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Artistic Expression of Medical Experiences of Mothers of Color: Perspectives using Art Therapy
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine perspectives of mothers of color living in the US and their experiences in the healthcare system through art therapy. The study aimed to further identify personal narrative experiences of mothers of color navigating the healthcare system, promote individual voices, and acknowledge disparities impacting those within marginalized communities. The participants in this study included a total of eight identified mothers of color (non-White) living in the US. Participants took part in four weeks of consecutive art therapy sessions either in 60-minute group or individual virtual meetings. One art therapy directive was provided in each of the four weeks.
The eight themes and four subthemes included Privilege and Disparity, Capitalism, Being Overlooked, Pressures Related to Reproductive Health (Subtheme A.), Fear and Protection, Mistrust (Subtheme B.) Advocacy (Subtheme C.), Resiliency, Generational Trauma (Subtheme D.), Loving Through the Unspoken, Holistic and Humanistic Care, and Art Therapy Responses. The discussions were related to experiences with medical personnel, birthing stories, mothering identity, generational trauma, strengths, and interests in holistic healthcare interventions for mothers of color. All mothers spoke openly and engaged in the art therapy directives to better describe the perspectives of being a parent of color. The data included rich descriptions of nuanced parenting outlooks being women of color navigating the US healthcare systems
Improving Quality of Life and Connection Amongst Pediatric Oncology Patients and Their Families Through Art Therapy: A Literature Review
Get PDFThis literature review seeks to answer the question of how art therapy can be used to improve quality of life and connection between pediatric cancer patients and their families.
This literature review also aims to connect art therapy with traditional medical interventions for pediatric cancer patients as a way to create more integrated and supportive care modality that children and their families can benefit from. With a significant amount of children and families being affected by cancer in the world today, it is important to not only focus on the physical health aspects, but the intersection of mental health as well as it pertains to navigating a new or ongoing cancer diagnosis. Art therapy allows for children and families to take a step back from stressful medical settings to focus inward and express emotions in a safe and contained way. Throughout the literature, important themes emerged about the use of art therapy to reduce stress and pain perception, as well as family art therapy to improve connection and communication with one another. The literature also revealed the importance of supportive care for the entire family system to facilitate overall improved mental health outcomes for the family, as well as improved physical health outcomes for the child. Findings from this literature review can be used to make recommendations for further research, as well as how art therapy may be applied to medical settings for pediatric cancer patients. One significant recommendation is the addition of an art therapist in hospital multidisciplinary teams, as well as making art supplies available to children and families in medical settings when an art therapist may be available
A Music Therapist’s Clinical Improvised Songwriting to Explore Countertransference in the Therapeutic Relationship for an Individual with Multiple Disabilities
Get PDFThis qualitative and arts-based capstone thesis discusses working with individuals with multiple disabilities, songwriting in music therapy, intersubjective communication and theory, and countertransference in music therapy, by sharing the literature and presenting a method of how a music therapist’s own clinical improvised songwriting explores countertransference in the therapeutic relationship for an individual with multiple disabilities. Music therapy is used to treat individuals with multiple disabilities. The literature demonstrates that music therapy and improvisation can support communication development in clients with multiple disabilities. However, there is little research regarding countertransference and reflections by music therapists. This thesis explored post-session improvised songwriting with a music therapist working with a non-speaking, white, adolescent male with multiple disabilities in a school setting. The aim was to demonstrate how improvised songwriting could promote understanding in music therapy sessions with an individual with multiple disabilities. The method used improvisation, improvised songwriting, and countertransference to explore the therapeutic relationship between the client and the therapist. Results from the inductive analysis showed both lyrical and musical themes relating to the countertransference during the sessions. The method can be applied to music therapy work with individuals with multiple disabilities. This thesis also shares considerations for future research and demonstrates that musical reflection may help therapists better understand the therapeutic relationship with clients who cannot express their feelings themselves
The Arts as a Bridge for Connection with Filipino-Americans: A Literature Review
Get PDFThis literature review focuses on how the arts in therapeutic practice can be utilized to enhance the well-being and mental health of the identified population of Filipino-Americans. This literature review explores the culture of origin of the Philippines, reviewing the country\u27s history with colonization and contemporary influences, the outlook of mental health, and the quality and access to treatment. Filipino values are also examined in connection to the human condition, in addition to the roles of the arts in culture, as well as how Filipino-Americans navigate mental health challenges. This includes the culture created from the Filipino identity in the United States, as well as the experiences that rise in finding balance between the two cultures in everyday life. Data collection includes both academic and non-academic literature and other media forms to incorporate as much relevant information as possible, with key terms including Philippines, Filipino, Filipino-American, mental health in the Philippines, and art therapy.
