Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Watering The Grassroots: The Importance Of A Comprehensive Approach To Conflict In The Sahel, Chanelle A. Dortch

Senior Theses

The withdrawal of French troops from Mali in August 2021 has revealed massive structural problems with crisis intervention and conflict mitigation in Africa. The purpose of this research is to reveal how foreign intervention in the Sahel has failed to stabilize the region in the face of mounting political, socioeconomic, and environmental crises. This paper examines Mali and France, two countries that are centered in crisis in the Sahel, and how the politics of intervention have resulted in the current situation. While the crisis in the Sahel does not yet have a clear result, this project seeks to contextualize current …

Trapped In The Margins: Russia, The United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees, And The Story Of Afghan Refugees In Tajikistan, Meredith Schutt

Senior Theses

Since the Taliban’s return to Afghanistan, thousands of Afghans have fled the country in search of refugee status abroad. In the wake of this crisis, one country in the region, Tajikistan, opened its borders to Afghans, vowing to grant refugee status to 100,000. Today, Tajikistan has closed its borders and is forcibly returning Afghan refugees and asylum seekers. This research aims to reveal the extent of influence that external parties have on Afghan refugee flows in Tajikistan. For this paper, the two external parties examined are the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Russia. In examining the role …

The Benefits Of Art Therapy On Stress And Anxiety Of Oncology Patients During Treatment, Helen Shiepe

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Within the last ten years research on art therapy and its positive impact on oncology patients’ stress and anxiety during treatment has been minimal. Oncology patients whether they are children or adults when diagnosed experience similar reactions due to their diagnosis, treatment, and in some cases end of life care. The current question is whether or not art therapy does have a positive impact on decreasing the stress and anxiety with oncology patients while undergoing treatment. Deane, Fitch & Carmen (2000), discussed art therapy as a healing art that is “intended to integrate physical, emotional, and spiritual care by facilitating …

Re-Storying Teaching: Using Narradrama To Address Burnout In Public School Teachers, Heather Carroll

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The public school system in the United States is experiencing an increasing crisis in teacher retention and effectiveness due, in part, to the effects of burnout on teaching staff. Teachers often face significant stressors such as tense parent-teacher relationships, state and federal mandates on testing, low financial compensation and limited benefits, and negative sociocultural stereotypes about their roles and responsibilities as educators (Westervelt, 2016; von der Embse et al., 2019). These stressors, if not managed effectively on an individual and systemic level, can lead to burnout (Maslach, 2001). This condition involves symptoms such as emotional and physical exhaustion, disinvestment from …

Facilitating Attachment Through Therapeutic Rapport And Expressive Arts Therapy With Children Experiencing Complex Trauma: A Literature Review, Johanna Voeller

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The aim of this capstone is to review the connection between therapeutic alliance and attachment with traumatized children supported by expressive arts in therapy and to the impact on therapeutic outcome. Within the therapeutic encounter is a potent opportunity to develop healthy attachment patterns that bridge into the client’s other relationships in their life. Complex trauma affects children physically and psychologically leaving lifelong consequences of interpersonal challenges. The impetus for study of this topic was curiosity centered on the impact of the therapeutic alliance as it relates to attachment, and therapeutic outcomes. Throughout the course of this literature review, the …

Examining The Use Of Expressive Arts Therapies In Neurorehabilitation Treatment Planning, Rebecca J. Horner

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Those undergoing neurorehabilitation after stroke and traumatic brain injury report a diminished sense of overall wellness. This paper examines the conceivable benefits of introducing expressive arts therapies, which is the therapeutic use and combination of the visual arts, movement, drama, music, writing and other intermodal creative processes, into physical therapy and neurorehabilitation treatment planning. Expressive arts therapies have the capacity to engage with an individual’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual states concurrently. They simultaneously offer the ability to promote an increased sense of well-being, address mind-body disconnects, and process trauma non-verbally.

The sections of this narrative literature review focus on …

Examining State Of Flow And Its Future In Dance/Movement Therapy: A Literature Review, Rachael A. Cohen

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper analyzes State of Flow, the definition codified by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and analyzes how Flow as a concept has developed in current psychological and artistic research, alternative therapies, and mainstream medias. This paper also views existing Dance/Movement Therapy frameworks such as Body-Mind Centering and Kestenberg Movement Profile to see how Csikszentmihalyi’s definition could integrate into current Dance/Movement Therapy practice, as well as looks at Laban Movement Analysis and its future in Dance/Movement Therapy. This thesis also examines how gender and neurodivergence may impact how one can experience State of Flow.

