2410 research outputs found
Sort by
Changing the Way We See Ourselves in the World: Critical Youth Participatory Action Research Investigating Intergenerational Trauma and Macro-Cultural Influences with Adolescent Girls
Get PDFThis study explores the social-ecological experience of human development in adolescent girls in attempts to better understand what young people may need. Five adolescent girls participated in a three-month long critical youth participatory action research study utilizing a photovoice method to investigate environmental messages that impact their identity. Specific themes of intergenerational trauma and macro-cultural influences were identified through a co-generated data analysis process, which contributed to a community action plan. The data generated with the co-researchers provided thematic information for the researcher to apply in a critical discussion exploring the influence of social power structures on families and youth. A Social-Ecological Model of Development in Young People was designed to illustrate the environmental influences that impact mental health in young people. Sociological multi-tiered interventions were also provided as recommendations to support de-pathologizing children and adolescents within the psychology and mental health counseling fields
Examining State of Flow and its Future in Dance/Movement Therapy: A Literature Review
Get PDFThis paper analyzes State of Flow, the definition codified by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and analyzes how Flow as a concept has developed in current psychological and artistic research, alternative therapies, and mainstream medias. This paper also views existing Dance/Movement Therapy frameworks such as Body-Mind Centering and Kestenberg Movement Profile to see how Csikszentmihalyi’s definition could integrate into current Dance/Movement Therapy practice, as well as looks at Laban Movement Analysis and its future in Dance/Movement Therapy. This thesis also examines how gender and neurodivergence may impact how one can experience State of Flow
What Drama Therapy Core Processes Can Be Observed in a TimeSlips Session with Residents in Dementia Care Units?
Get PDFDespite the arrival of the person-centered movement in dementia care, biases continue in caregiving around ageism, cognitive disability, and pharmacological interventions to mitigate behavior issues. This paper underscores the efficacy of drama therapy as a non-pharmacological intervention in dementia care practices, directing focus on drama therapy core processes and how to utilize them to meaningfully engage with persons with dementia. In this phenomenological study, run over a four week period, I facilitated group interventions using TimeSlips with residents from two memory care units at separate assisted living facilities in New England. TimeSlips is an established program, specifically created for persons with dementia, with the same roots in theater improvisation as drama therapy. The participants (N = 68) were White older adults who came on a voluntary basis, were predominately cis-gender female, had varying degrees of dementia, and ranged in age from 75+. The most cited core processes were engagement in dramatic reality and dramatic play, demonstrating drama therapy’s ability to bridge differences in cognitive abilities between persons with dementia and their caregivers and improve needed social connections. As sole participant observer of the sessions, the results are limited by my singular interpretation of the still evolving definitions of drama therapy core process
Can psycho-social benefits be observed in those with intellectual disabilities during DMT?
Get PDFOften training and learning opportunities ignore the unique needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Helping this population cope with problems that will occur in their lives could increase their feelings of well-being and might decrease feelings of isolation. This workshop used the techniques from Mary Starks Whitehouse’s practice of Authentic Movement (Whitehouse et al., 1999) to support paticipants’ emotional self regulation during training for a new job at an apple orchard. The use of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) as an intervention for individuals with intellectual disabilities could increase coping skills, which could create greater opportunities for them to increase their overall feeling of well-being. The workshops were conducted at an apple orchard that hires adult individuals with intellectual disabilities using DMT therapy-inspired techniques as a vehicle to explore the theme of change in the workplace. Results suggested that dance and movement techniques helped employees embody change and assisted in self regulation during training. Future research should include more research on DMT as an intervention for adults with intellectual disabilities so therapists can better support them throughout the entirety of their lives.
