ABSTRACT
Sometimes I wonder if it is possible for a really good art therapist to be genuinely interested in research. It seems to me that many of the interpersonal satisfactions available in clinical work are also present in those indirect service areas discussed so far in this section: in teaching, in supervision, and in consultation. But research, even if it involves working with subjects in order to collect data, is less likely to be as rewarding clinically. It is also rarely as flexible as any of the other roles, because of the necessary control of important variables . Research allows creativity primarily in its design and analysis, but hardly ever in the actual implementation of the study. Yet there are a few art therapists who are good clinicians and who also enjoy designing and conducting research .
