Counseling Psychology Commons^™

From Body Positivity To Body Power: How Music Therapy And Body Liberation Intersect To Address Body Oppression In The Therapeutic Space–A Literature Review, Katherine M. Perkoski

Expressive Therapies Theses

With the rise of overt fascism, anti–fat bias, anti–intellectualism, anti–multiculturalism, anti–diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the persistence of white, capitalist, cisheteropatriarchy narratives around bodies, music therapists need to recognize how client and therapist bodies show up in practice. In this critical literature review, bodies will be sociopolitically and culturally contextualized, and the intersections of music therapy, body liberation, and body power will be discussed. Music therapists need to address the body oppression faced by sociopolitical identities such as race, gender, disability, age, body size, sexuality, neurodiversity, class, ethnicity, nationality, housing status, and immigration status. The music therapy field needs to …

Memory Parties: Celebration As A Community Mental Health Intervention In Dementia Care, Alexis Ask

Expressive Therapies Theses

This thesis examines the relationship between memory, celebration, and collective experience, and proposes Memory Parties as a community mental health intervention for individuals with dementia, their families, and broader communities. Using a qualitative integrative literature review, this thesis synthesizes interdisciplinary research from dementia care, trauma studies, neurobiology, dance/movement therapy (DMT), cultural practices of ritual and celebration, and social psychology. The primary aim is to reconsider memory as an embodied, relational, and collective process rather than solely an individual cognitive function. Findings suggest that as cognitive and narrative memory change, individuals retain the capacity for emotional expression, relational engagement, and participation …

Dance/Movement Therapy As A Person-Centered Treatment For Alzheimer’S Disease And Dementia Through Physical, Social, And Sensory Elements: A Literature Review, Margaret Carson Thatcher

Expressive Therapies Theses

This thesis explores the use of dance/movement therapy as treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. The literature review covers dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, current and emerging approaches to treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, dance/movement therapy, and dance/movement therapy for individuals with dementia. The theme of dance/movement therapy as a person- centered treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia is explored. The efficacy and outcomes of dance/movement therapy with the population are examined. Key components of dance/movement therapy with this population emerged. These elements, social, physical, and sensory, are described and connected to person-centered outcomes for treatment. Applications for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and …

Between Cultures: An Expressive Arts Community Engagement Project On Identity, Belonging, And Cultural Transition Among International Students, Shilpa Ivaturi

Expressive Therapies Theses

International students navigating cultural transition often experience disruptions not only in social adjustment but also in their sense of identity, belonging, and meaning-making. Grounded in expressive arts therapy, cross-cultural psychology, and mythopoetic frameworks of transformation, this thesis explores how creative processes can support international students in reflecting on and integrating their evolving identities during periods of cultural transition. A four-hour trauma-informed expressive arts workshop, structured around the Hero’s Journey arc of departure, initiation, and return, was facilitated across two sessions at a university in the northeastern United States. Seven international students from diverse cultural backgrounds engaged in multimodal practices including …

Exploring The Potential For Meaning-Making In Expressive Art Therapies Interventions In Treatment Of Complicated Grief For Gun Homicide Survivors: A Literature Review, Ash Landrein

Expressive Therapies Theses

Research shows that the violent nature of homicide and the extreme lethality of firearms in conflict lead to increased psychological impairment for survivors and communities affected. Black and Latinx communities are disproportionately affected by gun violence, yet are historically underresearched and underserved. Social constraints and systemic negligence complicate and stigmatize the bereavement process. This literature review examined culturally relevant grief practices, theories and components of meaning-making (MM) post-loss, and Expressive arts interventions for facilitating meaning, safety, and reconnection for survivors, through an intersection of race, ethnicity, gender, and age. Cumulative research shows that MM can help individuals experiencing complicated grief …

Becoming A Body-Centered Psychotherapist: Developing A Reflective Method For Navigating Dual Professional Identity In Dance/Movement Therapy Training, Emma Rose Barbosa

Expressive Therapies Theses

The field of mental health counseling frequently prioritizes verbal modalities, often leaving dance/movement therapists (DMTs) in training to navigate clinical environments that diverge from their primary movement-first modality. Without adequate preparation for this tension, emerging DMTs risk losing access to their primary treatment modality at a critical stage of professional development. The literature review highlights the mind-body connection as a theoretical foundation for somatic integration in clinical practice, examines the development of the internal witness through authentic movement practice, and explores selected current perspectives on DMT within individual counseling contexts. To investigate further themes, a heuristic study was conducted during …

