Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How Can Developmental Transformations Address Culture Shock To Those Moving From Collectivist Societies Into Individualistic Ones, Such As, Chinese Immigrants Into The United States?, Fabiola Valdivia

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Immigration has always existed, and lately with the heyday of social networks and media, we have witnessed high rates of immigration due to different social and political contexts that have forced people to leave their homes looking for a better situation. Many of these individuals have emigrated and continue to emigrate to the United States of America, in search of, what in some cases they believe will be, the American dream.

This document explores the implementation of developmental transformations (DvT), originally a drama therapy approach, with an immigrant population coming from a collective society such as the Asian into an …

Puerto Rican Cultural Arts And Expressive Arts Therapies: Mental Health And Collective Resilience Post-Hurricane Maria, Stephanie Soler-Martinez

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The research aimed to study how integrating Puerto Rican popular cultural arts with the expressive arts therapies could assist the recovery process post Hurricane Maria. During post-disaster recovery efforts, access to formal psychological services are not always viable to survivors and the services available are usually not enough to cover the demand. The literature review examined the relationship between: mental health in the aftermath of natural disasters; cultural relevancy within the field of psychology in Puerto Rico; resilience in post-disaster communities; and psychosocial community interventions. Findings encouraged for programing for Puerto Rico’s psychosocial recovery from Hurricane Maria, or any future …

The Use Of Drama Therapy To Create Safety In Psychoeducational Groups For Complex Trauma: The Development Of A Method Using Ritual, Embodied Metaphor And Play, Sarah M. Lowry

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

In this research, I developed a method to bring drama therapy into psychoeducational groups that serve clients who have survived complex trauma. Through the use of play, metaphor, group ritual, embodiment and laughter, I explored the use of drama therapy to increase the experience of a group member’s feeling of safety which I perceived in their capacity to take individual risks and to connect with other group members. I facilitated two separate psychoeducational groups that occurred over the course of 12 weeks, incorporating these elements of drama therapy, and reflected upon my experience of these interventions. Throughout the process, I …

Survey Of Research In Multiculturalism In Expressive Therapies, Christine Yerrakadu

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone thesis literature review defines and explores the issues concerning multiculturalism in the field of expressive art therapies. Many authors have stated the need for multicultural education and self assessment of the clinician. Personal identification of the client should take precedence over generalization of world cultures. Self-assessment of the clinician is needed in order to examine possible personal biases. Awareness of multiculturalism is only the first step, and further exploration into education and skills using the expressive art therapies would hone multicultural competencies.

Mindfulness And Expressive Arts Therapies In Cancer Care, Maria Lacreta

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper considers the efficacy of utilizing Expressive Arts Therapies as a primary intervention in addressing the psychosocial needs of patients in cancer treatment and recovery. Significant evidence shows that a cancer diagnosis, current treatment protocols and the recovery process incur wide-ranging symptoms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. At the same time, research is also beginning to demonstrate a remarkable potential for cancer patients to develop post-traumatic growth, if given the opportunity to integrate their experience. Particularly in the post treatment phase, cancer patients report feelings of hopelessness and emotional despair, but are able to process and account …

Music As A Catalyst For Altered States Of Consciousness And Peak Experiences In The Treatment Of Depression, Anxiety, And Ptsd, Paul Battles

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract This paper investigates the therapeutic uses of altered states of consciousness (ASC) and peak experiences (PE) for the treatment of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the ways in which music can be used to facilitate or enhance these experiences. ASC’s and PE’s can help uncover hidden or repressed unconscious material and potentially change the way an individual views and interacts with his or her world. In cases of people suffering from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), these emotional, cognitive, and perceptual changes have been shown to have sometimes profound and long- lasting therapeutic effects, …

Using An Experience With The Creative Process To Initiate Personal Grief Narratives, Kelia Bergin

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Grieving is universal and grief is unique to the individual experiencing it. Over time, societal shifts have turned the author’s experience of grief in modern, western society to something that is to be experienced in private and on a timeline. Once accepted as a shared human experience, grief became pathologized, and societal support diminished. Art and the creative process have prevailed through time as, among other things, a space in which to explore difficult emotions and the duality of light and dark; concepts commonly associated with grief as well. While research on grief and research on the expressive therapies exist, …

