This study aims to examine the meaning and the essence of art therapists' self-care experience through art-making, and to contribute to the academic and practical field of art therapy by providing fundamental information for art therapists' education....
This study aims to examine the meaning and the essence of art therapists' self-care experience through art-making, and to contribute to the academic and practical field of art therapy by providing fundamental information for art therapists' education. Also, this study presents the direction for art therapist to continue with growth as a professional art therapist.
The participants were 14 art therapists each of whom has an working experience of 1-8 years in the art therapy field. 6 of them acquired master's degree of art therapy, 5 of them are in the doctoral course of art therapy, and 3 of them finished the doctoral course of art therapy. They have participated in in-depth interview about their experiences in self-care through art-making. The data was collected from March 2014 to September 2014, and included participants' artwork and journal entries. Published art pieces of art therapists' from Korea and abroad were also collected for data analysis for references.
Among qualitative research methods, Max van Manen's method was applied to analyze the data, and 9 essential themes and 28 sub-themes were produced. <Flashed red light on life due to excessive passion and overwork>, <Felt sorry for myself not satisfying the desire for my own art-making>, <Started self-care before caring clients>, <Gained vitality in life by doing art-making>, <Expressed and released desperated rush>, <Grew by caring the unconscious revealed in images>, <Discovered the power deep inside to carry on through art-making>, <Showed progress in art therapy for clients and improved professionalism by reflecting on my own art-making>, <Art-making, life-long partner for self-care>.
Based on the 9 essential themes, this study suggests the following conclusions.
First, the participants realized that art therapists can not care their clients well enough without their own self-care.
Second, the participants gained vitality in life, insight for the unconscious, released desperation, and discovered the power deep inside to move forward with self-care through art-making.
Third, the participants improved their professionalism with self-care through art-making.
Fourth, the participants realized that art therapists' art-making is a valuable life-long resource for both personal and professional self-care.
This study which provides lived experiences of art therapists' self-care through art-making contributes to the academic and practice field of art therapy as follows.
First, this study is expected to help understand the importance of self-care through art-making which can lead to both personal and professional growth for art therapists, on-site supervisors, faculty members in art therapy education field, and art therapy supervisors.
Second, this study provides the role and value of art-making through art therapists' lived experiences, and suggests the need for continuous art-making of art therapist.
Third, given that more study on art therapists' self-care has yet to be conducted, this study contributes to the academic field of art therapy.
This study has the limitations as follows.
First, the participants felt difficulty in transforming the experience of art-making which uses visual image into the concrete language of everyday.
Second, this study did not consider strictly the average time, frequency, duration and method of art-making. Depending on the variables, the experience of self-care through art-making may vary.