Feasibility Of Staff Training In Facilitating Affirmative Moving With Unhoused Lgbtq+ Individuals, Sujin Ma

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

Homelessness-service environments require non-clinical frontline staff to manage frequent crises and provide relational support to sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals with extensive trauma and minority stress histories. However, staff training often prioritizes didactic knowledge over embodied skills that support emotional regulation, attunement, and identity-affirming engagement. Grounded in trauma-informed care, minority stress theory, and somatic learning, this mixed-methods study examined the feasibility and preliminary patterns of change associated with an embodied staff training designed to prepare non-clinical workers to facilitate Affirmative Moving (AM), a brief movement-based, LGBTQ+-affirming support group model.

The study was conducted between July and September 2025 at …

Playing The Part Online: A Role-Based Telehealth Intervention Supporting Trauma Integration In Adults, Mary Schwabenland

Expressive Therapies Theses

This study explores a telehealth-adapted, role-based drama therapy intervention designed to support trauma integration in adults. Grounded in trauma theory, experiential approaches, and drama therapy frameworks, the intervention utilized interoceptive awareness, metaphor, and role embodiment to explore emotional material in dramatic reality, with aesthetic distance serving as an adjustable mechanism of activation and containment. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted on clinical session notes from five adult clients. Five themes emerged from the analysis, including: aesthetic distance and modes of engagement; aesthetic quality and symbolic coherence; role narrative as integration pathway; intervention as catalyst within ongoing process; and therapist positioning …

Co-Active Therapeutic Filmmaking: A Methodology Pilot Project, Blair Webber

Expressive Therapies Theses

This pilot project examined the intersection of drama therapy and filmmaking. Drawing on the Co-Active Therapeutic Theater model from drama therapy and digital storytelling and participatory video methods from social work research, this methodology designed and delivered a co-created filmmaking intervention at a residential treatment center for adult men with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorder. Four participants made a seven-minute-long short fictional film based on their definition of active recovery and a theme of recovery they wished to share with an audience. It was screened at the treatment center for staff and their fellow residents. Data collection was …

How Can Art Therapy Intergenerational Groups Support Fostering Connections For Individuals With Memory Loss?, Clara Drew

Expressive Therapies Theses

This thesis explores the question: How can art therapy intergenerational groups support fostering connections for individuals with memory loss? In the study conducted, there were two separate groups, family-based and community volunteer-based. Both included residents of a memory care community. Through the process of this study, a total of seven groups were conducted. These groups explored art activities that focused on fostering connection through sensory and collaborative art processes. The study noted changes in the residents' moods, level of engagement, collaboration and socialization, and post-group affect throughout the day. While the focus was observing these factors for memory care residents, …

Soma: Exploring Touch As Performance And Performance As Therapy, Erica Pamson

Expressive Therapies Theses

This project investigated the role of touch within a performative context and its potential as a creative intervention within Expressive Arts Therapy. Grounded in phenomenology and intersubjectivity, the study draws on Expressive Arts Therapy (EXAT) and Performance Art frameworks that position meaning as emerging through embodied, co-created experience. Existing literature identifies touch as a primary mode of perception and communication, essential to both physical and emotional well-being, while also noting its increasing absence and regulation within contemporary Western culture. Performance art literature further highlights the body as both medium and site of relational exchange, often dissolving boundaries between performer and …

Exploring Identity Through Clay: A Humanistic Art Therapy Case Study With A Blind Chinese Adoptee, Virginia Jade Leicht

Expressive Therapies Theses

This qualitative case study explored how working with clay in art therapy can help support a blind man’s identity exploration. This paper addresses the problem of many traditional therapeutic approaches within the art therapy realm: They rely too heavily on visual engagement, which can limit the accessibility and opportunities for self-exploration and identity development for those who are blind. The study was grounded in current research and foundational theories based on the humanistic art therapy approach. Clay is considered an accessible medium that engages multiple senses and allows for emotional exploration and meaning making, specifically through tactile and sensory-based engagement …

