Mental and Social Health Commons^™

Visual Voices Participant Recruitment Flyer, Collyn Baeder, Zoe Hull, Rebecca Masterjohn, Virginia Sedarski, Adrian Jung, Michaela A. Hoffman, Nicole O'Brien

Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment of the Perceived Identity of Aging Maine Residents

Participant recruitment flyer for UNE student project Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents. This project was designed to investigate the topics of perception, identity, and aging. Between February and May 2015, over the course of twelve sessions, the UNE team met with six female residents of the Park Danforth senior living community in Portland to have conversations and create art about how the residents perceive themselves in contrast to how they feel perceived by important people in their lives, such as friends, family, and healthcare providers.

Visual Voices Project Pre-Post Survey, Collyn Baeder, Zoe Hull, Rebecca Masterjohn, Virginia Sedarski, Adrian Jung, Michaela A. Hoffman, Nicole O'Brien

Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment of the Perceived Identity of Aging Maine Residents

Participant pre-/post-project survey for UNE student project Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents. This project was designed to investigate the topics of perception, identity, and aging. Between February and May 2015, over the course of twelve sessions, the UNE team met with six female residents of the Park Danforth senior living community in Portland to have conversations and create art about how the residents perceive themselves in contrast to how they feel perceived by important people in their lives, such as friends, family, and healthcare providers.

Grant Application: Visual Voices, An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents, Collyn Baeder, Zoe Hull, Rebecca Masterjohn, Virginia Sedarski, Adrian Jung, Michaela A. Hoffman, Nicole O'Brien

Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment of the Perceived Identity of Aging Maine Residents

IPEC Mini-grant application for funding of UNE student project Visual Voices: An Arts-Based Assessment Of The Perceived Identity Of Aging Maine Residents. This project was designed to investigate the topics of perception, identity, and aging. Between February and May 2015, over the course of twelve sessions, the UNE team met with six female residents of the Park Danforth senior living community in Portland to have conversations and create art about how the residents perceive themselves in contrast to how they feel perceived by important people in their lives, such as friends, family, and healthcare providers.

Spirituality, Creativity, Identity, And Art Therapy, Theresa Crooks

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the question: how does an art therapist’s understanding of God as Creator form his/her identity and inform his/her clinical practice? A review was done in the art therapy, spirituality and psychology integration, and creation theology literature to look at existing research that answers this question. A lack of information in the art therapy literature prompted the development of this study to respond to this inquiry. This involved gathering data from LMU MFT graduates who expressed in a survey that they were willing to participate in this study. Four graduates were able to attend an art workshop to …

Integrating Restorative Justice Approaches In An Art Therapy Group, Jenna Walters

LMU Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore the integration of restorative justice approaches within the structure of group art therapy. The research approach was based on a mixed methods design that incorporated both a survey and a case study of a group. The open group structure posed some challenges; however, four of the adolescents agreed to participate in the research study. Each of the eight group art therapy sessions was structured to include an art directive, psychoeducation, and group discussion. Based on the analysis of the data, restorative justice approaches can be successfully integrated into group art therapy. Findings …

Art Therapy And Runaway Homeless Youth: An Exploration Of Trauma And The Survival Response Of "Flight", Leann K. Marschall

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined the influencing factors of runaway behavior, trauma, and the survival response of “flight.” The participant, an 18-year-old male residing at a transitional living program, ran away at age 17 and experienced a significant trauma history. Throughout the course of treatment, artwork and clinical notes were used as data. Many themes surfaced in the analysis process, including controlled chaos, body fragmentation, sun symbols, female imagery, and lack of color. The act of running away emerged subtly, whereas, traumatic experiences, chronic in nature and beginning early in life, were acutely evident. While the study was specifically concerned …

Using Photography And Poetry In Group Therapy For People With Severe And Persistent Mental Illness: An Outcome Study, Sarah H. Eggers

