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Transforming Education: The Impact of Dance/Movement Therapy in School Settings
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The author will examine the application and effectiveness of Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) programs in school settings. DMT offers a unique, non-traditional approach to therapeutic counseling that may be more accessible for some students and could help reduce barriers and hesitation to participate in counseling for others. By integrating movement and other forms of art expression, DMT uses a multi-modal approach to therapy. It also provides opportunities for students to engage in physical movement during the school day. The literature explored in this thesis will include studies on expressive therapies in schools that aim to improve student learning and behavior and address mental health challenges and social and emotional developmental support. The research on the above areas and the use of DMT for addressing specific learning diagnoses that students may have in school environments will also be included.
In this thesis, I will review literature on student needs related to movement, art, and mental health counseling, and examine how Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) integrates all three elements. The findings highlight the need for further research with fewer limitations, such as larger and more diverse participant groups, longer study durations, and a broader range of DMT roles within school environments.
Keywords: Dance/Movement Therapy, Expressive Therapies, School Environments
Author Identity Statement: I am a straight, married white woman from New England, and I grew up in a predominantly white state where I had limited interactions with non-white peers outside of theater groups I performed with until college. Since then, I have engaged with more racially and gender-diverse social groups as a dance teacher/student, high school teacher, and graduate counseling student
Vocal Toning Increasing the Parent-Child Bond in Neonatal Care: A Proposed Method
Get PDFVocal toning in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is an innovative therapeutic method that greatly improves emotional connections between caregivers and fragile infants. This practice is more than just a new idea; it fosters the crucial relationships essential for developing newborns. Vocal toning also aids in stabilizing physiological responses and promoting emotional regulation in infants, who are often subjected to high-stress situations. Using structured vocalization techniques, caregivers can provide consistent auditory and vibrational cues that encourage relaxation and promote co-regulation with the infants in their care. This proposed approach examines the theoretical foundation, solid methodology, practical application, and anticipated outcomes of vocal toning in the NICU context. By synthesizing empirical research, this method outlines a five-step framework for caregivers, highlighting the significance of breath control, active participation from caregivers, and systematic assessments of the practice to ensure effectiveness. The research suggests that vocal toning can improve neonatal development while strengthening the bond between caregivers and infants. The intervention\u27s potential benefits are considerable, indicating a promising avenue for enhancing care in critical settings. Future investigations should aim to expand the use of vocal toning and comprehensively explore its long-term impacts on attachment and emotional growth in fragile infants, thus advancing therapeutic practices in neonatal care
“Listen to Your Body First and Me Second,” Embodied Learning Readiness in Yoga Teacher Education
Get PDFEmbodied learning happens when thoughts and actions are informed by sensing and noticing inner bodily states. Yoga is commonly cited as a mind-body practice that enhances embodied learning, yet there is a gap in yoga teacher education literature pertaining to this competency. A qualitative phenomenological study was used to understand how embodied learning was exhibited amongst alumni of a residential yoga teacher training. Data was examined using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to determine in what ways, if any, the yoga teacher training altered trainees’ relationships with their bodies. The findings showed a process of embodied learning readiness: students pursued yoga teacher training to solve a dilemma; they were supported by a curriculum that fostered safety, acceptance, and belonging; students’ underlying issues surfaced; and a curriculum with non-judgmental body awareness, self-reflective activities, and role models provided a counternarrative. Embodied learning readiness is relevant to yoga teacher educators, organizations such as the Yoga Alliance that determines yoga teacher education standards, and those who wish to include the body in education
Using Dabke to Embody Sumud: A Literature Review of Indigenous Palestinian Dance in Relation to Ongoing Trauma
Get PDFThis 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 community support, engagement in cultural practices, and the cessation of violence that mitigate distress and foster resilience. Incorporating culturally relevant and community-based strategies is essential for day-to-day survival in the occupied Palestinian territories. In response to the limitations of Western frameworks of trauma and intervention, this review incorporates Indigenous Palestinian ways of knowing, such as sumud (steadfastness), which emphasizes resistance and resilience through oneness with the people of the land and the land itself. This review seeks to illuminate how cultural practices such as dabke, a traditional folk dance, serve as (1) an embodiment of sumud, (2) an expression of cultural continuity, and (3) a way to process and cope with ongoing trauma
Mindfulness 101: Integrating Mindfulness into the First-Year College Curriculum
Get PDFThe college experience offers young people unique opportunities for personal growth and academic development. However, it is widely recognized that college and university students suffer from unprecedented rates of anxiety and depression. Mindfulness, often defined as paying attention on purpose, moment-to-moment, without judgment, has the potential to not only reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression but also to promote flourishing. By integrating mindfulness into the first-year college curriculum, educators facilitate students’ abilities to a) better understand their emotional responses so that they might navigate stress, relationships, and challenges with greater ease, b) better recognize their strengths and weaknesses, and make more informed decisions about their academic and career paths, and c) connect more deeply with their core values and goals so that their choices align with their long-term aspirations.
