The current study aims to understand experience of immigrant women who are married to Korean men through group art therapy and understand the meaning and essence of the experience by applying Van Manen's hermeneutic phenomenological approach.
As participants of the study, 6 immigrant women living in S City, Gyeonggi-do, who can understand the researcher's questions (Korean) and express their opinions were selected. And group art therapy was conducted 14 times for 7 weeks from the second week of October, 2009 to the third week of November.
Interviews were recorded with the participants' consent and essential themes were drawn through reflective thinking. Also the essence of their experience was focused, while existential research, hermeneutic phenomenological approach and writing were conducted. In addition, the study tried to improve insight and understanding of experience of group art therapy with the immigrant women who are married to Korean men by referring to the origin of a word, literature and phenomenological literature.
The study examined what immigrant women experienced from group art therapy, and the essence of their experience. And the following are study results.
It was found that the immigrant women who are married to Korean men came to relax internal
tension, had a sense of psychological security, and were able to express their ideas and emotions frankly through the group art therapy. In addition, they could not only change their hurt and exhausted images through creation, but also discover their own image with hope and desire. Further, the participants reflected and penetrated themselves and their lives by accepting aspects they couldn't realize or have denied.
Key Words : Group Art Therapy, Immigrant Women who are Married to Korean Men, Hermeneutic Phenomenological