School
of Creative
Industries

Lee Rui Ping, Marian

Lee Rui Ping, Marian

MA Art Therapy
2018 — 2020

Marian Lee completed her Bachelor of Social Sciences (Social Work) from the National University of Singapore in 2014. She is employed as a medical social worker in an acute hospital and has worked mainly with adults with neurological injuries, degenerative disorders and mental health illnesses. As part of her Master of Arts (MA) Art Therapy training, she worked with older adults living within the community and young persons with cancer, conducting home, hospital, community-based individual art therapy sessions, group art therapy sessions and open studios.

Work

Repeatedly, going within

Yarn, feathers and radiotherapy mask
80 x 80 x 45 cm
2020

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Thesis abstract

Doll making as response art: an inquiry into its functions and mechanisms

This thesis is an inquiry into the use of doll making as response art. Its purpose was to explore the functions doll making serve as response art and the mechanisms behind it. To achieve this, the author embarked on a qualitative autoethnographic approach to describe and analyze her experience from her perspective as a psychodynamic trained art therapist working with young persons with cancer in Singapore. Thematic analysis was conducted on the data collected and uncovered three themes: the doll making process, the final doll product, and the functions of the dolls. The dolls were found to aid in expressing and containing experiences, sublimating thoughts and feelings, increasing self-awareness, building empathy for clients, informing clinical assessment and interventions and easing transition out of therapy sessions. These were achieved through the doll making process and final doll products which were characterised by the therapeutic effects of haptic sense and touch, repetitive processes, and embodied images.

Work experience

2019
O'Joy Care Services
Art therapist trainee
Provided community-based, centre-based, home-based group and individual art therapy services for older adults living in the community.

2019 – 2020
Children's Cancer Foundation
Art therapist trainee
Provided home-based, hospital-based and centre-based, individual and group art therapy sessions for young persons with cancer and their family members.

2014 – present
Ng Teng Fong General Hospital
Senior medical social worker
Facilitated care and discharge, financial assessment and assistance, psychosocial risk assessment and counselling services for adults.