Digital Commons Network^™

Becoming The Monster: The Use Of Monstrous Role With Queer Adults In A Partial Hospitalization Program, Zaira Boylan

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

There is an established history of horror genres being used as an allegory for otherness, especially in regard to queer identity. For much of western media history, these monstrous roles were one of the few ways queer individuals could see themselves in stories. While these depictions were primarily negative, queer people nevertheless found a way to positively identify with the experience of the monster. This positive identification with traditionally negative depictions inspired the creation of a role method-based intervention for use with queer adults in a partial hospitalization program. Two back-to-back 45-minute groups were conducted on two separate occasions to …

Using Animal As Metaphor In Drama Therapy With Psychiatric Patients In An Intensive Outpatient Program Group Therapy Session: An Intervention, Juliana Fort

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Drama therapy may be uniquely suited to help people with mental illness who have negative beliefs about what it means to be mentally ill. It focuses on helping the individual expand their sense of what a person with mental illness can be, as well as their awareness of the other roles they may play in their lives. In the current study, the author developed a drama therapy intervention for psychiatric patients in an intensive outpatient program (IOP). The intervention uses pre-made cards that depict images of various animals. During the intervention, the participants were asked to discuss how they handle …

Engaging Adolescents With Art: Exploring Experiences Between Two- And Three- Dimensional Media Among Teen Boys With Mental Health Needs, Clare Miller

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper explores how adolescents engage with two- and three-dimensional art materials during the creative process, in addition to the role of the therapist, the artmaking and other contributing factors that influence their experience. Using a humanistic, client-centered approach, these factors were explored with a focus on client strengths, positive regard, and client-led discussion. The literature provided insight around how people react to materials and how diverse materials can provide diverse art experiences, as well as how artmaking is used with vulnerable populations. The literature informed the research in how it analyzed, interpreted, and discussed the art and artmaking process. …

A Systemic Approach To Understanding Burnout Through The Lens Of The United States’ Professional Art Therapy (And Mental Health) Community: A Literature Review, Mary Welch

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Burnout among mental health counseling and art therapy professionals has long been an issue (Meyerson 1998; Prins et al., 2015; Yang & Hayes, 2020; Zeira 2021). While previous research into the causes and reduction of burnout have focused primarily on individual burnout, both in terms of psychology and workplace habits (Rollins et al. 2021), very few studies have been done examining the systemic, institutional, and cultural contributions to burnout in these professions. This paper aims to explore the connection between community standards and the current systems that intersect professional art therapy practice in the United States and the areas in …

Expressive Arts Therapy With Pregnant Adolescents In South Africa: Observations And Reflections On Intimate Partner Violence And Intergenerational Transmission Of Violence, Alexandra Zimeray

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper is based on a qualitative arts-based pilot research aiming at understanding pregnant adolescents, victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) in South Africa (SA) with the long-term goal to design a mental health service to support the adolescents and positively influence intergenerational transmission of violence. Through a literature review and the author’s observations and reflections, the relation between adolescent pregnancy, trauma, intimate partner violence and intergenerational transmission of violence is discussed and explored. This paper details the expressive arts interventions, the relevance of those interventions in relation to the prevention of intergenerational transmission of violence, and the experience of …

Healing Our Connection With Nature: An Expressive Arts Community Engagement Project, Meghan Mccrillis

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

A community engagement project was created and implemented, comprised of two events for which the author facilitated nature-based expressive arts experiences to explore the integration of nature and expressive arts therapy. The events were offered to two different groups of community members, one for nature-curious adults held outdoors on the trails of a local conservation trust, and another for young children at a local library. The healing impact of nature connection and nature connection experiences are explored through a literature review, event methods, and the author’s personal experiences of the project via artmaking. The results include an emphasis on nature …

The Queer God, Rodney Simpson

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis explores the impact of dance/movement therapy practices on the embodied healing experience of Black queer and LGBTQIA++ - identified people to heal from religious and spiritual trauma. Currently, there is limited research dedicated to the understanding of Blackness, queerness, and spirituality and the unique perspective dance/movement offers in combatting oppressive systems of religious trauma. Research is needed that acknowledges and amplifies the ways Black queer people have adapted, survived, and thrived. This literature review provides a discussion of historical contexts at the intersections of Blackness, queerness, and spirituality to engender a remembering, reclaiming, and reimagining of Black queer …

Exploring Multicultural Competency In International Art Therapy Student Through Art Journal Inquiry, Tanvi Kulkarni

