Adapting through adversity: The transformation of art therapists’ professional identity

Professional identity, constantly reshaped by social and technological change, comes under increased pressure during crises. The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine profoundly disrupted healthcare systems, and art therapy was no exception. This study examines how these overlapping crises have reshaped art therapists’ professional identity, focusing on dialectical processes of contradiction, adaptation, and the restructuring of therapeutic roles and self-concept. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 Latvian art therapists working across diverse settings. Reflexive thematic analysis, guided by a dual-dialectical framework drawing on Hegel and Badiou, identified five key tensions: disconnection versus belonging; vulnerability versus responsibility; tradition versus innovation; collaboration versus distinctiveness; and doubt versus confidence. Through reflection and adaptive strategies, art therapists integrated these contradictions, strengthening and sustaining their professional identities. Hegel’s dialectics accounted for gradual synthesis, while Badiou’s concept of rupture captured abrupt redefinitions, together showing how professionals maintain and reshape identity during disruption. • Dual dialectical lens reveals how crises disrupt and transform professional identity. • COVID-19, digitalization and war reshaped arts therapists’ professional identity. • Practitioners adapted roles, boundaries, and practices to sustain identity. • Reflection and learning rebuilt confidence and strengthened professional roles. • Crises spurred creativity and peer support, reaffirming professional meaning.