School of Creative
Industries
Sarvatmika Rajeev
Sarvatmika Rajeev is from India and her educational background includes a Diploma in Expressive Arts Therapy and a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Arts. During her MA Art Therapy training, Sarvatmika worked with adults with substance use disorder, as well as minors from abusive backgrounds, admitted to a medical setting. She has had the opportunity to engage clients with art therapy in Bali (Indonesia), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Singapore and Chennai (India). Her keen eye for detail captures aspects of art and nature that often go unnoticed. Her evolving identity as an artist leads her to explore different mediums. She is fascinated with the effect art has in reaching out to people, connecting with them and being able to offer an approach that is both soothing and efficacious.
Work
The Artists Altar
Video
10 mins
2021
The ability to use artistic response in mundane objects and transform them into something ethereal is the true mark of creativity. What escapes us most of the time is that the creation of an artwork is a cumulative process through which only the final product is exhibited and admired. She witnesses art in the space that holds the artistic process itself. This artwork breathes life to an artist’s shrine. The assemblage of objects includes several art explorations in various stages of completion and abandonment. The video celebrates what lies beyond our immediate assumption of art. Her goal is to inspire those who engage with her artwork to find beauty in the mundane, in the objects around them and finally to discover art in the most unusual places.
Thesis abstract
The developing identity of an art therapist in Singapore: a qualitative inquiry into professional competencies evidenced in clinical placement
The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the professional competencies evidenced by the art therapy trainee in clinical placement. The development of professional competencies is crucial to the emerging identity of an art therapy trainee. This reflective practitioner-based study was conducted in a medical setting. The research question aimed to address the ways in which the professional competencies of an art therapist trainee might be evidenced through clinical practice while interning at a medical facility in Singapore, with young children mandated to medical treatment of non-accidental Injuries. The research question was analysed through a psychodynamic framework. A qualitative art-based research was utilised. Data was gathered through multiple sources and thematically organised to improve the validity of this study. The discussion highlights specific core competencies that were identified through multiple case vignettes. Two clinical case vignettes highlight the competencies of the art therapy practitioner to recognise the clients’ needs and identify how psychodynamic content manifested in clinical practice allowed the art therapy trainee to develop specific art interventions. Lastly, that last case vignette illustrates how the art therapy trainee evidenced developed and digital competencies as part of her clinical training and practice. The clinical implications of the study have been addressed in the conclusion. Further research has been recommended pertaining to digital competencies in order to move the dynamic discipline of art therapy forward globally.