Constructing Professional Identity in Art Therapy Through Service-Learning and Practica

Professional identity is a term used to describe both the collective identity of a profession and an individual's own sense of the professional role. This article draws from the literature exploring professional identity with attention to the issues of developing professional identity in fields such as art therapy where lower wages, fewer jobs, and the frequent need to earn additional practice credentials exist. A qualitative research project was conducted during which students participated in service-learning in conjunction with an art therapy practicum assignment. Service-learning was introduced as a pedagogy to facilitate the identity construction of art therapy students, and was found to nurture aspects of professional identity described in the literature.