This creative thesis project argues for integrating mindfulness into the first-year program or college composition curriculum and provides relevant resources. It first describes the recent surge in mindfulness research, particularly mindfulness in education, before reviewing meta-analyses that suggest MBIs are effective in decreasing stress and anxiety in non-clinical post-secondary populations. The thesis highlights individual studies that investigate MBIs potential to promote flourishing, particularly social connectedness, meaning and purpose, and life satisfaction, before reflecting on the pedagogical precedent in the work of educators, researchers, philosophers, and scholars such as William James, Paulo Friere, Ellen Langer, and Parker J. Palmer. It concludes by providing introductory resources for the first-year college curriculum
Mindful of God: Meditation Practices within Abrahamic Traditions
Get PDFThrough the exploration of meditation practices within Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, this paper emphasizes the shared intention among practitioners of these Abrahamic traditions to connect with the Divine Presence of God in daily life. In modern America, where religious diversity and secularism coexist, meditation practices have gained traction in spiritual settings, secular spaces, religious communities, and other environments. This paper reviews three key meditation practices: the dhikr practice in Islam, the “Just Being” Shabbat practice in Judaism, and the “Silence as a Door to God” practice in Christianity. Through this review, significant phenomenological parallels emerge: the practices of cultivating stillness of mind, letting go of distractions, and familiarizing oneself with the felt Presence of God. These shared elements highlight a unifying pursuit that each religion shares—an intention to cultivate a personal connection with God. This paper concludes with a novel meditation exercise, featuring a written script and an audio recording of a practice that incorporates shared language from each tradition. It enables observant individuals of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity to recognize their common humanity through a meditation practice that supports the shared sacred pursuit of connecting deeply with God
Exploring Predictive Factors for Enabling Behavior in Family Members of Those With Problematic Substance Use
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to gain insight into the underpinning driving forces for enabling behavior in affected family members with loved ones engaged in problematic substance use. With improved clarity and understanding of the variables predictive of enabling behavior, clinicians may be able to treat family members with improved precision and efficacy. Specifically, this study inquired about the relationship between enabling behavior and several variables, including (a) trauma, (b) ethnicity/race, (c) gender, (d) social support, (e) household income, and (f) age. This study surveyed 100 participants identifying as affected family members. Surveys were completed online and consisted of a demographic questionnaire, Behavioral Enabling Scale, International Trauma Questionnaire, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. The data were collected and transcribed into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for multiple linear regression analysis. The multiple linear regression analysis yielded a model including posttraumatic stress disorder, North American Indigenous race/ethnicity, male gender, and below average social support (i.e., scoring below the 50th percentile relative to other participants in the study). The variables included in the model of this study historically require a unique and compassionate approach to treat. Traumatized individuals require trauma-informed approaches. Indigenous cultures have been identified as most susceptible to enabling thrive with a culture-informed approach to providing care and support. Men are historically treatment resistant/averse, making treatment engagement a challenge worthy of calculated practice. Finally, encouraging an affected family member to seek support outside of a family system governed by rules grounded in distrust of outsiders requires patience and tact. By embracing these treatment challenges, clinicians can move closer to providing targeted, evidence-based care to affected family members to support their recovery
School-Based Dance/Movement Therapy for Adolescents in Special Education: A Critical Literature Review
