Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Benefits Of Expressive Arts In Coping With Anxiety For Inpatient Adolescents: Development Of A Method, Cecelia Fioriello

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Developmentally, adolescence is a period of change and for teens experiencing psychiatric crisis, these changes may be more difficult to manage. Adolescents admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit are often experiencing emotional or psychological crises and complex mental health needs. The arts-based intervention that took place aimed to seek the benefits of artmaking in coping with anxiety and stress for adolescents in a short-term psychiatric inpatient unit who all experience symptoms of anxiety. Patients, ages 12-18, participated in three expressive arts groups that used watercolor to encourage the use of arts-based interventions to cope with anxiety, encourage connections with peers …

Dance Movement Therapy For Neurological Development In Ages 0-3: A Critical Review Of The Literature, Anna Rupert

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The effects of movement on neurodevelopment have been studied by many in both the psychology and neuroscience fields. However, there is a lack of research into the specific ways in which movement is being used to affect neurodevelopment and which specific types of movement most benefit neurodevelopment. This study aims to bridge that gap in the literature by investigating how movement impacts neurological development in infants aged 0-3. Research was pulled from peer reviewed journals using Lesley Library, Syracuse University Library, and Google Scholar and synthesized into four key categories: neurodevelopment in infants aged 0-3, impacts of experience and culture …

Using Art Therapy With Grieving Adolescents Through Telehealth: A Critical Review Of The Literature, Brenna Cole

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Grief is an inevitable part of the human experience. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, art therapists across the world were abruptly forced to adapt their services to an online model, most with little to no training on how to do so. Adolescents experienced death of loves ones and trauma at colossal rates. Legal and ethical issues arose as art therapists blindly began navigating this new terrain all while maintaining client caseloads. This literature review examines the strengths and limitations of the rising use of art therapy through telehealth with grieving adolescents. A search for literature on using art …

Building The Therapeutic Relationship With Youth Online Through Expressive Arts Therapy, A Literature Review, Miranda Sass

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online therapy is now a more permanent part of current therapeutic practice. The therapeutic relationship is also an essential part of mental health services, and while previous research has examined its formation both in-person and online, it has not been investigated thoroughly in its formation with youth in videoconferencing. Expressive arts therapy has also been studied in its relation to therapeutic relationship formation, youth, and videoconferencing, but not in relation to these elements in combination. This study addresses a gap in the literature by examining how expressive arts therapy can be used as a tool …

The Therapeutic Intersection Of Dance And Sport In Trauma, A Critical Review Of The Literature, Molly Rockwood

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Trauma is the psychological and physiological response to environmental triggers as a protective measure. Adolescents with trauma histories or trauma symptoms are introduced to new environments as they grow and mature into adulthood; however, without the appropriate skills or understanding, these maturing youth cannot appropriately adapt to new environments or communities without the activation of the autonomic nervous system and its protective behaviors (fight, flight, freeze, or fawn). Dance/movement therapy and sports-based therapies are two body-based modalities that utilize movement to engage youth in the therapeutic process and to treat trauma symptoms. This literature review explores the ways in which …

Toward A Co-Working Posture In Global Mental Health: A Literature Review On The Use Of Photovoice In Partnership With Forcibly Displaced Populations, Bethany Randolph

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Abstract

As of 2020, the number of forcibly displaced people in the world numbered 82.4 million. This radically diverse population, approximately one in every 95 people, only continues to burgeon as wars and conflicts send millions fleeing for their lives. Sadly, on top of the massive allostatic load endured by the forcibly displaced, many are then doubly harmed by global mental health professionals who lack insight into the culture and worldview of the fellow humans they serve. In an effort to support meaningful therapeutic work in the cross-cultural milieu, this paper presents a literature review inquiry into the purpose and …

Siblings Of Autism Spectrum Disorder And Art Therapy, Corinne Kelly

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Focusing on the neurotypically developing siblings of child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is essential in order to understand how the diagnosis affects the family overall. Sibling relationships are essential in how a person develops in their family system, but due to the symptoms of the ASD diagnoses there can be challenges. By using a family systems approach, the present literature review discusses adjustment in the neurotypically developing sibling, the roles they take on in their family, and how art therapy can be used to alleviate some stressors for both the child diagnosed with ASD and their neurotypically developing …

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 …

I, You And We: Expressive Arts Therapy Interventions And Childhood Identity Development: Development Of A Method, Nicole Stroumbos

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis examined the value and intersection of intermodal Expressive Arts therapy work and childhood identity development. Through a critical review of the literature on identity work, Expressive Arts therapy, and child-centered approaches the author extricated reoccurring themes in each approach. The author also identified gaps in field research pertaining specifically to the 7-9 year old prepubescent population and the growing need for a holistic, arts-based approach to healthy identity exploration and development prior to the adolescent stage. To address this, the proposed method was used in a dyad with two 8-year-old cis-female children in a therapeutic school environment over …

Literature Review: Foundations Of Self-Care Practice Utilizing Expressive Arts For Counselors In Training, Wendy Chambers Brown

