부산대학교 도서관

This research aims to understand art therapists’ living and working conditions under the COVID-19 pandemic by recognizing the current art therapy field and life experiences of art therapists, with the intention to suggest improvements of policy measures to stabilize art therapists’ working environments. The study was conducted with a sequential explanatory strategy of mixed methods: in order to understand therapists’ life experiences and the current art therapy field the study was performed with qualitative research methods, then based on the understanding, to comprehend the general working and living conditions of art therapists quantitative research methods were used. We targeted art therapists who have been holding therapy sessions since before the COVID-19 till the date of the research. 6 art therapists participated in the focus group interview and 73 in an online survey. The focus group interview showed 20 essential issues and 54 issues in 4 different sections. The interview and the online survey found, first of all, that most art therapists are irregular part-time workers and suffer financial difficulties. Secondly, unable to receive benefits of labor welfare and having to work in an environment of insufficient safety regulations and provisions, many of them are considering leaving their job or are in need of self-care for the psychological difficulties. Third, most art therapists acknowledge the necessity of national policies to aid and improve their working environments. We anticipate the results brought by this research would serve as a basis in establishing various systems and policies to enrich the art therapy field and also stabilize the lives of art therapists under and after the COVID-19 pandemic.