The ITA is a professional credentialing body that fills an essential gap in mental health by providing clear governance for mental health practitioners working outside the diagnosis-and-treatment model.
Our mission is to establish clear and accessible pathways for Certified Integrative Therapists™ (CITs), ensuring professional recognition and eventually eligibility for insurance reimbursement.
We're building a future where somatic and integrative practitioners can bill insurance at parity with other licensed mental health providers to build thriving and diverse mental health workforce.
According to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 47% of the U.S. population (150 million) lives in a mental health workforce shortage area.
The workforce needs to double in the next 5 years to meet demand, yet educational pathways fail to meet the needs of students, making it far too expensive and complex to achieve licensure.
of students searching for a Master’s Degree in Psychology find one that meets their needs and enroll.
and $200,000 (education + lost wages) to become a licensed clinical counselor.
of students who start clinical counseling degrees end up completing licensure.
Over the last few decades, the United States has witnessed a profound reorganization of mental health around the awareness of trauma.
Practitioners across every discipline have rushed to integrate trauma-informed tools, and somatic psychology has emerged as one of the most effective, evidence-based paradigms for healing.
Naturally, students are drawn to education in these integrative approaches. Yet, when they search for a professional path, they discover a frustrating reality: there is no clear regulatory lane for the modern integrative mental health practitioner. Students find themselves in a “regulatory lock” between higher education and state licensing laws. As a result, 158 million Americans live in a federally designated mental health shortage practitioner area, according to the Kaiser Foundation.
Demand for mental health services continues to rise, while enrollment in counseling programs shrinks. Millions of Americans have turned to coaching or other unregulated paths, but there are no viable routes into integrative mental health. This is creating a growing national emergency.
The Integrative Therapists Association was created to address the shortage of mental health practitioners. We serve as a governing body for integrative mental health practitioners, setting clear educational standards, a defined scope of practice, and a strong ethical framework outside the diagnosis and treatment model.
Our aim is to establish a clear and accountable path for practitioners trained in mind-body approaches into professional practice.
We work with state and federal regulators to modernize rules and expand the workforce responsibly.
Our goal is to certify at least 100,000 integrative mental health practitioners in the field by 2035. The country needs a broader, more adaptive mental health workforce, and integrative practitioners are essential to meeting that need.
OUR SOLUTION:
Through the ITA, mental health practitioners have a clear, common-sense pathway for entering practice.
In a nation where more than 150 million people live in federally designated mental health shortage areas, there are now more certified life coaches than licensed therapists. Many practitioners pursue coaching because no viable route exists.
The ITA credential provides a balanced solution, establishing high yet achievable standards. This makes the Integrative Therapy practice more accessible, improving diversity in the field and addressing the practitioner shortage.
Learn about our 5-year plan
Our strategic plan includes getting CITs formally recognized in all 50 states.
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Establish clear, objective and board-certified educational standards for Integrative Therapy Practice.
We seek to certify at least 10,000 practitioners to build a critical mass.
We will seek accreditation with the National Commission for Certifying Agencies to ensure our credential that meets the highest national standard for testing and objectivity in standard setting.
We will begin submittng for state licensure in all 50 states in order to establish it as a formal license.
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