Bibliotherapy With Children With Neurodiverse Profiles: A Literature Review, Jessica Piltch-Loeb

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Expressive arts therapy interventions are continuing to gain recognition as a means of healing for individuals with a wide range of diagnoses. Bibliotherapy is a particularly under researched modality of the expressive arts, leaving ample opportunity for future research on both reading and writing interventions. While bibliotherapy may not be a widespread subject of study, preliminary research shows that reading and writing therapies can promote emotional well-being for individuals dealing with mental illness. Children with neurodiverse profiles (NP) are more likely to be diagnosed with psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, than neurotypical children. Although previous …

Reimagining Disability: Expressive Arts Therapy As An Empowerment Tool, Isla Goldstein

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

A quarter of the U.S. adult population is disabled. Current expressive therapies’ approaches are rooted in a medical-interventionist model of disability over a social model of disability. In utilizing the connection between disability arts and creative arts therapies, this capstone thesis explores the tools found within the field – such as photovoice – to examine the impact of hierarchy in therapeutic spaces. Mental health practices are also often rooted in individualistic models of self-care, over community care. Through examining the practices of disabled art, music, and drama therapists, this literature review seeks to imagine new therapeutic spaces and realities for …

Playing In An Earthquake: Development Of A Method Integrating Traumaplay And Drama Therapy Core Processes, Lisa Bumpus

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

TraumaPlay is a specific play therapy model designed to meet the unique needs of children with exposure to traumatic and/or adverse experiences through clearly identified treatment components. With this, drama therapy has also been considered as a viable treatment option, particularly in the school setting, for children with exposure to traumatic and/or adverse experiences. Additional literature has identified overlaps between play therapy and drama therapy practices. As such, the aim of this thesis was to propose a method which explores whether the drama therapy core processes can be integrated with TraumaPlay’s foundational treatment goals to augment the therapeutic process of …

Self-Care For Hospice And Palliative Nurses And How Drama Therapy Could Help: A Literature Review, Heidi Jackson

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Nurses experience a higher-than-average risk of suicidal ideation and are less likely to seek help than the general population. In addition, nurses have a higher rate of interpersonal violence, hypertension, diabetes, musculoskeletal injury, and obesity. Many nurses experience burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma. Because of the required exposure to grief, death, and compassion inherently needed in the profession, hospice and palliative care (HPC) nurses are uniquely positioned for special vulnerability to these issues. This literature review aims to examine the use of drama therapy, and how its techniques could be used to support self-care with HPC nurses. Literature was …

Songs For A Crying Earth: A Community Music Therapy Engagement Project, Sarah Ames

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

In the past decade, research on the impact of climate change on mental health has been increasingly coming to the forefront of individual and collective organizations. Within the field of music therapy, there is an argument to be made that through our professional standards code of ethics, the climate change crisis is our responsibility to address. This intergenerational capstone project served to integrate an existing transformative learning model with principles of Community Music Therapy to address eco anxiety and promote the development of eco-responsibility, change, and agency. Through the collection and reflection of the researcher’s phenomenological experience, the human-nature relationship …

Text-Based Drama Therapy And Role: Development Of A Method For Identity Integration Of Adolescents Exposed To Trauma At A Partial Hospitalization Program, Daniel Coonan-Helmer

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Trauma interacts with adolescent’s growing understanding of their identity, yet their formative intra- and interpersonal skills may need extra guidance while enrolled in partial hospitalization programs (PHPs). This capstone thesis utilized role method and a selected scene to help adolescents exposed to trauma with identity integration while at a PHP. Through researching adolescent development, trauma, identity, and interactions between those three factors, an intervention was devised to facilitate identity integration using a selected scene from a play independently created of the therapeutic group. The results indicated that there was reflection and perspective growth after the intervention was utilized. The scene …

Can Collage-Based Art Therapy Be A Bridge To Engage Patients Experiencing Social Isolation With A Diagnosis Of A Psychotic Disorder?, Nora Wolff

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Social isolation is not only a common part of the experience of people with psychotic disorders but also often acts as a barrier to their treatment and recovery. Causes of this isolation seem to include not only symptoms of the psychotic illnesses themselves but also the social stigma related to psychotic illnesses, as well as feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, and low self-esteem related to common comorbid disorders. Engaging with patients in acute inpatient units with short lengths of stay can be extremely difficult. This paper reviews the literature and describes a collage-based art intervention with six particularly isolative patients in …

