Date of Award

2008

Document Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (Research)

Department

Crawford College of Art and Design

Abstract

The purpose of this research project is to explore the sector of Student Placement as it forms a significant part of the training programme on the MA in Art Therapy in Cork. The study aims to assess the effectiveness of this part of the educational process for trainees and investigate the impact the Clinical Placement experience has on Student Art Therapists.

By reflecting on the advancement of Art Therapy in our neighbouring isle and exploring the growth of Art Therapy as a profession in the Republic of Ireland, this study aims to chronicle a more recent Irish history of Art Therapy while acknowledging the inextricable links it has with the past. The researcher intends to clarify the multiple roles a student Art Therapist is required to fulfill during training, and proposes an examination of the trainees’ input as they embark upon their Clinical Placement experience.

This paper was inspired by the challenges the researcher initially encountered upon entering a second year of Clinical Placement in a new environment. There were struggles with certain aspects of this new beginning and the researcher was curious to investigate if any common thread ran through fellow students experiences. As Art Therapy training involves much introspection and self-questioning on behalf of the student, the researcher felt it would be important to listen to the voices of the ‘soon-to-be’ first graduates of the new MA in Art Therapy as a representative sample group. Thus, a questionnaire method was adopted as the focal point of this study with the proposed inquiry endeavouring to ascertain a fresh insight into the new challenges an opportunities that continue to face this evolving profession.

Access Level

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

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