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the experience of participation in a pilot program that integrated poetry and photography for a group of seven adults living with severe and persistent mental illness. Data was gathered in the form of written, visual and verbal responses generated through a semistructured, qualitative focus group that took the week after the end of the pilot program. The data was categorized and coded using a analytical procedure based on Photovoice, a participatory action research model that seeks to empower research participants by providing them with cameras to document and share issues of importance to their lives. Analysis of …

Latino Cultural Implications For Art Therapy: The Influence Of Cultural Risk Factors And Academic Performance In High School, Piera Lynn Carfagno

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Through art therapy, this research examines the influence of the main components of Latino culture as risk and/or protective factors for internalizing and externalizing behaviors and disorders in Latino adolescents. The goal of this research is to also identify how these factors impact academic performance for Latino high school students. First, a literature review examines preexisting research evaluating the presence and influence of particular cultural factors like family expectations and roles, gender, religion, language, and parental involvement in education. Non-cultural factors include peer influence and socioeconomic influences. The literature further examines the impact these factors have been found to influence …

Perceptions Of Healing: Mind, Body And Spiritual Implications For Yoga Therapy And Art Therapy Students, Robin L. Kusilka

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This study employed a mixed method approach to explore perceptions of healing, particularly as it relates to the mind, body and spirit. The data was collected via a questionnaire consisting of word lists, scaling questions, narratives and an art based component among thirty-two yoga therapy students and twenty-one art therapy students at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. The information gathered was used to explore, compare and contrast the perceptions of healing within and between the two groups. The findings suggested that both study groups shared similar concepts about the integration of the mind, body and spirituality in their …

Post-Disaster Group Art Therapy Treatment For Children, Caitlin Frances Murphy

LMU Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative research study presents a thorough examination of a group art therapy curriculum for child survivors of disaster or traumatic events. A review of the existing literature was used to inform the current study. The researcher utilized focus group method of inquiry to gain a better understanding of the topic from experts in the art therapy field. Through the gathering of data and analysis, the findings suggest that the curriculum developed to assist child survivors of traumatic events or disasters has intrinsic value and can assist in the recovery process. The focus group provided a means to analyze the …

Art Making For The Art Therapist: A Study On Clinical Insight, Therapist Identity, Self-Care, And Countertransference, Saira Crawford, Guadalupe Solis, Eliza Ann Pfister

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This arts-based and quantitative study looked at the effects of reflective art making as a tool for stress reduction, clinical insight and therapist identity formation. Research was completed by three Loyola Marymount University, art therapy graduate students. Data was collected over nine sessions consisting of inventory scores from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y), as well as artwork made in response to each participant’s client presentation. The research questions answered were: How does the reflective art-making process inform clinical identity as an art therapist? What effect did regular self-exploration have on burnout for the art therapist, as indicated by scores on …

Visualizing Levels Of Family Satisfaction And Quality Of Life In Families With An Autistic Member(S), Sarah Christolini, Camille Werstler

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This research served to visualize levels of family satisfaction and quality of life in families with an Autistic member(s). Art-based qualitative survey was the primary method of gathering data. The vast majority of the literature on autism focused on the treatment of the child, yet some literature suggested a re-focusing on the family as the unit of treatment may improve family satisfaction and quality of life. Taking this into consideration this research explored how parents experience family satisfaction through written and visual responses. The theme of independence for the child with autism was present in all five visual responses which …

Organizational Restructuring And The Process Of Image Making: An Arts-Based Inquiry Of The Image Making Experiences Provided For The Delegates Of A Religious Congregation Involved In Restructuring, Donna L. Gibbs

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study examines the impact image-making experiences had on the leadership restructuring of a women’s religious congregation. Six Catholic women religious ranging in ages 65-85 participated in an arts-based workshop informed by art therapy theories to explore the meaning of making art during their Province Chapter meetings in which leadership restructuring was on the agenda. In addition, 42 of the 80 Province Chapter delegates responded to a survey about their experience. The data collected includes the survey, the workshop process, the images made by the six participants, their verbal sharing about their image, and their written reflections. Five common …

