Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Embodied Drama Therapy Approach To Restorative School Practices: A Method, Sarah Harmer

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Restorative School Practices offer schools a circle structure to shift the punitive mindset and power dynamics commonly found in America’s schools, to a model that focuses on relationship, connection, and mutual respect. Drama therapy interventions utilize embodied or active work that engage the entire person. The purpose of this thesis was to create a method to explore the addition of embodied drama therapy techniques to deepen the experience of the restorative school circle process. Three community-building and social emotional learning focused circles, in a second, fourth, and sixth grade class, were compared using the traditional scripts and then the same …

Group Scriptwriting For Male Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Community Engagement Project, Anna Coleman

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The objective of this community engagement project was to explore the experiences of a group of male survivors of childhood sexual abuse via a writing process through a drama therapy-based lens, which included the use of scaffolding sessions with projective writing techniques, the use of aesthetic distance, verbally sharing written works to the witnessing audience, and embodied feedback and response by the witnessing audience to the performer. The participants were part of a grant-funded male sexual abuse survivor support group at an American outpatient, in-office mental health counseling group practice. All sessions were held in audio-video telehealth sessions. There were …

Adolescents And Art Therapy: Exploring Safe Spaces Through Telehealth, Sarah Murphy

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis discusses an art therapy intervention in a virtual partial hospitalization program (PHP) with an adolescent population. Research involving the use of safe spaces in therapy, telehealth, adolescent group development, group dynamics, and digital technology in art therapy was explored. The intervention involved adolescent clients depicting a visual safe space using digital tools and exploring the concept of safety through telehealth. After the intervention, clients reported an increase in self-reported mood on average. Common themes found in the artwork include physical safety by holding boundaries and being around items or people they felt comfortable around. Personal artistic responses were …

Building Character By Building Characters: A Literature Review Examining The Efficacy Of Tabletop Roleplay As A Creative Intervention For Developing Social Skills In Adolescents, Kathleen Angela L. Bautista

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

In the realm of tabletop roleplay games, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) earned a reputation as the most prolific franchise within the genre and has since prevailed as a popular bonding activity for peer groups of all ages and backgrounds. Among the player base in the D&D community are those that gleaned its potential to offer a conducive space for personal growth, particularly in the realm of psychosocial development, given that D&D sessions facilitated dynamic social interactions among the members. The emphasis on imagination in D&D nurtures the tenets of intermodal expression, as players are encouraged to explore their creativity through …

Creating Order Out Of Chaos: A Method Of Cognitive Behavioral Art Therapy For Psychosis (Cbatp), Alexandra Hayes

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Psychosis is a mental health condition in which an individual loses touch with reality. Therefore, it is often considered difficult to study and treat and highly stigmatized. Left untreated, psychosis can have devastating and debilitating effects on the individual and their loved ones. The integration of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and art therapy (AT) as cognitive behavioral art therapy (CBAT) may yield greater benefits to individuals with psychosis than either treatment method administered alone. Using a combined approach of AT and CBT may aid delivery of therapy, reinforce skill retention and feelings of mastery, and facilitate social interactions. This capstone …

Touch In Drama Therapy: A Literature Review, Sara Hood

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This article is a cursory look at how touch is perceived in the field of drama therapy. Touch is integral to our experience as humans and can be present in drama therapy sessions. Ethical guidelines for touch in the literature are identified and relevant drama therapy texts and articles describing touch are discussed. While drama therapy has a clear voice when it comes to ethically engaging in touch with a client, very little research was found exploring the intention and outcome of touch in a drama therapy session. Other therapeutic modalities, specifically Developmental Transformations and dance/movement therapy, are identified as …

Using Expressive Arts Therapies To Aid The End-Of-Life Transition For Older Adults: A Literature Review, Rosemary Lape

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review presents the use of expressive arts therapies as they may be applied to end-of-life care for older adults. Death is inevitable and if given the chance to prepare, the expressive arts modalities provide a foundation to process the emotions associated with the ending of a life on earth. Expressive arts provide the opportunity to communicate in non-traditional ways which have the ability to locate subconscious themes. End-of-life care previously revolved around pain management. In more recent years it has evolved to caring for the whole person emotionally, socially, psychologically, and physically. Sources were found utilizing resources provided …

“Hey! Whoa.”: Enhancing Dialectical Behavior Therapy With Drama Therapy For Patients On A Short-Term Inpatient Unit And Trauma/Dissociative Inpatient Unit: Development Of A Method, Sarah Moore