The Use Of Role Theory To Build Identity In Adolescents, Jordan Crawford

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper discusses how role theory introduced through the arts can aide adolescents in understanding the many parts of their own identity. The research focuses on the idea that through strengths based identity building, teens can increase their self-knowledge and self-esteem which will in turn decrease the chances for each individual developing symptoms of anxiety and depression. Relevant literature and research were used in order to develop evidence based expressive art therapy interventions to further explore identity using a strengths based approach. The intervention was introduced to an adolescent client who has a diagnosis of adjustment disorder with anxiety and …

Expressive Arts To Promote Regulation And Empathy In The Classroom: A Community Engagement Project, Brittany Haley

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The use of arts in regulating emotions through mindfulness and strengthening empathy through story-telling is reviewed in this capstone thesis. Learning how to regulate emotions while in childhood could be beneficial in providing success in other skill related areas such as inhibitory control and academic skill around reading or math. A story-telling and mindfulness method was developed for children in a school setting to learn to form relationships with each other. Insight was gained around the students’ own needs of emotion identification and expression as well as builds a sense of empathy. When a child has the ability to understand …

Using Music To Recognize And Regulate Emotions With At-Risk Adolescent Girls, Nicole Frederick

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Emotional regulation can be difficult for adolescents with histories of complex trauma. Listening to music is a useful coping mechanism when dysregulated. However, some children with complex traumas struggle to find appropriate music for this purpose, let alone listen to it with the intention of emotional regulation. This capstone is a reflection of an individual music therapy session focused on emotional regulation. Previous research on this topic has proven the efficacy of music as a tool for emotional regulation, but none approached in the way presented here. The sessions were held in a residential school for biologically female students unable …

Adolescents With Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder And/Or Oppositional Defiant Disorder Benefit From Active Arts Therapy, Caitlin Carey

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review investigates the implementation of medication and active arts therapy with adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Adolescents ages 13 to 19 spend most of their time in school. School systems have modified a therapeutic setting to benefit and assist students with these diagnoses. This paper analyzes whether the implementation of active visual arts and play therapy has positive effects for adolescents with ADHD and/or ODD involved in taking or not taking medication, resulting in a positive impact on their quality of life. By reviewing previous research, this literature review builds a case …

Enhancing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy And Expressive Arts Therapy By Applying A Hybrid Approach, Danielle Carroll

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Therapists often draw from multiple therapeutic modalities in order to find appropriate treatment options for a client; however, little is written on the subject of how these modalities may be able to enhance each other in a strategic way. When considering the field of expressive arts therapy and the struggle it has faced in the effort to legitimize itself, it is worth considering how other therapeutic modalities could work in tandem with it in order to improve the overall experience. Alternatively, cognitive behavioral therapy is a strong, evidence-based practiced that sometimes lacks in the qualitative experience realm, providing a gap …

Art Therapy And The Person-Centered Approach: A Method For Breaking Down Creative Resistance With Dementia Patients, Kimberly Nelson

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This Capstone explores the use of art therapy with a geriatric population on a psychiatric unit of a small, rural southern hospital. Most of the patients experience symptoms of dementia and are over the age of 55. Many patients presented with resistance to creative pursuits and this researcher utilized the person-centered approach to counter this “creative resistance”. In other words, the patients were met where they were at and accepted unconditionally, through empathy and congruence. The materials that were offered to this population were explored through the creative resistance as well, and a simple number two pencil produced successful results …

Planning For Spontaneity: Music Therapy Session Preparation, Structure And Procedures, Peri Strongwater

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Current research in the field of music therapy regarding productivity and efficiency is limited to exploring theoretical concepts and is lacking on the effects of implementing said theories. It will be advantageous for music therapists to adopt streamlined processes for recurring responsibilities such as session planning, preparation and post-session processing. Increased productivity in these endeavors will permit more time allocated towards more valuable undertakings. To expand upon the emerging data and to contribute to the field’s current understanding, this writer has designed a session structure model exclusively for music therapists to use in their clinical practices. A worksheet-based template was …

Beyond A Checklist: Development Of A Music Therapy Method For Use With A Population With Developmental Delays And Physical Disabilities, Andria Thomas

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Music therapy has long been used within school settings, particularly within special needs populations. Until the late 1970s students with special needs were usually institutionalized with the belief that they were incapable of continued learning. Since then, music therapy has become a useful clinical medium to assess and aid in treating speech deficits, various cognitive impairments, and physical rehabilitation. This capstone thesis centered on how individuals with significant cognitive and physical impairment interact, communicate, and participate in everyday situations, specifically within a music therapy group setting. Overall, the observations show the usefulness of assessment as a music therapy tool as …

