A phenomenological exploration of counseling psychologists' experiences of clinic art and decor.

摘要

This qualitative, postmodern, social-constructionist exploratory study used phenomenological reduction to analyze how a group of four counseling psychologists experienced meaningful office art and decor. Participants were recruited through purposive, snowball sampling and practiced in counseling center, agency and private practice settings. Phenomenological reduction is a method of data analysis used to obtain rich descriptions and universal meanings of the experience in question (Creswell, 1998). Giorgi's (1997) empirical phenomenological method was used to analyze data from the interviews into a psychologically relevant synthesis of findings (Moustakas, 1994). The results included descriptions of unique and common decorative objects and experiences of office decoration. The synthesis of findings indicated that decorating can be summed as evolving and shared processes informed by experiences in training and practice. Decoration of the therapeutic environment draws on theoretical orientation and reflects participants' aesthetic preferences. It is an intentional activity guided by functionality with the purpose of creating comfortable environments that recognize diversity, spirituality and self-care. Recommendations are made regarding future directions for research and training.