Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Unveiling The Voices: Lived Experiences Of Adolescent Girls With Emotional Disturbance In Special Education, Jasmin Hagen

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This dissertation addresses a significant gap in existing research by exploring lived experiences of cisgender female adolescents (Grades 7–12) diagnosed with emotional disturbance (ED) in the U.S. Current statistics indicate that 28% of students in special education with an ED diagnosis are girls; yet, their perspectives remain largely absent from scholarly discourse. Rooted in critical constructivism, critical feminist theory, and dis/ability studies and critical race theory (DisCrit), this qualitative study aims to elucidate insights that can enhance academic success and elevate high school graduation rates for this demographic. This research investigates the experiences of seven participants from New England, representing …

The Development Of A Dance/Movement Therapy Method For Social Engagement With Adolescents In A Partial Hospital Program, Kayleah Pensalfini

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Mental health can significantly impede navigating the social domain during adolescence. Research has indicated social development of adolescents may be impacted by psychopathology and emotional development, further hindering one’s formation of self. There is also limited research showing the effectiveness of Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) with the adolescent population. This writer designed and adapted one DMT session for adolescents to understand this topic better. This capstone will present an adaptable method utilizing a DMT intervention with participants between the ages of 13-17 in a Partial Hospital Program (PHP). This project aimed to examine how DMT can support self-identity and the acquisition …

Promoting Identity Development In Adolescent Adoptees: A Literature Review, Alyson Summer Del Castillo

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

This literature review examines the challenges facing adopted adolescents and their impact on identity development, as well as art therapy interventions used with this population. Adoptees make up very little of the population yet are seen in mental health settings at a disproportionate rate. Despite the obvious need, little adoption-competent help is available. Developing more adoption-competent services requires an understanding of the unique challenges facing adoptees, one of those being identity development. Adopted teens must integrate their full histories and current emotions to achieve successful identity development. By reviewing relevant literature and therapeutic approaches to identity and adoptees, it …

Exploring Songwriting With Bereaved Adolescents: A Literature Review, Jordan Waters

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review explores and identifies essential aspects of songwriting with bereaved adolescents. First, it provides a description of grief and its processes with primary theoretical models. This is followed by a deeper look into adolescent grief, how it has been viewed in Western culture, along with and corresponding mental health needs. Expressive arts and music therapy approaches to grief and loss are explored, including a detailed of songwriting with bereaved adolescents. Improvisation and therapeutic relationship were found to be two crucial aspects to effective songwriting interventions with bereaved adolescents; person-centered approaches were used to develop authentic relationships with adolescent …

Development Of A Method - All In The “Letters”: Exploring The Relationship Between Expressive Arts Therapy And The Grieving Process With Adolescents, Robby Auld

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

There are more than 5.3 million bereaved youth in the United States (Judi’s House/JAG Institute & The New York Life Foundation, 2022), a number that is only growing. Finding effective therapeutic interventions for bereaved youth is an ethical imperative. This capstone thesis considers the relationship between expressive therapies and bereavement work with adolescents, specifically the use of expressive arts therapy. Grief theories are explored in a literature review, along with a survey of existing empirical research conducted using expressive therapies with bereaved populations. Few empirical studies have focused on expressive arts therapy and bereavement work with adolescents, an observation which …

Expressive Therapies And Suicidality In Youth, Emily Devlin

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Youth suicide is a serious, global public health issue necessitating a transdisciplinary approach to treatment and prevention. The creative processes underlying expressive therapies (i.e., drama therapy, music therapy, art therapy, dance/movement therapy, and expressive arts therapies) provide a unique opportunity for mental health clinicians to address the destructive experiences underlying suicidality (i.e., suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, or death by suicide). Empirical studies utilizing expressive therapies with suicidal youth are scarce, and the field of suicidology does not highlight expressive therapies, creative arts therapies, or arts-based psychotherapies within suicide prevention. This thesis explores the overlap that does exist between expressive therapies …

Exploring Identity Development Through The Expressive Arts Among Immigrant Youth, A Literature Review, Jessika De Castro

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

According to the APA’s Presidential Task Force on Immigration (2012), the immigrant population within the US increases every year. Immigration to a new country increases risk factors for young immigrants, resulting in a negative impact on their mental health. It has been shown in the literature that arts-based approaches can be extremely helpful in the treatment of mental health issues brought on by the stressors of immigration and when people are dealing with a sense of loss towards their country of origin. For first generation immigrants, coming to the US during their adolescence, as young adults, means that they are …

Participation Investigation: The Development Of A Method For Working With Arts-Averse Adolescents, Patrick Sibbett

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The therapist’s role in fostering engagement in art-making is an often-overlooked topic within the expressive therapies. Many individual clients and groups present as disinterested in art which can put the expressive therapist in a particularly challenging position with regards to working in their preferred methods. This paper investigates primary motivations and barriers to participation as they relate to adolescents presenting with behaviors that interfere with their academic success by delving into literature examining participation and relationship building. In an attempt to identify possible solutions that encourage engagement with the arts, four principles for the design of inclusive arts experientials are …