Returning To Play: Play-Centered Art Therapy With Parentified Adult Caregivers, Paola Andrea Mendez Carreno

Expressive Therapies Theses

This research investigates the impact of play-centered art therapy on parentified adult caregivers, focusing on how creative interventions utilizing elements of play can support identity development, self-compassion, and relational capacity. The literature indicates that childhood parentification leads to identity loss and burnout, but creative play can foster neuroplasticity and emotional processing by allowing adults to externalize harmful narratives that have been internalized. To explore these concepts, the author conducted four sessions over six weeks with an adult participant at a private outpatient practice in Massachusetts. Play-centered activities included free collaging, puppet-making, and clay modeling, often involving moments of parallel play …

Unveiling Embodied White Supremacy: Therapists’ Experiences And Its Imprint On Therapeutic Relationships In Dance/Movement Therapy, Melody E. Gamba

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This qualitative, arts-informed research study explored how White-identifying dance/movement therapists experience and articulate their awareness of embodied White supremacy within therapeutic relationships. Grounded in critical race theory, relational-cultural theory, and embodied critical transformation theory, the study addressed a gap in dance/movement therapy literature concerning how White supremacy is not only cognitively understood, but also somatically felt, relationally enacted, and professionally navigated. The purpose of the study was to understand how White-identifying dance/movement therapists perceive, kinesthetically experience, and make meaning of embodied White supremacy in therapeutic practice, and to explore how these embodied experiences influence therapeutic presence, attunement, and the potential …

An Expressive Arts Therapy Literature Review: Spiritual Experiences And Dsm-5 Assessment In Bipoc Communities, Amanda Paige Rodriguez

Expressive Therapies Theses

Spiritual and non-ordinary experiences such as clear-hearing, visions, and spiritual perception are frequently interpreted within Western mental health systems through diagnostic frameworks rooted in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). For Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC), these interpretations may overlook cultural, spiritual, and ancestral contexts in which such experiences hold meaning rather than indicate pathology. This literature review examines how DSM-5 frameworks conceptualize spiritual experiences in BIPOC communities and explores assessment practices that may reduce the risk of misdiagnosis.

A literature review methodology was employed, drawing on sixteen peer-reviewed articles representing qualitative, quantitative, and …

Utilizing Dungeons And Dragons With Expressive Arts Therapy To Analyze Sense Of Connection Socially And To The Self: A Literature Review And Autoethnography, Neve N. Johnson

Expressive Therapies Theses

This expressive arts-based autoethnography explores the use of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) as a tool in expressive arts therapy to foster self-expression and connection to oneself and others. Research on the use of TTRPGs as a viable therapeutic medium is in its early stages, particularly for the widely-renowned fantasy TTRPG Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). Geek Therapy, a therapy surrounding “geek culture” and affinities, emerged in 2011 and began research questioning if such affinities as costume play, anime, video games, or TTRPGs could be tools for self-expression in therapy. This has led to a range of current literature on the therapeutic …

The Integration Of Culture, Identity, And Belongingness In Emdr Therapy: Practitioners’ Perspectives, Robert Anthony Richards

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This dissertation examines how EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) practitioners approach power dynamics, identity, and belongingness in therapy from a multicultural and social justice perspective. Using a qualitative narrative research design guided by intersectional feminist epistemology, the study investigates how privilege, positionality, and belongingness influence clinicians’ approaches to EMDR therapy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine EMDR-trained practitioners from diverse sociocultural backgrounds to explore how relational, systemic, and contextual factors influence their clinical work. Thematic analysis was used to illuminate how EMDR practitioners navigate complex power dynamics both within the therapeutic alliance and in broader sociocultural contexts. Participants emphasized …

From Shame To Self-Compassion: Understanding The Experiences And Characteristics Of Self-Identified White Anti-Racist Clinical Counselors In Maine, Rachel B. Wells

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Following the rise of the cultural competence movement, clinical counselors demonstrate a fundamental paradox of perpetuating and mitigating racial oppression within the mental health field. There is a growing need for accountability and systemic change as demographic and sociopolitical shifts occur across Maine and the nation. Grounded in Critical Race and Critical Feminist theories, this critical narrative qualitative study explored the experiences, characteristics, and interests served by seven White, self-identified anti-racist clinical counselors in Maine. Clinicians participated in semi-structured interviews, which were then analyzed using a feminist voice-centered relational method, the Listening Guide. Findings revealed the significance of witnessing the …