Jewish Wordless Singing In Music Therapy And Burnout Prevention With Outpatient Mental Health Clinicians, Elizabeth Zinn

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Existing literature has shown a rise in burnout levels for mental health clinicians, especially in light of the recent and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This capstone project focused on understanding how Jewish wordless melodies (niggunim) may be used as a technique in group singing in music therapy as a strategy for preventing clinician burnout. Research has demonstrated that music therapy techniques may be beneficial in addressing the causes and components of burnout though there is minimal research on the use of niggunim in music therapy, and none on the use of niggunim to prevent burnout. A single-session niggunim-based intervention was …

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 …

Playful Dance/Movement Therapy For Traumatized Individuals With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: Development Of A Clinical Method, Teagan Collis

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone thesis project explored the potential for dance/movement therapy (DMT) to be an accessible and effective treatment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) that have been impacted by trauma. People with IDD are more vulnerable to adverse life events than the neurotypical population. Past research has largely used treatment designed for neurotypical people who communicate and interpret life events in different ways than people with IDD. The expressive arts therapies, and DMT specifically, have the potential to create a positive embodied experience for people with IDD that have been impacted by trauma. The current method consisted of …

Exploring Core Concepts And Uses Of Makeup In Expressive Arts Therapy And Mental Health: A Critical Review Of The Literature, Rhys Triolo-Rodriguez

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

According to Merriam Webster (2022) the definitions for Makeup are as follows; “Cosmetics (such as lipstick, mascara, and eye shadow) used to color and beautify the face”, “A cosmetic applied to other parts of the body”, and “Materials (such as wigs and cosmetics) used in making up or in special costuming (as for a play).” Many of the articles reviewed also discuss the importance of skin care and the rituals that one goes through when applying or removing facial products. For this research, a combination of all definitions above will be most beneficial. However one may define makeup, within the …

An Embodied Approach To Sexual Education: Developing A Method For Disabled Adults, Eliza Owen-Smith

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

Sexual education is often a topic that gets neglected when it comes to the general public. Schools lack thorough curriculums, often approaching the subject from a fear-based perspective of pushing abstinence only, as opposed to teaching about healthy and safer sexuality. One can imagine, then, the disparity in education among disabled populations. In this thesis, I create and enact a method to educate intellectually and developmentally disabled adults on topics relating to sexual education in an embodied way. This thesis takes into account the current research on dance/movement therapy, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and sexual and somatic psychotherapy to …

Free Play Music Therapy For "In Between" Youth In An Emergency Shelter Setting: Development Of A Clinical Method, Rebecca Kay Hoffschneider

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis explores how clinical improvisation in music therapy can be a benefit for adolescents who are considered “in between” placements. The method was created for youth who are residing at an emergency shelter with limited therapeutic services. Drawing inspiration from Juliette Alvin and free improvisation in music therapy, facilitating a low expectation, non-required, and varied instrumentation choice music therapy group may be beneficial for this population. A method was created to provide a free play music therapy group for “in between” youth ages 13- 17 at an emergency shelter with a variety of racial and cultural backgrounds and identities. …

Exploring The Motivations And Therapeutic Benefits Of Fandom And Fanart Online Communities: A Literature Review, Miriam Kilian

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Participation in Online Fandom culture has become a highly valued aspect of many individuals' self-expression and how they seek to build social connections with others. Furthermore, within the Fandom community, the phenomenon of creating and sharing fan-based work also plays a significant role in the interactions between group members. These factors are important to acknowledge in a therapeutic context as future practitioners can choose to utilize a client's pre-established fandom involvement to explore their identity and social connections with other fans. This thesis is a literature review that examines the academic journals and individual interviews of Fanart Creators. The topics …

Language Barriers And Expressive Arts Therapy With Refugees: A Literature Review, Zeenia Kolah

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Recent decades have seen a precipitous increase in global forced displacement. Events such as the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis have put a spotlight on the arduous and life threatening journeys forcibly displaced people take to try to reach safety and have also begun raising awareness about the psychological needs of forcibly displaced people. Because of experiences before, during, and after migration, refugees frequently have elevated levels of PTSD, depression, and other mental health symptoms. However, mental health service utilization by refugee populations in various host countries tends to be low. This literature review examines existing research on the barriers to …

