What Art Therapy Looks Like in Practice

In practice, a typical NDIS art therapy session might involve:

Drawing or painting in response to a theme or open prompt
Mixed-media work to process specific events or feelings
Sand tray work for symbolic exploration (common in trauma work)
Collage and image selection to identify and express emotions
Sculpting in clay or other malleable materials for sensory and emotional regulation
Reflective conversation with the therapist about what was made and what came up

Typically, sessions are designed around individual goals. For example, a child working on emotional regulation will have very different sessions to an adult processing PTSD.

The 2024 Funding Scare and the Duckett Review

If you have followed the art therapy NDIS conversation, you will know the past 18 months were turbulent. Below, you can see the official sequence.

November 2024: The Proposed Removal

On 25 November 2024, the NDIA advised ANZACATA that art therapy would not continue as a Therapy Support after 2 December 2024. Then on 26 November the NDIA posted updated guidelines on its website without consultation or explanation. As a result, ANZACATA publicly described the process as “leaving the profession reeling from its poor process, lack of consultation and different advice from one day to the next.” Meanwhile, hundreds of Australians living with disability faced losing crucial therapeutic support.

In response, the disability sector mobilised significant advocacy. Submissions came from ANZACATA, individual Creative Arts Therapists, families of participants, and disability advocacy organisations. Additionally, ANZACATA compiled 95 stories from participants and families documenting the difference art therapy had made in their lives.

December 2024: The Pause

On 13 December 2024, the NDIA announced it would commission Dr Stephen Duckett AM, a leading health economist, to undertake an independent review of pricing for art and music therapies. Meanwhile, art therapy continued under the NDIS while the review ran.

September 2025: The Duckett Review Outcomes

Dr Duckett’s review made 19 recommendations, 15 of which targeted the NDIA. Notably, the NDIA accepted all 15. The key outcomes for participants:

Art therapy continues as a funded therapeutic support under Capacity Building, Improved Daily Living.
Only therapists registered with a recognised professional association (for art therapy, ANZACATA) can deliver it at the therapy price.
The NDIA reduced the price limit from $193.99 to $156.16 per hour, in line with the rate for counselling.
The review drew a clearer distinction between art as a therapeutic support (funded at $156.16) and art as a non-therapeutic activity (not funded as therapy).
NDIS funding cannot directly cover the cost of art activities themselves. However, funding can support participation in those activities, just not the activity cost.
The NDIS Evidence Advisory Committee took on continuing assessment of the evidence base for art therapy interventions in its 2025-26 work plan.

Quoting Dr Duckett: “Limited evidence is not the same as no evidence… It is clear that art and music therapies can be effective, and even life changing, for some people with disability.”

Finally, the new pricing took effect from 24 November 2025 with the release of the 2025-26 PAPL v1.1.

The Current Art Therapy NDIS Funding Rules

1. Who Can Deliver It

Only Creative Arts Therapists registered with ANZACATA can deliver NDIS-funded art therapy as a therapeutic support. Currently, the ANZACATA Professional Membership standard requires:

A Master’s degree (Australian Qualifications Framework Level 9) in art therapy or creative arts therapies
750 hours of supervised clinical placement during training
Ongoing professional development through ANZACATA
Recognised qualifications from accredited institutions such as La Trobe University, Western Sydney University, University of Queensland, The MIECAT Institute, Murdoch University, or equivalent international programs (American Art Therapy Association, British Association of Art Therapists, Canadian Art Therapy Association)

Important ANZACATA Change from 1 July 2026

From 1 July 2026, ANZACATA stops accepting new members at Tier level (sub-Master’s qualifications, AQF Levels 6-8). All new entrants must hold a Master’s degree (AQF Level 9). Current Tier members and students enrolled in approved Tier-level courses become Transition Members from 1 July 2026, with a defined pathway to Professional Membership.

For participants and families, this means the credentialing bar is rising. After 1 July 2026, every newly-registered Art Therapist will hold a Master’s-level qualification. Existing Tier-trained therapists continue to practise under Transition Member status.

2. Which Budget Category

Art therapy sits under Capacity Building, Improved Daily Living. This same budget also funds occupational therapy, speech pathology, psychology, and physiotherapy.

Your plan must include funding in this category for art therapy to go ahead. If your Improved Daily Living budget already covers other therapies and runs out, you cannot move funding from Core Supports or another Capacity Building category to pay for art therapy without first requesting a plan variation or reassessment.

For an explanation of how Capacity Building works, see our NDIS Capacity Building Supports guide.

3. The Price Limit

Item	Previous rate (before 24 Nov 2025)	Current rate (PAPL 2025-26 v1.1)
Art Therapy (individual session)	$193.99/hr	$156.16/hr
Travel (50% of hourly rate)	$96.99/hr (was)	$78.08/hr
Travel time cap (metro MMM 1-3)	30 minutes one-way	30 minutes one-way
Travel time cap (regional MMM 4-5)	60 minutes one-way	60 minutes one-way

For full pricing detail across all therapies, see our NDIS Price Guide 2025-26 and 2026-27.