Using Playback Theater With Adolescents In Refugee Camps In Palestine To Tell Their Stories, Khitam Edelbi

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This research aimed at examining the aspects of Playback Theater and how it was experienced by Palestinian adolescents living under the Israeli occupation. Sixteen Palestinian adolescents between the ages of 15 and 16 participated in this study and came from the same school and the same refugee camp although many did not know each other. A Palestinian trainer/conductor who specialized in Playback Theater and who had work experience with adolescents and conducted a 16 session training program designed to teach adolescents about this interactive theatre form. Data collected included the researcher’s observation notes, video tapes that documented the details of …

Dance/Movement Therapy And Its Implications In A Studio-Based Dance Program: A Community Engagement Project, Akeila Sharp

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Adolescent females often struggle with emotional regulation, developing relationships, and poor body image. Research indicates that taking dance classes or participating in dance movement therapy sessions can be an effective technique to improve in these areas. However, there is limited research on the use of both in one setting. Therefore, this capstone explored the impacts of dance on adolescent females and the implications of dance/movement therapy (DMT) in a studio-based dance program. The objective of this project was to examine how restructuring a dance class using DMT interventions could improve problem areas such as low self-esteem, lack of communication skills, …

How Art Can Be Used To Grieve And Heal: Making Altered Books With Parentally Bereaved Adolescents, Samantha Adams

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Death is a natural and inevitable part of life. The grief response to death is also natural, yet children’s grief is often overlooked. Many believe that children are not capable of grief because their brains are still developing or that they do not understand what death is and therefore cannot grieve. It is true that a child will grieve differently than an adult, but they still experience grief. This paper focused on children and adolescents who have experienced the death of a parent and how they use art to grieve in a healthy way. Existing research supports the benefits of …

Engagement And The Therapeutic Process In Art Therapy With Adolescent Boys In Residential Care: A Literature Review, Lauren Gallagher

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Current treatments for youth in residential treatment incorporate aspects of behavioral based and psych-educational based approaches with point and level systems, cognitive behavioral therapy, psychiatric services, and psychopharmacological treatment. However, research is lacking on improving the agency, motivation, and motivating factors of the therapeutic process for children in residential settings, specifically adolescent boys. Art therapy with a relational and person-centered focus may be an influential alternative treatment to motivate and engage this population. Within this body of research, the areas of art therapy, trauma-informed practice, relational-cultural theory, person-centered approaches, and the C.A.R.E. model are explored as treatment methodologies with adolescent …

Labyrinth Meditation As A Foundation For Photography With Adolescents, Corrie Vanderbrug

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

This capstone thesis paper analyzes how the use of meditation, finger labyrinths, and photography intertwine to strengthen reflection for the adolescent population. To further this community engagement project, the researcher observed two male adolescents in in their work with meditation and photography. Results revealed that after the use of labyrinth meditation, participants felt calm and quiet. The photo-taking portion of this study was different than what they had previously experienced while taking images. Results also showed that meditation before photo-taking allowed for reflection, awareness, and personal empowerment to increase during the art making process. This study emphasizes the need …

Making Space For The Adolescent Unconscious: A Case-Based Reflection On Practice, Donna M. San Antonio Dr., Nathan Gorelick

Faculty Scholarship

Community-based psychotherapists and school counsellors work to assist adolescents through sharing resources, building awareness of cognition and behavior, and skill development in communicative competence. However, adolescents, eager to delve deeper into the unknown territory of their being, also present us with speech and acts coming from the unconscious, in the form of metaphors, forgetting, behavioral excesses, mishaps, and physical symptoms. As adolescents search for ways to manage childhood trauma, find meaning and purpose in their lives, and clarify an aspirational direction that makes sense to them, they rarely have opportunities to work at a deeper level. In this article, psychoanalytically …

Promoting Resilience In Economically Disadvantaged Adolescents Through School-Based Expressive Arts Groups, Bailey Knox

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Since 2013, the majority of students served by the public school system in the United States have been considered “low-income” by the federal government. The stressors associated with low socioeconomic status significantly increase risk for social, emotional and behavioral challenges at all age levels, but can be particularly damaging to adolescents coping with heightened stress levels related to the intense multi-dimensional changes that define this developmental period. As the correlation between economic disadvantage and negative socio-emotional and academic outcomes is increasingly evidenced, schools have begun to recognize their responsibility for providing preventative mental health care to high-risk students. Over the …

Social And Emotional Effects Of Language-Based Learning Disabilities On Adolescents Approached Through Dance/Movement Therapy: A Literature Review, Lindsey V. Spratt

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Over the past few years there has been a growth in research about the social and emotional effects of having a language-based learning disability. However, most of the interventions and assessments used with this population still primarily focus on the academic effects and do not always recognize the connection between the two. This literature review connects how identity development during adolescence in a school setting is impacted by the social and emotional effects of having a language-based learning disability. Individuals who experience learning difficulties often also experience internal and external academic criticism causing a decrease in self-esteem and an increase …

