Globalization in art therapy education: Multicultural training in South Korean context

Abstract

This article offers initial strategies to develop a multicultural training model for graduate-level art therapy students within a learner's cultural context, using South Korea as an example. All helping professions, including art therapy, have emphasized multicultural competence a mandated ability concerning ethical practice. However, scholarship has neglected the importance of developing multicultural education within its application's cultural context. Accordingly, the researchers introduce the concept of multiculturalism within Korean cultural contexts, followed by a qualitative online survey exploring the meanings and experiences of multiculturalism among Korean graduate-level art therapy students and alumni in Korea (N = 44). Lastly, they outline a preliminary education model based on the collected data that frames the major components and levels of multicultural training within art therapy in South Korea. The findings direct researchers to consider developing multicultural education within Korea's cultural context, collectivism, and socio-political conditions.