Digital Commons Network^™

Effectiveness Of Digital Response Art, Anya Kavanaugh

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This study looks at the effectiveness of digital media to create response art and deepen attunement with adolescent clients as well as develop self-awareness in the therapist. An arts- based qualitative heuristic self-study was used to analyze data gathered over a six-week period. The subject was the researcher/therapist and the data was gathered during the second-year practicum while working with adolescents at a non-public school. Data was gathered through a process of creating two post-session response artworks using video, animation, or digital drawing and a written reflection for each artwork. Nine artworks and eight written reflections were created in total. …

The Study Of Neurological Response In Art Therapy And Trauma: A Literature Review, Kristin Weber

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This review will focus on neurological research and art therapy practice to consider benefits of the integration of science and the creative therapies. These topics will be addressed through a trauma informed theoretical lens, focusing on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury diagnoses in the US military veteran population. Arts-based, qualitative, and quantitative research were correlated within this review to discover links between neurology and art therapy’s unique impact on trauma, and the outcome of combining these practices. The conclusions found that, with limited research connecting these two fields, there is a possibility for enhanced trauma treatment through the …

Expressive Mindfulness: A Trauma-Sensitive Expressive Arts Therapy Group Method, Meghan Daly

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Mindfulness and expressive arts therapy are both supportive of directing attention in a manner that promotes integration and function of a person. In this paper, a trauma-sensitive method was created for use in a day treatment setting for adults with severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI). This method utilized expressive movement, visual art making with three different materials, and creative writing to encourage mindful, non-judgmental acceptance of the present moment; a sense of relaxation; and an overall increase in quality of life. During development of the method arts-based research informed the choice of materials, music, and structure of the group. …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Quantitative Assessments In Art Therapy Research With Patients With Cancer In A Medical Setting, Jill Levenberg

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This paper uses a qualitative approach to explore quantitative assessment tools and their use in art therapy research with patients with cancer. An archival method was used to gather articles on cancer research which were compiled from peer-reviewed journal articles available online. The author used a systematic analysis to select articles that met the specific research criteria of working with cancer patients in a medical setting, included the implementation of art therapy, and the administration of a pre- and post-test. Twenty-two quantitative assessments fit these criteria. Further exploration was conducted on the five most common assessment tools. These five assessments …

Circus Arts As Expressive Arts Therapy, Anna Meilman

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone thesis investigates therapeutic benefits of circus arts, such as juggling, trapeze, acrobatics, and more, in the context of expressive arts therapy. Circus arts are inherently interdisciplinary, combining numerous creative modalities together, which makes them ripe for incorporating into intermodal expressive therapy. Likewise, the field of expressive arts therapy was built on a foundation of drawing in diverse perspectives and theories. In this paper, circus interventions are examined through the framework of three methods of engaging in creative therapies, which include arts as healing, arts as therapy, and arts in therapy. Literature reviewed on the subject includes history and …

Mind In Hand, Anna Olson

Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Papers

This thesis explores the intersection of art and psychology as it manifests in my art practice, particularly in the medium of weaving. The contemporary frameworks of memory and archive provide the basis of this discussion, as well as findings from the field of Art Therapy. Difficult emotions like loss and grief often show up in my work, and I will discuss how artists like Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Sophie Calle also utilize these concepts. In weaving, I capture my internal mental states, memories, and perceptions of the future in a variety of found and gifted objects. Guided by the precedents set …

Art Therapy And Art History Theories, An Inquiry, Hannah L. Masters

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This research uses critical theory inquiry with interviews and arts-based research to explore biases about art making in clinical art therapy practice. The literature review establishes an historical link between theoretical tenets in fields of art therapy and art history. Participants are chosen from experts in the fields of art therapy and art history. Interviews explore what art making means to each participant, utilizing both verbal and arts-based processing. The data is condensed through coding and arts-based reflection, and seven emergent themes are identified. The themes are checked with the participants for accuracy. The findings of the paper integrate the …

Anxious?: Re-Designing Women’S Jewelry To Help Manage Symptoms Of Anxiety Disorders, Nourbanu Feras Hijazi

Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety is a common and often stigmatized condition. Destigmatizing mental disorders can positively impact people’s interaction and communication with others and can prompt conversations in which people share their experiences with mental health, leading to improved societal understanding and perception.

