Professional identity integration in dually trained art and occupational therapists

Background Continuing professional development (CPD) can prompt transitions between professional fields that reshape therapists’ professional identity and clinical practice. Occupational therapists undertaking art therapy training illustrate intersecting therapeutic paradigms.Aims This study explored CPD processes in occupational therapists who later trained in art therapy, examining how this transition influenced and shaped their professional identity and therapeutic practice.Methods Fifteen therapists with at least three years’ experience in each field participated in online semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis in a Constructivist framework.Results Participants described their professional identity development as a process involving transitional identity positions, continuity with occupational therapy as an anchor, and the gradual integration of both professional identities. Although some participants reported tensions between goal-oriented occupational therapy approaches and more relational, process-oriented art therapy practices, many described negotiating between paradigms in ways that enriched their clinical practice. Integrating knowledge from both fields supported broader, more holistic therapeutic perspectives, strengthened professional confidence, and was perceived as enabling more flexible responses in clinical practice.Conclusions In this sample, professional identity development in CPD appeared to involve ongoing integration rather than replacement of previous identities. For professionals in this study, dual professional perspectives were experienced as both a source of tension and a catalyst for growth and reflective practice.Implications for practice/policy/future research The findings highlight the value of interdisciplinary training pathways supporting integrative clinical practice. Future research should examine how accumulated knowledge from both professions is experienced in clinical practice, including by clients and multidisciplinary teams.Plain-language summary The researchers interviewed 15 occupational therapists who later undertook professional training in art therapy (master’s degree) as part of their continuing professional development.‏ The study explored how academic training in a second therapeutic profession influenced these therapists’ professional identity development and the ways they work with clients in everyday clinical practice.The therapists described moving between two therapeutic worlds: occupational therapy often emphasises goals, structure, and functional outcomes, whereas art therapy tends to focus more on emotional expression, the therapeutic relationship, and the creative process. These differences sometimes elicited tensions, although many therapists felt that combining both approaches allowed them to respond to their clients in more flexible, creative, and holistic ways. Their background in occupational therapy continued to act as a professional foundation, even for therapists who primarily worked as art therapists.Many participants described a period of transition in which they did not feel fully situated in one profession or the other. Over time, most developed a more integrated professional identity that combined knowledge, values, and clinical skills from both fields.These findings suggest that professional development does not always mean replacing one identity with another. Instead, therapists may develop a hybrid identity that evolves through reflection and clinical experience. Acknowledgment of this process can inform training programmes, supervisors, and workplaces in their efforts to better support therapists who transition between professions. It can also encourage practitioners and policymakers to value interdisciplinary training as a way to enrich therapeutic practice for clients.