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Toward an Autism-Affirmative Art Therapy Practice: A Literature Review
Get PDFRecent research across disciplines has begun to explore the strengths associated with Autism, and the internal experiences of Autistic people. Advocates of the neurodiversity movement promote a nuanced view of Autism which celebrates unique strengths while supporting unique needs and understanding that these strengths and needs are often interconnected. The inclusion of Autistic perspectives in research has shown that compassionate adaptations to the social and sensory environment can often reduce difficulty with emotional regulation. This research has implications for the use of art therapy with Autistic populations. Art therapy has commonly been implemented from a deficit perspective with Autistic clients, seeking to improve social, communication, and emotion regulation skills. The practice of art therapy can become more effective and Autism-affirmative by incorporating Autistic strengths and acknowledging Autistic perspectives
Aligning with Adolescents: A Literature Review of Art Therapy in Residential Treatment Programs
Get PDFAdolescents in residential treatment programs throughout the United States are a specialized population that demonstrate resiliency and hope every day. Many adolescents in these programs have experienced prominent levels of trauma that impact their ability to function in lower-level programs, foster homes, and in their communities. Residential treatment approaches may look like locked facilities with trauma-informed staff who provide programming options, mental health care, and safe living conditions for adolescents. Without strength-based approaches to treatment, this population may struggle to overcome their trauma, mental health challenges, and developmental needs. In this literature review, art therapy was offered to provide developmentally appropriate healing from trauma, coping strategies, and provide adolescents with tangible skills. The intersection of residential treatment programs, art therapy, and social justice mental health care was explored to understand the barriers, limitations, and possibilities of this unique area of mental health treatment. Drawing from liberation theory practices in current mental health programs, this review identifies methods for the implementation of art therapy in similar settings for adolescents, envisioning a future where these interventions are more widely utilized. Recommendations are offered for optimal, social-justice-informed art therapy experiences in residential treatment programs
MOTHERING IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A FEMINIST RELATIONAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered the caregiving landscape, presenting distinct challenges for parents. While existing literature highlights the considerable increase in parenting stress and burnout during this period (Griffith et al., 2022), it also foregrounds the indispensable and often invisible labor of mothering¾emphasizing the disproportionate burdens placed on mothers as they bridged gaps in societal infrastructure (O’Reilly & Green, 2021). Grounded in matricentric feminist theory, this qualitative study delves into the dominant ideologies and social constructs shaping normative motherhood as a framework for understanding maternal stress and resilience during a global health crisis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 mothers of school-age children living in the United States who provided retrospective accounts of the myriad challenges and sources of support they encountered during the pandemic. Findings from the study indicate that participants experienced significant shifts in caregiving responsibilities and amplified cognitive and emotional labor, which contributed to maternal stress and overwhelm. Furthermore, participant narratives emphasized how the pandemic prompted them to reflect on the value of social support and prioritize their own wellness through self-care and self-compassion. By examining the complex interplay of discourses in participant narratives using feminist relational discourse analysis (Thompson, 2018), this study offers insights into how ideologies related to intensive mothering and neoliberalism may have manifested and been challenged in the pandemic era, examining various discursive strategies, rhetorical patterns, and counter-narratives. Drawing upon feminist frameworks and the insights gleaned from this study, recommendations are put forth for future research, policy, and clinical practices
The Therapeutic Potential of Found Objects in Art Therapy for Adults with Severe Mental Illness
Get PDFIn art therapy, adults with severe mental illness may hesitate to engage in artmaking due to low self-esteem and preconceived notions about art. Existing research suggests that found objects may be an accessible and approachable medium that allows clients to overcome barriers to authentic expression. Research also suggests that art therapy with found objects can facilitate progress in common treatment goals for this population including grounding in the present moment, fostering connections with the outside world, promoting self-reflection, enhancing emotional awareness and regulation, building a positive sense of identity, empowerment, and living a meaningful and purposeful life.
This study explored the use of found objects as art materials in a group setting at a day treatment program for adults with severe mental illness. The study included four women and one man, aged 21 to 49, from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds, diagnosed with conditions such as major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and bipolar disorder. Analysis of data from therapist observations, reflective journaling, and reflective artmaking revealed three major themes of how found objects function therapeutically: safety and structure, meaning making, and a strengths-based approach. The structure of the group played a crucial role in guiding the use of found objects, and the objects provided containment and safety. Participants derived meaning from their creations through placement and arrangement, associations, and metaphor. The found objects elicited aspects of a strengths-based approach, including hope, a positive attitude, control and empowerment. Overall, this study supports the effectiveness of using found objects as art materials in art therapy groups for adults with severe mental illness
Securing Attachment in The NICU Through Polyvagal-Informed Dance/Movement Therapy: A Literature Review
Get PDFThe integration of polyvagal theory (PVT) and dance/movement therapy (DMT) may offer a nuanced approach to healing attachment between the parent-infant dyad in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This embedded modality offers insight into the manner in which attachment is influenced by a neurobiological basis, as well as how various somatic elements may assist in restructuring the autonomic nervous system to promote social engagement, self-regulation, and co-regulation. Therefore, this literature review explores the core elements of PVT and DMT, including the core rhythms of respiration, heart rate variability (HRV), heart rate, and vascular feedback/rhythmicity, and their influence on improving self-regulatory capacities of infants, and subsequently establishing co-regulation within the parent-infant dyad. In addition, this literature review explores the importance of rhythmic stimulation, starting from fetal development and continuing into infanthood, emphasizing the adverse effects that may occur if neonatal rhythmic stimulation occurs preemptively or inappropriately. Research demonstrates the importance of rhythm with regards to influencing physiological responses and that core rhythms maintain the ability to synchronize with external rhythmic stimuli, which assist in emotion regulation and achieved physiological states of safety. Therefore, research demonstrates the importance of internal and external rhythmic synchronicity, mediated by the ventral vagus, informing a possible pathway for DMT to promote social engagement and co-regulation, as well as encourage secure attachment between the parent-infant dyad in the NICU