Unpacking Racial Trauma And Reclaiming A Sense Of Self With The Expressive Therapies Continuum: A Literature Review, Binh Truong

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Despite modern society's advancements and relearning of societal norms toward addressing racism. The continuation of injustice and social disadvantages is upheld by systemic and institutional racism, which can be subtle and aversive. If left untreated, the racial experiences manifest into racial trauma with the same diagnostic symptoms as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This research will examine the literature on the biological effect of trauma on the mind and body. Moreover, looking at how unprocessed racial trauma can be inherited through generations and shrinking tolerance to manage traumatic symptoms thus distorts identity development—resulting in weaker protective factors and instability when faced with …

Sandtray Therapy Through The Lens Of The Expressive Therapies Continuum: Helping Children Who Experienced Trauma Tap Into Their Creative Potential, Mollie Lesnever

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This study explores the use of Sandtray therapy with children in middle childhood who have experienced trauma. Sandtray therapy allows children to create a world of their own with sand and symbolic figures. It supports children’s need for autonomy and provides a way to engage in healing through playful and non-verbal means. Based on the intermodal nature of Sandtray therapy, it was presumed that the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) could be used alongside the intervention as an assessment tool to better understand how development impacts artmaking. Based on the developmental needs of this population, a method including play and art-making …

Perceptions And Impacts Of Unpaid Internships Within Expressive Therapies Education: A Literature Review, Sophie Mcconkie

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Internships are an essential part of expressive therapies education as they prepare students with the necessary skills for clinical work. In the current model, it has been normalized for internships to be unpaid despite a lack of documented rationale behind this practice. This review uses the available literature on internships to question and critically analyze unpaid internships in expressive therapies education. In recent years, increased criticism has been expressed about the practice of unpaid internships across many industries. Research has shown that students with more connection to social, cultural, and financial capital are favored for internships, creating inequitable access. Those …

My Voice Is Tired: The Reclamation Of Voice Through The Expressive Arts To Aid In Self-Care And Processing For Bipoc Interns And Therapists Amidst Microaggression Experiences: A Literature Review And Autoethnography, Kahelia Smellie

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis centers the experiences of Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) interns and therapists’ with microaggression and racism within their various environments. The impact and consequences of these experiences are discussed. An assortment of self-care and coping strategies for the experience of racism is examined, including the use of the expressive arts for self-care, reclamation of voice and processing. The El Duende One Canvas Process Painting technique was selected as the expressive arts tool for BIPOC interns and therapists to engage in to reclaim their voice. This author conducted an autoethnographic inquiry using the El Duende One Canvas Process …

Dance/ Movement Therapy As A Primary Therapeutic Intervention To Improve Social And Communication Skills Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review, Allyssa Millar

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review examines dance movement therapy as an intervention to help children with autism spectrum disorder strengthen social and communication skills. Social barriers due to autism include taking turns, making decisions, participating in joint attention, recognizing emotions in others, and recognizing social cues. Communication skills in children with autism can vary from being unable to verbally express wants and needs to only utilizing gestures to communicate. Dance movement therapy uses the strengths of the children to help develop a communication system that can be understood by those around them. Research studies help to show that use of dance movement …

Healing Trauma Through Dance/Movement Therapy: Literature Review, Shelby Turner

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Trauma comes in many ways, from car accidents, natural disasters, physical and emotional abuse, divorce, loss, and many more. Trauma and trauma responses have been studied for years, connecting how the human brain processes trauma events and how the body responds to the brain’s information. This literature review surveys the different trauma responses through the brain, nervous system, PTSD, and dissociative responses. It highlights trauma-informed care and clinical dance/movement therapy interventions. Those interventions include mirroring techniques, empowerment-focused dance, movement work, and Movement Assessment and Treatment Manual for Trauma (MAMT), a tool to use as a guideline in treatment, mindfulness, and …

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 …

Lost In Treatment: Finding The Person Through Developing A Method And Parallel Drawing, Hisaya Ishii

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This project implemented a method developed with a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in mind, exploring how concepts from neurodiversity, double empathy problem, and phenomenology of living with ASD can be highlighted within the project. Progress was tracked through clinical observations, free-writing, art-based reflections, and consultations. Results highlighted the therapeutic potential of simulating a peer-to-peer, simultaneous art- making process in strengthening a therapeutic alliance grounded in the person-centered principles of non-judgment, empathy, and authenticity. The artwork created during the process acted as client-based documentation of Gestalts, superseding the clinical utility of a purely verbal therapeutic process within the …