This study aimed at learning the changes in the experiences and recognition of special education teachers
and assistants before and after sitting and joining in the after-school art therapy classes through a
qualitative study. In order to accomplish this goal, we selected 8 teachers of special education teachers and
assistants in 5 elementary schools of the Seoul metropolitan area as the subjects of our study with their
consent, and took a qualitative study by using Van Kaam's Phenomenological Qualitative Study Method.
They took the art therapy 15 times for 15 weeks from the first week of March, 2012 to the second week of
June, 2012. The results of our study are as follows. All of the special education teachers and assistants
recognized the therapy as an activity of self-expressing based on the expectation from the experiences that
they had before sitting and joining in the therapy. All special education teachers and assistants reported
that the capability of self-expression of the students in the therapy was improved, and this accorded with
their expectation. Second, the student-centered approach for therapy acted as a powerful stimulus, and they
made lots of mentions for the necessity of the student-centered approach for therapy. This changed their
recognition and experience over the art therapy, and they began to think that skill-oriented art activity is
just a tool and the art therapy has a further goal.