2410 research outputs found
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Bone Flute:Exploring Voices from the Margins of Entrepreneurship with Expressive Therapies
Get PDFThe problem under investigation is the lived experiences of marginalized entrepreneurs in Barbados. The group of entrepreneurs being explored have been marginalized culturally, institutionally, and resourcefully. The research questions were: How do marginalized entrepreneurs experience business-related encounters due to their identity? How does their identity and use of their “voice” in business situations, position them as businesspersons? Can photography illustrate how they see themselves as businesspersons? There were eight participants in the study, who ranged in age from 18 to 69 years. They were three females and five males who belonged to diverse marginalized identities such as a single mother, street vendors, a formerly incarcerated individual, and a visually impaired individual among others.
A phenomenological and Arts based research (ABR) methodology were combined. The ABR had two parts: (a) use of photo-narrative, (b) an artistic reflection on how the participants used their voice-in-business. The findings of the study showed that there were nine themes of relevance to the participants. The themes were personal attributes, business challenges, customer relations, COVID, the Barbados business environment, funding and money, training, assistance, and institutions.
The participants were highly driven and committed to the entrepreneurial path despite many setbacks. They relied on their inner strengths and self-beliefs to surmount challenges and looked to their family and friends to help find financial or business solutions. This research is useful in creating a perspective on the entrepreneurial journey for individuals who are marginalized
The Development of a Dance/Movement Therapy Method for Social Engagement with Adolescents in a Partial Hospital Program
Get PDFMental health can significantly impede navigating the social domain during adolescence. Research has indicated social development of adolescents may be impacted by psychopathology and emotional development, further hindering one’s formation of self. There is also limited research showing the effectiveness of Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) with the adolescent population. This writer designed and adapted one DMT session for adolescents to understand this topic better. This capstone will present an adaptable method utilizing a DMT intervention with participants between the ages of 13-17 in a Partial Hospital Program (PHP). This project aimed to examine how DMT can support self-identity and the acquisition of interpersonal social skills with adolescents in a PHP through movement experiences and emotional content. The participants were asked to engage in an intervention, including movement exercises, body awareness, improvisation, and emotional expression. The method aimed to bring attention to DMT’s contribution to social engagement and its value and benefits. The facilitator’s reflections on the group’s process identified several themes that suggested the intervention had a positive effect and may benefit adolescents in a PHP setting
Songs for a Crying Earth: A Community Music Therapy Engagement Project
Get PDFIn the past decade, research on the impact of climate change on mental health has been increasingly coming to the forefront of individual and collective organizations. Within the field of music therapy, there is an argument to be made that through our professional standards code of ethics, the climate change crisis is our responsibility to address. This intergenerational capstone project served to integrate an existing transformative learning model with principles of Community Music Therapy to address eco anxiety and promote the development of eco-responsibility, change, and agency. Through the collection and reflection of the researcher’s phenomenological experience, the human-nature relationship was defined through stages of apathy, dissonance, anxiety, and transformation. Further research considerations are presented, in addition to a call for increased participation in the climate change crisis as a music therapy profession
EXPERIENCES OF POST-MASTER\u27S ARTS BASED SUPERVISION WITH ART THERAPISTS OF COLOR
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This study explored experiences of art therapists of color who underwent post-master’s arts-based supervision (ABS) to obtain an art therapy credential. ABS emphasizes creation of clinical insight and knowledge through not only reviewing and evaluating client’s art and art processes but also having supervisees to engage in their own artmaking in response to their clinical work. The sample was chosen for their intersectional identities that added a layer of complexity to their identity formation. This qualitative phenomenological study employed Culturally Responsive Focus Group (CRFG) with Arts-based Research (ABR) methodology to explore two questions: (1) What are the experiences of credentialed art therapists of color who received ABS in their post-master’s training?; and (2) What does ABS offer these supervisees of color with supervisors who are of different cultural backgrounds? The purpose of the study was to bridge the gap in foundational knowledge of how ABS can impact the developmental trajectory of art therapists of color. The analyses revealed that ABS’s aesthetic and experiential engagement supported art therapists of color to feel understood and aided them in their professional development despite some challenges inherent in cross-cultural supervision. The study also identified needed areas of improvement and requisite for ABS which included the practice of cultural humility, inclusivity, and the intersectional cultural lens in order to affirm the unique perspectives and lived experiences of art therapists of color.
Keywords: Arts-Based Supervision, Art therapists of color, Cross-cultural supervision, Aesthetic and Experiential engagement, Intersectional cultural lens.
