Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

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 …

Reflection Of A Sensory Art Therapy Directive In Supporting Coping Skills With Adults With Mental Illness, Heather Holloway

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Reflection of a Sensory Art Therapy Directive in Supporting Coping Skills with Adults with Mental Illness

Sensory Jars were created in 3 groups within the partial hospitalization program for adults, dealing with mental health and substance use issues, in order to support learned coping skills through a multi-sensory process. The creation of the jars were intended to specifically support a mindful grounding technique taught at the program called the “5, 4, 3, 2, 1” method. These jars were for the members to have a physical tool in which to help them practice this method before they found themselves within a …

Meeting Spiritual Needs Through Dance/Movement Therapy When The Mind Dissipates In Dementia: Development Of A Method, Mallory Barnes

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The question of how identity is affected when diagnosed with dementia is explored in this capstone thesis. With the rise of dementia diagnoses (Goldstein-Levitas, 2016) there is a need for understanding effective approaches to care as emotional components remain intact. The literature highlights the essence of personhood and how person-centered care (PCC) is essential to preventing isolation and impacting a sense of self and well-being (Killick, 2004). Meeting spiritual needs in the sense of hope and purpose may also improve quality of life and delay symptoms. Dance/movement therapy (DMT) is specifically highlighted as an effective approach as sessions incorporate the …

Use Of Expressive Arts To Improve Quality Of Life In Individuals With Mental Illness, Lynsey Huyett

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Within the mental health community, the expressive arts are gaining popularity as a respected form of therapy; however, there is still much to be discovered in regard to its effectiveness with individuals with a mental health diagnosis. Research completed to date includes the exploration of a variety of modalities and its benefits to those with a mental illness, but it lacks an examination of the effect that the expressive arts has on overall quality of life. As a contribution to what will hopefully be an expanding area of interest, this writer designed an expressive arts therapy group facilitated at a …

A New Lens Community Engagement Project, Danielle Hance

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Tensions continue to run high between law enforcement and communities of color in the Twin Cities metropolitan area following multiple police-related deaths, including Jamar Clark and Philando Castile. Studies, both nationally and regionally, demonstrate an elevated level of distrust for law enforcement in the Black community and higher numbers of police errors involving the shooting of unarmed Black people. The author sought to create a project that would enhance perspective taking, address bias and stereotypes, and provide a safe space for healthy dialogue between the volunteers from the law enforcement and Black community using the arts. Photovoice is a technique …

Development Of An Art Therapy Protocol For Reducing Shame In Forensic Offenders, Jessica Nora Cohen

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This research follows the development and implementation of the Shame Reduction for Offenders (SRO) art therapy protocol. The protocol is carried out in a group format with twelve participants with forensic backgrounds on an inpatient unit at a psychiatric state hospital. Using art therapy, the patients directly and indirectly address feelings of shame as well as fear of losing control. Due to the nature of art therapy, the non-verbal aspects of this protocol allow participants to confront these feelings in a less threatening space. This protocol allows participants to gain insight and communicate about the topics of shame and control …

Once Upon An Assessment, Shannon Culligan

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

For this research Six-Piece Story Making, an assessment created by Mooi Lahad (2006), was used to elicit a more creative way of assessing risk daily with children. After reviewing the literature on the topic of using storytelling as a therapeutic intervention with children, it was found that there is a lack of information around using storytelling within a partial hospitalization environment. This research began to explore the possibilities of using storytelling in a partial hospitalization setting with male and female children aging in range from 6 to 13 years of age. It was found that within a partial hospitalization program …

Drama Therapy With Active Duty Service Members, Leayne Dempsey

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The objective of this capstone thesis was to design a 50-minute drama therapy group session that worked within the interdisciplinary treatment model of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) and its Healing Arts Program located on the base of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. It was grounded in Frydman’s (2016) theoretical framework that partners drama therapy with neuropsychology, and considers elements of Landy’s (1996) Role Theory, J.L. Moreno’s concept of spontaneity (Howie &Bagnall,2016), Developmental Transformations (Butler, 2012) and Sociodrama (Sternberg &Garcia, 2000). It also aimed to further Frydman’s (2016) research by applying it to the …

Dance Movement Therapy With Adolescents In A Partial Hospital Program: A Method For Engagement, Claude Michelle Aubourg

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Therapeutic engagement during adolescence can be a major challenge in adolescent mental health. Research has indicated therapeutic techniques designed for engaging clients are often ineffective for adolescents because adolescents bring distinctive qualities to the therapy process that differentiate them from other therapy populations. There is also limited research showing effectiveness of Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) with the adolescent population. This capstone will present an adaptable method utilizing dance/movement therapy interventions with participants ages 12-17 in a Partial Hospital Program. The objective of this project was to examine how DMT can improve engagement in treatment with adolescents in a partial hospital program …