Will Anyone Play With Me? Building Resilience Through Community Play With Transgender And Gender Diverse Young Adults, Lee Lebeda

Expressive Therapies Theses

The recent increase in anti-trans legislature in the United States has negatively impacted the mental health of transgender young adults nationwide. Current research suggests that creative expression in a group setting may be uniquely suited to help transgender people combat the negative mental health effects of internalized anti-trans messaging. Based on this research, a community engagement project was designed for transgender young adult participants to explore resilience building through drama therapy-informed community play. Three play-based support groups, facilitated by a drama therapy graduate student who identified as a peer to the participants, were offered to transgender young adults in their …

Affirming Connections: Understanding The Factors That Cultivate Supportive Relationships For Latine Students And High School Staff, Ivelis Macaruso

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

Latine students have increased steadily in the United States. This population brings rich experiences and strengths to their school communities. However, such strengths are often overlooked in the development of individual practices and institutional policies to better support Latine student wellbeing. Research suggests that supportive relationships between students and school staff promote positive academic outcomes and student wellbeing. Yet, the factors that promote supportive relationships among Latine students are not well understood. This qualitative dissertation examined Latine students’ experiences of both impactful factors and barriers to supportive relationships with school staff through the lens of critical race theory (CRT), Latina/o …

Black Somatic Liberatory Practices: The Africanist Aesthetic In Psychotherapeutic Movement Observation, Ebony Nichols

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This critical ethnographic qualitative study explored Black body-based healing practices and coping strategies used to resist and titrate the impact of racism and oppression. It also examined how Black individuals use their bodies to regulate their nervous systems to heal and cultivate liberatory practices. Grounded in theoretical frameworks such as Black Psychology, African Indigenous Healing Systems, Liberation Psychology, and Critical Race Theory, this research investigated the intersections of Black Aesthetics, Psychology, and the body through the lens of the Africanist Aesthetic. The study employed interaction analysis and reflexive thematic analysis to analyze non-verbal and verbal data collected from two focus …

How Art Therapy And Emdr Help Asylum Seekers And Refugees Move Towards Healing Trauma: A Literature Review, Anna Mogilevsky

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

In the past ten years, there has been a significant rise in the number of asylum seekers and refugee populations worldwide (UNHCR, 2022). Displaced individuals are extremely vulnerable to mental illness because of the compounded trauma experienced in their countries of origin with the stress of immigration, asylum seeking, culture shock, and language barriers. PTSD is affecting 500 million individuals globally, and refugees are especially susceptible to having these symptoms (Farrell, 2020). Art therapy and EMDR are identified as the most promising modalities for treating such trauma.

This literature review examines the various ways EMDR and art therapy have been …

Using Dabke To Embody Sumud: A Literature Review Of Indigenous Palestinian Dance In Relation To Ongoing Trauma, Reema Rustom

Expressive Therapies Theses

This literature review explores the psychological and psychosomatic impacts of political violence on Palestinians living under Israeli military occupation. Drawing from historical, academic, and ethnographic sources, the thesis examines how risk factors such as displacement, home destruction or demolition, and chronic exposure to military aggression contribute to trauma. Utilizing expressive arts therapy as a lens for understanding how arts-based processes support working through trauma, the review identifies existing Palestinian cultural practices that allow for the reclamation of the self, the collective, and the land. This review also highlights protective factors that support the well-being and resilience of Palestinians, such as …

The Neuropsychiatric Value Of Expressive Arts Therapy Integrated With Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy In Treating Alzheimer's Disease And Related Disorders (Adrd), Alicia C. Hesse-Cleary

Expressive Therapies Theses

Neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease, and other dementias, are progressive disorders that lead to white matter damage in the brain, resulting in structural and functional consequences that disrupt neuronal pathways and contribute to significant cognitive and behavioral impairments. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form and a leading cause of death among older adults. Nearly 97% of patients experience neuropsychiatric symptoms, which are incredibly challenging to treat effectively as the disease progresses and, in some cases, may be untreatable with pharmaceuticals. This situation significantly increases caregiver burden and healthcare costs. Traditional pharmacological treatments for these conditions have …

