Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Resilience Fostering Music Therapy: Developing A Music Based Method For Children And Adolescents Experiencing Short-Term Psychiatric Hospitalization, Nataly Kruh

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The implementation of music therapy within short-term psychiatric treatment programs for children and adolescents is in its beginning stages. In an attempt to develop a method which informed the profession and remained authentic to this writer’s approach as a clinician and emerging researcher, a two-part intervention protocol was developed within a resilience fostering framework, and through a culturally sensitive and trauma informed lens. Fostering resilience was defined in terms of increasing distress tolerance, increasing insight, and the use of coping skills. The implementation of the group on-site protocol intervention showed promising results specifically in promoting music as a coping skill …

The Use Of Art Therapy To Address Attachment In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hilary Holmes

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The rate of diagnosis for Autism Spectrum Disorder has grown exponentially within the last few years. With that has come a need for more comprehensive understanding of the disorder and appropriate tools and methods for treatment. This paper aims to review critical research focused on the relationship between Autism Spectrum Disorder, the development of attachment styles in children and how Expressive Arts Therapy can be used in therapeutic treatment to support the development of secure attachment and healthy and appropriate social skills within the Autism population. The literature reviewed within this paper synthesizes a body of information including topics such …

Place-Based Intercultural Liminality And The Potential Of Art Therapy In Cultural Identity Negotitations, Adee Benartzy

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This research, in the form of a literature review, offers a broad discussion of the factors of identity formation related to the complex negotiations of place-bound intercultural liminality, a phenomenon resultant of developmentally early experiences of multiple relocations and exposure to a multiplicity of competing cultural frames of reference without the establishment of a secure cultural home. Moreover, it serves to propose art therapy as a fitting therapeutic technique for intervention for this population due to the inherent qualities of this form of psychotherapy. This would ideally be as a proactive approach to realizing the benefits of a highly cross-cultural …

Gaming Intentionally: A Literature Review Of The Viability Of Role-Playing Games As Drama-Therapy-Informed Interventions, Jonathan Mendoza

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGS) and live-action role-playing (LARP) games have recently risen in popularity in the cultural zeitgeist with the advent of popular gaming shows like Critical Roll and The Adventure Zone, as well as popular media like Community and Stranger Things. While some literature exists linking the concepts of roleplaying to theater and psychotherapy in the pursuit of deeper game design, little exists that attempts to bridge the gap by examining the potential of role-playing games (RPGs) as therapeutic tools informed by drama therapy practices and theories. This literature review provides a brief overview of basic RPG …

Exploring Effects Of Improvisation In Expressive Arts Therapy With Children: Development Of A Method, Buneshte Hakhamaneshy

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

In the domain of therapeutic approaches, rich literature exists for trauma-informed expressive therapies and improvisational expressive therapies. However, there is very little research combining the two perspectives, especially in the case of children. Research in the field of improvisation states it can be beneficial in helping individuals broaden their capacity to learn, play and engage with others, but the field of trauma informed expressive therapies does not take from this body of knowledge. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the effects of improvisational expressive arts therapy with children. The approach was qualitative, multimodal and trauma-informed, using various …

Expressive Arts Workshop: The Relationship Between Educators & Trauma-Informed Care, Courtney Muttart

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

From an early age, children are put into the educational system and this environment becomes one of the most consistent surroundings throughout the beginning and later chapters of their lifespan. Within some classrooms, some children present an abundance of cognitive and emotional behaviors such as inattentiveness, impulse control, and limited coping skills that, in some cases, are representations of trauma responses. Research explores the topic of trauma-informed schools and other frameworks that bring the role of the educator to attention when addressing the needs of children who have experienced trauma. I found that facilitating an Expressive Arts & Trauma workshop …

Considerations Of The Ethical Guidelines For Touch In Dance/Movement Therapy, Natalie Sagartz

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) took strides by including the subject of touch in its most recent edition of ethical guidelines. This literature review evaluates the themes provided by the ADTA’s code of ethics, drawing on the wealth of information from psychotherapy-adjacent fields including cultural anthropology, social psychology, nursing, and neuroscience. The goal of this literature review is to consider the practical and ethical implications of touch in therapy and encourage dialog on the topic. It is every therapist’s ethical duty to self-reflect on personal views or biases around touch. The following review provides a starting point for such …

