Art Therapy Commons^™

Online Friendships And The Bird’S Nest Drawing In The Age Of The Internet, Ian Wong

Art Therapy | Master's Theses

This study was a qualitative exploration of friendships facilitated through the internet and online video games. The goal was to investigate how online friendships compare to in-person friendships in terms of quality. Three English-speaking participants who played an online video game and had an online friendship provided unique case studies describing the differences between an online and in-person friendship. The Bird Nest Drawing art assessment by Kaiser (1996; 2016) revealed themes of attachment security which helped explain the variations in the friendships. The findings of this study opened the topic of online friendships for further exploration in the field of …

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 …

Postpartum Depression: Healing Through Archetypes And The Expressive Arts Therapies, Macushla Roulleau

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis is a literature review investigating treating postpartum depression through the expressive arts therapies and feminine archetypes. The expressive arts therapies explored for treatment are dance, music, art, and drama. Meditation, mindfulness, and writing are also included. The importance of expressive arts therapies in treating postpartum depression is of interest now because of the increasing number of mothers who experience postpartum depression who are looking for alternatives to treatment beyond, or complementing, traditional talk therapy and medication. A search for literature on treating postpartum depression with expressive arts therapies and archetypes was conducted on-line using the Lesley University database. …

Art And Rehabilitation: An Analysis Of Art In The Treatment Of Individuals Recovering From Substance Use Disorders, Cheyenne Weis

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Substance use has been a huge problem in the United States for a long time. Typically, techniques such as behavioral therapies or 12-Step Programs are used regarding treatment for those trying to recover from substance use disorders. While these treatment options are useful for many people, it is also important to look at nonnormative options for treatment to help the greatest number of people. One of these treatment options is the use of art, either as art therapy or as therapeutic art-making. Previous research on art therapy and people with substance use disorders demonstrates that there are many benefits of …

Israeli Professionals Understanding Of Selective Mutism, Tal Hanan

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study employed art-based research with phenomenological qualitative inquiry to understand the perspectives of professionals who are working in the Israeli school system with children diagnosed with selective mutism. Selective mutism (SM) is a disorder originated in anxiety in which a child, between the ages of 3–5, does not speak at school but does speak at home (APA, 2022). In this research, the researcher facilitated a professional workshop based on Dillon (2016) and a similar workshop conducted by Harwood and Bork (2011). The aim was to broaden the knowledge and investigate the opinions of professionals working with children diagnosed with …

Altered Stories, Altered Lives: An Exploration Of Post Traumatic Growth From A Narrative Perspective With A Strengths Based Focus, Andrea Jones

Art Therapy | Master's Theses

Complex trauma is prevalent, underrecognized, and difficult to treat. Left untreated, the ongoing negative consequences impact individuals, families and society. Literature indicates traditional modes of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder have high attrition rates and are ineffective for approximately 30% of clients (Schouten et al., 2018). Art Therapy provides the opportunity to offer effective, well tolerated treatment for ongoing adverse consequences of trauma symptoms and recontextualization of the trauma due to the highly nonverbal nature of trauma memory (Hass-Cohen et al., 2014). A nested mixed methods design (Neubauer et al., 2019) combining arts-based research with pre and posttest survey analysis …

Exploring The Connection Between Social Media & Body-Image And The Impact Of Art Therapy Interventions On A Woman’S Self-Esteem, Courtney Engelhardt

Art Therapy | Master's Theses

This current study desired to illuminate the connection between social media and body image, as well as determining if art therapy interventions may impact a woman’s self-esteem. An individual’s body-image and self-esteem are very much correlated, as both concepts directly influence one another. Fourteen participants were recruited through social media after meeting the qualifications: being eighteen years old and/or older, identifying as a woman, and being active on social media. A mixed-methods research design was utilized for this research using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Qualitative data was obtained through semi structured interviews, participant’s artwork, and reflections on their art. …

Memes To Cope And Communicate, Priscilla (Nox) Ngo

Art Therapy | Master's Theses

The study’s objective was to observe the benefits of creating meme imagery around the participant’s stressors and how it affected the participants’ mood. This mixed-method study also looked into the meme’s ability to communicate their experience of their stressor to others to test whether it would be useful in a therapeutic setting. In order to measure affect change, the researcher utilized the PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) before and after the meme creation process. The researcher tested communication through utilization of inter-raters to observe the created meme and respond upon what they believed the participant was going through. This …

Exploring Whether A Collage Art Intervention Enhances Levels Of Resilience In Asian Americans Who Have Experienced Emotional Suppression, Casey Galaura

Art Therapy | Master's Theses

Emerging research has shown cross-cultural differences when coping with negative emotions (Yoshie & Sauter, 2020). The Asian American population uniquely experiences both western and eastern cultures, which have different ideologies around expressing negative emotions. In Eastern Cultures, it is common to suppress negative emotions, while Western cultures find it more accepting. Suppressing emotions is a form of emotional dysregulation and can cause a negative effect on one’s psychopathology. This mix-methods study explores whether collage art-based intervention enhances levels of resilience with Asian Americans who have experienced emotional suppression. The theoretical orientation, Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), was used as a guide …

Music Therapy For Men With Co-Occurring Disorders, Yolana Kaml

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This project explores both quantitative and qualitive research that discusses the effectiveness of music therapy, its use in group settings, and its use in treatment of many different mental health states. This project also explores what the treatment process of music therapy looks like. Music therapy was found to be effective in lowering pain levels, anxiety, and promote better sleep in a research study done on cancer patients (Tang et al. 2021). The research done also showed that music therapies effectiveness extends to people with a variety of mental health histories and of different ages. This includes parent/child dyads (Teggelove …

