Interior Preparations: How a Theological Reflection on John 13:1-20 Shaped an Art Therapist's Practice of Preparation

• Author / Creator

  Aita, Joyce Hikari

• This thesis uses a heuristic methodology to explore the impact that a theological reflection had on my preparations for facilitating art therapy sessions. Through this research I engaged in a theological reflection on John 13 – the account of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet – as a pivotal source for expanding my understanding of art therapist preparation. The central question for the study was: What is the art therapist’s experience of preparing for a session, in light of a theological reflection on John 13? Data for this research was gathered through self-inventory scales and journal writings, which were analyzed and categorized into themes. The themes that were identified focused on the art therapist’s preparatory process based on Jesus’ example of servitude. These three themes were modeled upon: (1) what Jesus knew, (2) the love that Jesus manifested, (3) and the simplified preparatory tasks Jesus’ embodied before the foot washing. In its final process, this study distilled the essences of the three themes to form one complete preparatory prayer. The process of creating and implementing the preparatory prayer resulted in an attending to and an opening up of interior spaces to authentically welcome and serve clients. This thesis examines my experience of art therapy preparation in intimate conversation with my Christian faith and it explores how this conversation impacted my formation as an art therapist-in-training.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Theological Reflection
  • Art Therapist

• Graduation date

  Fall 2017

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Psychotherapy and Spirituality

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3JQ0T99C

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.