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 …

Cross-Lateral Movement To Promote Motor Functioning And Executive Functioning In Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Courtney Chow

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone project sought to explore the relationship between dance/movement therapy and autism spectrum disorder by designing and implementing a cross-lateral movement method. Cross-lateral movement is oppositional locomotion that activates a diagonal pattern of connectivity (ex: top left to bottom right). Participants (n = 41) consisted of students aged 18-22, in a college-based transition program, who presented with a variety of intellectual and developmental disabilities including ASD. Participants were divided into three groups; the first two groups performed the method twice and the third group performed the method once. Outcomes observed included positive changes in participants’ self-report of affect, motor …

The Forgotten Mourners: A Literature Review On Parental Suicide And Community Art Therapy With Child Survivors, Emily Ellis

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The prevalence of grief has raised the question of the long-term effects and efficacy of current bereavement practices (Mitchell, Wesner, Garand, Dysart-Gale, Havill, & Brownson, 2007). There is a lack of understanding and research on bereavement support for child survivors of parental stigmatized deaths; specifically, death by suicide. Children remain to be an underserved population with specific vulnerabilities regarding their inclusion in the emotional and cognitive comprehensions of the death and the resounding grief and mourning. Consequences specific to death by suicide are characterized by feelings of guilt, blame, and shame, as well as perceived stigma and isolation (Mitchell et …

Integrating Art Therapy And Horticultural Therapy To Best Serve The Needs Of At-Risk Adolescents: A Literature Review, Kara Rodecker

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone thesis examines existing literature on art therapy, horticultural therapies, and positive youth development, as they specifically meet the emotional needs of at-risk adolescences. The following paper provides an overview of the adolescent stage of development and how early attachment styles and environmental risk factors contribute to youth being labeled as at risk. At risk adolescents are more likely to have missed out on early attachments that are necessary to experience empathetic attunement, which should serve as the foundation of relationships throughout their life. The multiple environmental risk factors contribute to a sense of lack of control over their …

Sacar La Voz: A Manifesto For My Latinx Peers, Gabriela Nunez-Santiago

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis was originally concerned with the use of expressive arts therapy with Latinx survivors of domestic violence. As the author carried out the review of literature, she began to encounter fundamental issues in the way that the Latinx community is approached in research. Instead of carrying out a traditional review of literature, the author approached the literature through three main questions: "Who is the research about?," "Who is the research by?,” and "Who is the research for?" Reductive generalizations, missing information, and disempowering assumptions were found. These problematic realities are presented as symptomatic of larger systemic issues, which the …

Earth Turning: Ecosomatic Exploration And Social Action Community Art Option 3, Community Engagement Project, Mollie Malia Matteson

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Ecopsychology emerged to redress harm caused by a long dominant western worldview that humans are separate from nature. Somatic psychology is premised on the unity of body and mind, which western thought also divided for centuries. The emerging field of ecosomatics supports embodied humans in relationship to the body of Earth. When utilized in psychotherapy, expressive arts, and social action-oriented community art, ecosomatic approaches facilitate an understanding of the continuity between inner and outer nature.

A one-day community workshop in ecosomatic practice and nature-based expressive arts was offered to explore embodied dialogue with nature. The workshop involved time outdoors as …

How Expressive Arts Therapy Benefits Children Living With Acquired Brain Injuries, Stacia Boynton

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review explores the positive effects of using an intermodal expressive arts therapy approach when working with children living with an acquired brain injury (ABI). This review outlines symptoms and difficulties children living with ABI experience, it introduces general brain structure, and provides evidence for the potential use of intermodal expressive arts therapy with this population. This review is intended as a tool kit for therapists who are not experienced in working with this client population. It will share research on surrounding expressive therapy modalities such as art, music, dance, drama, and expressive arts therapy; also referred to as …

The R.A.I.N.E. Method, Ramanda Brockett

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The imagination-in-service of empathy also creates a context for measuring children’s social, linguistic, comprehension, and organizational skills through the clinical observation of pretend play (Hendler-Lederer,2002). Both sociological insights carry heavy implications for the use and impact of imagination for both adults and children as well as individuals and clinicians. On the educational field, there is a wide academic debate about the disuse of imagination in the current educational system. Finally, in authentic movement, there is a strong link between imagination and affect where, not only is the clinician imagining the emotions that accompany the affect being moved by the individual …

An Identity Healing: Socialization And African-Centered Practices With At-Risk Youth, Jessica Shabazz

