Reflections on an art-based personal and professional development course for social work students

Abstract

There is a high correlation between personal histories of trauma and distress experienced by caregiving professionals in their work. In such cases, there is, furthermore, a high correlation between lack of social or professional support, and a lower ability to cope with the demands of the work of assisting others in pain (Figley, 1995; Brady et al., 1999; Kohlenberg et al., 2006; Baird & Kracen, 2006). Given that the primary feature of the social work field is working with vulnerable persons and those who have experienced various kinds of trauma, specialists must possess self-awareness and the capacity for self-reflection in order to better cope with their professional challenges, and to prevent countertransference and secondary traumatization. The aim of this article is to highlight the role and impact of an art-based course on the personal and professional development of a group of third-year undergraduate students in social work. The elective course was based on an experiential, humanistic, art-therapeutic approach involving the following methods: emotional and corporeal focalization; drawing, psychodrama; cinematherapy, dance/movement therapy; the use of therapeutic cards; collage techniques and creating/working with puppets; and the keeping of a diary. The results show that participating in an art-based self-reflective elective course enhanced students’ abilities in ways that could be crucial for future practitioners: it improved their capacity to access their own as well as others’ inner worlds, emotions, thoughts, feelings and experiences; they were better able to be supportive and empathetic with others; it helped them to develop self-regulation skills and resilience.