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the multicultural competency of international art therapy students while working with the BIPOC population in the shelter setting by using the qualitative research study method. The research explores various art therapy tools that can be used to cultivate multicultural awareness among counselors in training and specific adaptations are required to provide a culturally sensitive multicultural curriculum for its successful application worldwide. The data was accumulated with weekly journal entries exploring various topics of multicultural competency areas over the five weeks while working with BIPOC clients. The findings suggest that the continuous reflection …

Prioritizing Bereavement In Counseling Education And Expressive Therapies: A Critical Review Of The Literature, Kayla Frazer

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Bereavement is a topic of clinical counseling that is limited in the education of clinical counselors. This is possibly due to bereavement not being a required course for state licensure or CACREP standards; thus, it stands as a lower priority for colleges/universities to offer a course in this subject. I sought to research new counselors’ perspectives on supporting clients who have experienced bereavement as they may not have had any foundational education on bereavement. Multiple articles have recommended that bereavement should be a prioritized course in master’s level counseling education. As an expressive arts therapy student and counselor in training, …

Movement In Meal Time: A Movement Observation Assessment For Individuals With Eating Disorders, Ellery Mills

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper advocates for the use of dance/movement therapy (DMT) as part of treatment for individuals with eating disorders, while also proposing a DMT based method of assessment to be used with clients during meal times. This assessment, based on elements of DMT movement observation techniques, works as a tool to analyze the client’s consumption behavior and level of risk, thus providing insight for treatment planning, goal setting, and themes for dance/movement therapy interventions. The proposed assessment was applied with an at-risk adolescent female during a lunch period in a school setting. The results of the assessment were then further …

Integrating Art Therapy And Narrative Therapy Through A Multicultural Lens, Vanessa Padilla

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis examines the impact and implications of integrating art therapy and narrative therapy within culturally competent counseling. Narrative therapy explores people’s stories in a larger collectivistic context, acknowledging how one’s identity is shaped by their history, culture, and relationship to others. Narrative therapy highlights the importance of an individual’s sense of self, their perceived life narrative, and how the process of constructing and reconstructing of these stories bridge their identity and culture. The integration of art therapy could help clients communicate their stories, adding depth through visual expression and the externalization of their problems and strengths. Research has shown …

Hypocrisy In Higher Education: Racism And Transphobia As Barriers And Harm In Mental Health, Tosh Chabot

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Mental health involves acts of naming and noticing, thus the hypocrisy of harm within mental health programs is explored and discussed through interpersonal and structural means. In a space that is meant for safety and care, inaccessibility, pejorative terminology, pathologizing identity, and exclusionary tactics are riddled throughout the layers of the mental health field. From campus, to literature, to different forms of therapy racism and transphobia work against non-dominant groups through interlocking forms of oppression. The centering of Western, White ideology is harmful to students in these programs, as well as the clients of BIPOC, QTBIPOC, and trans* communities. Mental …

Utilizing Collage To Address Disenfranchised Grief Amongst Older Adults Living With Dementia: A Method, Isabelle A. Olsson

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Grief is an inevitable part of the human experience as everyone encounters loss across the lifespan. However, some forms of grief go unrecognized or unvalidated leading to the disenfranchisement of the griever’s experience. Existing literature captures numerous experiences and approaches to addressing the grief of families and caretakers living with an individual diagnosed with dementia. However, little literature details the grief experiences of individuals diagnosed with dementia. Grief can go unrecognized amongst those living with dementia as they are often thought to be incapable of grief as a result of their memory loss and shift in cognition. This thesis explored …

The Value Of Craft Art In Exploring Identity, A Critical Review Of The Literature, Brooke Sicco

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Craft has a diverse application history, from making bracelets at summer camp to making clothes for a family. This variety of uses offers a higher opportunity for exposure to this type of art-making. It is crucial to consider familiarity in art-making to implement effective treatment that recognizes client experience and meets them where they are. Expressive arts therapy does not often include craft art. It could be beneficial for the field of expressive therapies to evaluate the therapeutic potential of craft art, given craft art’s cultural and social prominence. This study explores the therapeutic value of craft art within exploring …

Spirituality & Wellness In The Black Lgbtqia+ Experience: A Literature Review, Black Pruitt

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review explores the intersections of race, sexuality, spirituality, and wellness. The findings highlight the complex trauma caused by both racialized and religious violence and how they have historically impacted the lives of Black LGBTQIA+ people today. The research offers evidence for the benefit and efficacy of implementing traditional Afrodiasporic spirituality into expressive arts therapeutic treatment, particularly for Black LGBTQIA+ people and communities. This research also suggests the necessity for actively and effectively dismantling Western psychological frameworks and approaches that have been historically harmful towards Black and LGBTQIA+ people in order to pave pathways towards collective healing and liberation.