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

African-Centered practices are being regarded as valuable therapeutic healing methods within the African-diaspora. However, there is limited research that examines the propitious advantages and psychotherapeutic use of Afrocentric movement of two very distinctive, yet possible complementary systems, the Katherine Dunham technique and Kemetic Yoga. The research available on these African-based movement practices recognizes them as holistic and encompassing a mind/body/soul connection. Ritualistic practices in counseling remains a growing interest to mental health practitioners of all cultures, to ensure that clients are provided with an experience of client-centered psychotherapy. Therapeutic African-centered practices align with Carl Rogers’ person-centered approach and the psychotherapeutic …

Marble Painting With Veterans To Help Symptoms Of Ptsd In The Mind And Body, Victoria Taylor

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This study is a neurologically-based art therapy treatment investigation to better understand if marble painting can help reduce the symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Three marbling painting sessions were conducted over three weeks. The group focused on the main goals which included discovering a rhythm while using fast or slow movements, focusing on this rhythm and become aware of any emotion felt during the process. The participants were encouraged to make a series of marble paintings and to experiment with different colors. The observations found from this study suggest that marble painting should be used as an art therapy …

Use Of The Creative Arts Therapies And Creative Interventions With Lgbtq Individuals: Speaking Out From Silence A Literature Review, Tracy Huerta

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community is an at-risk population in dire need of competent treatment. This thesis explores sixteen published articles that investigate the use of the expressive therapies and expressive arts with LGBTQ individuals. The silencing of the LGBTQ community by an oppressive heterosexist and transphobic society causes negative impacts to LGBTQ individuals’ wellbeing, physical health, and self-expression. Research suggests that because of their stigmatized identity the LGTBQ community has special therapeutic concerns such as, internalized self-hatred, social rejection, gender or sexual orientation confusion, and safety needs. Multicultural and feminist theories of psychology propose that …

Drama Therapy As A Tool For Promoting Resiliency In At Risk Youth, Devin Vietri

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The purpose of this research was to explore and compare current literature in drama therapy and resiliency theory and investigate the usefulness of integrating drama therapy techniques as an intervention for at risk youth. This paper serves to encourage drama therapy as a tool in working with at risk youth. The research presented argues the effectiveness of drama therapy being used with at risk youth to encourage resiliency and support at risk youth in developing into stronger, healthier, functioning and well-adjusted adults. Though some bias and limitations are present within the language of resiliency theory, looking at the work through …

The Virtual Response Art Method: Managing Countertransference In Art-Based Research, Carol Hodson

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis describes the application of an original approach to art-based research (ABR) developed by Carol P. Hodson and used in in collaboration with two participants. In this method, called the Virtual Response Art (VRA) method, the researcher created digital response art based on participants’ original art and wrote in self-reflective prose during and after the digital art process. Results in this study illustrate how the researcher’s use of the VRA method over six months allowed her to gain increased empathy for the participants and identify, process, and manage the countertransference she experienced in response to each participant and their …

Community Arts To Promote Cohesion And Gratitude In A Boston Based Children’S Hospital, Katherine Jordan

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper explores the impact of a gratitude based community arts engagement project in an urban children’s hospital. The arts have the power to connect communities and practicing gratitude has protective mental health factors. This project connected these two ideas by implementing a hospital-wide gratitude tree project. Staff, patients, families, and visitors were engaged in adding their gratitude to the communal trees over a period of two months. The results of this investigation display the connecting power of the arts and explores the impact of environment in regard to an art enhanced hospital setting. The results of the study revealed …

Discovering How Dance/Movement Therapy And Movement-Based Therapies Aid Children Experiencing Embodied Grief, Laura Remillard

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Current studies in children’s grief and bereavement suggest that creative arts therapies support children through their healing process after experiencing the loss of a loved one. However, there is not much research to support the use of dance/movement therapy (DMT) or movement-based therapies with this specific population. This literature review explored children’s grief and bereavement and focused specifically on embodied grief--how and where grief is held in the physical body. Furthermore, this literature review expanded more on the use of DMT and movement-based therapies with children experiencing embodied grief, as well as expanded upon body-based approaches to help these individuals …

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 …

Do The Expressive Arts Therapies Aid In Identity Formation And Authenticity In The Latina Community? A Community Engagement Project, Amanda Bravo

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Identity reflections lie at the core of empowerment and take place in a variety of settings. Unfortunately, many of these settings are tailored to serve the majority group, as well as the individual running the exploration, leaving “others” left out. So how do we transform the “others” from a state of questioning “Who am I?” to an empowered state of declaring “Who I am!”?

This project explored how the use of art, dance movement, narrative, and the uniting of a group of ones can promote identity explorations and empowerment of self and others so that the state of “Who I …

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 …