Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Evaluating Standardized Assessments’ Ability To Capture Lived Experience Of Cancer Patients And Survivors In Art Therapy Groups, Lara Desanto, Sarah Han, Cecilia Sánchez

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores the use of quantitative assessments typically used in research to evaluate experiences of cancer patients and survivors receiving group art therapy services. Literature exploring program evaluation as a methodology, how current research selects standardized measurement tools for the evaluation of art therapy interventions with adult cancer patients and survivors, and on the efficacy of art therapy with this population is reviewed.

Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from four participants, who were clients in two eight-week art therapy groups. Quantitative data were collected in the form of pre- and post-test measurements using six commonly used standardized quality …

Death Anxiety, Artmaking And The Facilitation Of Death Discourse, Heather Conley

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

Discussion about death, known as death discourse, has been historically limited to the confines of the palliative care, elderly and hospice arenas (Bradshaw, 1996; Granek, 2013; Safrai, 2013; Zimmerman, 2012). This study examined the impact of artmaking on facilitating death discourse in college-aged students from a midwestern United States campus. A mixed methods design was implemented in which participants completed the Communication Apprehension about Death Scale (CADS; Carmack & DeGroot, 2016), an artmaking directive addressing feelings about death, followed by a Post-Artmaking Reflection about their artwork. Following a 10-day time period after the artmaking session, participants were re-administered the CADS …

Art-Making During A Global Pandemic: A Collaborative Autoethnography, Caitlin Carey, Parisa Frost, Jon Harguindeguy, Sarah Heller, Susan Lee, Christina Smith, Eva Wang

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Between March 11, 2020 and May of 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) counted over 100 million cases of COVID-19, resulting in three million deaths worldwide (WHO, 2021). In order to examine the effects of art-making on social and psychological well-being, seven graduate students from the Marital and Family Art Therapy Program at LMU conducted the following study utilizing a qualitative, arts-based research approach through collaborative autoethnography (CAE). The research question — What are the effects of personal art-making on well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic? — was posed by the seven graduate student authors. The data revealed that pandemic-time art-making …

An Art Therapist's Use Of Art Making As Self Care In Pediatric Medicine, Emily Hargraves

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This heuristic research project examines my personal use of art making as a form of self-care while interning in a pediatric hospital. The review of the literature investigates the concept of self-care and the use of art making as a therapeutic outlet for working art therapists, for professionals in the healthcare field, and for art therapy students working specifically in hospital settings. The literature suggests that self-care is a necessary process, that self-care is not just for the physical self, but also for one’s mental health. The literature also indicates that art therapists have found that art making as a …

Exploring The Efficacy Of The Helen B. Landgarten Art Therapy Clinic’S Transition To Telehealth During Covid-19, Brittany Benjamin Amante, Alejandra Hernandez, Emily Lin, Amanda D. Martin, Chao Zhao

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This research qualitatively explores the impacts of the Helen B. Landgarten Art therapy Clinic’s transition to art therapy telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this research was to explore the efficacy of interventions and the clinical themes that emerged as a result of telehealth art therapy services delivered to marginalized communities through the Helen B. Landgarten Art Therapy Clinic. Data that was collected includes anonymous surveys from administrators, teachers, and caregivers of those receiving services and facilitators of services, semi-structured interviews with administrators, teachers, and caregivers of those receiving services, as well as a focus group with …

Art-Making And Wellbeing With Professional Artists During A Pandemic, Ilyse Lindsey, Schelsey Mahammadie-Sabet, Nicole Rademacher

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This research project aims to explore the relationship between art-making and wellbeing in professional artists during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involves 14 respondents who were invited to complete a Qualtrics survey as well as a process of arts-based inquiry. Researchers analyzed participants’ survey and art responses using an iterative collaborative process to identify emergent themes. These themes included a non-optional and internally-located drive to create; positive emotional, social, and physiological impacts associated with art-making and art-sharing; and, positive impacts on art practice associated with the pandemic. These findings emphasized the unique strengths and challenges associated with the professional artist …

Let’S Dance: Exploring The Physical, Psychological, And Social Effects Of Dance In Children, Alexis Sunderlage

Senior Theses

Movement and dance have a lot of positive health benefits, physically, psychologically, and socially. Children love to intrinsically move and creating a structured dance program is one way to gain the benefits of dance. The purpose of this study is to explore the physical, psychological, and social effects of dance in children while gaining insights that could be applied to the setting of occupational and physical pediatric therapies. This was done by conducting a literature review and exploring how children react to learning and following dance videos in a classroom setting by evaluating ability, engagement, and enjoyment by creating Let’s …

Artistic Expressions Of Vegan Women With Disturbed Eating Behavior And Body Image Distress, Lee Ann Thill

