An Art Therapistʼs Heuristic Study of Self-Care

This paper is an account of the discoveries made during a heuristic study in which the researcher sought clarification of the personal meaning of caring for others as an art therapist in contrast with the experience of caring for oneself. After reviewing the potential dangers of burnout and compassi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Benton, Patricia F
Format: Others
Published: Digital Commons at Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/etd/107
https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1075&context=etd
Description
Summary:This paper is an account of the discoveries made during a heuristic study in which the researcher sought clarification of the personal meaning of caring for others as an art therapist in contrast with the experience of caring for oneself. After reviewing the potential dangers of burnout and compassion fatigue and examining various self-care strategies the researcher explored the personal meaning of this topic utilizing heuristic methodology. The process of collecting data consisted of a daily art-making task with varied media covering a two-week period. The researcher was able to highlight the importance of incorporating regular use of self-care into a daily routine to counterbalance the stressors, both personal and those associated with the art therapy profession.