Sense Of Self And Relational Connections Through The Use Of Textile Arts, Lisa Thompson-Gibson

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

This thesis explores the use of textile arts to inform sense of self and authenticity in developing growth fostering relationships. Through narrative inquiry, 11 textile artists were interviewed to explore the question of how relational cultural theory (RCT) and textile arts can inform a sense of self and authenticity for use in art therapy settings. Themes in the research findings included an understanding of how participants originally became involved in textiles, their approach in the creative process, their development of relational connections with others, and how they repair relational disconnections through textile work. Relational cultural theory provided the theoretical framework …

Combat Paper Project, William Joiner Institute For The Study Of War And Social Consequences, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Coming home from war is enormously difficult. A new language is required to express the magnitude of war’s effects and consequences. Combat Paper transforms the uniforms of battle to paper and from this transformation comes art. Developed by veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan in San Francisco, the project has now traveled broadly across the United States and the world.

The Impact Of Prison Arts Programs On Inmate Attitudes And Behavior: A Quantitative Evaluation, Larry Brewster

Public and Nonprofit Administration

California has been a leader in prison fine arts programs. Arts-in-Corrections, the granddaddy of them all, enjoyed a highly successful 30 year run until its closure in 2010 as a result of the state's budget crisis. This study evaluates three demonstration projects modeled after AIC, and prison theater programs offered through The Actors' Gang's Prison Project and Marin Shakespeare. Inmates from San Quentin, Soledad, New Folsom and CRC, Norco state prisons participated in the study. Pre-and Post surveys designed to measure changes in attitudes and behavior were administered at the start and finish of each 12-week arts program. The surveys …

Understanding And Building Resilience With Art: A Socio-Ecological Approach, Meagan Shand

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Resilience is a widely researched phenomenon, it means different things to different people and is perceived and measured according to the theoretical lens being applied. The following thesis reviews the theoretical development of resilience that has led to contemporary understandings, to establish a platform for the research topic - understanding and building resilience with Art. Narrative research methods are combined with art processes to illuminate the stories of eight culturally diverse women participating in a community based mental health art program, in Western Australia. Fifteen resilience themes emerged from the collective experience, and are presented in a socio-ecological framework to …

Singing An Imaginal Dialogue: A Study Of A Bereavement-Specific Music Therapy Intervention, Yasmine A. Iliya

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to understand the experience of singing an imaginal dialogue with a deceased loved one. This bereavement-specific music therapy intervention was an adaptation of Shear, Frank, Houck, and Reynolds’ (2005) imaginal dialogue intervention and was heavily influenced by Austin’s (2008) method of vocal psychotherapy. Following Shear’s (2006) use of the spoken imaginal dialogue with therapists, the guiding question of the present study was: What are creative arts therapists’ experiences of singing the intervention? The sample consisted of nine female creative arts therapists with a minimum of three years of clinical experience. It included women who …

Colours Of Dementia : A Community Art Facilitation Programme For People With Dementia, Suk Mun, Sophia Law

Research Expression through Art : Visual Studies Faculty

Colours of Dementia was a trial art facilitation programme for dementia care in a community setting led by Prof. Sophia Law, Associate Professor of the Department of Visual Studies at Lingnan University. The programme was supported by the Hong Kong Alzheimer's Disease Association (HKADA) and Art for All. The funding came from Prof. Law's Education for Service-learning Faculty Award (2013) from the Lingnan Foundation.

