An occupational therapist’s heuristic self-inquiry using the El Duende One-Canvas Process Painting to explore one’s emerging art therapist identity

Abstract

Today, it is increasingly likely that art therapy trainees would need to navigate multiple professional identities, which can be challenging for the professional development of their art therapist identity. This heuristic self-inquiry aims to address the gap in literature by exploring the experience of navigating multiple professional identities from the perspective of an occupational therapist/art therapy trainee from the Asia-Pacific region. Data was collected through the researcher’s use of written and art-based journalling, including the use of the El Duende one-canvas process painting (EDPP). The six layers of the EDPP reflected the changes and tensions within the researcher’s views of professional identity over time and highlighted the need to examine the artist identity in conjunction with the emerging art therapist identity. Implications for strengthening the artist-art therapist identity through ongoing reflective artmaking practice are discussed.