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This research explores the experience of women who are vegan, and have disturbed eating behaviors (DEB) and body image distress (BID). Four participants completed a series of three art-making sessions. Participants were invited to visually explore their experience as a vegan woman with DEB/BID. They made a mixed media collage with an emphasis on layering in each session. They engaged in discussion about their process, and the final art piece’s meaning. Between sessions, researcher response art pieces were created for each participant piece, with accompanying journal reflections to engage with the ideas they explored. All participant sessions were video and …

Where The Glass Glows: Unpacking The Therapeutic Experiences Of Adult Students In A Community-Based Open Glass Studio During A Pandemic, Shelly A. Palmer

Art Therapy | Electronic Master's Theses 2015 - 2021

This qualitative study used categorizing and theming analysis to learn about how adult students of stained glass and makers of stained glass in a community-based open glass studio understand their experience of working with glass during the CO VID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to acquire an understanding about how working with glass was therapeutic during a pandemic. Open-ended surveys were used to understand the experiences of glass makers (n = 11) and students in a stained-glass studio (n = 26) and their responses were thematically categorized. The findings presented illustrate that creating stained glass objects both inside …

Individual Versus Sequential: The Potential Of Comic Creation In Art Therapy, Christine Phang

Art Therapy | Theses and Dissertations

This research study explored the potential of comics within an art therapy and narrative therapy framework. The process of depicting a past problem as a single image was compared to the process of depicting the same problem as a comic. This study worked with 15 normally functioning adults to compare the effectiveness of the two formats (comics vs. single image) in processing a past problem or challenge. Participants evaluated these two formats through a survey and a brief verbal interview. The quantitative data from the survey and the qualitative data from the interview were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of …

The Benefits Of Creative Art Therapy For Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review Of The Literature, Jazlyn Marie Akridge

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder typically diagnosed during childhood. The primary symptoms of ASD include language impairments and deficits in social skills, which can negatively affect the overall quality of life. Traditional treatment for ASD includes medication, applied behavior analysis, physical therapy, and occupational therapy; however, these treatments may have unwanted side effects and fail to address the psychosocial challenges that may result from ASD symptoms. There has been increasing interest in alternative forms of therapy, such as creative art therapies; however, the types of creative art that have been used during therapy and their benefits are …

In Patients With Mild To Moderate Alzheimer’S, Does Music Therapy Help To Decrease Mood Disturbances When Compared To Those Not Participating In Music Therapy?, Lauren Bauer

Capstone Showcase

Abstract:

Introduction: Affecting both memory and cognitive abilities, Alzheimer’s disease is a growing problem as the baby boomer population ages. Clinical trials for new medications fail or are slow going, researchers have sought alternatives to alleviate symptoms for patients of this disease. This paper will address the effect of music therapy on mood disturbance in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Method: A literature search was completed in November of 2019 using PubMed, EBSCO Search, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. Six articles were chosen based on relevance to the research question, study design, outcome, and results.

Results: Based on review, music …

More Than A Myth: The Benefits Of Incorporating Holistic Healing Methods From Native American And Mexican Cultures To Approach Opioid Use Disorder (Oud) Treatment, Juliana Favela

CMC Senior Theses

Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a substance use disorder that characterizes a dependence on and an addiction to opioids. Opioids attack the prefrontal cortex, the dopaminergic reward system, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis which is responsible for the body’s stress response. Opioids constantly shift one’s “set point” to the point where normal actions that cause joy and excitement no longer cause those feelings, resulting in craving and dependence. The opioid epidemic is currently ravaging the United States and has disproportionately affected Native American populations specifically in the rural areas (Tipps, et.al, 2018). The current methods for addressing OUD include medicine …

Healing The Mind And Soul With Art And Music, Jennifer K. Fortuna

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Gracie Fisher, an artist and composer based in Santa Barbara, California, provided the cover art for the Fall 2020 edition of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “The Fruit of Spirit” is a 16” x 20” oil painting on canvas. When a rare neurologic condition left Gracie paralyzed from the neck down, art and music helped to heal her mind and soul. Upon returning home from the hospital, Gracie’s wish was to create an inclusive environment where children of all abilities could engage in art and music. She founded the Grace Fisher Foundation so others could experience the healing …

A Literature Review Exploring The Use Of Art Therapy For Children In Grief, Michele Whalen

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

Working through grief is imperative for continued positive mental health, this is especially true in children and adolescents where the grief response is due to the death of a parent. Accordingly, this thesis is focused on the bereaved infant, child or adolescent when processing, coming to terms with, and internalizing the loss of the parent through the use of art therapy. Art therapy is a very effective form of therapy for the bereaved child, and that processing grief through the use of art therapy facilitates the child’s adaptation and resilience to this type of loss for better outcomes later …