The programme, which ran from December 2013 to June 2014, consisted of a series of eighteen specially designed creative workshops for 14 elders, aged 59 to 94, who were suffering from mild to advanced dementia. A …

Examining The Identity Of The Art Therapist: The Voice Of Practice And Relational Care, Denise Malis

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of personal art making on the identity and practice of the professional art therapist. This qualitative study explored the subjective experience of six female professional art therapists. Interviews were conducted and participants were asked about their personal art-making, art therapy practice, and the meaning of their professional identity. A narrative methodology, the Listening Guide, was applied to the interview data and emphasized each participant’s voice and use of expressive language. Data from this study established a three-fold identity for the professional art therapist: counselor, artist, and art therapist. Confidence in …

The Bridge Drawing With Path Art-Based Assessment: Measuring Meaningful Life Pathways In Higher Education Students, Olena Darewych

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This cross-sectional study investigated the relationships among the Bridge Drawing with Path (BDP) art-based assessment and two positive psychology instruments: the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ; Steger et al., 2006) and the Adult State Hope Scale (ASHS; Snyder et al., 1996). All three assessments (BDP, MLQ and ASHS) are intended to test for an individual’s goal-related pursuits. Forty-four higher education students studying in Britain and Canada participated in the study. Results indicated that an association exists between BDP written associations and MLQ-presence of meaning sub-scores. Participants who scored high on MLQ – presence of meaning generated more sources of life …

Music Therapy As An Intermodal Practice: Clients And Therapists Perspectives, Daniel Hyams

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to investigate the lived experiences of clients and music therapists working with an integrated arts approach in music therapy. Seventeen client participants (aged 11-19 years old) underwent five consecutive therapy sessions with one of three qualified music therapists. The guiding questions pertained to the participants’ experience of having various arts materials in addition to the standard musical instruments available during the music therapy sessions. The results showed a positive response from the clients’ perspectives, and a negative response from the therapists. The clients unanimously preferred having choice in the sessions. The therapists, however, …

創作無障礙 : 一個為讀寫障礙初中生而設的藝術倡導計劃, Suk Mun, Sophia Law

Research Expression through Art : Visual Studies Faculty

《創作無障礙》是一項兩年的藝術倡導計劃，由東華三院屯門綜合服務中心與嶺南大學視覺研究系合辦，為屯門區有讀寫障礙(dyslexia)的初中學生設計為期一學年共二十節的藝術創作倡導工作坊，目的是為他們提供一處無障礙的創作平台，透過愉悅的創作過程，以及完成作品賦與的滿足感，促進他們認識自己先天的限制與天賦，發掘自己的潛能，肯定自我，增加自信。計劃分兩輪進行，參與計劃的學校共三間，包括東華三院鄺錫坤伉儷中學、中華基督教會譚李麗芬紀念中學和鐘聲慈善社胡陳金枝中學。其中鄺錫坤伉儷中學參與了兩輪的計劃， 譚李麗芬紀念中學參與了第一年、胡陳金枝中學參與了第二年的計劃。兩學年度一共有四十五位(二十九男、十六女)學生完成計劃。

為了增進家長和老師對讀寫障礙的認識，計劃期間先後舉辦了三次有關「創作與讀寫障礙」的座談會，讓主辦機構、學者和藝術倡導者與參與計劃的學生家長和老師分享計劃的理念、過程和成果。三次座談會的氣氛相當熱烈，尤其是最後一次老師的參與和意見，對促進家長和主辦機構的溝通起了很大的作用。藝術倡導者在會上就個別同學在計劃中的表現與他們的家長交換意見， 有助他們了解同學在學習上面對的困難，明白同學的潛能。

兩輪計劃在完結時都籌辦一次展覽，展出計劃中學生創作的話劇表演和藝術作品，讓家長、老師、以至社會人士能夠看到讀寫障礙學生的創意和能力，並加以肯定，使得參與的學生在計劃過程中已經建立的自我和信心，在計劃完結後能夠得到家長和老師持續的鼓勵，日後在生活和學習上幫助他們發展長處，推動他們的動力去面對困難。

An Exploration Of Art Therapy As A Treatment For Cumulative Trauma, Kristina Marie Naff