4. The Reasonable and Necessary Test

The NDIA assesses every art therapy request against the standard “reasonable and necessary” criteria. Specifically, the request must show:

The therapy relates directly to your NDIS plan goals
The therapy addresses your functional impairment
There is evidence (clinical reports, recommendations from your treating team) that art therapy is appropriate for your specific situation
The therapy is delivered by an ANZACATA-registered Creative Arts Therapist
The therapy is not a duplication of supports funded elsewhere (such as mainstream mental health services)

5. What Funding Does NOT Cover

The Duckett Review made one specific recommendation worth understanding: NDIS funding cannot cover the cost of art activities themselves. For example:

Joining a community art class or workshop (course fee)
Buying art supplies for personal use outside therapy sessions
Art lessons from a non-ANZACATA teacher or artist
Gallery memberships, exhibition tickets, or art subscriptions

However, NDIS funding can cover the supports that help you participate in those activities. For instance, support worker hours to attend a community art class, transport to and from a workshop, or assistive technology that helps you create art if your disability affects fine motor control.

Who Benefits Most From Art Therapy

The Duckett Review found that art therapy “can be effective, and even life changing, for some people with disability.” The evidence summary published by the NDIA’s Data and Research team noted varying strength of evidence by condition. ANZACATA’s published evidence base, combined with peer-reviewed research, shows the strongest signals in the following areas.

Strong Evidence Base

Trauma and PTSD. A meta-analysis of creative arts therapies including visual art therapy found significant decreases in PTSD symptoms. Similarly, a 2011 hospital-based study found reduced PTSD symptoms among adolescents randomised to trauma-focused art therapy compared to general arts and crafts. Today, clinicians widely use art therapy in trauma-informed practice across Australia.
Children with autism. A 2024 systematic review of randomised controlled trials found positive evidence for art therapy in children and adolescents with autism, particularly for emotional regulation and engagement.
Mental health (anxiety, depression). Research and clinical practice show art therapy reduces anxiety and depressive symptoms across many populations, including in youth mental health services.
Acquired brain injury and dementia. Art therapy supports emotional expression and memory access where verbal communication remains impaired.

Emerging Evidence

Intellectual disability. Art therapists work with participants on emotional regulation, social skills, and behaviour support, with a growing though still limited research base.
Eating disorders and schizophrenia. Clinical practice in both areas now recognises art therapy, with developing research support.
Cerebral palsy. Art therapy supports both motor function (through art-making movements) and emotional expression.

When Art Therapy May Not Be the Right Fit

Importantly, art therapy is not for everyone. Participants who:

Do not engage with making art as a medium
Already have substantial supports addressing the same goals through other therapies
Need acute clinical mental-health treatment (which sits in the health system, not NDIS)

… may not see art therapy approved in their plan. Specifically, the “reasonable and necessary” test asks whether art therapy is the right intervention for your specific situation, not whether art is generally beneficial.

How to Add Art Therapy to Your NDIS Plan

When You Already Have Improved Daily Living Funding

If your current plan has unspent Improved Daily Living budget allocated for therapies, you can simply:

Find an ANZACATA-registered Creative Arts Therapist. Use the ANZACATA Find a Therapist directory at anzacata.org or ask your support coordinator for local options.
Confirm the therapist charges at or below the NDIS price limit ($156.16/hr).
Sign a service agreement with the therapist.
Begin therapy and bill against your Improved Daily Living budget.

If you are NDIA-managed, the Art Therapist must be a registered NDIS provider. If you are plan-managed or self-managed, you can use registered or unregistered Art Therapists (though they still need to be ANZACATA-accredited).

Requesting Art Therapy in a New or Reassessed Plan

Where art therapy is not currently in your plan, you will need to request it at your next plan reassessment, or through a plan variation if your circumstances have changed. As a result, the strongest applications include:

A letter or report from a treating professional (paediatrician, psychiatrist, GP, psychologist, OT) recommending art therapy specifically and explaining why it is appropriate for your situation
Clear connection to your NDIS plan goals (emotional regulation, communication, trauma processing, social participation)
Evidence that other therapy approaches have been tried or considered
Quotes or service plans from an ANZACATA-registered therapist

For a step-by-step guide to plan reassessment, see our NDIS Plan Reassessment 2026 guide.

How to Find a Registered Creative Arts Therapist

ANZACATA maintains a public directory of registered Creative Arts Therapists at anzacata.org. You can search by location, by therapy modality (visual art, drama, dance/movement, sandplay), and by area of practice (trauma, autism, mental health, dementia, paediatric).

Questions worth asking a therapist before signing a service agreement:

What level of ANZACATA membership do you hold (Professional, Tier, Transition)?
What is your experience with my specific disability or condition?
Do you offer home, clinic, or community-based sessions?
What is your hourly rate? (Should be at or below $156.16)
How do you charge for travel? (50% of hourly rate, within the time caps)
What is your approach to working with my goals?
How often will you write progress reports?
How are art materials supplied and costed?

Art Therapy NDIS FAQ

Does the NDIS fund art therapy in 2026?