The findings revealed that the arts integrated in treatment connects to the culture’s inherent attunement to nature and addresses holistic needs. The integration of the arts also presents a modality that continues on the culture’s resilience through colonialism, in which an approach such as cognitive-behavioral therapy would continue the progression towards decolonization in challenging thought processes stemming from colonial mentality. As Filipinos are also naturally connected to one another in community, findings revealed that humanistic approaches would provide the most compatible care in centering on interrelationships and validating lived experiences through family and narrative therapy
Embodied Social Action: How Dance Movement Therapy Can Support Resistance Against Systems of Oppression
Get PDFThis thesis explores the ways in which the field of dance/movement therapy has been impacted by colonialism through examination of power dynamics within the therapeutic movement relationship and use of body/movement observation and analysis. This literature review examines the historical context of the field of dance/movement therapy while outlining ways that dance/movement therapy practices and approaches can target trauma due to experiences of oppression which can be a contributing factor toward creating social change. Themes of power, privilege, oppression, and cultural identity are explored in a variety of populations and settings to highlight the indiscriminate ways colonialism impacts all people based on identity, marginalization, and hierarchy. With consideration of social change, themes and significant findings within the literature are highlighted and connected to orient toward a direction of future research and growth in the field of dance/movement therapy
Dance/Movement Therapy and the Beginnings of Decolonizing the Post-Restraint Process: A Literature Review
Get PDFRestraints are used to ensure and provide safety across populations and in a multitude of settings. It is also acknowledged that restraints are at a high risk of causing trauma for all involved in the restraint process (Cui, et al., 2021; Dotson et al., 2022; Rose & Slack, 2016; Singal et al., 2023). There is an abundance of research on how the body is affected by trauma (Barnstaple & Dieterich-Hartwell, 2022; Levine, 2010; Maté, 2022; Menakem, 2017; Mullan, 2023; van der Kolk, 2014). Trauma from restraints can disproportionately affect people of color and indigenous peoples (Dotson et al., 2022; Linklater, 2014). This literature review questions social justice implications in the restraint process as well as the ethical practice to consider decolonized trauma-preventative intervention by incorporating body-based processing such as Dance/Movement Therapy in the post-restraint process
Re-member Selfhood a Drama Therapy Intervention, Option 1
Get PDFRe-member Selfhood is a specific trauma-informed, drama therapy, intervention designed to meet the needs of adults with exposure to trauma and traumatic stress, who have pertinent adverse childhood experience scores and/or experience persistent trauma cycles over the lifespan concurrent with somatization. The aim of this thesis was to introduce an intervention which could function as indirect exposure and assist in the integration process taking the whole being of trauma sufferers into account, including body, mind, and soul. Additionally, the hope of this intervention is to decrease perceived physical pain, assist in the integration of the rejected aspect of self, and increase compassion and self-forgiveness. This intervention has 8 stages and unfolded over 6-10 sessions with six-participants from an outpatient community care service provider in the Northeast of the U.S. The observations of this intervention indicated promising outcomes for a future study of the application of Re-member Selfhood for those who live with unresolved trauma and seek resolution and integration. Re-member Selfhood shows potential in transforming perceptions of somatization and increasing positive body awareness while expanding access to a wider spectrum of emotion
PERCEPTIONS OF WHITE THERAPISTS’ SOCIAL CLASS BY WHITE CLIENTS EXPERIENCING RURAL POVERTY IN MAINE
Get PDFThis dissertation explored the experiences and perceptions of white therapists’ social class by white clients facing poverty in rural Maine. Employing an intersectional methodology rooted in Critical White Theory, Critical Theory, and the Critical Theory of Care in Nursing, the study utilized semi-structured interviews, thematic coding, and discourse analysis. The findings revealed that regional cultural values, specifically intergenerational ideals of independence, privacy, and self-sufficiency, significantly impacted clients’ encounters with stigma and social exclusion. Notably, participants perceived that Mainecare’s, Maine’s Medicaid program, reimbursement rates influenced therapist accessibility and questioned if it was associated with a lower social class.