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

In this thesis I explore the concept of self-care for graduate students in the field of mental health counseling through their pre-licensure period, who I refer to as counselors-in-training. The thesis begins with a description of the existing literature on what challenges are unique to this field and population and how self-care may mediate the impact of such stressors as burnout, secondary or vicarious trauma, and compassion fatigue, all of which can lead to impaired competence and/or leaving the profession. I have identified three foundational components to approach self-care: self-awareness/self-reflection, self-compassion, and balance. I believe these foundational elements are best …

Letters To Your Future Self And Reducing Anxiety: Development Of A Method, Molly Cowan

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Anxiety is a very common phenomenon in the world, whether it be diagnosed or not. With how detrimentally it can affect any given individual, it is important that the expressive arts therapies develop methods of aiding in reducing anxiety in people. This thesis explored the development of a method for reducing anxiety in individuals on an inpatient unit through writing and decorating a letter to their future self. The intervention was conducted four times, twice on two independent units, with between two to five participants in each group. Participants were instructed to write a letter to their future selves reminding …

Dance/Movement Therapy For Reducing Restraints In Inpatient Psychiatry: A Critical Review Of The Literature, Olivia Naya

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Physical restraints have been used as a means to control behavior that is harmful to self or others, often times stemming from diagnoses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Restraints physically manipulate the body, but also have negative effects on thoughts and feelings. Verbal calming has been an option to aid in de-escalation, but there has been growing research on the benefits of using dance/movement therapy to process and resolve extreme emotions. The aim of this literature review is to explore the important work of therapeutic movement in acute inpatient settings, utilizing the power of the mind-body connection. Through a …

Potential Of The Arts To Promote Healing From The Social Effects Of Covid-19, Caroline Carr

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

For children, the global COVID-19 pandemic can result in less socialization, changing family dynamics, and hearing of or experiencing death around them. These changes may cause adverse effects on their development, economic status, and mental health. Posttraumatic growth can help children develop new pathways of understanding themselves, their world, and relationships with others. Expressive arts therapies (EAT) offer an alternative, creative way to attract and help heal children. Dance/movement therapy (DMT) is an established alternative treatment for mental health. As a form of therapeutics for traumatic events, DMT uses the mind–body connection to express emotions, thoughts, and dreams and produce …

Pool-Based Dance/Movement Therapy With An Elder Population: A Literature Review, Jabyn Cleere

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) is used widely with elders, yet little is known about the sub-field of pool-based therapy. Specific practices in DMT with elders appear in the literature with groups and individuals and uses of props that support issues of balance. While pool-based DMT literature is limited, there is a body of knowledge in related fields that tie closely to the idea of this approach. While implementing treatment in a pool setting may be limiting due to fears or ability, the literature review revealed that using pool DMT would benefit elderly health. Benefits to physical aspects such as balance, muscular …

Healing Stories: Bibliotherapy And Art Therapy As Tools To Support Bereaved Children, A Literature Review, Sarah K. Robinson

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

When I was interning at a bereavement center for children as a second-year graduate student, I witnessed the use of children’s books by an art therapist. This made me curious as to whether the joint use of art therapy and bibliotherapy is an effective support for this population. This critical review of the literature explored this idea by first defining art therapy and bibliotherapy, placing them within a historical context, and noting similarities between the two modalities. Recent sources regarding theories and therapeutic approaches for grief and bereavement were gathered and explored to deepen the understanding of how art therapy …

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 …

Building Connections Through Community Art With Middle School Students: A Community Engagement Project, Amber Raguckas

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Middle school students are faced with many challenges related to their mental health and school. During the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, additional mental health concerns and challenges related to school were escalated. In a population that is pre-occupied with peer interactions and perceptions, being in quarantine left students without a sense of connection to their peers. The goal of the community engagement project presented was to utilize the creative arts to aid in building a sense of community and connection amongst 15 middle school students. During a creative arts enrichment course, the students were asked to select two art …

Body-Based Activism And Embodied Protest Art, Community Engagement Project With Karen And Karenni Young Adults, Ivy I. Kuhn

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper explores body-based activism and embodied protest art as a means to connect to others and participate in social activism. It serves to identify embodied and body-based practices that allow individuals to settle in their bodies to be present and in connection with others in order to feel empowered and motivated to sustain social activist movements. The author further identifies how community arts-based projects help give voice to marginalized, refugee communities that can often feel isolated or voiceless in their displacement. The author engaged in a community engagement project with a group of Karen and Karenni young adults to …

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 …

Dance Movement Therapy Interventions To Build Coping Skills And Identity In Adolescent Patients Dealing With A Cancer Diagnosis: Development Of A Method, Ariel Hortin

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Adolescents are a special category in pediatric oncology because of their unique physical and mental development. This patient population has needs specific to both their development and cancer diagnosis. Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) focuses on building awareness of inner sensations so that the patient can then connect those observations with felt emotions and thoughts. Connecting the physical experience with the emotional experience can provide helpful information for the patient as a tool for change. Building and strengthening relationships with family members also strengthens the critical support system for the patient. Dance Movement Therapy interventions may be effective in working with …

