Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

The Efficacy Of Journal Writing In Assisting Survivors Of Sexual Trauma Towards Post-Traumatic Growth, Claire Creely

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Along with a cultural shift in the United States to advocate against sexual assault, there is an increase in literature suggesting clinical interventions to promote transformation following trauma by sexual assault. Historically, research and clinical application has focused on post-traumatic stress disorder, but there is an increase in literature that encourages clinical intervention following trauma to encourage survivors to intercept symptoms of post-traumatic stress and transform their experience into post-traumatic growth. Journal writing therapy may be an efficient, evidence-based therapeutic technique for encouraging this transformation towards post-traumatic growth.[k1] A review of the literature on writing therapy practice and post-traumatic …

A Match Made In Mental Health: An Exploration In Using Drama Therapy As An Adjunct Therapy Paired With Psychoeducation, Natalie Doyle

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This project focuses on the use of drama therapy as an adjunct therapy with psychoeducation to increase insight, engagement, and information retention with adults who are managing severe mental illness. The facilitator (this writer) utilized drama therapy and psychoeducation to aid adult clients (20-75years of age) in a goal-setting group. It was conducted with a mixed diagnoses group in a community mental health agency partial care program. The group was made up of English speaking only, Spanish speaking only, and bi-lingual clients. Most of the clients receive government benefits such as Medicaid, SSI, etc. The study took place over the …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Performance As Therapy And Its Role In Community Healing: A Literature Review, Hannah Reclam

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Performance has developed and shifted into therapeutic intent by defining drama therapy, therapeutic theater, and applied theater for the purposes of community growth and healing (Boehm & Boehm, 2003). The cathartic principles of therapy, audience role, and performative story telling support this lens of community alliance (Sajnani, 2013). Further exploration of the specific impact behind each of these modalities of performance work is needed to support its role in community healing. Research collected within this thesis included peer reviewed articles, dissertations, chapters, and other applied quantitative and qualitative studies, including arts-based research. The use of various methods within drama therapy …

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 …

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 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 …

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 …

School-Based Interventions And Art Therapy For Children Exposed To Trauma, Danielle Fearon

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review examined childhood trauma as a growing public health issue in the United States. Childhood trauma or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can lead to negative health outcomes. Adults who were exposed to trauma early in life may face challenges such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, intimate partner violence, incarceration, obesity, and low work performance. ACEs impact key areas of development when toxic levels of stress hormones are repeatedly released in the brain. Negative outcomes for traumatized children include struggling with social relationships, difficulty with emotional regulation, low academic achievement, and behavioral problems. Grounded in child-centered therapy and an …

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.

How Can Expressive Therapies Help With Grieving And Loss? A Literature Review, Mary Louise Purves

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review surveys different expressive therapies interventions (ET) for grief and loss. There are examples from all major modalities in the ET continuum. Loss in this context is defined as the loss of someone important in one’s life (a child, a parent etc.). Two of the articles sited grapple with community loss whereby a community of people lost something of great value to them. The urge to create can be present for many people when they are grieving, and ET offers a therapeutic method of channeling this creativity. Mourning rituals that already exist can be linked to ET interventions. …

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 …

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 …

“I Am Not Deaf”: Art-Based Participatory Action Research With Refugee Women From Burma, Hillary Rubesin

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

There are currently over 65 million displaced people across the world. Refugee women present a unique subset of those displaced. These women often struggle with “triple trauma,” but these complex issues can go unvoiced and unaddressed as the women work to hold their families together in the midst of shifting landscapes and shifting gender roles and cultural norms. The following study demonstrates how the arts can offer refugee women an opportunity to express themselves and process complex issues in effective, creative, accessible, therapeutic, and cross-cultural ways. It details the process and explores the impact of an art-based participatory action research …

Commencement Program: 2018, Governors State University

Commencement Documents and Videos

Jamal McPherson and Jerry David-EL delivered the Student Addresses.

Justin Smith and Simone Jones delivered the First Class 14 Addresses.

Carol Marin, Don Moseley, Martin R. Castro received the Honorary Doctor of Human Letters Degree.

The Career Trajectory And Ambitions Of Women Chief Student Affairs Officers, Mariel Pagan

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study was inspired by a simple question: Why are there so few women leaders at the highest levels of higher education? The 2017 American Council on Education (ACE) American College President Study reported that only 30.1 % of presidencies were held by women in 2016. As the retirements of institutional leaders upsurge in the next few years, there will be increased demand for leadership in colleges and universities. Higher education needs more women prepared to assume executive leadership roles, both to fill the openings from anticipated presidential retirements and to provide their leadership as decision makers at all levels …

Domestic Violence, Cognition And The Church, Melissa Ponce-Rodas, Karl G. D. Bailey

Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association

Recognizing and building upon the advances the church has made, regarding raising awareness of DV as a problem for our members and our congregations, this session will utilize a cognitive model to inform next steps to inform behavioral change efforts. A multi-step model, building on current change efforts in our churches and communities, will be discussed.