Collage Therapy With Elders: Group Socialization And Communication Beyond Words, Cassandra Knowles-True

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

Dementia is a cognitive disease which impacts a person’s ability to verbally communicate and to emotionally socialize due to degeneration of the brain. Nonpharmacological approaches to dementia care have become more common as we look for more holistic approaches to caring for the entire person, and not just the brain functions and limitations. A new focus on the social and emotional needs of individuals with dementia has led to the use of expressive arts therapies, as therapeutic interventions in dementia care, in many nursing homes and senior centers. Collage therapy is particularly accessible, as an arts-based intervention, as the …

Deathucation: On Childhood Bereavement And Drama Therapy, Morgan Price

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review is on childhood bereavement and drama therapy. The author examines current theories of childhood bereavement, including the chronic sorrow model, the duel process coping model, the tasks of grieving, and a three-part model that looks at significant mitigating factors relating to the death of a loved one. Efficacy of bereavement interventions is discussed. An in-depth look the current literature shows what children need from bereavement interventions. The history of drama therapy and childhood bereavement is also discussed. This paper concludes with a discussion on themes that are identified in the research as being helpful to bereavement including …

Burnout Treatment And Prevention Using Multimodal Expressive Arts Therapy In Massachusetts Wellness Programs., Amanda Medas

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

This capstone thesis will explore the issue of burnout in the field of mental health and the argument for the promotion of using expressive arts as a therapeutic component to decrease and prevent symptoms of burnout. The writer of this thesis will be sharing her personal experiences with burnout while working in the field of mental health. The researcher will review a multimodal expressive arts self-study that she engaged in over the course of one month and will be using the Maslach Burnout Inventory to track symptoms of burnout. Burnout and its prevalence in the field of mental health …

Songwriting A Short Song Of Meaning With Adults With Severe Mental Illness: A Development Of A Method, Shari Hallas

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper describes a method of writing a short song of meaning with a group of adults with severe mental illness. To motivate patients to complete a song, the method explores combining improvisation and lyric writing with an element of meaningfulness within a single session. Adding improvisation is inspired by music-centered music therapy, where experiences of expression and connection take place in the music making. Resource-oriented music therapy influenced my providing choices for creative expression and recognizing different stages of song achievement. Literature shows reoccurring themes for music therapy, songwriting, and improvisation and drumming benefitting individuals with severe mental illness. …

A Proposed Music Therapy Protocol For Trauma-Informed, Culturally Aware Practice With Migrants At The Us-Mexico Border, Mackenzie K. Conner

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper reviews current literature surrounding therapeutic work done with the migrant population and considers it through the lens of future music therapy interventions to be done at the United States (US)-Mexico border. The migration process across the US-Mexico border is often filled with danger and treachery, leading to trauma responses, such as depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder. These traumatic experiences are augmented even further if there is a detention period or separation of families. In work reported by psychotherapists, counselors, and expressive arts therapists, there is often a focus of building empowerment, resilience, and coping skills. Yet …

Emotional Regulation & Therapeutic Rapport With Adolescents: Exploring The Effectiveness Of The Expressive Therapies Continuum, Kasey Larsen

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Art therapy is a beneficial service for adolescents who face obstacles connecting emotionally, behaviorally, and academically. Creative techniques and therapeutic rapport can facilitate connection with the self, focus, and emotional regulation. Teens, especially struggling with mental health, often have difficulty functioning in the average public-school setting. Research supports a positive correlation to art therapy services and effectiveness in a school setting. The intention of this capstone was to test the effectiveness of the expressive therapies continuum (ETC) in supporting emotional regulation with two high school girls in a therapeutic day school. The method of research includes a pre-, post-, and …

Healing The Body Through Awareness, And Expression: The Polyvagal Theory And The Expressive Arts In Therapy With Women Who Have Been Abused, Giselle Bonilla

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

There are women who are survivors of abuse who aren’t receiving the appropriate therapeutic treatment. These survivors are not healing from their trauma that is held in their bodies. This is a literature review on the polyvagal theory, and the expressive arts in therapy with women who’ve been abused while also integrating intersectionality. The review further explores the most appropriate ways to implement the polyvagal theory in therapy with survivors, as well as the expressive arts. The review explores body-oriented therapeutic interventions as well; Specific interventions include, autonomic art mapping, show and tell, musical mapping, and movement, which the body …