My design solution tackles behavioral symptoms of anxiety, specifically two conditions that fall under obsessive-compulsive behavior: Dermatillomania and Trichotillomania. By redesigning women’s jewelry to specialized accessories, my intention is for these objects to help destigmatize these conditions and relieve symptoms of maladaptive behaviors and hurtful impulses. By redirecting these irresistible urges to an external artifact, the objects are designed to …

Therapeutic Benefits Of Art Therapy With Adults Who Have Traumatic Brain Injury With Depression And/Or Anxiety, Guadalupe Flores

Undergraduate Honors College Theses 2016-

This honors college thesis is about how art therapy can impact depression and/or anxiety with Traumatic Brain Injury(TBI). Traumatic Brain Injury is a direct blow or penetrating object to the head that was caused by acceleration, deceleration or direct force. TBI can impact quality of life emotionally, physicality and their cognition. Depression is one of the most common diagnosis within TBI clients, about thirty-three percent of the population are diagnosed with depression post one year from their accidents (Driskell, Starosta, & Brenner, 2016). Anxiety is the second most common diagnosis within TBI clients. The art therapy interventions that are developed …

Opening Minds Through Art: Engaging Art Agencies To Foster Community Participation And Commitment, Ashlyn Cunningham

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Opening Minds through Art [OMA] is a visual arts program for individuals with dementia which aims to enhance the quality of life for individuals living with dementia, as well as their caregivers, through a creative opportunity held within their own community. The intent of this project was for community art agencies and galleries to participate in dementia-specific training to develop programming for individuals with dementia so that clients with memory needs can actively engage in the creative arts in St. Louis. This project used a pre-post design to analyze perceptions regarding arts based programming with people who have memory …

A Wilderness And Art Therapy Program For Children With Social Concerns, Ashlynn C. Wardle

Honors Projects

For my honors project, I created an alternative therapy program for children with special needs. Activities were designed to support children with varied needs such as children with autism, ADHD, or learning disabilities. The program utilizes the most successful factors from the fields of art therapy, wilderness therapy, special education, applied behavior analysis, and speech and language therapy the program to form age appropriate, educational, and fun art and wilderness opportunities.

Using Interpersonal Process Recall (Ipr) To Examine The Effects Of Equine Assisted Activities On The Personal And Professional Development Of Student Therapists, Dianna Isabel Giraldez

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The Introduction to Equine Assisted Family Therapy course offered at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) provides Master’s and Doctoral level student therapists the opportunity to learn how to conduct an equine session and how to utilize horses as part of the therapeutic process. Students learn about the underlying theories and framework behind the equine activities and methodology, as well as participate in the equine activities themselves. For the purpose of this study, classroom discussions centered around processing the students’ experiences and were further enriched by viewing photographs and videos that had been taken of the students conducting the equine activities. The …

Addressing Mental Health Disorders And Hiv Vulnerability Of Marginalized Adolescents In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Nrupa Jani, Lung Vu, Sam Kalibala, Gebeyehu Mekonnen, Kay Lynn

HIV and AIDS

Ethiopia is experiencing an increasingly urban, female-centered HIV epidemic alongside a rise in rural migration of adolescents to Addis Ababa. Often these migrants are confronted by social challenges such as lack of education, inadequate housing, unstable employment conditions, and physical and sexual abuse. These difficult living circumstances contribute to psychological and mental health problems among these adolescents, potentially putting them at greater risk of acquiring HIV. However, knowledge about how targeted mental health interventions can impact HIV-related outcomes worldwide, and in Ethiopia, remains limited. The goal of this study was to pilot test a strategy for addressing mental health problems, …

Balancing Act: Successfully Combining Creativity And Accountability In The Practice Of Marriage And Family Therapy, Nathalie Duque Bello

Department of Family Therapy Dissertations and Applied Clinical Projects

The conditions that allowed early MFTs the freedom to creatively explore different interventions and theories of change are no longer available in today’s mental health care system. Although there are many benefits to the structure of managed behavioral healthcare organizations, a thorough review of the literature demonstrates that many therapists working in managed care agencies struggle with maintaining their theoretical creativity, claiming third-party payers’ service requirements and paperwork a barrier to their creativity. A phenomenological transcendental research method was utilized to understand the phenomenon of successfully combining creativity and accountability in the practice of marriage and family therapy from the …

Identification Of Effective Play Techniques For Use With Children In A Outpatient Mental Health Clinic, Jan Schwarzrock

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research project was to identify which play techniques are the most effective and produce good outcomes for children. Children enter therapy for a number of reasons to improve their emotional and cognitive wellbeing, however engaging them can be challenging. During a therapeutic session, children use play to share experiences through the toys they choose, whereas adults verbally express themselves. The Allina Health/NUMC Outpatient Therapy Department was interested in the identification of play techniques that they could be used to enhance their work with children with the intent to explore the impact of using play techniques on …