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a widely used treatment approach for many different populations across an array of clinical settings. There is ample supporting evidence on its effectiveness, however there is also emerging literature on the barriers and challenges when engaging with this treatment modality. Drama therapy is an embodied treatment approach that uses theatre processes and techniques to achieve therapeutic goals. The aim of this thesis was to combine drama therapy and DBT into a proposed method to explore the impact of this infusion with clients on two inpatient units: a short-term unit and a trauma/dissociative unit. This method …

Allyship Of Teachers And Drama Therapists: How Drama Therapy Can Empower Educators Restricted By Neoliberalism; A Literature Review, Madelyn Dominiski

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The philosophy of neoliberalism has made a significant impact on America’s public school system, as its principles push for an emphasis on standardized testing and increased evaluation in the classroom and curriculum that will ultimately make a student more marketable in the American workforce. This systemic approach leads to increased stress and anxiety among teachers, students, and school-based drama therapists alike. In this literature review, I investigate the literature on neoliberalism, its impact on teachers and therapy practices, specifically drama therapy, and how educators and therapists may resist this system through pedological approaches. I will argue that teachers and school-based …

Moral Distress And Allostatic Overload In Clinicians: Mitigating Burnout Through Expressive Arts Therapy - A Literature Review, Kate Salonen

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Work-related stress conditions such as burnout and moral distress have been observed to have significant negative impacts on the mental and physical health of helping professionals, contributing to higher allostatic load and stress-related disease, higher rates of job turnover, and overall poorer consumer outcomes. This paper provides an overview of burnout, moral distress, and allostatic overload pertaining to clinicians, and discusses the unique potential of Expressive Arts Therapy as an intervention for mental health providers experiencing moral distress, toward mitigation of stress-related impacts on provider mental and physical well-being. Analysis of available literature in each topic area was completed through …

Expressive Arts Therapy And Therapeutic Relationship With A Child With Selective Mutism: Development Of A Method, Sophie Mclaughlin

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Selective mutism (SM) is a rare, yet severe, anxiety disorder that affects primarily children. SM is characterized by a failure to speak in certain social situations (i.e., school), despite being able to speak comfortably in other settings (i.e., home). There is an ongoing effort to understand this diagnosis and best treatments are being debated. The therapeutic relationship is argued to be one of the greatest predictors of positive treatment outcomes, regardless of the diagnosis or treatment method; however, the failure to speak that characterizes SM impacts the development of a therapeutic relationship and that alliance cannot be formed using typical …

Music Of The Parts: Exploring Clinician Reflexivity, Internal Family Systems, And Community Music Therapy: A Critical Review Of The Literature, Sophia Inaba

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone thesis aims to explore internal family systems and music therapy as tools for enhancing clinician reflexivity in community settings. Relational awareness is identified as a key skill within the broader definition of reflexivity. Various approaches in music therapy, internal family systems and the combination of IFS and the expressive therapies are described and connected to lift out common themes that provide greater understanding of how IFS and music therapy may complement each other to enhance relational awareness. Results indicated that embodiment is a key skill that is practiced within IFS and music therapy which could help develop relational …

The Role Of Dance/Movement Therapy On Inmates After Restrictive Housing – A Literature Review, Savannah Melo

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The aim of this literature review is to highlight the impact dance/movement therapy has on individuals who have experienced segregated housing in a correctional facility and the mental health effects segregation may cause. The negative effects this housing may cause will be explored. This exploration will include related applications of dance/movement therapy (DMT), demonstrating how in past research it has been shown to improve different mental health symptoms. Though dance/movement therapy is not as readily available to the prison population, the intention of this thesis is to investigate expressive arts, specifically DMT, as a treatment modality for inmate mental health. …

A Dance Movement Therapy Tool: To Name It To Tame It: A Development Of A Method With Grieving Children And The Four Zones Of Emotional Regulation, Khary Green

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Emotions have the capacity to influence the body at every level. Research studies have confirmed that emotions can be recognized from facial expressions and linked to the four zones of regulation (Ekman, 1972). The study aimed to help children identify their feelings and teach them strategies that would support them in coping with their feelings. This thesis explored ways clients can be aware of themselves and the skills needed to improve their understanding and tolerance of emotions. The method contributed to the current literature on emotion regulation and bereavement. The data collected were from several parts of written journals and …