This study made a distinctive contribution by uncovering rural Maine’s nuanced perspectives shaped by regional cultural values. Theoretical frameworks from critical white theory and discourse analysis informed the examination of Mainecare’s influence on care perceptions. The intersection of racial homogeneity and poverty emerged as vital considerations for therapists. Recognizing the impact of Mainecare bureaucracy on care perceptions and acknowledging the significance of intergenerational values, therapists should be attuned to their own social class positionality. In conclusion, this research emphasized the necessity for mental health practitioners to navigate the unique socio-cultural landscape of rural areas, fostering a deeper understanding of clients’ experiences and promoting more effective and culturally sensitive therapeutic practices
Engagement With Nature for the Well-Being of All Beings as Applied to An Urban Environment: A Literature Review
Get PDFThere is much research on nature-based therapy approaches and the benefits of nature to human health and well-being, which include stress-reduction, improved cognitive functioning, feelings of growth and non-judgment, and awareness of the larger world and a sense of belonging to that world (Luo & Jiang, 2022; Naor & Mayseless, 2021). Research has suggested that hearing sounds of nature, witnessing the life cycle of plants, and relating to the diversity found in nature are just a few of the many ways that connecting to nature can contribute to well-being (McEwan et al., 2023; Subirana-Malaret et al., 2023; Yao & Chen, 2017). This thesis reviews a range of nature-based theory and practice (ecotherapy, forest bathing, adventure and wilderness therapy, technology-assisted nature therapy, horticulture therapy, and nature-based expressive arts therapy) and emphasizes opportunities for the use of nature-based therapy in urban and indoor settings (e.g., growing plants indoors, introducing nature sounds and images in sessions), given that most therapists cannot access wild spaces with their clients easily. Elements of expressive arts therapy such as attunement, embodiment, and imagination are reviewed and related to nature-based therapies, with the suggestion that the expressive arts can serve to help deepen a relationship with nature. The importance of developing a reciprocal relationship with the more-than-human world (whether in a therapy setting or on an individual level) is emphasized, as well as the potential environmental benefits of fostering that type of relationship
Embodied Queerness: Exploring Cultural Dimensions of Asian Queer Body Narratives, A Literature Review
Get PDFThe author explores the Asian queer narrative by investing in related articles and literature on body art in this capstone thesis. In the thesis, body art is identified as a way of self-expression that serves as a creative outlet for play, artistic expression, and advocacy. The concept of body modifications, such as tattoos or piercings, can be viewed as acts of resistance to challenging societal norms. In a larger scope, it can also include changing body shape, such as fitness and cosmetic surgery (Pitts, 2000). People engage in body modification practices to express themselves to the world, show creativity, and cooperate with their ideas of society (Lu & Hu, 2021; Pitts, 2000; Weiler et al., 2021). However, the interpretation of body modifications within the queer community is far from straightforward, given the diverse motivations and contexts shaping individual choices (Klesse, 2007). This complexity is particularly pronounced when examining queer cultures in Asian countries, where research simplifies the idea of “a culture of Western versus Eastern” and fails to capture the intricate dynamics at play (Lu & Hu, 2021; Henley & Porath, 2021). According to Liu (2021), these Western versus Eastern binary opposition approaches overlook crucial factors, such as class, origin, race, and power dynamics inherent in Asian societies. Thus, a more comprehensive understanding of queer body expression in Asia necessitates a holistic consideration of these multifaceted influences