High Anxiety In Pediatric Oncology Patients? What About Art Therapy?, Rebekah Love

Symposium of Student Scholars

Anxiety and depression are becoming more prevalent in the pediatric population today. In addition to the general pediatric population experiencing an increased risk of mental illness, children with an oncology related diagnosis have an even heightened risk. Most pediatric oncology patients reported fear or worry daily, which is cited to be most severe when they had an appointment or went to the hospital for a fever. It is imperative we discover interventions to lessen the anxiety and depression pediatric oncology patients experience daily. A literature review revealed conclusive interventions have not been determined. The purpose of this research is to …

Literature Review: The Relationship Between Art And Anxiety, Madeline R. Armendariz Sullivan

University Honors Theses

In this literature review, several articles and studies are discussed to address the question: What is the relationship between making art and anxiety? Within the literature discussed, three themes are reviewed: the effects of making art on anxiety, the long-term impacts of making art, and making art and other psychological conditions. The literature reviewed suggested that making art significantly improves the symptoms of anxiety, helps participants achieve meditative, or flow, states, improves the participants' emotional regulation and quality of life, and that making art helps with comorbidity and even other psychological conditions besides anxiety disorders.

Partial Hospitalization Programs And Adolescents: The Impact Of Brief Art Therapy Treatment, Andrea Sepe

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper evaluates partial hospitalization programming and art therapy practices with the adolescent population. The adolescent experience is a time of complex biopsychosocial development marking personal identity exploration and independence. Adolescent mental health challenges range from depressive, anxiety, conduct and mood disorders. Partial hospitalization programming is a means of acute integrative care founded in milieu therapy that caters to the unique mental wellness needs of the adolescent population. Among the most impactful psychotherapeutic interventions for adolescent mental health is art therapy, an evidence-based practice incorporating creativity and theory. This paper explores the adolescent developmental experience, current treatment methods of partial …

Healing Our Connection With Nature: An Expressive Arts Community Engagement Project, Meghan Mccrillis

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

A community engagement project was created and implemented, comprised of two events for which the author facilitated nature-based expressive arts experiences to explore the integration of nature and expressive arts therapy. The events were offered to two different groups of community members, one for nature-curious adults held outdoors on the trails of a local conservation trust, and another for young children at a local library. The healing impact of nature connection and nature connection experiences are explored through a literature review, event methods, and the author’s personal experiences of the project via artmaking. The results include an emphasis on nature …

All You Knead Is Love, Donna Madoff

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis explores the development of a method to gain a deeper understanding of the process of making bread’s potential as art therapy. The Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC), mindfulness arts-based research, and neurobiological research provide the foundation for understanding the method. Lusebrink and Hinz's schematic framework, the ETC provides a therapeutic model for the applications of media in art therapy. Research posits that the three levels of the ETC, Kinesthetic/Sensory, Perceptual/Affective, and Cognitive/Symbolic reflect different functions and structures in the brain that process visual and affective information (Lusebrink, 2004). In addition, the application of new techniques in brain imaging has …

Gap Analysis Of 2slgbtqia+ Curriculum In Counseling Programs, Erika Graves

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The purpose of this paper is to propose additional curriculum specific to marginalized populations and communities for Clinical Mental Health Counseling programs. There is a systemic lack of purposeful education on marginalized communities that student clinicians will be serving, with an emphasis on expectations of being a lifelong learner, asking the student/counselor to educate themselves. This expectation is unsustainable in the context and acknowledgment of burnout among human service providers, and does not reinforce the lens of trauma informed care that is stressed in its programming. To build strong clinicians, support must be executed systemically within its programming as an …

Finding A Middle Path: Using Expressive Arts Therapy To Engage Adolescents In Dialectical Behavior Therapy: A Literature Review, Rebecca Miller

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This critical literature review explores the limited research on integrating expressive arts therapy (ExTH) with dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). DBT, an evidence-based, third-wave cognitive-behavioral intervention, has been adapted for use with adolescents struggling with emotional and behavioral dysregulation. Yet, the didactic and almost rigid nature of DBT can feel more like a school lesson and less like therapy, making it difficult for adolescents to engage with the treatment. This is problematic as DBT's effectiveness requires the client to be fully committed and willing to engage in the therapy. This paper explores the literature on combining ExTH with DBT and conceptual …

Where I’M From: Internal Manifestations Among Cambodian Women Using The Expressive Arts A Literature Review, Noeun Chhim

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Chronic mental illness has affected many Cambodian people, but, culturally, Cambodians aren’t accustomed to opening up and discussing their feelings, rather defining mental illness to craziness and seeking help is presumed taboo. Thus, Cambodians are often reluctant to talk about their experiences and/or their related illnesses. Though Cambodians have experienced inconceivable suffering and violence during the Khmer Rouge era, for the purpose of this thesis, I will be discussing the role of Cambodian women and investigate the extent of what they’ve witnessed and experienced. Cambodian women have suffered through many years of trauma and grief, during and after the Khmer …

How Clay In Group Art Therapy Helps Female Veterans Maintain Well-Being: Development Of Methods, Sooho Park

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Using clay in art therapy has emerged as an evidence-based therapeutic approach to enable treatment for people with anxiety. While clay in art therapy has been researched and proven to be highly effective with children, there is limited research on the benefit for the population of female veterans. Therefore, this study examines the possibility of how clay in art therapy helps female veterans to reduce anxiety and maintain their well-being at Veterans Affairs Hospital (VAH). Three female veterans were engaged in weekly intervention for six weeks through both in-person and online sessions. Results indicate participants experienced beneficial changes in anxiety …

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 …