Magic At Work! Exploring How Expressive Arts Therapies Support Healing From Trauma And Adverse Childhood Experiences: Developing A Method For Adolescents, Kendra Grant

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis investigated how expressive art therapy interventions based on imagination, creativity, and magical thinking can help facilitate adolescents' emotional development and healing. The study focused on how adolescents can grow and heal from adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and/or trauma by revisiting imaginative play and creativity, where the impossible is possible and magic exists; a place where they can explore and play again through externalized methods. The use of imagination in the healing of adolescents was explored through the development of a two-phase intervention (a) creating their own mythical creature and (b) building a home for their mythical creature. There …

Parental Support, Dance/Movement Therapy, And Early Childhood Self-Regulation – A Literature Review, Yuliana Santos Pagan

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Self-regulation is one of the main factors to contribute to successful social-emotional development during early childhood. Healthy attachment patterns between the parent/caregiver and child relationship, as well as safe and supportive environments in school contribute to children’s abilities to develop and learn to use self-regulating skills. This literature review explores the relationship dance/movement therapy has with the enhancement of parent-child relationships during early childhood, which is potentially contributing to the development of early childhood self-regulation. Using a citation chasing method, and research in online databases, inclusion criteria for resources consisted of peer reviewed quantitative, qualitative, arts-based, and mixed methods research …

How Art Therapy Promotes Resiliency In Individuals With Chronic Pain: A Literature Review, Margaret Lukas

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Chronic pain is one of the most prominent physical health challenges in the United States. It is a health condition where people have not only debilitating physical pain but also mental health distress. With this combination of physical and mental symptoms, people with chronic pain must get good quality care. To properly support those with chronic pain, healthcare practitioners must be educated in caring for patients to better treat and understand them. This thesis searched for literature on chronic pain and art therapy to determine the benefits of art therapy for people with chronic pain. This search was conducted online …

Healing Collective Generational Trauma And Building Resilience Through Art Therapy, Ruzanna Carter

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Current research is limited in the transmission of transgenerational trauma. Most

of the research available on the topic was specific to the survivors of the

Holocaust. The focus in this thesis is on the Armenian population and how the

trauma of the wars and the Genocide has transmitted to future generations and

continues to impact the population today. The literature reviewed for this topic

explored how trauma transcends these generations but also how the resilience

transcends. My goal was to help build resilience through the artmaking

process more in the style of Jungian art therapy in a semi-open studio structure. …

Moving Through Loss: The Experience Of Ambiguous Loss With Hospitalized Children, The Development Of A Method, Peyton Edington

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The current method examined the effects of ambiguous loss with medical transplant patients in a pediatric hospital by utilizing a dance/movement therapy intervention. The development of this method was based on ambiguous loss theory with a dance/movement therapy approach. The explored literature identified central themes of ambiguous loss, such as resilience. These themes were connected to the practice of dance/movement therapy, such as embodiment. With this connection, the intervention was developed and implemented with participants. The central themes that emerged from the intervention were change, loss, meaning-making, and hope. One child and two adolescents were participants in this intervention, and …

Art Therapy Interventions For Fear Of Childbirth: A Model For Implementing Expressive Arts Interventions In Prenatal Populations, Cheyne West

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone investigates fear of childbirth (FOC) and correlated prenatal anxiety and/or prenatal depression. This literature review examines the current research related to FOC in prenatal birthing populations and art therapy interventions. Careful considerations were taken in regard to language for this population. Gender neutral terminology is used to be inclusive of trans, non-binary, and queer pregnancies. FOC is common, affecting about 80% of birthing individuals (O’Connell et al., 2021). Symptoms and implications for FOC are vast, including anxiety, depression, preeclampsia, increased medical inventions, and possible long term mental health risks. The baby's wellbeing is also affected by FOC, including …

How Art Therapy And Energy Work Can Effectively Shift Core Beliefs: A Literature Review, Rachael Holland

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Current evidenced-based therapeutic frameworks lack an overall involvement of the combined mental, physical, spiritual, and energetic bodies, demonstrating a gap between where healing is and where healing can go. The various new modalities being used in therapy, including bottom-up and somatic approaches, show the body’s innate capability to store, compartmentalize, and connect diverse functions within to various memories, feelings, or sensations. When working with the mental and physical body without understanding the energetic and spiritual body attached to them, there is a missing link in the greater truth of the whole person. This literature review examined the use and innate …

