Most of the artwork I made the past week are related to my Ethical Issues in Art Therapy class. One of my assignments was a reflection paper explaining what ethical mode we would use in response to a specific dilemma, in addition, creating a piece of artwork that represents said mode. In this dilemma, I am an art therapist working with adolescent boys, who are part of the juvenile justice system for behavior issues. A colleague relays to me that she has really connected with this one 10-year-old boy, doing individual art therapy projects with him, and commenting on his steady progress; this colleague goes as far as to admit that the boy reminds her of her younger brother, who she is close with. The colleague has told this boy that she views him as her “favorite client” and communicates with me that she intends to write positive progress notes that would allow this boy to return home to his family earlier.
To sum up my reflection paper in a few words, I used the deontological approach when viewing this dilemma, which has concrete “right and wrong” rules for a client and therapist relationship. For the artwork itself, I sketched out a portrait of a boy, the eyes absent to blur the identity of the child; my younger brother was who I loosely modeled the portrait after. I have a great relationship with my younger brother, so I could understand this metaphorical colleague’s feelings about the client, but ultimately it was unprofessional. After all, the boy in the dilemma is not her brother, and her main job is to focus on the all adolescent boys. How will the other boys flourish if the colleague is showing favoritism to one specific child? The artwork represents a child that reminds me of my younger brother, but ultimately is their own person with their own thoughts and feelings. To help them grow like flowers, it is necessary to show each of them the appropriate amount of attention to guide them into healthy behavior and mindset.
As for the other art piece I made last week, it was made within an hour using oil pastels in the art therapy studio. It is supposed to incorporate who I am as a human, future art therapist, and artist. The core of all three segments of who I am all come down to my “heart”, since a lot of my actions and personality are feeling-based. Everything else surrounding “me” revolves around my heart; to name some, the Batman-like figure in the bottom left corner alludes to the “mask” I wear depending on certain situations in real life, a very human aspect of myself. The rainbow is moreso a Spongebob reference about imagination, which aids my creativity in being an artist. The flowers and sunshine are the effects I wish to demonstrate as a future therapist, as in, creating a safe space for clients to be vulnerable and heal.