A Dance/Movement Therapy Method For Improving Mood States Of Adolescent Girls In A Residential Treatment Center, Selena Coburn

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine dance/ movement therapy (DMT) sessions as a method of intervention, through observing with Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) and Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP) and recording shifting mood states in participants living in a residential treatment center. The participants are adolescent female clients age 13-17 years old. They have co-morbid diagnoses including depression, eating disorders, ADHD, histories of abuse and neglect, and oppositional defiant disorder. Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) and verbal check-ins are used to determine mood states before, during, and after a DMT session. Data is collected via observations made using a designated …

How Can The Attunement Needs Of Children With Disorganized Attachment Styles Be Supported Through Expressive Arts Therapy?, Jayne Paley

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Treatment strategies for school age children with disorganized attachment are not well established. This population exhibits a range of difficulties in social relationships and self-regulation. Additionally, children with disorganized attachment generally rely on defense mechanisms and present with other comorbid conditions, adding to the complexity of treatment. This paper explores current research and theories about disorganized attachment and then, on the basis of evidence provided throughout this paper, proposes the concept of attunement needs in relation to working with children with disorganized attachment. The attunement needs described in this paper, derived from the literature, include safety/security, control/power, consistency, affective release, …

Movement, Laughter And Breath With Intergenerational Women: A Community Engagement Project About Connections, Lisa Hough

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This Community Engagement Project was created to explore how movement, laughter and breath can create connection for intergenerational women. A community event was facilitated at a suburban YWCA as an observational tool and for information gathering. Arts based research was conducted and evidence of non-verbal movements were recorded through observation, video recordings, and reflections from the participants in the session. In addition, published peer reviewed articles that explore these elements of expression were utilized as an alternative lens. Recent current events that are affecting women worldwide, such as the #metoo and Time's Up movements, offered the backdrop for this project. …

Monster Puppets: An Intervention Developed For Adolescents In A Partial Hospitalization Program, Kathryn Lazar

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis aims to provide an intervention for group therapy for adolescents in a partial hospitalization program (PHP). Research on the successful outcomes of play therapy and expressive arts therapy, in addition to studies researching trauma focused care, informed the intervention “Monster Puppets” to provide a contained structure for an appropriate level of care. Group members designed and created puppets representative of monsters and created dialogues to share aspects of the puppet’s personality. The intervention was implemented in a PHP for adolescents and documented through responsive art and process notes. The intervention took place multiple times between October 2017 and …

Using Trauma And Attachment-Informed Art Therapy To Promote Healing In Children In The Welfare System: A Literature Review, Jessica Q. Mctavish

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Children who have are placed in the child welfare system have often been exposed to a multitude of stressors and traumatic experiences, including: exposure to domestic abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, neglect, in-utero substance abuse, and abandonment. In result, a child’s development and overall functioning may be severely impaired, to include an inability to regulate emotions and manage arousal, attentional difficulties, chronic elevation of cortisol levels, and low impulse control. Such children may also experience deficits in working memory, executive functioning, academic skills, and social-emotional functioning. Their ability to form healthy attachments may be impaired, and they are …

Using Children's Books To Build Empathy In Children, Kate Solow

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

An art therapy group was carried out to assess whether children’s books positively affected children’s ability to empathize. The group consisted of one therapist and three children aged 8, 9, and 10 in a therapeutic classroom. The group met for 30 minutes once a week. The children listened to a story, followed by a discussion and a related art project. Observations from each session were recorded in a spreadsheet. The results suggest that reading and discussing the books allowed the children to have a better understanding of their own and others’ emotions.

A Literature Review On Current Uses Of Art Therapy In Short-Term Adult Inpatient Setting, Saebyul Ryu

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Current short-term adult inpatient psychiatric treatment presents with multiple challenges to researchers and practitioners due to the extremely short length of stay (3-10 days). Other compounding factors that make this level of treatment difficult to navigate are multidisciplinary treatment team barriers and a heterogeneous group of patients and psychopathologies, all of which influence the quality of treatment provided. In this treatment approach, art therapy has been found to be under-utilized because of the scarcity of dedicated research that satisfies the needs of the short-term adult inpatient setting. As a result, the effectiveness of art therapy has not translated into the …

How Art And Entrepreneurship Meet The Needs Of Homeless Youth, Lauren Blackerby

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The following thesis focuses on the idea of how art can meet the needs of homeless youth. First, the literature is examined to answer the questions: Who are homeless youth? What are their needs? And, how have their needs been met? Then there is a look into resiliency, what it is and how it relates to homeless youth. Finally, the disciplines of social work, health care, entrepreneurship, art education, and art therapy are examined in how these disciplines can each meet the specific needs of homeless youth. This thesis concludes by presenting a theoretical program focused on art education and …