Two Worlds, One Family-Acculturation, Identity Development, And Storytelling: Literature Review, Christie Lebrun

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

As immigrant families settle in their host culture, acculturative stress occurs affecting an individuals’ identity development, as well as the family dynamic. The task of maintaining their heritage culture and navigating through the host culture challenges many first generation American and immigrant adolescents, often unsure which culture, or possibly both, best aligns with their identity. Both parent and child alike experience the acculturation process, although children acculturate into the host culture faster than their parents do. This difference in acculturation speed creates a gap that ultimately affects the family dynamic and the parent-child relationship. However, it is the opinion of …

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 …

Dance Movement Therapy With Adolescents In A Partial Hospital Program: A Method For Engagement, Claude Michelle Aubourg

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Therapeutic engagement during adolescence can be a major challenge in adolescent mental health. Research has indicated therapeutic techniques designed for engaging clients are often ineffective for adolescents because adolescents bring distinctive qualities to the therapy process that differentiate them from other therapy populations. There is also limited research showing effectiveness of Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) with the adolescent population. This capstone will present an adaptable method utilizing dance/movement therapy interventions with participants ages 12-17 in a Partial Hospital Program. The objective of this project was to examine how DMT can improve engagement in treatment with adolescents in a partial hospital program …

Understanding Identities Of Internationally Adopted Adolescents Through The Use Of Art Therapy: A Literature Review, Joselin Acosta Toledo

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

As international adoption becomes more popular and widely used in the United States, there is more evidence of the impact that adoption and the process of adaptation can have on an individual in both the long and short term, especially in the development of their identity. While adolescence tends to be a time when the individual is focused on creating and understanding their uniqueness, being an adoptee adds even more complexity to this task. Adopted children often struggle with issues of self- esteem, sense of belonging, identity formation, and safety (Harris, 2012). Art therapy has been successfully used with adolescents …

Dance/Movement And Drama Therapy Methods To Assess Resistance In Adolescents With Low Sense Of Identity And Self-Esteem: Development Of A Method, Victoria Mancini

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Drama and Dance/Movement based therapies have the ability unlock the psyche through the mind/body connection by gaining access to innate creativity that is prevalent in childhood and often begins to diminish in adolescence. For this thesis, adolescents from a low socio-economic background participated in an Expressive Arts Therapy processing and support group, aimed to build self-esteem, strengthen communication skills, alleviate social anxiety and become part of a community. Dance/movement and Drama therapy techniques were implemented, due to their social nature which promotes embodied self-expression and strengthens verbal problem-solving communication. These two particular modalities have proven to enable deep self-awareness and …

Adolescents, Empathy And Dance Movement Therapy, A Literature Review, Jessica Tokarchuk

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

Aggression and violence among adolescents in the school setting has continued to increase in the past several years. Empathy is related to decreased aggression in adolescents. Teaching empathy and other prosocial skills in school has been shown to decrease aggression. Several researchers have presented curriculum and methods to teach these skills, however violence and aggression continue to occur at high rates in schools in America. Current methods used in schools in America need to be developed with different approaches. The development of a strong sense-of-self, self-esteem and emotion-regulation are needed to support the development of empathy. Secure attachments throughout …

Masculinities, Gendered Expression, And The Social, Emotional, And Academic Well-Being Of High School Boys, Cynthia Bazinet

Educational Studies Dissertations

There has been longstanding concern over the seemingly intractable problem of boys’ academic achievement. Despite extensive research, there is little consensus among researchers and educators regarding best practices and approaches in mitigating and remediating the problem. This mixed-methods study sought to illuminate the issue further by focusing on the meaningful lived experiences of six young men aged 18 to 24 who attended and graduated from a central Massachusetts public high school. The study asked participants to reflect through prompted writing upon the stresses and pressures as well as the factors and conditions that affected their abilities to manage their performativities …

An Intergenerational Study: Mirrors As A Tool For Self-Reflection, Susan Ridley

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

Globalization and advances in technology have resulted in a loss of cultural, community, and individual identity. Having a strong sense of self can be a protective factor in resisting peer pressure and involvement in negative behaviors, and a determining factor in the formation of one’s coping skills, and resiliency to life’s challenges. This was especially important for adolescents who are negotiating the developmental growth from childhood to adulthood, and older adults who are transitioning from the independence of adulthood to the dependence of old age.

This was a qualitative intergenerational study on the process of self-reflection on identity. Mirrors have …

Creating A Learning Environment To Increase Early Adolescent Motivation: A Dissertation, Mark Logan

Educational Studies Dissertations

This study focuses on early adolescent motivation in school. It is an inquiry that seeks to understand the factors that contribute to students’ engagement in their learning through student and teacher perceptions. I examined significant research often cited as impacting motivation, including early adolescent development, middle school structures, transitions, student/teacher relationships, and parental involvement. I surveyed 345 sixth grade students on their perceptions of their own learning, thoughts, and behaviors. Participating students attended schools with various middle school age configurations, including K-8, K-12, 5-8, and 6-8. Schools represented public and charter public schools and were located in urban, suburban, and …