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Altered Book-Making as Identity Reclamation in Women Diagnosed with Eating Disorders at a Residential Treatment Center
Get PDFArt therapy is an avenue of treatment for the eating disorder population. Altered books have made their way into treatment centers due to their compact nature and ability to review progress over time. Identity work is equally vital to the treatment of eating disorders in emerging or young adults as it is a time of identity exploration and commitment. Based on the literature and findings of this study, it is important for patients to be able to view their futures without the eating disorder, especially the pieces of themselves that they lost while being stuck in the illness. This study investigates altered books as a modality to explore the true identity without the eating disorder. To expand upon the findings, three reoccurring art therapy groups took place at a residential eating disorder treatment center for women and non-binary-identifying individuals. The groups focused on identity without the eating disorder and utilized altered book-making as the main modality. The present study demonstrated the positive impact upon giving eating disorder patients the space to explore identity work within art therapy and emphasized the need for further research on eating disorder treatment options
Abracadabra: Empowering Trans and Gender Nonconforming Adolescents’ Identities Through Integrated Narrative Expressive Arts Therapy: A Literature Review
Get PDFThis literature review is an exploration of how a blended narrative and expressive arts therapeutic framework can be utilized to best suit the mental health needs of transgender and gender non-conforming adolescents as they develop their identities. Areas of research include an examination and analysis of the established bodies of research that pertain to transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) populations, adolescent identity development, relevant critical sociocultural theories, narrative and expressive arts therapy frameworks, and future directions of mental health counseling with TGNC youth as it pertains to identity.
It is this author’s intention to scaffold the areas of research in such a way that constructs a holistic conceptualization of both TGNC adolescent identity as well as a reflexive, novel counseling orientation that provides a non-pathologizing, affirmative approach to treatment. Through establishing a foundational understanding of identity as it exists as a fluid, ongoing process of development that is directly influenced by one’s sociocultural environments, this research project aims to identify the common threads between intersectional, minority stress, and Queer theories; postmodern theories of power, meaning, and knowledge as they inform both narrative and expressive arts therapies; and best counseling practices for trans and gender non-conforming adolescents
The Impact of Focusing-Oriented Expressive Arts Therapy (FOAT®) on College Students Experiencing Stress, Anxiety, and Depression
No full textThis arts-based research explores how Focusing-Oriented Expressive Arts Therapy (FOAT®) supports college students in coping with stress, anxiety, and depression. Due to academic pressures, social transitions, and developmental milestones, college students are especially vulnerable to mental health challenges (Schaufeli et al., 2002). This arts-based approach to the research explores the impact of Focusing-Oriented Expressive Arts Therapy (FOAT®) on college students experiencing stress, anxiety, and depression. Specifically, the study looked to determine if FOAT® could lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression in college students who were experiencing these challenges. The research approach included the case study of one college student, Jane (a pseudonym). Jane was experiencing stress, anxiety, and some depression. The clinician, a level 2 Focusing Oriented Expressive Arts Therapist intern, conducted the FOAT® sessions with Jane. The results of this study suggested that FOAT® impacted Jane positively in a few areas: emotional regulation and processing, observable physical manifestations of lowered anxiety, and increased self-awareness and empowerment. The main findings in this study were that FOAT® can reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression in college students.
