Spiritually Informed Art Therapy: An Inquiry into Formation

Abstract

The principal objective of this dissertation, in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Doctor of Ministry degree at St. Stephen’s College, was to explore the concept of spiritually informed art therapy as it was experienced by the author while studying, working, and teaching in the Department of Psychotherapy and Spirituality at this college. The scope of this transdisciplinary research drew on themes related to spiritual formation from literature in the fields of art therapy, expressive therapies, arts-based research (including a/r/tography), art education and higher education, spiritual care, medicine, nursing, theology, and spiritually informed psychotherapy. This dissertation tells the author’s story of personal and professional formation as a spiritually informed art therapist/researcher/teacher. Her narrative experiences and artwork are included as well as excerpts from the writings and artwork of some of her graduate students during the six years she taught the foundational art therapy course at St. Stephen’s College. Doctoral research projects provided the framework for reflecting on teaching spiritually informed art therapy and on the potential for spiritual development and spiritual formation through art therapy-based practice and art therapy pedagogy