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 …

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 …

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, …

Exploring The Use Of Play In The Expressive Arts As Treatment For Traumatized Youth: A Literature Review, Julie Salvato

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This review of the literature explored expressive therapies informed treatments for children who have experienced trauma in order to identify a healing mechanism within each treatment that was related to play. Patterns and commonalities in the research were documented in order to better understand the mechanism of play that appeared to be healing for the youth. The goal was to identify the elements within the mechanism as individual resources that could be applied in therapeutic interventions when treating traumatized youth in an effort to improve their lives and move them towards healing. This exploration also pointed to the importance of …

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 …

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 …

Using Bilateral Art/Drawing With Adolescents That Suffer From Trauma With Self-Regulations Issues In Residential Setting, Sharon Fortier-O'Dea

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis reviews how the use of art therapy intervention with adolescents that have experienced traumatic events in their lives resulting in problems of self-regulation. Due to the adolescent experiences from their childhood, these individuals did not get a chance to learn how to self-regulate their emotions, caused by maltreatment, abuse and the lack of guidance. Trauma affects a child’s development at the stage that incident happened and blocks the child from properly achieving milestones of growth. The adolescent’s self-regulation skills may have not developed due to the impact of trauma. Furthermore, the experience of being at a residential treatment …

Play Therapy Techniques With Adults In An Inpatient Setting, Corinne Geoffrion

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This research study explored the use of play therapy techniques with adults on an inpatient unit. Participants engaged with play figurines during a one-hour expressive art therapy session. A second-year expressive art therapy intern facilitated the groups. The intern guided the members through a warm-up activity, main directive and closing activity. The focus of the play therapy directives was on the current self and future self. Data was collected from three groups facilitated by the same group leader and involving two different hospital units. The play figurines chosen, environments created and participant’s body language were noted. Overall, the usage of …

Developing Social Skills Through An Open Studio Art Therapy Group With Older Children, Amanda Hoyle

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper examines six sessions of an open studio art therapy group with three older children in a therapeutic day school, with a specific focus on social skills. The design of this study was based on the presenting needs of the students who were referred to the group which included improvement in social skills and self-expression, with the support of research in trauma, attachment, neurobiology, and art therapy. The participating students are all male, range in age from 11 to 14 years old, and each identify with different cultural backgrounds. The students were provided with a studio space and materials …

The Efficacy Of Dance/Movement Therapy For Trauma Affected Youth: A Literature Review, Caitlyn Goggin

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

As the quantity of trauma affected children rises so does the need for effective treatment interventions to resolve trauma symptomatology so children may resume successful development. Up until now, the most popular interventions to aid children who have experienced trauma, have been “top down approaches” such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Top down approaches focus on processing and altering thought content to alleviate symptoms of trauma. However, recent research indicates that top down approaches do not relieve the somatic and biological symptoms of trauma that account for a majority of trauma symptomology. The research of Duros & Crowley (2014) suggests …

Art Therapy With Homeless Children: Role Of Art Therapy On Complex Trauma Event, Eroo Kim

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This research focused on the role of art therapy on complex traumatic events of children and

explored how art therapy interventions can benefit children with trauma. Complex trauma is defined as a traumatic, chronic, and interpersonal event that begins in childhood, which later may foster a child to develop and maintain a system of strict maladaptive defenses and display symptoms such as excessive temper, regression, aggression, and overly demanding attention. Since a trivial, insignificant event on an adult’s eyes may not necessarily be the same insignificant event on children, there is a difficulty in defining trauma for children. This capstone …

Using Dance/ Body Movement Therapy With A Trauma Population, Katrina Guittar

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review reveals how the inclusion of a body based, dance/movement therapy treatment to a trauma exposed population can unveil and help integrate underlying patterns of dysregulation, dissociation, attachment, and stored body sensations. It describes highlights of a clinical application combining movement observation and therapy with knowledge of neurological and somatic symptomology within the individual with post-traumatic symptoms. Methods addressed included, traditional cognitive based therapies (top-down), and body-based therapies (bottom-up) focusing on dance/movement therapy. It is concluded that further implementation, research, and knowledge in the field of Dance/Movement therapy is needed.

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 …