How Geek Therapy Plays Into Expressive Arts Therapy: A Literature Review, Caroline Bryan

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Within this paper, I explore how geek therapy plays well with the methods of expressive arts therapy. The combination of geek therapy and expressive arts therapy can assist clinicians in immediately connecting with their clients and identifying strength-oriented narratives that honor the client’s preferences, modes of expression, and pop culture affinities. This engagement with expressive approaches utilizing affinity-based interventions can lead to a deeper sense of understanding of the client’s intra-, inter-, and extra-personal relationships. Through this literature review of expressive arts therapy and geek therapy, primarily focusing on video games in therapy, clinicians from all walks of life can …

Dance Movement Therapy For Neurological Development In Ages 0-3: A Critical Review Of The Literature, Anna Rupert

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The effects of movement on neurodevelopment have been studied by many in both the psychology and neuroscience fields. However, there is a lack of research into the specific ways in which movement is being used to affect neurodevelopment and which specific types of movement most benefit neurodevelopment. This study aims to bridge that gap in the literature by investigating how movement impacts neurological development in infants aged 0-3. Research was pulled from peer reviewed journals using Lesley Library, Syracuse University Library, and Google Scholar and synthesized into four key categories: neurodevelopment in infants aged 0-3, impacts of experience and culture …

All You Knead Is Love, Donna Madoff

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis explores the development of a method to gain a deeper understanding of the process of making bread’s potential as art therapy. The Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC), mindfulness arts-based research, and neurobiological research provide the foundation for understanding the method. Lusebrink and Hinz's schematic framework, the ETC provides a therapeutic model for the applications of media in art therapy. Research posits that the three levels of the ETC, Kinesthetic/Sensory, Perceptual/Affective, and Cognitive/Symbolic reflect different functions and structures in the brain that process visual and affective information (Lusebrink, 2004). In addition, the application of new techniques in brain imaging has …

Phototherapy And Empowerment For People Living With Chronic Conditions, Lauren St John

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

An exploration of combining empowerment theory, photo-based art interventions, and hope-based interventions in a group setting and whether this method can reduce feelings of depression and anxiety and increase feelings of hope, power, and empowerment for those living with chronic conditions and chronic pain. The reviewed literature showed that hope-based art interventions, photo-based art interventions, and empowerment can increase feelings of hope and empowerment and decrease levels of depression and anxiety in people living with chronic conditions. I created a method that combined all three interventions in a group therapy setting where the participants completed the artwork between sessions and …

Benefits Of Expressive Arts In Coping With Anxiety For Inpatient Adolescents: Development Of A Method, Cecelia Fioriello

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Developmentally, adolescence is a period of change and for teens experiencing psychiatric crisis, these changes may be more difficult to manage. Adolescents admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit are often experiencing emotional or psychological crises and complex mental health needs. The arts-based intervention that took place aimed to seek the benefits of artmaking in coping with anxiety and stress for adolescents in a short-term psychiatric inpatient unit who all experience symptoms of anxiety. Patients, ages 12-18, participated in three expressive arts groups that used watercolor to encourage the use of arts-based interventions to cope with anxiety, encourage connections with peers …

Dance/Movement Therapy As A Transdisciplinary Approach To Treating Trauma, Destany Schadder

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis considers dance/movement therapy as a transdisciplinary approach to treating trauma in the body. It explains what the functions of the brain are, how trauma negatively affects it, and how posttraumatic stress disorder is expressed in both the body and the brain. It discusses multidisplinary approaches, it shows how these approaches leverage the body in treating trauma. Moreover, it demonstrates the benefits and advantages of a dance/movement therapist in supporting individuals who have experienced traumatic events. To achieve these goals, this thesis discusses research by neuroscientists, such as Damassio (1999), who maintain that the body and mind directly affect …

Using Art Therapy With Grieving Adolescents Through Telehealth: A Critical Review Of The Literature, Brenna Cole

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Grief is an inevitable part of the human experience. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, art therapists across the world were abruptly forced to adapt their services to an online model, most with little to no training on how to do so. Adolescents experienced death of loves ones and trauma at colossal rates. Legal and ethical issues arose as art therapists blindly began navigating this new terrain all while maintaining client caseloads. This literature review examines the strengths and limitations of the rising use of art therapy through telehealth with grieving adolescents. A search for literature on using art …

Building The Therapeutic Relationship With Youth Online Through Expressive Arts Therapy, A Literature Review, Miranda Sass