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative research study is informed by a grounded theory approach and explores the use of art therapy as a treatment for cumulative trauma. This paper reviews the current literature focusing on both cumulative trauma and related studies which address the nature and impact of “big T” and “little t” events and accumulated lifetime adversity. There are remarkably few studies which highlight the concept of cumulative trauma in both general psychology and art therapy literature, and there appear to be no existing studies addressing the treatment of the state of cumulative trauma to date. For this study, a series of …

Stigma And Identity Formation In Young Adults With Chronic Mental Illness: An Exploration Through Personal Narrative And Art-Making, Kerri Lynn Blackstone

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the experience of stigma and its effect on identity formation in young adults who suffer from chronic mental illness. Data was gathered in the form of personal narratives and art-making through a a semi-structured, qualitative focus group. It was categorized and coded in order to better understand the experience of both public and internalized stigma in relation to the developmental milestones that characterize the important transition from adolescence to adulthood. Analysis of the data resulted in the emergence of three overarching themes: 1) The challenges of coping with a stigmatizing system, 2) Internalized stigma as it relates …

Visual Sexuality: Integrating Art And Sex Therapies, Jillien Anne Kahn

LMU Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to understand the potential challenges and benefits of an integration between art and sex therapies. Three interviews were performed: two with certified art therapists, one with a certified sex therapist, in order to understand how each of these professionals has chosen to approach issues of sexuality and creative expression within his or her practice. The data from the interviews was critically compared within and between each interviewee, producing three overarching themes that provide a framework for understanding the potential benefits and challenges of this integration. These three themes are defined as: 1) The importance …

An Exploration Of Contemplative Practice In The Life Of The Art Therapist, Kristina Marie Ebsen

LMU Theses and Dissertations

A six week self-study was conducted to explore the use of regular contemplative practice and art-making to examine effects on the life of an art therapy graduate student. This study examined a three-fold inquiry regarding the use of contemplative practices, namely Buddhist meditation, as well as weekly reflective art making to broaden self-knowledge and enhance general wellbeing. Further implications of the use of contemplative practice and reflective art making were reviewed for clinical application in the field of art therapy, both for the client and art therapist.

Art In The Terror: An Analysis Of Nightmare Imagery In Art Therapy, Emily Christine Brozyna

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the utilization of participants’ nightmares in art therapy to benefit treatment. The researcher utilized a self-study by means of making art about three of her own nightmares, followed by a comparative analysis in case studies. The researcher asked the participants to make art about a nightmare they reported they had while in a treatment session, and then provided them with the opportunity to alter the image for possible means of catharsis. The researcher then discussed the process with the participants in order to answer the research questions. The participants’ ages ranged from 6-15; with two males and …

A Community Art Exploration Of Bicultural Identity And Acculturation With Latino Adolescents, Stephanie V. Moreno

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This paper is an exploration among low-income Latino adolescents, which seeks to explore the experiences and the stressors from immigration, acculturation, and bicultural identity through art. The participants selected from Dolores Mission Parish in Boyle Heights California, created a personal art piece and a collaborative installation. The art explores and expresses their personal journeys with acculturation and bicultural identity. Multiple sources of data were collected including daily observation, group discussions, individual artwork, collaborative installation, and photographs taken during the workshop; to gain an understanding of what acculturation means to adolescents, how this process effects their lives, their experiences with biculturalism, …

Letting Go: Termination Through The Lens Of Attachment And Reflective Art, Brittany Alexandra Peterson

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This paper is a personal account of the discoveries made during a heuristic study in which the researcher sought to deepen her understanding of the difficulties of ending treatment with adolescent male clients as a female art therapist in training. Through the analysis of reflective artwork created during and after termination at a boys’ home, the researcher uncovered multiple themes as they related to the therapeutic relationship, attachment, transference/countertransference, dreams, vicarious trauma, self-care, and the ambiguity of termination. After reviewing the potential dangers of harmful termination and the paucity of literature on its effect on at-risk youth in group homes, …