The author identifies as a cisgender Asian woman with Japanese ancestry
Playing with Policy: What Insights Arise from Transgender Adults After Participating in a Legislative Theatre Exercise
Get PDFThe transgender community is underrepresented in the current body of academic research, underserved in the current clinical model of healthcare services, and legislatively oppressed on a state and federal level in the United States. As of March 2023, more than 400 anti-LGBTQI laws have been introduced on a state level in 2023 alone (ACLU, 2023). In response to the hostile Western sociopolitical climate, this thesis will focus on what insights arise from transgender adults and cisgender allies (N = 12) after participating in a dramatherapeutic group therapy session that explored current anti-trans legislation and highlighted the legal needs of the community. Participants were in a partially hospitalized substance treatment center and mental health counseling agency for adults in the Eastern United States. They engaged in three different interventions which were rooted in Boal’s theatre of the oppressed (Boal, 1998; Boal 2002) and Moreno’s psychodramatic (Giacomucci, 2021) frameworks and were guided via critical queer theory (Wilchins, 2004) and gender-affirming therapeutic (APA, 2023) orientations. Results of this study firstly, highlighted the ways in which participants do not feel protected by the current legislation; secondly, provided a blueprint for what the legal needs of the transgender community are moving forward
The Benefits of Dance/Movement Therapy for Adult Survivors of Adverse Childhood Experiences
Get PDFThis literature review focuses on how dance/movement therapy can be beneficial for adult survivors of adverse childhood experiences. The long-term effects of adverse childhood experiences have recently gained attention after a study in 1998 had profound results. Adverse childhood experiences have long-lasting results that continue into adulthood and the more adverse childhood experiences an individual has the more risk they are at for developing psychological and medical diagnoses later in life. Trauma impairs the brain’s functioning and structure, and it takes multiple positive experiences to rewire the brain. Unhealed adverse childhood experiences can lead to impaired relationships with offspring and can also become embedded in DNA leading to intergenerational trauma. Trauma not only impairs the brain’s functioning but also gets stored in the body. Utilizing a bottom-up approach that starts with first addressing the body has been shown to be useful for PTSD survivors. Dance/movement therapy is a bottom-up approach that can address trauma on a verbal and non-verbal level. Dance/movement therapy focuses on relationships and safety to lower risk of re-traumatization. The findings of this literature review reveal that through dance/movement therapy interventions like mirroring and the use of touch, adults with trauma can learn to feel safe and comfortable in their bodies and release the trauma from their bodies without re-traumatization
Social-Emotional Learning in Children, Second Step Curriculum, and Expressive Arts Therapy: A Review of the Literature
Get PDFIn schools across the country students are being taught social-emotional skills through the use of the Second Step curriculum. Second Step is a universal curriculum which is sought to streamline social-emotional learning (SEL) and can be easily implemented within classrooms by classroom teachers. The curriculum implemented as it currently is does not allow for the creative expression of students to be utilized. Previous research has highlighted that in many cases Second Step curriculum proves to be ineffective in nature and lacks longevity or lasting impacts. Social-emotional learning is directly linked to children’s mental health, when children lack emotional literacy they are more likely to suffer from mental health related issues. Through a systematic literature review, the Second Step curriculum was analyzed and each unit of the curriculum was matched with arts-based interventions supported by peer-reviewed research which seek to achieve the same goal as the Second Step unit they were matched to. Creative expression through the use of the various expressive arts therapy modalities (music, dance and movement, drama, visual arts, etc.) seem to be a viable way to increase lasting effect and accessibility of the universally used Second Step social-emotional learning curriculum
Art Therapy and Parts Work in the Treatment of Complex Trauma: A Literature Review
Get PDFIn recent decades, there has been an ever-expanding interest in addressing the effects of trauma. Additionally, more attention is being focused on the insidious and compounding effects of complex trauma. Within the context of this increased spotlight, a range of therapies have been born to address these effects. Art therapy is one example of a modality that uses art materials to externalize. Parts work is a group of theories that addresses the intrapsychic relationships that govern our thoughts, feelings, sensations and actions. Two parts work theories, structural dissociation and internal family systems, are explored in this thesis. This literature review focuses on the qualities that may contribute to the compatibility of art therapy and parts work in the treatment of complex trauma
The Effects of Meditation on Stress in High School Students
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Young people today face many challenges including stress from social relationships, academic pressures at school, racism, social injustice, and the pandemic. This paper examines the efficacy of using practical and accessible meditation techniques to help decrease stress in high school students. Prior research on some of the causes of stress within this age group, including the history of mindfulness, the attention economy, incorporation of techniques into classroom curricula, and teaching meditation techniques to the high school age population, is explored. Further research on the benefits of teaching meditation to high school students, including a thorough examination of the complex barriers to students of color, is warranted. This paper presents a literature review and insights gleaned from primary research to demonstrate that meditation techniques are a viable intervention for high school students in managing their stress levels
A Qualitative Study of Teachers’ Knowledge of Anxiety and Their Feelings of Preparedness to Support Students with Anxiety
Get PDFThe incidence of anxiety disorders, one of the most prevalent mental health disorders, in students has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, these disorders continue to be underdiagnosed and untreated in schools, leading to impaired learning, social relationships, and health issues. If teachers, who spend a considerable amount of time with students, identify anxiety and enforce successful interventions, it can lead to positive student outcomes. Therefore, this qualitative study examined teachers’ knowledge of anxiety and their feelings of preparedness in teaching students with anxiety. Thirteen general education elementary teachers with two to three years of experience were interviewed. The participants responded to questions on six scenarios exploring student anxiety symptoms and recommended strategies for addressing student concerns. They responded to direct questions about their preparation courses, professional development (PD) opportunities, knowledge of anxiety prevalence and symptoms, and comfort level working with students with anxiety. The results indicate a theory-to-practice gap: most teachers did not correctly identify the anxiety symptoms of the children in the scenarios despite hypothesizing that 50–90% of all students had anxiety, but they listed some signs when specifically asked. Although the teachers had no mental health coursework and inadequate PD regarding the impact of student anxiety, they reported being very comfortable working with such students. Future research may explore whether there is a relationship between teacher training on anxiety in students and their response to real-life situations