The purpose of art therapy supervision in an educational setting has traditionally been seen as an opportunity to help interns adjust to and learn from their placement sites, understand their clients, develop an understanding of themselves in relation to their work, and translate theory into practice (Dye & Borders, 1990; Hawkins & Shoret, 1989; Malchiodi & Riley, 1996). The culmination of supervision is to guide the intern in developing a professional identity and devising successful therapeutic strategies (Malchiodi & Riley, 1996). There are two difficulties with this process: (a) Art therapy interns often come into the field with a narrow notion of where, when, and how art therapy works; and (b) professionals in the field of art therapy are constantly evolving in their answers to these questions. The supervision process must convey the nature of a changing and growing system of art therapy while gradually expanding the intern's comprehension of the field. To communicate the nature of the field of art therapy most effectively to the student, an understanding of the supervision context needs to be clear. Systems theory is a natural framework for understanding these contexts. In this essay, we present the concept of systems theory and discuss how it relates to the field of art therapy--particularly, the issue of developing a professional identity during internship. We then shift from theory to practice and present one program's attempt to overcome the challenges faced by interns in this process.