There is a significant proportion of recipients of Masters or Doctoral degrees in Art Psychotherapy who
strive for a learning framework that is sustained beyond the point of graduation. There is a need to initiate
research that aims to find a professionally relevant and convenient approach to meet this demand. For this
purpose, the current study analyzes the “reflective writing” experiences of 6 graduates who have applied
hermeneutic phenomenological research methods in their dissertations. These research participants were
asked to read through two to five hermeneutic phenomenological “writings” after graduation and then
produce their own “reflective writings”. 8 broad themes and 19 sub-themes emerged from the analysis of
the data, from which three conclusions regarding “reflective writing” were drawn: “Written reflections” can
provide the research participant with an opportunity to holistically appreciate the past-present-future; the
more honest and in-depth the “writing” section of the dissertation or thesis, the more cyclical contribution
it can make; “reflective writing” should be acknowledged and respected as a culmination of intellectual
effort.