Yes. The NDIS funds art therapy under Capacity Building, Improved Daily Living, at $156.16 per hour. Importantly, an ANZACATA-registered Creative Arts Therapist must deliver it. Following the Duckett Review (September 2025), the NDIA reversed its 2024 proposal to remove art therapy from the scheme.

How much does NDIS art therapy cost?

The current NDIS price limit sits at $156.16 per hour, effective from 24 November 2025. This represents a drop from the previous $193.99 limit. For travel, providers bill 50% of the hourly rate ($78.08), within time caps of 30 minutes one-way in metro areas or 60 minutes in regional and remote areas.

Can I use any artist or do they need a specific qualification?

You must use an ANZACATA-registered Creative Arts Therapist for NDIS-funded art therapy. The standard is a Master’s degree plus 750 hours of supervised clinical placement. Artists, art teachers, and community art facilitators cannot bill at the therapy price.

What is ANZACATA?

ANZACATA (Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association) is the peak professional body representing creative arts therapists in Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region. It accredits training programs, maintains the public register of qualified therapists, and sets the credentialing standards the NDIA references for funding decisions.

What funding category does art therapy come from?

Art therapy sits under Capacity Building, Improved Daily Living. The same category also funds occupational therapy, speech pathology, psychology, and physiotherapy. Therefore, your plan needs this budget allocated for art therapy to go ahead.

Will the NDIS pay for my child to join a community art class?

No. The Duckett Review clarified that NDIS funding cannot cover the cost of art activities themselves (such as class fees or art supplies for personal use). However, the NDIS can fund supports that help your child participate (such as a support worker accompanying them, or transport), though not the activity cost.

What evidence does the NDIA want before approving art therapy?

The NDIA wants evidence that art therapy relates directly to your NDIS plan goals, addresses your functional impairment, and suits your specific situation. Typically, a letter from a treating professional recommending art therapy and explaining why is the strongest single piece of evidence.

Is art therapy good for autism?

The evidence is positive but still developing. A 2024 systematic review of randomised controlled trials found positive evidence for art therapy in children and adolescents with autism, particularly for emotional regulation and engagement. The NDIS Evidence Advisory Committee continues to assess the evidence base. For autistic NDIS participants generally, see our NDIS and Autism guide.

Is art therapy good for trauma and PTSD?

This is the strongest area of evidence. A meta-analysis of creative arts therapies found significant decreases in PTSD symptoms, and randomised studies show benefit for adolescents in trauma-focused art therapy compared to general arts and crafts. Today, clinicians widely use art therapy in trauma-informed practice across Australia, particularly where verbal recall of traumatic events feels difficult or overwhelming.

Was the 2024 plan to defund art therapy reversed?

Yes. On 13 December 2024, the NDIA paused the proposed changes and commissioned the Duckett Review. The review then confirmed art therapy as a funded therapeutic support, with the new $156.16 price limit and the ANZACATA-registration requirement. Importantly, the NDIA accepted all 15 recommendations directed to it.

What changes for ANZACATA from 1 July 2026?

From 1 July 2026, ANZACATA stops accepting new members at Tier level (sub-Master’s qualifications). All new entrants must hold a Master’s degree (AQF Level 9). Current Tier members become Transition Members with a defined pathway to Professional Membership. For participants and families, this means the credentialing standard for new Art Therapists is rising.

How Centre of Hope Can Help

Centre of Hope is a registered NDIS provider in New South Wales. We do not deliver art therapy ourselves (art therapy requires ANZACATA accreditation, which is a separate allied health discipline). However, what we do offer:

Support Coordination (Level 2): We help you find ANZACATA-registered Creative Arts Therapists in your area, set up service agreements, and track your Improved Daily Living budget so you can sustain therapy through your plan period.
Specialist Support Coordination (Level 3): For participants with complex needs where art therapy fits alongside other allied health supports, we coordinate across providers and advocate for the right plan funding.
Psychosocial Recovery Coaching: For participants whose mental health goals include art-making as part of their recovery framework.
Justice and Re-Entry Support: Art therapy is increasingly used in re-entry programs for participants leaving the justice system, particularly for trauma processing.

If you are exploring art therapy and want help understanding whether it fits your plan and how to add it, your support coordinator is the right starting point. Alternatively, if you do not have a support coordinator yet, get in touch.

Your goals. Your plan. Our support.

Art therapy NDIS funding in 2026 tells a story of advocacy that worked. The disability sector pushed back on the 2024 proposed defunding, the Duckett Review took the evidence seriously, and the outcome delivers a clearer, more sustainable framework for art therapy as an NDIS-funded therapeutic support.

For participants who benefit from art therapy, particularly those processing trauma, those who struggle to put feelings into words, and children with autism whose visual thinking aligns with art-making, this is good news. The supports remain funded, the NDIA has set the price, the credential requirement protects quality, and the regulatory uncertainty of late 2024 sits behind us.

If you are an NDIS participant in New South Wales and you want a support coordinator who can help you build a plan that includes art therapy alongside your other supports, get in touch.

Call us: 0432 250 900
Visit: centreofhope.com.au
Email: hello@centreofhope.com.au
Refer: Submit a referral