Exploration of symbolism in art therapy: Self-care for early intervention professionals
Candice Chan Pooi Yan, MA, AThR
Singapore
Candice is a registered art therapist who is dedicated to the wonders of the creative process. Her path has woven through diverse landscapes—from supporting adults with dementia to working alongside people with intellectual and developmental disabilities—and now brings her into the vibrant world of supporting children and families in early intervention. By weaving elements of play into her art therapy practice, she helps young minds tell their stories, build resilience, and rediscover joy. Drawing on her roots in industrial-organisational psychology, she brings both structure and spontaneity to her practice and to the workshops she leads for professionals seeking to reconnect with creativity as a tool for insight and change.
Natalie Kang Qian Yi, MA, AThR
Singapore
Natalie is a Registered Art Psychotherapist and Play Practitioner, and the founder of Art Play Psychotherapy. She uses a relational and collaborative approach in journeying with her clients to support them in gaining deeper awareness of their strengths, challenges, and inner resources. Rooted in a trauma-informed framework, Natalie has extensive experience working with children, youth, families, and individuals with developmental difficulties. She integrates creative modalities—such as art, sandplay, LEGO, and play—to meet each client’s unique needs. She believes that creative expression can foster healing and insight, particularly for those facing complex emotional or psychological challenges. In addition to her clinical work, Natalie shares her expertise through workshops and training sessions for professionals, organizations, and individuals. She also teaches as adjunct faculty, inspiring the next generation of educators and therapists. Currently, Natalie is pursuing a graduate diploma in arts-based supervision, further expanding her knowledge and expertise.
Their gentle, soothing voices filled the room, accompanied by a sea of colourful lanyards adorned with visual cue cards—essential tools in their daily work. In this familiar classroom, where early intervention (EI) professionals routinely embrace the unpredictable nature of early childhood, holding space for children with diverse needs, and guiding them toward meaningful developmental goals, today was different. For once, the focus shifted inward as these professionals were invited to explore their own emotional landscapes and replenish their psychological reserves through the creative process of art-making.
This workshop was more than just a pause from daily responsibilities; it was a necessary, healing reminder of the importance of self-care in the EI sector, a vital yet often undervalued field. EI professionals work closely with children and families facing developmental, emotional, and behavioural challenges, frequently navigating complex, high-stress situations such as trauma, family instability, and behavioural difficulties. These expectations are further compounded by systemic challenges such as limited support, lower wages and heavy workloads (McDonald et al, 2018). Over time, these emotionally demanding environments can lead to burnout and compassion fatigue, evidenced by high turnover rates across the sector (Schaack et al, 2020; Jeon et al., 2021).
“This workshop was more than just a pause from daily responsibilities; it was a necessary, healing reminder of the importance of self-care in the EI sector, a vital yet often undervalued field. ”
Along this vein, research has shown that the practice of intentional self-care is effective in mitigating the effects of stress while improving physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Given the demanding nature of their work, EI professionals must prioritise self-care practices and cultivate psychological resilience. However, Gantt and colleagues (2009) posit that many EI professionals struggle to engage in self-care consistently due to time constraints, lack of resources, or a cultural stigma surrounding prioritising personal well-being. In response to these challenges, structured and accessible interventions such as art therapy workshops offer a promising path toward meaningful and sustainable self-care (Jackson & Joyce, 2015).
A Three-Part Experiential Workshop
Recognising the critical need for self-care, approximately 50 EI professionals from an early intervention centre—teachers, therapists, social workers, and administrative staff—in Singapore participated in a therapeutic art-making workshop facilitated by the art therapist from the early intervention centre. This allowed the art therapist a good understanding and connection to the needs of the professionals, who brought along with them unique perspectives shaped by their professional roles.
The session began with an exploration of symbolism in art therapy and the distinction between signs and symbols. While signs convey universally understood meanings (i.e. traffic signals), symbols hold layered and subjective significance that often reflect personal or cultural associations (Carolan & Stafford, 2017). Professionals discussed how symbolic art-making enables access to unconscious insights, offering a form of expression beyond the constraints of our verbal language. This understanding allowed professionals to frame their reflections and explore their own explorations through a symbolic lens.
Building on this theme, the first activity introduced Winnicott’s squiggle game, a spontaneous and unstructured drawing exercise that encourages creative play and interaction (Günter, 2018). Originally used by psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott to build rapport and foster communication with children, this game was reframed here to allow EI professionals to engage with their own creativity, embracing playfulness in a way that mirrored the processes they often facilitate with children. For many, this reversal of roles—becoming the artist, not a professional, was liberating.
Gratitude, connection and shared symbols
“The room was filled with conversations and heartfelt connections as colleagues acknowledged each other’s strengths and contributions.”
The second experiential focused on gratitude as an essential component of mindfulness and self-compassion within self-care practices. Each participant folded a heart-shaped origami and illustrated it with personal symbols of appreciation. Some sketched simple yet meaningful images—a flower to represent personal growth or stars for achieving their goals. Others created abstract shapes, embracing the process of symbolism.