Adventist Views On Creation, John Gavin, William Ellis, Curtis J. Vanderwaal

Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association

Abstract – Where do Adventist laity stand on the controversial issue of Creation and teaching Creation science in public schools? Key findings from a survey of Adventists and one of Adventist pastors in 2016 addressing these questions are shared along with comparisons by demographics and implications for the church.

Data Make A Difference! (Sometimes), David Sedlacek, Rene Drumm, Alina M. Baltazar, Duane C. Mcbride

Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association

This presentation offers an overview of three studies dealing with pastor family stress in the North American Division. Using these large-scale endeavors as a case study, the research team delineates the study outcomes, the known ways that these data have driven system change, and enumerates barriers that prevent data from having greater impacts in the SDA Church.

Student’S Perceptions Of Spiritual Preparedness And Contribution To Their Community Following An Emergency Preparedness Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Simulation, Elizabeth J. Scott, Ronda M. Christman, Sonia K. Wrate, Rebecca Retzer, Laura Racovita, Faith A. Laughlin, Leslie Ann Schwarazer, Cynthia F. M. Gettys, Maureen Baksh-Griffin

Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association

This presentation highlights findings from a study exploring student perceptions of spirituality and contributing to their community after participating in an emergency preparedness interprofessional simulation. Mixed methods were utilized and an online survey was emailed to a convenience sample (N=338). The majority self-reported they can better contribute to their community.

Student’S Understand Their Care Role And Have The Ability To Provide Care Following A Multi Patient Collaborative Practice Simulation, Barbara James, Ronda M. Christman, Christina Shrode, Laura Racovita-Szilagyi, Caroline T. Mcarthur, Sonia Wrate, Christy Showalter, Leslie Ann Schwarazer, Michael Liedke, Christine A. Moniyung, Jill Buchholz

Adventist Human-Subject Researchers Association

This presentation highlights findings from a study exploring student perceptions after participating in a Multi Patient Interprofessional Collaborative Practice simulation. Mixed methods were utilized and an online survey was emailed to a convenience sample (N = 81). The majority self-reported they understand their care role and abilities to provide care.

Relational Spirituality: An Opportunity For Social Work In Long-Term Care, Ann M. Callahan

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Aim

Sandage and Shults (2007) suggest that “all spirituality can be viewed as relational” (p. 263). Likewise, according to Heyse-Moore (1996), “we exist to relate to each other and if we do not our spirit dries up within us like a desert” (p. 307). Spirituality reflects our “innate human yearning for meaning through intra-, inter-, and transpersonal connectedness” (Belcher & Griffiths, 2005, p. 272). If spirituality is the experience of meaningful relationships, then it is important to understand what relationships are meaningful to clients. These relationships are particularly important in long-term care.

Background

Long-term care involves a network of relationships …

2018 Commencement Program, Whittier College

Commencement Programs

Whittier College's One-Hundred Fifteenth Annual Commencement, May 18, 2018

Commencement Address: Casey Ho '09, Fitness Entrepreneur

A Literature Review On How Landy's Role Theory And Role Method Might Be Used To Develop Alternative Roles In Individuals With Decreased Or No Mobility, Chabreah Alston

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Research regarding drama therapy with the physically disabled population was published over 20 years ago, detailing the use of guided imagery and storytelling with this population. There is a lack of information available about specific drama therapy techniques and theories used with this population. In addition to the previous statement, there is a lack of therapeutic services available to this population. Robert Landy’s Role Theory and Role Method in drama therapy, uses a taxonomy of roles that consists of a health classification with the role type of Physically Disabled or Deformed (see also Beast), and a role subtype of Deformed …

Barriers To School-Based Parent Involvement While Living In Public Housing: A Mother’S Perspective, Stephanie Lechuga-Peña, Daniel Brisson

The Qualitative Report

Parent involvement is associated with child academic outcomes, positive behaviors, and social skills. This qualitative study explored school-based parent involvement barriers experienced by nine low-income mothers. In-depth interviews were used to collect data from mothers participating in a community-based program offered in a large public housing neighborhood. Findings included three main barriers: (a) cultural and language differences in their children’s school, (b) undertones of racism from teachers and parents, and (c) being the primary caregiver or sole provider for their children. Although all parents experience challenges to school involvement, low-income mothers face additional obstacles preventing them from engaging in their …

Social Work Advances In National Rankings Of Top Master's Programs, Sarah Sapp

University of Mississippi News

U.S. News and World Report ranks UM at No. 62 among public universities

Ending The Cycle: Human Rights Violations And The Opportunity Gap Against Black And African American Students, Noorafi Almajid

Master's Projects and Capstones

The purpose of this field project is to offer people an individual tool that can be used to develop critical consciousness by understanding the cycle of socialization, and within this context, racial bias/racialized practices against Black students. Through structuring an undergraduate college level course that teaches students about the Cycle of Socialization in relation to race and racialized bias, students will learn about how their early learnings, institutional and cultural influences have socialized certain ideas of race. Furthermore, this field project tackles how the U.S. education system violates Black student’s human right to equal access to quality education and creates …