Abstract

Working within the landscape of death is widely cited as an emotionally demanding experience: burnout and compassion fatigue occur frequently for health care professionals in palliative care. Consequently, self-care is recommended as a means of prevention for both personal and ethical reasons. Despite the growing knowledge base in these areas, there is scant arts-based research addressing this need in palliative care.
This research, using an arts-based approach, addresses the value of utilizing response art to honour and process patient death within the hospital workplace. Using a brief, ritualized response art session as a self-care intervention, the focus of this research is in present-focused self-care as a means of monitoring and replenishing emotional reserves used by an art therapy intern while working with dying patients in an acute care palliative care unit. These response art images are analyzed using imaginal dialogue, a method that approaches art images as a source of knowledge and wisdom. Themes and symbols that emerge from the response art are discussed. Thematic analysis is also implemented to identify over-arching themes present in the resulting response art to provide a succinct glance at the collected data.
This research illustrates the value of personalizing self-care interventions within the workplace, and the art-based knowing that can emerge from dwelling with imagery.