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online therapy is now a more permanent part of current therapeutic practice. The therapeutic relationship is also an essential part of mental health services, and while previous research has examined its formation both in-person and online, it has not been investigated thoroughly in its formation with youth in videoconferencing. Expressive arts therapy has also been studied in its relation to therapeutic relationship formation, youth, and videoconferencing, but not in relation to these elements in combination. This study addresses a gap in the literature by examining how expressive arts therapy can be used as a tool …

The Therapeutic Intersection Of Dance And Sport In Trauma, A Critical Review Of The Literature, Molly Rockwood

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Trauma is the psychological and physiological response to environmental triggers as a protective measure. Adolescents with trauma histories or trauma symptoms are introduced to new environments as they grow and mature into adulthood; however, without the appropriate skills or understanding, these maturing youth cannot appropriately adapt to new environments or communities without the activation of the autonomic nervous system and its protective behaviors (fight, flight, freeze, or fawn). Dance/movement therapy and sports-based therapies are two body-based modalities that utilize movement to engage youth in the therapeutic process and to treat trauma symptoms. This literature review explores the ways in which …

Epistemic Injustice, Endometriosis And Dance/ Movement Therapy: An Autoethnographic Investigation, Kevana West

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

As the field of dance/ movement therapy evolves to meet the demands of a rapidly changing social landscape, it is imperative that clinicians think critically about the degree to which our work is steeped in oppressive frameworks and ideologies. This investigation uses testimony to explore epistemic injustice as it relates to the author’s experience of living with endometriosis and the pursuit of professional licensure. Considering the limited amount of research on the condition, along with the perceived absence of literature within the field of dance/ movement therapy, further study is warranted. The experimentation phase of this research incorporated the use …

Toward A Co-Working Posture In Global Mental Health: A Literature Review On The Use Of Photovoice In Partnership With Forcibly Displaced Populations, Bethany Randolph

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

As of 2020, the number of forcibly displaced people in the world numbered 82.4 million. This radically diverse population, approximately one in every 95 people, only continues to burgeon as wars and conflicts send millions fleeing for their lives. Sadly, on top of the massive allostatic load endured by the forcibly displaced, many are then doubly harmed by global mental health professionals who lack insight into the culture and worldview of the fellow humans they serve. In an effort to support meaningful therapeutic work in the cross-cultural milieu, this paper presents a literature review inquiry into the purpose and …

Dance/Movement Therapy For Reducing Restraints In Inpatient Psychiatry: A Critical Review Of The Literature, Olivia Naya

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Physical restraints have been used as a means to control behavior that is harmful to self or others, often times stemming from diagnoses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Restraints physically manipulate the body, but also have negative effects on thoughts and feelings. Verbal calming has been an option to aid in de-escalation, but there has been growing research on the benefits of using dance/movement therapy to process and resolve extreme emotions. The aim of this literature review is to explore the important work of therapeutic movement in acute inpatient settings, utilizing the power of the mind-body connection. Through a …

Siblings Of Autism Spectrum Disorder And Art Therapy, Corinne Kelly

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Focusing on the neurotypically developing siblings of child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is essential in order to understand how the diagnosis affects the family overall. Sibling relationships are essential in how a person develops in their family system, but due to the symptoms of the ASD diagnoses there can be challenges. By using a family systems approach, the present literature review discusses adjustment in the neurotypically developing sibling, the roles they take on in their family, and how art therapy can be used to alleviate some stressors for both the child diagnosed with ASD and their neurotypically developing …

Pool-Based Dance/Movement Therapy With An Elder Population: A Literature Review, Jabyn Cleere

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) is used widely with elders, yet little is known about the sub-field of pool-based therapy. Specific practices in DMT with elders appear in the literature with groups and individuals and uses of props that support issues of balance. While pool-based DMT literature is limited, there is a body of knowledge in related fields that tie closely to the idea of this approach. While implementing treatment in a pool setting may be limiting due to fears or ability, the literature review revealed that using pool DMT would benefit elderly health. Benefits to physical aspects such as balance, muscular …

Potential Of The Arts To Promote Healing From The Social Effects Of Covid-19, Caroline Carr

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

For children, the global COVID-19 pandemic can result in less socialization, changing family dynamics, and hearing of or experiencing death around them. These changes may cause adverse effects on their development, economic status, and mental health. Posttraumatic growth can help children develop new pathways of understanding themselves, their world, and relationships with others. Expressive arts therapies (EAT) offer an alternative, creative way to attract and help heal children. Dance/movement therapy (DMT) is an established alternative treatment for mental health. As a form of therapeutics for traumatic events, DMT uses the mind–body connection to express emotions, thoughts, and dreams and produce …