Background: Like other health care professionals, art therapists are required to write clinical notes. As well as following general rules regarding this practice, art therapists must consider how client artwork and art-making are reflected in notes. This subject is inadequately covered in the literature, and research is needed to expand the knowledge base and contribute to developing best practice.Aims: The aim of this research is to examine current practices, challenges and perceived benefits or drawbacks of reflecting client artwork and art-making in clinical notes, from the viewpoint of art therapists.Methods: To obtain rich, qualitative data, three semi-structured interviews were carried out with qualified art therapists. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify themes.Results: Four themes were identified. These were: 'Artwork is mainly reflected indirectly', 'Art-making is reflected directly and indirectly', 'Reflection is influenced by systemic and contextual factors' and 'Concern about the client's perception'.Conclusions: Significant findings were arrived at, which broaden understanding of how client artwork and art-making are reflected in clinical notes by early-career art therapists and factors that influence and shape this practice.Implications for practice/policy/future research: This research raised awareness of both the complexity and the possibilities involved in reflecting client artwork and art-making in clinical notes. It drew attention to the need for greater sharing of experience and knowledge within the profession so that best practice can be developed.Plain-language summaryArt therapists, like other health care professionals, must write clinical notes. There are general principles that guide note writing, but art therapists have the additional task of deciding how to reflect client artwork and art-making. A search of the art therapy literature revealed that there was very little discussion about the subject.To address this, three interviews with art therapists were carried out. The questions were designed to explore how art therapists reflect client artwork and art-making in their notes and what they felt were the challenges and benefits of this practice.By using thematic analysis, the data were broken down into codes and grouped into themes. Reflective art-making was carried out to raise awareness of any personal bias that might influence the results. Finally, four themes were identified. The first of these focused on participants' practice of mainly reflecting final artwork indirectly. The second theme described ways in which the art-making process is reflected directly and indirectly. The third theme identified that reflection on artwork and art-making is influenced by the needs of third parties with vested interests. The fourth theme highlighted caution around language, due to concern about how the client might feel when reading their notes.This research is useful to art therapists because it promotes discussion on the many factors involved in writing about client artwork and art-making in clinical notes and encourages good practice to be developed and shared within the profession.Plain-language summaryArt therapists, like other health care professionals, must write clinical notes. There are general principles that guide note writing, but art therapists have the additional task of deciding how to reflect client artwork and art-making. A search of the art therapy literature revealed that there was very little discussion about the subject. To address this, three interviews with art therapists were carried out. The questions were designed to explore how art therapists reflect client artwork and art-making in their notes and what they felt were the challenges and benefits of this practice.By using thematic analysis, the data were broken down into codes and grouped into themes. Reflective art-making was carried out to raise awareness of any personal bias that might influence the results. Finally, four themes were identified. The first of these focused on participants' practice of mainly reflecting final artwork indirectly. The second theme described ways in which the art-making process is reflected directly and indirectly. The third theme identified that reflection on artwork and art-making is influenced by the needs of third parties with vested interests. The fourth theme highlighted caution around language, due to concern about how the client might feel when reading their notes.This research is useful to art therapists because it promotes discussion on the many factors involved in writing about client artwork and art-making in clinical notes and encourages good practice to be developed and shared within the profession.Plain-language summaryArt therapists, like other health care professionals, must write clinical notes. There are general principles that guide note writing, but art therapists have the additional task of deciding how to reflect client artwork and art-making. A search of the art therapy literature revealed that there was very little discussion about the subject.To address this, three interviews with art therapists were carried out. The questions were designed to explore how art therapists reflect client artwork and art-making in their notes and what they felt were the challenges and benefits of this practice.By using thematic analysis, the data were broken down into codes and grouped into themes. Reflective art-making was carried out to raise awareness of any personal bias that might influence the results. Finally, four themes were identified. The first of these focused on participants' practice of mainly reflecting final artwork indirectly. The second theme described ways in which the art-making process is reflected directly and indirectly. The third theme identified that reflection on artwork and art-making is influenced by the needs of third parties with vested interests. The fourth theme highlighted caution around language, due to concern about how the client might feel when reading their notes.This research is useful to art therapists because it promotes discussion on the many factors involved in writing about client artwork and art-making in clinical notes and encourages good practice to be developed and shared within the profession.Plain-language summaryArt therapists, like other health care professionals, must write clinical notes. There are general principles that guide note writing, but art therapists have the additional task of deciding how to reflect client artwork and art-making. A search of the art therapy literature revealed that there was very little discussion about the subject.To address this, three interviews with art therapists were carried out. The questions were designed to explore how art therapists reflect client artwork and art-making in their notes and what they felt were the challenges and benefits of this practice.By using thematic analysis, the data were broken down into codes and grouped into themes. Reflective art-making was carried out to raise awareness of any personal bias that might influence the results. Finally, four themes were identified. The first of these focused on participants' practice of mainly reflecting final artwork indirectly. The second theme described ways in which the art-making process is reflected directly and indirectly. The third theme identified that reflection on artwork and art-making is influenced by the needs of third parties with vested interests. The fourth theme highlighted caution around language, due to concern about how the client might feel when reading their notes.This research is useful to art therapists because it promotes discussion on the many factors involved in writing about client artwork and art-making in clinical notes and encourages good practice to be developed and shared within the profession.