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Nurturing Across Generations: Exploring Expressive Arts with an Emphasis on Collaboration, Reciprocity, and Accompaniment in a Community-Engagement Project for Psychosocial Development
Get PDFThis thesis explores how intergenerational connections within communities, facilitated through expressive arts, can promote psychosocial development across the lifespan. It is grounded in the theoretical frameworks of Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological systems Theory, and reviews prior studies based on these theories that highlight the benefits of nurturing intergenerational relationships and collective artistic engagement, but few examine their combined impact, and its elements that lead to an individual\u27s development through community interactions. This project responds to that need through a community-based expressive arts intervention in Greater Boston, involving diverse participants of various ages in collaborative singing and storytelling sessions. The project was intentionally designed around three core elements: collaboration, reciprocity, and accompaniment and key observations included a sense of shared ownership and leadership, especially among youth, a priority to children’s voices in shaping group stories, and signs of increased confidence and connection among all. The findings suggest that expressive arts elements like embodied empathy, aesthetic communication, play, and rhythmic resonance, along with collaboration, reciprocity and accompaniment can serve as a powerful, accessible medium for fostering relational learning and growth in individuals, and while this study offers valuable insights into intergenerational art-making and psychosocial development, it faced limitations including linguistic inaccessibility, sampling bias, group dynamics, and sustainability concerns, highlighting the need for more inclusive, long-term, and community-rooted approaches. This study contributes to the evolving understanding of how arts-based community engagement can decenter an individualistic focus of development to a community-rooted paradigm and move toward a more connected, inclusive, and healing model of human growth
Therapeutic Qualities and Applications of Clay in Expressive Arts Therapy: A Literature Review
Get PDFThis literature review investigates the therapeutic qualities and clinical applications of clay within the framework of expressive arts therapy (ExAT), with particular focus on sensorimotor, somatic, and developmental interventions. Drawing upon the expressive therapies continuum (ETC), this review synthesizes emerging research highlighting clay\u27s kinesthetic and tactile properties as key mechanisms for facilitating emotional expression, accessing unconscious material, and promoting psychological resilience. Evidence is presented for specialized therapeutic modalities such as clay art therapy (CAT) and Clay Field Work, which engage the body-mind connection to support trauma integration and emotion regulation. Findings demonstrate that clay\u27s inherent adaptability and sensory richness allow for non-verbal communication; concretization and symbolization of internal experiences; and transformative therapeutic outcomes, particularly in populations experiencing complex grief, developmental trauma, and low socio-economic vulnerability. Clay-based ExAT interventions are evidenced to align with multiple resilience factors across emotional, cognitive, and behavioral domains, however, this review identifies a significant gap in longitudinal research and underscores the need for formal ceramic arts education in ExAT training to ensure safety and efficacy in clinical practice. This review contributes to the growing body of knowledge advocating for clay’s distinct role in somatic and expressive therapeutic methodologies
OUR SONG: VIRTUAL GROUP SONGWRITING WITH MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS
Get PDFThis study investigated healthcare workers experiences in hospital provided virtual songwriting groups. Groups were led by a board-certified music therapist and prompted by one of three chosen themes from the hospital’s motto: to heal, to teach, to discover. Specifically, this work aimed to understand the role of songwriting as an arts-based intervention and its impact on aspects of workplace community with healthcare workers.
Post group interviews were conducted and analyzed, which resulted in the emergence of seven major themes including: Sense of Purpose, Point of Connection and Community, Positive Engagement and Collaboration, Enhancing Mood State and Evoking Emotions, Impact of Aesthetic Beauty, Innovation and Creative Resource, Accessibility and Empowerment. Additional context is explored throughout the project pertaining to medical staff stressors and vulnerabilities, this researcher’s progression of establishing integrated arts programming within a large-scale healthcare system, and the concept of using art as workplace wellness support
EXPLORING CREATIVE ARTS THERAPISTS\u27 EXPERIENCES WITH ONLINE THERAPY IN SOUTH KOREA DURING COVID-19
Get PDFThis study explored the experiences of creative arts therapists (CATs) in South Korea who conducted online therapy sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The global crisis forced a rapid shift to virtual platforms, raising concerns about the effectiveness of online creative arts therapy (OCAT) and its impact on therapeutic relationships. Grounded in phenomenological and arts-based research (ABR), this study examined the challenges, adaptations, and effectiveness of OCAT. The research addressed the following questions: (1) How did CATs experience the transition to online therapy? (2) What challenges did they encounter, and how did they adapt? (3) How did online therapy affect therapeutic relationships? (4) What ethical considerations emerged in OCAT practice? Six female CATs, aged 30s to 40s, participated in this qualitative study. They had professional experience in music, art, or drama therapy and conducted online sessions in diverse settings, including schools, hospitals, and private practice. Data collection included semi-structured interviews, participant-created artwork, and reflective writing. Thematic analysis revealed key findings: initial resistance and concerns about the limitations of virtual platforms, the adoption of digital tools for creative engagement, evolving strategies to maintain therapeutic presence, and ethical considerations regarding privacy and accessibility. Participants identified OCAT’s unique potential beyond crisis adaptation, emphasizing its long-term value in expanding access to therapy.