The Opioid Epidemic And The Need For Arts In Community Based Treatment Options: A Literature Review, Abageal Stasny

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Over the past three decades, the opioid epidemic has devastated communities and the lives of many around the US. The prevalence and complexities of substance use disorder continue to challenge clinicians to find effective treatment options for clients. The focus of this literature review is to develop support for using art therapy as a form of treatment for those with substance use disorder, to distinguish the benefits that community-based art therapy as a form of ongoing treatment could provide, and propose the need for further research that explores the use of community-based art therapy with those with substance use disorder. …

Expressive Therapies And Suicidality In Youth, Emily Devlin

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

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

The Art And Dark Of Assessments: A Literature Review And Personal Arts-Based Research, Liza Dennis

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This critical literature review and personal arts-based investigation provides a brief history, a summary of the current use, and limitations of mental health and art therapy assessments today. Every individual is uniquely and authentically created from a combination of biological attributes, surroundings, personal experiences, and preferences. We share commonalities such as interests, values, morals, culture, religion, age, etc., but this is not to say that we will behave or respond identically in any situation. Therapists must learn how to adapt and use appropriate tools and measures for each client's specific needs, however, there is no specific training or precise guidelines …

Streamlining The Performance/Talkback Model Using Media And Alternative Action (Maact): An Intervention, Daniel Brown

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This capstone project ventures to develop a drama therapy method that may increase empathy, social skills, and communication skills in populations with substance use disorders. Particular attention has been paid to the efficacy of performance/talkback methods in increasing these factors. An attempt has been made to streamline the performance/talkback method for greater accessibility to such methods in clinical spaces. The literature shows a particular need in populations with substance use disorders for social skills, communication skills, and empathy training. There have been published drama therapy studies that aim to intervene in these areas, though few with this particular population. This …

Body Mapping And Body Scan: Meditation And Art Therapy: A Literature Review, Christina Tremblay

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The methods of body mapping, including if the research used both body scans and body maps, and who the populations served were the aims of the research. Two published body mapping manuals were found by Gastaldo et al., (2012) and Solomon (2002). Informed consent and ethical considerations were of high priority. The findings consisted of no concrete method for conducting and creating body maps. Art therapists were not a part of the research teams. Body maps were used mostly with female identifying participants, most of which were adults. The major gap in the research consisted of external validity (Gastaldo et …

Body Presence Of Public Safety Officers In The Emergency Room And Effect On Pediatric Psychiatric Patients’ Behavior, Alyssa Cooperider

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This paper addresses how the body presence of public safety officers in hospitals affect pediatric psychiatric patients’ behavior while in the emergency department of a community hospital. When speaking of pediatric psychiatric patients, the age range is 4 through 21 years of age. This paper used research on self-regulation, body stance and presence, nonverbal communication and how it played a role into the experience of the pediatric psychiatric patients’ behavior. Theories such as Kestenberg Movement Profile and the Laban Movement Analysis are included as well.

The Violence Induced By Climate Change: An Evolving Controversy, Josephine Kurdziel

Senior Theses

Climate-induced violence has become more prominent and scrutinized in research, media, and discussion in the last decade with the emergence of new patterns of violence. Conflicts have been scrutinized particularly in key regions and countries such as West Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, which are the focus of the three case studies in this paper. The research is centered on several types of violence such as civil war and terrorism, and then further expanded to how climate change may or may not influence their patterns. Correspondingly, there is also an analysis on the importance of state stability and …

Freedom Of Religion Versus Freedom From Religion: A Case Study On Human Rights Protections And Limitations Of Religious Expression In American And French Constitutional And International Law, Caroline Morris

Senior Theses

The freedom of religion and the freedom from religion are notably different freedoms that result in different modes of implementation, protection, and limitation. On one hand, the United States focuses on the freedom of religion, or the freedom of an individual to practice their religion in the public sphere. This can easily be seen through the emphasis the United States places on students’ right to religious expression in public schools, protected through both judicial decisions and legislation such as the Equal Access Act. On the other hand, France focuses on the freedom of religion, or the freedom of an individual …

Consequences Of U.S. Intervention In Socialist Latin America, William Chao

Senior Theses

This thesis seeks to show the harmful effects of contemporary interventionist attempts by the United States on socialist Latin American countries such as Cuba and Venezuela. The United States continues to meddle with the politics and economies of various countries with the goal of establishing a new government that is favorable to the capitalist practices of the United States. By looking at two key moments: the Covid-19 outbreak in Cuba and the aftermath of the 2018 Venezuelan presidential elections, it becomes clear to see the damage done by harsh embargoes and U.S. support of use for military violence against the …

The Road To Reparations A Comparison Between The United States And South Africa, Ikonii Chiabi

Senior Theses

This thesis paper is designed to be an analysis of potential methods on how to achieve reparations in the United States and South Africa. Both nations’ Black demographics have been victims of white supremacy and enslavement, pushing the white masses to excel while the rest are left to parish. The oppression of these groups have been acknowledged and as opposed to a simple verbal apology, I will write on how compensation in the forms of money, education, and land can be used to undo the wrongdoings of the past. The point of this paper is to present my newfound perspective …