Creatively Exploring Self: Applying Organic Inquiry, A Transpersonal And Intuitive Methodology, Larisa J. Bardsley Phd

The Qualitative Report

This article explores the merit of using Organic Inquiry, a qualitative research approach that is most effectively applied to areas of psychological and spiritual growth. Organic Inquiry is a research approach where the psyche of the researcher becomes the instrument of the research, working in partnership with the experiences of participants and guided by liminal and spiritual influences. Organic Inquiry is presented as a unique methodology that can incorporate other non-traditional research methods, including intuitive, autoethnographic and creative techniques. The validity and application of Organic Inquiry, as well as its strengths and limitations are discussed in the light of the …

Kin(A)Esthetic Paper Play: A Community Engagement Project Offering A Therapeutic Experience By Exploring An Emergent Method Of Expressive Arts Therapy With Clinicians Who Studied Expressive Arts, Bed Hermin

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

For this community engagement project, I explored an emergent practice of Kin(a)esthetic Paper Play with expressive arts therapists. This practice aligns with Buddhist philosophy and practice in the West and its benefits can be explained through the theory of Embodied Simulation. The literature on Buddhism and Embodied Simulation highlights the positive benefits of abstract meditative processes done in groups. My goal was to explore the therapeutic elements of K(a)P within a community group setting. When elements of Kin(a)esthetic Paper Play were introduced to a group of alumni from Lesley’s Expressive Arts Therapy graduate program it was received well. I learned …

A Literature Review Of Community Art Therapy With Youth In Inner City Communities Of Color, Jennifer Habeeb

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review was developed to synthesize the research surrounding community-based art therapy with youth who reside in inner city communities of color. Youth of color in inner city communities face a number of different challenges such as low socioeconomic status, social inequality, discrimination, and lack of political representation. There is currently little research on the impact of art therapy and expressive arts interventions with this population, however; these interventions have shown to be effective in a number of different areas. Literature revealed that community-based art therapy with inner city youth of color has shown to increase self-esteem, decrease symptoms …

Designing For Adolescent Mental Wellness: An Analysis Of Museum Education, Art Therapy, And Developmental Theory, Katherine Angela Himics

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Museums serve as therapeutic environments providing positive, arts engagement opportunities for visitors’ mental wellness and growth. Literature reveals that mental wellness programming in the museum environment predominantly serves adult audiences, yet the presentation of mental illness symptoms commonly begins during adolescence. In response, this study sought to provide an accessible, replicable structure for the design and implementation of adolescent mental wellness programming. Through a qualitative textual and content analysis, this study developed a series of recommendations for the development of said programming informed by the comparison of clinical art therapy practices, adolescent developmental theory, and the strengths of museum education.

The Efficacy Of Art Therapy As An Adjunctive Therapy For Psychosis: A Literature Review, Erin Tillquist

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Psychosis is a serious symptom of mental illness that is characterized by a detachment from reality. This can include experiencing visual, auditory, or tactile hallucinations, as well as delusions or false beliefs (American Psychiatric Association, DSM-V, 2013). Psychosis is a symptom of many disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, substance use disorder, and dementia, among many others. Art therapy is often overlooked as a valuable treatment for psychosis, mainly due to a lack of research in the field and the difficulty of maintaining controlled research parameters with this acute population (Tamminga & Lahti, 2011). Likewise, psychosis is generally perceived as manageable …

Psychosis, Spirituality & Expressive Arts Therapy: A Literature Review, Julie Sousa

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review explores varied treatment modalities for individuals who experience psychosis, carrying diagnoses such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective, bipolar I, or bipolar II. These individuals frequently experience marginalization and stigmatization in society. Unfortunately, this is often mirrored within the health care systems that provide treatment. These systems tend to focus heavily on symptoms, highly pathologizing client’s experiences, which can cause resistance to treatment. While psychopharmacology and traditional talk therapy are shown to be effective, they are not always sustainable. Varied treatment modalities are necessary. In order to promote more holistic treatment for these individuals, this literature review highlights recent global …

How Dance And Music Stimulate Therapeutic Change In A Personal Movement Ritual, Cassidy Bingham

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis investigates the therapeutic effects of the researcher’s own arts practice or personal movement ritual, which is based in her tacit knowledge and intuition. The researcher is also the participant of this study. Her personal movement ritual, which was formalized as the method, was conducted before the literature review in order to prioritize tacit knowledge before introducing the influence of other scholars. In the literature review, Ellen Dissanayake’s and other scholars’ rationale for the emotional and cognitive changes that take place during rituals through music and dance are explained. These rationales, or the five constructs of entrainment, “ …

The Benefits Of Intergenerational Arts-Based Experiences For Older Adults: A Review Of The Literature, Lauren Adams

