This might be me: art and the elusive self. A Study of Occupational Therapists’ narratives of the self as therapist

Abstract

This study aimed to explore Occupational Therapists’
narratives of “the self” as a therapeutic agent, linking personal
development and insight to professional development as an
Occupational Therapist (OT). Three female, newly qualified OTs
constructed a series of six arts based narratives, using creative
media, over the course of three workshops. The narratives
developed from an initial exploration of “the self as therapist” then
continued through individual exploration of emergent personal
themes. Each pictorial narrative was presented verbally to the
group and the presentation and discussion of the images were
videotaped. The transcribed stories, alongside the artwork, were
analysed and revealed clear evidence that personal narratives have
the potential to be active, dynamic processes with important
implications for therapeutic practice, education and research.

The study highlighted the tension generated by conflict or
dissonance between the therapist’s sense of self and their
professional role. Exploration of this conflict using art and narrative
approaches showed how active story telling around challenging
issues can lead to greater personal insight, autonomy and resolution
through the re-integration of concealed aspects of the self.

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