Using Narrative Theory As A Process-Oriented Exploration Of Attachment: The Development Of A Method In Art Therapy, Taylor Saunders

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Establishing a sense of psychological and emotional safety and security is essential within the therapeutic workspace for individuals to begin growth toward identified goals. Beginning in early childhood and developing throughout their lifespan, people build expectations of safety and security from their experiences of nurture or lack thereof. These early experiences form internal working models (IWM), which influence how individuals expect interpersonal relationships to develop; these patterns form attachment styles. Understanding someone’s attachment style is a way mental health professionals may better understand a client from a more holistic perspective. While there is much research in identifying and assessing a …

Virtual Dance/Movement Therapy As A Mechanism Of Change For Patients Experiencing Chronic Pain: A Literature Review, Alexis Reale

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The purpose of this literature review is to discuss data on the prevalence of chronic pain, current treatment options, and the effectiveness of dance/movement therapy (D/MT) as a successful treatment approach. This literature review discusses the etiology of chronic pain, numerous treatment paradigms, an alternative model of care based on D/MT principles, and new considerations for facilitating D/MT groups. According to the literature, clients who participated in D/MT groups for chronic pain experienced an expansion of their movement vocabulary, a decrease in their movement-based fear response, a feeling of being seen, heard, and validated, a sense of control over their …

Mortality, Mortuaries, And Movement - Implications Of Dance/Movement Therapy And Death: A Literature Review, Mckenna L. Allred

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Dance/movement therapy (DMT) is a somatic-based psychotherapy approach that can supplement existing therapy techniques or stand on its own as effective psychological treatment. As a growing field, DMT continues to expand its application to different populations. This literature review analyzed the implications of DMT application for individuals who are dying. While the application of DMT with diverse populations has been studied, the literature regarding the application of DMT with dying individuals is slim. Medical, spiritual, and emotional treatment during death have received considerable attention in academic literature, however, the application of many body-based psychological treatment interventions has not been studied …

Effect Of Art Media On The Collective Mood Of A Middle School Art Therapy Group: A Development Of A Method, Jaime Isaak

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The art medium influences emotional expression and is a tool for change within the therapeutic art process. Research reveals physiological changes in participants’ heart rate and brain activity when working with art materials in response to the art medium’s resistive and fluid qualities. Art therapists can assess a person’s emotional presentation and decide which art media are psychologically appropriate for a person by observing changes in mood, emotions, and non-verbal language. A therapeutic game was played over three sessions with an art therapy group of adolescents, ages 11-14 years old, within a therapeutic middle school setting. Changes in the group’s …

Exploring The Benefits Of Expressive Arts Therapy With Survivors Of Sexual Violence, A Literature Review, Allison Dooley

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Sexual violence is a common experience throughout the United States. The aftermath of this traumatic experience impacts the entire body, including the emotional, physical, and mental states of an individual. The distressing symptoms of sexual violence can last from weeks to years. The aftermath of sexual violence can make it difficult for victims to complete daily tasks and can lead to disorders such as Depression or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This literature review explores the current treatments used with survivors of sexual violence, which include trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and other effective treatments. Due to …

Empowering Dance Movement Therapy: Implementing A Dance Break Method In Healthcare Systems To Benefit Patients In Eating Disorder Treatment, Pamela C. Caira

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis aimed to explore how implementing dance/movement therapy can empower effective changes in healthcare systems to benefit patients in eating disorder treatment. While other expressive therapy treatments were utilized, dance/movement therapy treatment was met with resistance because the key elements of moving the body could bolster excessive and compulsive exercise as a secondary eating disorder behavior. A Dance Break intervention worked as a therapeutic method of inquiry to investigate how moving the body could support patients in rediscovering their identities without reinforcing eating disorder behaviors. Data was collected through movement observation analysis, arts-based exploration, and verbal discussion. The results …

Exploring Attachment In The Nicu: A Music Therapy Model, Shelby Huskey Jordan-Lake

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This music therapy method intends to explore the implication of music within the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to foster attachment and provide bonding experiences between infants and their caregivers. Using a flexible multistep model, the music therapist will consider established family dynamics, cultural background, and medical diagnosis of infants to determine the necessary music therapy approach to support the infant and caregiver throughout hospitalization. This method involves the integration of live-music intervention and hospitalization through procedural support and infant-contingent singing as co-regulation. Music therapy is an evidence-based practice used across the lifespan. The practice of music therapy with neonates …

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 …