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Ageism is a prevalent, yet overlooked, force of prejudice in American society, which is precipitated by the widespread institutionalized segregation of individuals among their age groups. Older adults may experience feelings of isolation and worthlessness as they undergo major life changes that disrupt their former sense of self, such as retirement or movement into an assisted living facility. This literature review discusses the significance of applying intergenerational arts-based experiences for older adults with those of a younger generation. While both art therapy and intergenerational programs have shown to benefit older adults, there remains a gap in the literature of applying …

How Can Art Therapy Be Utilized To Improve The Mental Health And Quality Of Life Of Pediatric Oncology Patients?, Emily Golubowski

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Pediatric oncology patients and survivors endure multiple obstacles related to physical health and recovery during and after their treatment time. In addition, mental health complications related to adjustment, anxiety, depression, and stress can complicate the overall quality of life and functioning of individuals who have endured this diagnosis and treatment. As an intervention, art therapy can provide relief from physical symptom management, relieve mental health symptoms and stressors, and improve overall quality of life. Art therapy directives and professional work can assist in teaching appropriate coping skills, enhance emotional intelligence, improve communication, restore a sense of control, and improve overall …

Using Art To Mitigate Burnout For Those Working In Direct Care, Jessica E. Goodchild

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Through a critical review of the existing literature, this capstone thesis seeks to investigate the potential benefits and drawbacks to the integration of guided artistic practices within the workplace. The literature reviewed focused on both qualitative and quantitative studies of burnout and explored the professional benefits that art making can provide in mitigating burnout for those within a western culture working in the field of mental health and social services, particularly in the capacity of a direct care worker (DCW). Through the review of the literature a case can be made for the benefits of using visual art to engage …

An Art-Based Exploration Of Interdisciplinary Reactivity Toward Problematic Clients, Devon Govoni

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This art-based dissertation explored professionals' reactivity toward problematic-client interactions across the art therapy, expressive arts therapy, hairstyling, and tattooing disciplines. The concept was explored with a participant from each discipline in a four-phase sculpting process and through semi-structured interviews, response sculptures, and video footage and aggregates. Research questions examined (1) what happens to the participants' professional understanding of problematic clients and (2) self-understanding through engaging in a sculpting process focused on problematic clients, (3) similarities in participants' experiences across disciplines, and (4) what happens when the researcher creates and presents response art to the research participants. The two main outcomes …

Zentangles For Mental Health Awareness, Rachel Immel

Honors Projects

The world is starting to see the rise of a stress related epidemic. Finding time to balance the struggles of everyday life, like academics, finances, careers and relationships, while also maintaining personal mental health is becoming increasingly difficult. This is what prompted me to use my project as an opportunity to help people relieve stress and create a community through the use of art, especially during a time where social interaction has been severely limited due to COVID-19.

My project is a series of live-streamed Zentangle art classes I hosted personally that were open to the public through Zoom. Zentangle …

Assessing The Need For Mental Health Interventions Within The Law Enforcement Community, Lizzi Varga Reinard

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

This research explored mental health interventions within the police. There is a need for mental health in law enforcement (O’Hara, 2018; Blue Help, 2019; Waters & Ussery, 2007; Mohandie & Hatchert, 1999; Miller, 1999; Violanti, 2010). Having been a law enforcement officer myself, I have experienced the stigma and the need of mental health care. I used a cross-sectional survey design to obtain further information on police officers in a Midwest county in the United States to assess the need for mental health interventions. I created response artwork prior to obtaining the survey results (to help assess and sort through …

Examining Black Art Therapy Graduate Students' Experiences With Racial Battle Fatigue, Marilyn Holmes

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

ABSTRACT Examining Black Art Therapy Graduate Student’s Experiences with Racial Battle Fatigue by Marilyn Holmes Chairperson: Jayashree George, DA, ATR-BC, LMFT, SEP Racial Battle Fatigue (RBF) is a term used to describe the psychological and physiological symptoms Black students experience after repeated exposure to microaggressions in higher academic settings (Smith, Yosso, & Solorzano, 2006). In this study, I sought to explore the specific experiences with RBF of current and former Black art therapy in their graduate programs and supervision. Supervision is an essential and necessary aspect of art therapy education that involves power dynamics that can be complicated by race. …

Using Art As Therapy With Older Adults To Foster Connections And Establish Community Literature Review, Melissa Uva

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review advocates for the general needs of the growing aging population and focuses on how art as therapy programming can best support those needs. Arts programming, with an art therapy-inspired lens, can address the many needs of the older adult population and may promote meaningful connections between (1) the client and the art materials, (2) the client and self (both current and former), (3) the client and the facilitator/therapist, (4) the client and dyad or small groups and (5) the client and the community. The power of art therapy practices serves as the framework of this literature review, …