Understanding Identities Of Internationally Adopted Adolescents Through The Use Of Art Therapy: A Literature Review, Joselin Acosta Toledo

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

As international adoption becomes more popular and widely used in the United States, there is more evidence of the impact that adoption and the process of adaptation can have on an individual in both the long and short term, especially in the development of their identity. While adolescence tends to be a time when the individual is focused on creating and understanding their uniqueness, being an adoptee adds even more complexity to this task. Adopted children often struggle with issues of self- esteem, sense of belonging, identity formation, and safety (Harris, 2012). Art therapy has been successfully used with adolescents …

Seeking More Exposure: A Literature Review Examining How Drama Therapy Can Be Used To Treat Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Adults With Diverse Learning Differences, Emily Schwartz

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

It has been suggested that adults with learning differences (LD) may be more susceptible to occurrences of violence, abuse, and neglect. However, there is presently limited research examining posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults with LD. Within this paper, existing literature of PTSD in adults with LD is reviewed. This review includes how symptoms of PTSD in adults with LD manifest, and what treatment approaches are currently being used with the population. According to the literature, it was determined that exposure therapy is frequently used to treat PTSD in adults with LD. This result is compared with exposure elements present …

Music Therapy Methods And Vocalizations: A Look Into One Boy's Process, Brooke Rutstein

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone thesis project explores a detail-oriented music therapy approach used to elicit vocalizations and speech for an individual on the autism spectrum. Although there is compelling research on music therapy contributing to speech acquisition for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the methods discussed in the literature are vague and do not discuss the music itself in detail. Specifics would be helpful in order to allow these methods to be replicable. To explore specific musical elements, I administered five 30-minute music therapy sessions to a 12-year-old boy on the autism spectrum during his school day. During sessions, I measured …

Promoting Cultural Identity Through Dance/Movement Therapy With Immigrant Children, Karen Alejandra Salazar

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The present research project focuses on exploring how culture influences identity and how the development of a bicultural identity affects bicultural individuals. Having a multicultural or multiethnic identity could be a source of strength and/or confusion, bicultural individuals may have difficulties in identifying and sorting their group membership status and their cultural attitudes, values, perspectives, and behaviors (Navarrete & Jenkins, 2011). The present research proposes that dance movement therapy and the Expressive Therapies could serve as a means to allow individuals to explore and strengthen their cultural identity. A cultural identity workshop was implemented with second grade, English language learner, …

Dance/Movement And Drama Therapy Methods To Assess Resistance In Adolescents With Low Sense Of Identity And Self-Esteem: Development Of A Method, Victoria Mancini

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Drama and Dance/Movement based therapies have the ability unlock the psyche through the mind/body connection by gaining access to innate creativity that is prevalent in childhood and often begins to diminish in adolescence. For this thesis, adolescents from a low socio-economic background participated in an Expressive Arts Therapy processing and support group, aimed to build self-esteem, strengthen communication skills, alleviate social anxiety and become part of a community. Dance/movement and Drama therapy techniques were implemented, due to their social nature which promotes embodied self-expression and strengthens verbal problem-solving communication. These two particular modalities have proven to enable deep self-awareness and …

Adolescents, Empathy And Dance Movement Therapy, A Literature Review, Jessica Tokarchuk

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

Aggression and violence among adolescents in the school setting has continued to increase in the past several years. Empathy is related to decreased aggression in adolescents. Teaching empathy and other prosocial skills in school has been shown to decrease aggression. Several researchers have presented curriculum and methods to teach these skills, however violence and aggression continue to occur at high rates in schools in America. Current methods used in schools in America need to be developed with different approaches. The development of a strong sense-of-self, self-esteem and emotion-regulation are needed to support the development of empathy. Secure attachments throughout …

Breaking Barriers: Using Music To Create Community In Orphanages, Jessica Maclean

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Community Music Therapy is a quickly growing subfield of music therapy that shows positive effects on groups of marginalized people. Although there is a large body of research surrounding the use of Community Music Therapy with some populations, there is little to no research about its use in orphanages. This thesis describes a community engagement project that took place in an orphanage in Vietnam, demonstrating the positive effects of music therapy on the children residing there. Interactive live music was played in the wards the children live on for two weeks and the experiences and results were documented by the …