The author identifies as a straight, cisgender, neurotypical white woman, from a middle class midwestern family background
Developmental Transformations with Refugee Children: Exploring Different Cultural Responses to Traumatic Experience
Get PDFThis thesis explored working with refugee children resettled in the US, and how Developmental Transformations (DvT) can support different cultural interpretations and experiences of trauma, particularly when the drama therapist and the client come from different cultural viewpoints. Situated within an after school program, this research includes results from 5 individual, trauma-centered, short-form DvT sessions conducted with refugee children ages 8-15. Dramatic images, traumatic responses, and observations were documented for each play session. To synthesize the experience, the drama therapist reflected on the process through their own DvT play sessions, which are presented as stories via an arts based process. Individual DvT play sessions enabled nuanced and specific representations of trauma, and the playspace allowed for mutual relationship to be built across different cultural viewpoints between player and playor
Exploring the Motivations and Therapeutic Benefits of Fandom and Fanart Online Communities: A Literature Review
Get PDFParticipation in Online Fandom culture has become a highly valued aspect of many individuals\u27 self-expression and how they seek to build social connections with others. Furthermore, within the Fandom community, the phenomenon of creating and sharing fan-based work also plays a significant role in the interactions between group members. These factors are important to acknowledge in a therapeutic context as future practitioners can choose to utilize a client\u27s pre-established fandom involvement to explore their identity and social connections with other fans. This thesis is a literature review that examines the academic journals and individual interviews of Fanart Creators. The topics explored in the review are: what motivates the creation and public sharing of fan-based art, what role online communities play in the process, and what therapeutic potential therapists can utilize while working with clients
Dance/Movement Therapy Used as an Intervention to Heal Racial Trauma Within the Black Community: A Literature Review
Get PDFThe history of dance within the black community has served an important role while living through a racist and discriminatory society. Dance has been used to express anger, grief, and joy during hardships and moments of rejoicing from the black experience. African American people have endured years of trauma and abuse from oppressive systems. Research has been conducted to demonstrate that dance/movement therapy has been effective in treating those who have experienced a form of trauma since the trauma is stored in the body. Examining trauma symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and substance use, the research found these symptoms diminished with the use of DMT as an intervention. This literature review serves as a collection of published work addressing and providing evidence DMT as an intervention is useful for helping heal the black community who have experienced racial trauma
Developing A Creative Community Workshop for Educators During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Community Engagement Project
Get PDFA community engagement project was created and implemented, comprised of a one-time workshop utilizing expressive arts therapies to address the impact of covid-19 on educators. In this thesis, there is a review of the literature regarding collective healing within communities and addressing the needs of educators within the changing education system, with a particular focus on expressive arts therapies. The workshop engaged educators in a creative process to identify where they find meaning and purpose in their lives and how they identify themselves within their community of educators. Results suggest that community engagement using the arts can be an effective way to cope with and process the impacts of covid-19 on professional and personal lives. Future research could focus on other factors impacting educators’ well-being, including socioeconomic and resource-based limitations as well as the important role that educators have in society\u27s youth
The Relationship Between Instructed Non-Immersion Additional Language (LX) Learning and Student Outcomes of Diversity-Equity-Inclusion (DEI)-Focused Education for U.S. High School Students
Get PDFResearch has found that teaching about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) can raise U.S. high school students’ awareness about DEI-related topics and develop their critical thinking skills to analyze DEI-related issues. But the achievements of DEI-focused education are limited. Thus, DEI-focused education needs complementary efforts to enhance student outcomes. Research has also found that learning an additional language (LX) may heighten students’ interest in learning about other cultural communities, nurture students’ cross-cultural empathy, and elicit culturally responsive behaviors. The juxtaposition of these findings signifies the potential for LX learning to complement DEI-focused education to improve learning outcomes. However, the value of LX learning for DEI goals has not received much attention in the literature. This mixed methods phenomenological study aims to explore the relationship between instructed non-immersion LX learning and student outcomes of DEI-focused education in cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects among U.S. high school students. In total, 76 U.S. high school students participated in this study. The research questions addressed by this study include: (1) What are the students’ perceptions of the achievements and limitations of DEI-focused education? (2) To what degree are the length of the students’ LX learning in an instructed non-immersion setting, the frequency of guided reflection on cross-cultural differences in instructed non-immersion LX classes, and the percentage of course time spent on such reflection associated with their intercultural competence? (3) Based on the students’ perceptions, what are the possible influences of instructed non-immersion LX learning on DEI-focused education in cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects? This study has found that students acknowledge the achievements and limitations of DEI-focused education and see instructed non-immersion LX learning as a complementary experience to DEI-focused education. None of the LX learning factors examined by the second research question can reliably predict students’ appreciation of DEI. To actualize the complementary function, LX teachers need to explicitly draw connections with DEI-related topics and purposefully address certain factors in their LX curriculum design and teaching practice. Besides implications for teaching, these findings may also deepen people’s appreciation of the developmental benefits of LX learning and encourage policies to support LX programs.
Keywords: diversity, equity, inclusion, DEI, education, LX learning, additional language learning, non-immersion, high school, intercultural competenc
Expressing Emotional Catharsis and Professional Identity Formation Through the Medium of Metal Music: Development of a Heuristic-Informed Music Therapy Method
Get PDFMetal music has been a taboo music genre for years, with some claiming that listening to the music can lead its listeners towards anti-social behavior, violence, and anger. However, more research has determined that metal music is beneficial for the mental health of its fans. Metal fans have used their favorite music to cope with their angry or sad emotions, gain a better understanding of their emotions, explore their personal identity, and find a community for support and advocacy. Although research has expanded on the mental health benefits of metal music, there has been little research on the music’s effectiveness from a music therapy perspective. No clinical method has been explored to use the genre as a music therapy tool. The crux of this study was to explore the beneficial forces of metal music by using a heuristic, self-inquiry study grounded in music therapy techniques like the iso principle and vocal psychotherapy. The researcher/participant created a playlist of metal songs that progressed from depressive to energetic emotions and sang along to the playlist while journaling and consulting supervisors about emotional awareness and professional identity. Through this process, the researcher/participant found several themes that impacted his professional practice and his understanding of his own emotions. With these results, the method has shown some potential as a helpful music therapy intervention for introspection and exploring emotions. The method encourages more testing to explore its impact on other music therapists and the general population