Enhance Inner Resilience and Self-Esteem: An Exploration Utilizing Expressive Arts Therapy in a Curriculum-Based Approach with Asian Immigrant Adolescents
Get PDFAsian and new immigrant adolescents often encounter difficulty transitioning to a new culture and environment foreign to their previous understandings. The clash between individualism and collectivism can impact their ability to adjust into the host culture, leading to limited coping skills when faced with acculturation difficulties. This capstone thesis utilized the integration of expressive arts therapy as part of a curriculum designed to help Asian immigrant adolescents build inner resilience and self-esteem to cope with immigration. Through further research on immigration, collectivism, individualism, creative expression, improvisational performance, art-based interventions, and expressive arts therapy, a curriculum-based approach was implemented in the Chinese Immigrant Student Leadership (ChISL) group revolving around the themes of identity, leadership, immigration, and family. The research indicates that the curriculum may contribute to the creation of a safe, trusting, and nonjudgmental space for Asian immigrant adolescents to cultivate self-confidence and resilience through the exploration of multiple art modalities. The utilization of the body to express self through multiple avenues for identity exploration, discovery, integration, and understanding might have supported Asian immigrant adolescents to better process their immigration experience and express their authentic self through native and non-native languages
The Use of Music Therapy with Non-English Speaking Older Adults
Get PDFThis study explores the unique challenges associated with language barriers and cultural adaptation by immigrant older adult populations, especially non-English speaking individuals aged 65 and older, in English-speaking environment, and explores what music means as a communication tool beyond cultural and language barriers. The researcher addresses three big topics which include the challenges faced by non-English speaking older adults, the role of music therapy in addressing language barriers, and music therapy with non-English speaking older adults. The researcher sought to answer the following question: What does the academic scholarship on music therapy as a form of nonverbal expression say about its efficacy with immigrant older adult populations
Being with Shame: A Literature Review Exploring Focusing-Oriented Expressive Arts Therapy for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Get PDFThis literature review thematically explores the potential benefits of the Focusing-Oriented Expressive Art Therapy (FOAT) approach as a treatment for shame for adults survivors of childhood sexual abuse. The goals of this literature review are to discuss the characteristics, consequences and prevalence of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and its impact on subsequent pathology as well as outline terms and themes related to shame, dissociation, and avoidance; explore treatment models for working with shame-based negative sequelae for CSA survivors; investigate the theoretical models and benefits of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and Sensorimotor for working with trauma and the body; condense the extensive evidence for mindfulness and self-compassion practices; highlight the literature on arts-based activities for trauma and shameful self-schema; ultimately, to provide perspective on the FOAT’s potential for bringing healing for adult survivors of CSA. The research was chosen and prioritized based on how recently the the research was performed as well as how precise in regards to the intersection of shame symptomology, expressive arts, FOAT and CSA. Two studies are reviewed: one phenomenological study by Mills & Daniluk (2002) assessing the impacts of Dance Therapy (DT) on a purposively sampled female adult survivors of CSA for helping survivors reconnect to their bodies and one true experimental study by Collier and Wayment (2019) on on the impact of art-making incorporated with mindfulness for mood-repair while intentionally focusing on (i.e. not dissociating from) a distressing event. In addition to critically reviewing these studies, this literature review seeks to thematically provide a descriptive and comprehensive scope on all the research on shame, CSA, dissociation, and mindfulness as well as self-compassion based creative practices. The evidence suggests that the lasting shame from childhood sexual abuse are benefitted by the therapeutic factors of self-compassionate mindfulness paired with embodied art-making through the FOAT approach
A Scoping Review of Drama-Based Interventions with Migrant Populations for Health Outcomes
Get PDFThis scoping review investigates the breadth and nature of literature that currently exists on the topic of utilizing drama-based interventions with migrant populations for therapeutic goals. This author searched for empirical studies on the topic and charted data to understand the quality, number, and type of studies that have been done, and risk factors for epistemic injustice or misrepresentation of marginalized participants. A brief overview of methods, results, and discussions of articles revealed the most prevalent outcomes, limitations, and forms of data collection. Social connection and belonging, education, communication skills, empathy, identity reconstruction, meaning making, and adaptive adjustment to the host community were prominent outcomes found in the literature. Risks associated with working with migrants are discussed along with recommendations for future practice, research, and policy
Expressive Therapies and Resiliency – Resistance in Mental Health: A Literature Review
Get PDFThis review evaluates the current literature on psychological resistance amongst human service professionals experiencing burnout and the effect of Expressive Arts interventions on resiliency. Concepts include identifying the main symptoms, risk factors, causes, and treatments for burnout in education faculty, medical staff, and clinicians. Qualitative, quantitative, and meta-analysis studies are included to identify the most prevalent intervention frameworks for reducing stress including Arts-Based and Mindfulness-compassion based techniques. The effectiveness of Arts-based tools on strengthening identity, self-esteem, emotional regulation, and meaning-making in combating burnout is presented. Based on analysis of the literature, the author proposes a three-step intervention framework for utilizing the arts in burnout interventions for the well-being of human service professionals and their clientele