Keywords: online creative arts therapy, telehealth, COVID-19, creative arts therapists, arts-based research, South Korea
The author identifies as a straight, Asian man from South Korea of Han ethnicity
The Role of Embodiment in Art Therapy
Get PDFThis phenomenological and arts-based study engaged art therapists in dialogue about experiences of embodiment and touch. Dialogue was centered on lived experience of their bodies during art making with clients and themselves. Attention was given to in vivo experiences of self-touch and art materials. Data were collected through focus groups with a purposive sample of art therapists
(N = 14) in-person and online. Groups included experientials with self-touch, body sensing, and body mapping. Data were collected from multiple sources including video, interview transcripts, and art work created in the groups. As participants shared their experiences of embodiment through the data, numerous findings were identified. These included that art therapists did have experiences of embodiment, many had body-based training external to art therapy, and they promoted embodiment in their art therapy sessions through mindfulness, breathwork, and choice with materials. Other findings supported research that embodiment can include sound, movement, and touch. Limitations to embodiment included trauma, lack of understanding by other clinicians, and lack of a common language. Touch was experienced as both taboo and integral to embodied art therapy. In vivo artmaking with touch and body mapping promoted insight and an expanded sense of the participants’ bodies. These findings introduced dialogue about lived experiences of embodiment among art therapists to the literature and have implications for clinical practice, theory, and education
Clarifying the Language of Mindfulness: A Review of Terminology in Western Psychological Approaches
Get PDFThe rapid adoption of mindfulness in Western healthcare and psychological frameworks has exposed the complexity of defining this multifaceted concept across diverse contexts. To demonstrate the multidimensional nature of mindfulness, this analysis examines how Western psychological frameworks, representing its most recent adaptation, use varying terminology to describe it. By documenting the prevalence of these terminological variations, this paper makes a case for creating an expanded annotated glossary of modern mindfulness terms, arguing that examining diverse perspectives alongside their common elements enables a deeper understanding of the concept. The proposed glossary will capture and clarify a range of interpretations and applications of mindfulness across various settings. Just as no single perspective can fully reveal the nature of a concept, this approach enhances both the clarity and depth of mindfulness discourse while respecting its rich and varied conceptualizations
The Role of the Jester: The Subversive Power of Humor and Performance in Challenging Misogyny
Get PDFHumor has long occupied a complicated place in systems of power, sometimes reinforcing oppressive norms and other times offering a way to push back against them. This thesis explores how the archetype of the jester can be used in drama therapy to help individuals reclaim agency within misogynistic structures. Drawing from role theory, feminist performance studies, and Theatre of the Oppressed, the project examines how jestering, through satire, parody, and play, can act as a vehicle for resistance, healing, and empowerment. A review of existing literature shows that while humor has historically been used to uphold patriarchal norms, it has also been a powerful tool for feminist critique and cultural disruption. Within drama therapy, jestering can help clients confront misogyny, challenge power dynamics, and engage in collective forms of resistance. Techniques such as role reversal, embodied satire, and theatrical activism offer tangible ways for clients to explore and shift the stories they have been told and the roles they have been forced to play. This thesis also acknowledges the risks and limitations of humor-based interventions, especially when considering issues of privilege, social positioning, and safety. Ultimately, the findings suggest that integrating jestering into drama therapy can support clients in transforming experiences of oppression into opportunities for self-expression and liberation. Future research might focus on testing this approach in clinical settings and developing a structured, feminist-informed model for using humor and performance in therapeutic work