These origami hearts were then exchanged among colleagues who added affirmations and recognitions to each other's creations. What began as individual reflections evolved into communal gestures of recognition and care. The room was filled with conversations and heartfelt connections as colleagues acknowledged each other’s strengths and contributions.
This activity also echoed the organisation's recent adoption of the heart symbol as a visual representation of its core values, creating a deeper sense of alignment and belonging within the group. The resulting artworks became keepsakes of encouragement and mutual appreciation, reinforcing the idea that gratitude, like self-care, becomes more powerful when shared.
Motivation to carry on
The workshop concluded with a reflective art directive where participants were invited to paint a symbolic imagery on tote bags in response to the prompt, "What motivates you to carry on?" With brushes in hand, participants transitioned into reflective silence as personal symbols intuitively surfaced, representing their values, motivators and sources of strength.
Walking around the room and witnessing the creations revealed deeply personal visual narratives that reflected themes of spirituality and meaningful relationships, such as their family, which were the central anchors of resilience amongst the attendees.
One participant drew inspiration from the quote, "I am God's masterpiece." Her painted symbols represented a connection to divine purpose and inherent self-worth, providing a powerful reminder of her spiritual support system.
Another participant's tote bag featured a star and rainbow strips inspired by her baby daughter. She shared how observing her daughter's fascination with colourful patterns has sparked joy and renewed her motivation to have a sustainable pace at work. Through art-making, her family became a source of emotional strength, reaffirming the role her loved ones play in sustaining her through professional and personal challenges as a new mother at work.
These reflections underscore how symbolic imagery can encapsulate profound emotions and motivations that words alone cannot convey. The importance of process over outcome, and enabling meaningful artistic engagement in a shared space.
Creating space for sustainability
As the session drew to a close, participants expressed gratitude for the creative respite and increased awareness of their emotional resilience. They acknowledged the importance of nurturing their psychological resources to better support the children and families they serve. They were given space to think about themselves, not in a selfish way, but in a necessary one. Through symbolic imagery and artistic expression, these EI professionals began integrating sustainable, meaningful self-care practices into their demanding professional lives.
“They were given space to think about themselves, not in a selfish way, but in a necessary one. Through symbolic imagery and artistic expression, these EI professionals began integrating sustainable, meaningful self-care practices into their demanding professional lives. ”
This workshop model holds promising potential for scalability. It can be adapted and effectively integrated as a regular support service within various settings. More importantly, it addresses the often-neglected emotional needs of professionals working in high-stakes, emotionally intense environments. By integrating arts-based interventions like this into ongoing professional development, organisations can foster cultures of care that extend inward, not just outward.
While individual workshops are impactful, systemic changes are needed to address burnout on a larger scale within EI professions. Organisations can incorporate art therapy sessions or create dedicated spaces for creative expression within workplaces. Furthermore, decision makers should consider allocating resources toward mental health initiatives tailored specifically for EI professionals that could enhance resilience and reduce turnover.
Despite the aforementioned limitations, this workshop contributes to a growing body of evidence supporting the long-term benefits of creative, expressive self-care. Future research could explore longitudinal outcomes from such interventions, examining how regular engagement with therapeutic art-making impacts job satisfaction, emotional resilience, and turnover rates over time to allow EI professionals to thrive alongside those they serve. As the field continues to grapple with the realities of burnout and turnover, such interventions offer a hopeful path forward—one grounded in empathy, expression, and a renewed sense of connection and community.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to all the early intervention professionals from whom they have learned and had the privilege to work with. Their invaluable participation, insights, and support greatly enriched and gave life in meaningful ways that would not have been possible otherwise.
References
Carolan, R., & Stafford, K. (2017). Theory and art therapy. In Emerging perspectives in art therapy (pp. 17-32). Routledge.
Gantt, L., & Tinnin, L. W. (2009). Art Therapy and Burnout: The Potential of Art Therapy to Improve Self-care. International Journal of Art Therapy, 14(2), 65-71.
Günter, M. (2018). Introduction: Practice and theory of the squiggle game. In Playing the Unconscious (pp. 1-39). Routledge.
Jackson, E., & Joyce, K. (2015). Creative Approaches to Self-care for Teachers: How Art Therapy Can Address Teacher Burnout. Journal of Educational Psychology, 107(4), 1047-1059.
Jeon, H.-J., Diamond, L., McCartney, C., & Kwon, K.-A. (2021). Early childhood special education teachers’ job burnout and psychological stress. Early Education and Development, 33(8), 1364–1382. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2021.1965395
McDonald, P., Thorpe, K., & Irvine, S. (2018). Low pay but still we stay: Retention in early childhood education and care. Journal of Industrial Relations, 60(5), 647-668.
Schaack, D. D., Le, V. N., & Stedron, J. (2020). When fulfillment is not enough: Early childhood teacher occupational burnout and turnover intentions from a job demands and resources perspective. Early Education and Development, 31(7), 1011-1030. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2020.1791648