Congratulations to Dr Ali Coles who is awarded her PhD this week. Ali is a visiting lecturer in Art Psychotherapy at the University of South Wales. She is also an Art Psychotherapist for Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust, working with adults with severe and enduring mental health difficulties.

“My PhD focused on how practising Art Psychotherapists can contribute to the development of art psychotherapy theory and practice by harnessing their curiosity and creativity. I was motivated by the belief that practitioners have a key role to play in advancing art psychotherapy knowledge, as they’re constantly responding to the needs of clients within a changing world and identifying the best ways to meet those needs.

“A great deal of innovative practice and original thinking never becomes part of the profession's body of knowledge, as practitioners often feel daunted by the idea of researching and writing for publication, and that is a great loss. To address this, I examined my own journey of innovation and research, using artmaking and wild swimming metaphors to conceptualise it, and developed a process model that other art psychotherapists might find helpful.

"I want to inspire other Art Psychotherapists to research and share innovative practice"

“Over the years, I’d published several articles and chapters based on my work as an NHS art psychotherapist. Reflecting deeply on my previous work through a PhD by Publication allowed me to consolidate my contributions to the profession. I wanted to capture the journey I’d been on in the hope of inspiring and encouraging others.

"As an Art Psychotherapist, I naturally use artmaking as a tool for reflection and exploration, and making art was a really helpful way to pin down and grapple with complex concepts during my research. Alongside that, I’m a keen wild swimmer, and swimming metaphors helped me to conceptualise the process of practice-based research. For example, I thought about innovation as jumping into the 'pool of practice' and 'making ripples' – or even waves – and explored the fear that can surround this disruption of traditional ways of doing or thinking.

“Balancing my PhD alongside NHS work was challenging, especially finding time to focus. Scheduling dedicated blocks of time helped me balance the demands of the PhD with other aspects of life. It also took time to identify the key focus for my thesis and feel confident that I had something of value to contribute. My supervisors, Dr Steven Walden and Professor Roiyah Saltus, were really excellent, challenging me to extend my ideas and to have the courage of my convictions.

"My PhD viva was a proud moment. Receiving enthusiastic feedback from two respected academics validated the quality of my work."

“I hope the process model I’ve developed will inspire, enthuse, and equip other practising Art Psychotherapists to research and share their innovative practice and thinking, rather than leaving it to the academics. This will help to ensure that art psychotherapy is as effective as possible at helping people with a wide range of difficulties.

“Now that my PhD is complete, I am excited to deliver training on practice-based research and develop my thesis into academic articles.”

• View Dr Ali Coles’s PhD Thesis: Harnessing practitioner curiosity and creativity for the development of art psychotherapy theory and practice