This study investigated the types of ethical dilemmas art therapists could face, their experience related to
the execution of an ethical behavior, and strategies taken to resolve the dilemmas as they executed their
ethical behavior. The seven participants were selected by purposive sampling for this study. The interview
with the participants were analyzed qualitatively using a grounded theory-based approach(Strauss & Corbin,
1998). The interview contents were classified into 66 concepts, 22 subcategories, and nine categories through
an open coding process. In the selective coding, the main category was named ‘the therapist's efforts to see
the client in a balanced way and the continuous self-reflection.' A story line about the therapist's experience
of ethical dilemmas and execution of ethical behavior was developed. And then, a theoretical model was
drawn from an analysis on the phases of executing ethical behavior. This study introduced strategies
developed by professional art therapists and addressed what needs to be changed and improved in the
ethical education and training method, which could be used as a useful source when creating regulations
about ethics. In addition, this study is expected to give art therapists or who want to be professional art
therapists a sense of where they stand in the profession. Also, this study will instill a sense of identity as
an art therapist and help provide specific ethical regulations to academic art therapy associations.