Embracing the Maelstrom: Arts Therapy Training from the Edges of the Whirlpool
Keywords:
Transitions, arts therapy training, lecturer-student-relationship, roles, trust, arts-based researchArticle Information
Creative Arts Educ Ther (2018) 4(2):153–157 DOI: 10.15212/CAET/2018/4/24
Embracing the Maelstrom: Arts Therapy Training from the Edges of the Whirlpool
Abstract
This piece of arts-based writing explores my personal transition from Arts Therapy student to Arts Therapy lecturer. Further, the roles and relationships between student and lecturer are explored and related to the Māori concept of ako, the idea of reciprocal learning and teaching. This exploration is held by the tenet that the arts process is integral to the teaching environment at Whitecliffe College, with the argument being that trusting in the poietic process supports and facilitates embodied knowledge. The piece further provides a contemplation of students’ experiences of their individual maelstrom (their deep journeys into themselves), the roles of the lecturers as those who help hold those journeys, and the learning gems that can be found along the way.