Get PDFIn response to the increase in the number of students who receive special education services in the United States, along with a heightening need for accessible mental health services, school-based therapy is a growing area of research. Dance/movement therapy is an expressive arts therapy modality designed to support diverse populations in multiple settings. This literature review aimed to critically examine and synthesize research pertaining to school-based dance/movement therapy for adolescents in special education. This review examined the impact of school-based dance/movement therapy on social-emotional skills and related outcomes for adolescents in special education and found positive trends for improvement in these domains. Additionally, qualities were described for five dance/movement therapy elements (mirroring, rhythm, props, structure, and strengths-based approaches), which were determined based on findings from the literature. Qualities of school-based services were also examined. Barriers to the implementation of school-based dance/movement therapy for this population were identified, including perceived lack of feasibility of services. Based on the findings of this review, the field of dance/movement therapy is in a unique position to effectively address the needs of adolescents in special education within a school-based setting. Future research should include intersectional identities and direct perspectives from students with disabilities, as well as address barriers to the implementation of school-based dance/movement therapy for adolescents in special education
Affirming Connections: Understanding The Factors That Cultivate Supportive Relationships For Latine Students And High School Staff
No full textLatine 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 critical theory (LatCrit), and ecological systems theory. By centering and amplifying the lived experiences and perspectives of Latine students, the present research challenges dominant narratives, offering insight into how school staff can create safe and affirming environments in which relationships can be fostered, providing academic, social, and emotional support for Latine students. The present study included online individual semi-structured in-depth interviews with Latine high school students (n=8) in a northeast U.S. state. Thematic analysis was employed to examine the ways institutional practices, dominant norms, and interpersonal dynamics interact with one another to shape students’ perceptions of supportive relationships and the impact they have on Latine social-emotional wellbeing, academic achievement, and sense of belonging in the school climate. Findings revealed how discriminatory practices impacted participants’ ability to fully access resources and social emotional supports. Findings also revealed that supportive relationships were pathways to academic, social, and emotional support, and buffers to experiences of discrimination in an exclusionary system that upholds deficit narratives of Latine students. The dissertation provides student-led recommendations for school staff in creating inclusive and equitable spaces and relationships in the school system that are centered in supporting Latine students’ emotional wellbeing and success
Use Cases for Art Therapy Intervention in Clinical Psychedelic Praxis
Get PDFPsychedelic medicine has existed for thousands of years as a traditional, sacred practice and is now in varying stages of legalization for clinical application in the United States. Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy uses specific psychoactive substances to facilitate altered states of consciousness in which clients have access to unconscious material and there is a greater cognitive openness to new perspectives and possibilities. Art Therapy is a modality of psychotherapy with decades of data to support its clinical efficacy in treating mental illness and other chronic conditions. A review of the literature shows a range of use cases for art in the context of psychedelic medicine and demonstrates an opportunity for distinct Art Therapy interventions to enhance therapeutic outcomes for patients. Through an exploration of psychology, neuroscience, consciousness, and psychedelic research this paper discusses how visual art is being used in clinical settings in tandem with substances such MDMA, LSD, and psilocybin. This review also demonstrates the opportunity for Art Therapy to support processing of imaginal content and to enhance long-term integration of insights gained from non-ordinary state experiences. As the field of psychedelic psychotherapy continues to expand in the United States, Art Therapists are uniquely positioned to facilitate interventions that explore and respect the ineffability of psychedelics. Likewise, Art Therapists can bring findings from the expanding, progressive body of psychedelic research into their work with diverse populations