Hope-Centered Art Therapy Exploring The Emergence Of Relational Narratives In Nurturing Resilience In Children, Niloofar Ojani

Expressive Therapies Theses

This review examines the importance of hope and resilience in art therapy interventions for children by synthesizing current research on how art therapy can foster hope. The data were collected by reviewing published peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, reflective writing, and artmaking—arts-based research methods. The beginning sections delve deeply into the definition of hope and resilience in the context of adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. Art therapy acts as a creative medium for fostering these qualities. It is discussed that creative expression contributes to emotional regulation, utilizes therapeutic intra- and inter-relationships as a source of hope, and connects the child with …

How Can Tattoos Be Understood As Intermodal Expressive Arts Therapy?: Integrating Visual Art, Personal Narrative, And Embodied Experience: Development Of A Method, Rachel S. Hall

Expressive Therapies Theses

This paper explores the inherent intermodal nature of tattoos through the lens of expressive arts therapy, demonstrating how tattoos integrate visual art, personal narrative, and embodied experience. A group intervention was designed and implemented in an outpatient setting, drawing on existing literature and the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) to examine how tattoos function as therapeutic tools that support identity formation, emotional healing, and self-expression. The intervention guided participants through an intermodal process that began with reflective writing on identity-forming experiences, followed by visual art-making and somatic engagement. This approach illuminated the transformative potential of tattoo conceptualization within a therapeutic context, …

A Method For Developing Multicultural Musical Fluency: Reclaiming A Relationship With Traditional Ashkenazi Music, Rachael Penn

Expressive Therapies Theses

Counseling and music therapy scholars recommend that students and clinicians engage in self-inquiry to explore their cultural values to build multicultural competence. I created an arts-based method for deep reflection using theory and techniques in the literature regarding culture-centered music therapy, including ethnographic inquiry, the cultural unconscious, intersubjective theory, active imagination, embodiment, and artistic reflection. I engaged with music from my own cultural background, which included Ashkenazi klezmer music and Yiddish folksong, to reflect on my cultural values and to build a living relationship with the music. Thematic analysis revealed eight themes, including the function of the music, personal memories …

Why Disability Justice Matters In Mental Health Care And How Drama Therapists Can Help Get It Right, Anish Nakahara

Expressive Therapies Theses

Disability Justice (DJ) is an important, ever-growing aspect of mental health work that must be further explored and implemented if mental health professionals are committed to harm reduction and health equity. Drama therapy (DT) provides a unique accessibility that traditional psychotherapy does not always afford. The emphasis on encounters, relationality, and creative expression provides more avenues through which people can approach DT. Through analysis of current literature, this thesis explored the present relationship between DT and DJ, the relationship between the broader mental health care system and DJ, and how progress can continue toward competent, dignified care for disabled people. …

"La Vida Es Un Carnaval": An Exploration Of Cuban Identity And Nostalgia Through Dance/Movement Therapy - A Community Engagement Project, Maria Fernanda Mendez Mendoza

Expressive Therapies Theses

“La Vida Es Un Carnaval” is a community engagement project and thesis that explores how identity and nostalgic resilience show up through dance/movement therapy with Cuban immigrants living in the United States, specifically Massachusetts. This project brought together six Cuban-born participants, ages 26 to 67, each with their own unique migration stories; from the Rafter Balsero Crisis of 1994, to the “Wet-Foot/Dry-Foot” policy, and family reunification. Through a mix of in-person and online sessions, participants explored their experiences using intermodal activities including dance/movement therapy techniques, conversation, journaling, artwork, and music. Themes of cultural pride, “Cubanía” – Cuban-ness, culture shock, and …

Emotional Pathways: A Literature Review Of Emotion Process In Emotionally Focused Therapy And Drama Therapy, Chiao-Ting Yuan

Expressive Therapies Theses

This capstone thesis explored how emotionally focused therapy (EFT), and drama therapy (DT) could be integrated to improve emotional regulation, self-awareness, and mental healing. Based on attachment theory and emotional process framework, how these two different but complementary interventions could increase emotional participation and transformation was explored. This literature review indicated that although EFT’s structured and verbal approach is different from DT’s creative and embodied skills, the two approaches share common goals and target the same emotional process. In DT, several techniques can be found that are closely related to EFT’s emotional process. These techniques can provide a unique and …