The Impact Of Visual Art-Making On The Brain, Christopher Belkofer

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

Although advancements in neuroscience research have informed the rationale of various art therapy interventions and explanatory frameworks, almost no empirical evidence exists as to how art therapy impacts the brain. Utilizing research that supports the QEEG (quantitative electroencephalogram) as a means for measuring the impact of therapeutic interventions, the brain activity of 10 participants was recorded before and after creating a spontaneous drawing. Each participant, who had 20 minutes to create an image of their choice using oil pastels, was asked to describe their image and their process. Paired t tests (p < .05) and z scores were calculated to compare relative …

Exploring The Sibling Relationship Through Art Therapy: A Case Study, Laura Michalski

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The sibling relationship is said to be the longest relationship most individuals will share; therefore, it is surprising to see that most sibling research has been conducted within the confines of family studies with few studies focusing solely on the children’s bond with each another. Because the majority of the United States’ population has at least one sibling, this is a topic that calls for further research. Studies have shown that the quality of a relationship between siblings has the ability to influence individual growth, the sibling bond, social skills, self-esteem, depression, and aggression. However, when observing or conducting interventions …

Art As Occupation: A Phenomenological Study Of Art As A Means Of Self-Expression For An Individual Recovering From Severe Physical, Sexual, And Ritual Abuse, Raina Kay Remole

Online Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study presents an in-depth exploration of one individual's retrospective account of using art over approximately ten years in Occupational Therapy (OT) intervention while recovering from severe abuse with a diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). After an extensive literature review, the qualitative data was gathered during thorough semi-structured interviews using conference calls and correspondence through e-mail with the participant. Data analysis involved horizontalization of narrative data resulting in the dissemination of meaning units. From these a textual and structural description of the participant's individual experience emerged through self-reflection and discussion of meaning units with the participant and outside …

Art Therapy Student Placement : Challenge And Opportunity?, Niamh Kennedy

Theses

The purpose of this research project is to explore the sector of Student Placement as it forms a significant part of the training programme on the MA in Art Therapy in Cork. The study aims to assess the effectiveness of this part of the educational process for trainees and investigate the impact the Clinical Placement experience has on Student Art Therapists.

By reflecting on the advancement of Art Therapy in our neighbouring isle and exploring the growth of Art Therapy as a profession in the Republic of Ireland, this study aims to chronicle a more recent Irish history of Art …

Art Therapy And Sensory Stimulation To Decrease Agitation: A Pilot Study, Leslie Cristen Lavergne

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Dementia affects 1% of older adults in America between the ages of 65 and 74 years, and increases to 10% in those 85 years and older. The cognitive and behavioral symptoms of dementia may restrict an individuals ability to perform activities of daily living, such as self-care, memory, and language. The literature supports the premise that individuals who have dementia can benefit from a treatment approach that focuses on medication regulation, as well as mental stimulation. This study was an art therapy and sensory stimulation intervention designed to reduce agitation, a common non-cognitive symptom of dementia. This study included five …

Characteristics Of Human Figure Drawings Created By Students With Learning Disabilities, Monika L. Isip

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Previous research concerning the artistic indicators of learning disabilities has yielded inconsistent results. Children with learning disabilities comprise a heterogeneous population, with diverse strengths and challenges. There has been a lack of research on the graphic indicators of learning disabilities, which takes this diversity into account. This study aimed at exploring the characteristics of Human Figure Drawings (HFDs) created by students with learning disabilities.

The study examined the HFDs of 2 Virginia Beach Public School 2nd graders who were identified by their parents as having learning disabilities; one child’s disability was described as being a decoding deficit and the other …

The Effectiveness Of Stimulation Therapy For The Cognitively Impaired Elderly, Sylvia H. Old

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

The effectiveness of stimulation therapy for the cognitively impaired elderly living in an institution was assessed. Residents with varying degrees of cognitive impairment were treated with twenty, thirty-minute daily periods of reality orientation, reminiscence, resocialization, remotivation, and other stimulating therapies and were compared with a control group_ receiving no intervention. Treatment effects were assessed with a variety of instruments reflecting functioning across several domains. Included were ability to perform both basic self-care functions and activities of daily living, cognitive performance, affect, and satisfaction with the care received and the living environment in the nursing home. The experimental group was divided …