2410 research outputs found
Sort by
The Effectiveness of Music Therapy with Children Who Have Experienced Trauma Using the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT): A Literature Review
Get PDFThis paper initiates filling the gap in the literature by utilizing NMT, which addresses trauma through understanding and assessing how it has impacted a child neurodevelopmentally with music therapy. Children in intensive residential care are referred to treatment with a unique range of challenges resulting from their traumatic experiences. Of these challenges, included are a wide range of traumatic experiences such as physical/emotional abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, homelessness, witnessing violence or domestic abuse, adjustment issues, attachment issues, or trauma while in utero. The Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) is a newer framework for working with developmental trauma. Current research around the effectiveness of music therapy with children with trauma diagnoses tends to focus on the DSM definition, which encompasses witnessing a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, an accident, terrorism, war, or sexual violence (American Psychiatric Association, 2020), rather than the clinically accepted, but still unofficial diagnosis of developmental trauma (Malchiodi, Crenshaw, & Robarts 2015). This paper focuses on the practical application of music therapy within a framework intended specifically for children with developmental trauma. The question “What music therapy interventions are most beneficial to use in conjunction with NMT with children who have experienced trauma? is addressed by presenting music therapy methods that correspond to a child’s state on the arousal continuum
Feeling Timeline: A Threshold Ritual to Anchor Expressive Arts Therapy Sessions with Children and Adolescents in Partial Hospitalization Programs
Get PDFExpressive arts therapy provides a useful modality for enhancing the scope of interdisciplinary treatment services for children and adolescents within partial hospitalization programs. The use of threshold rituals within sessions addresses several specific needs of this population, including structure, consistency, self-expression, and trauma-informed practices. The Feeling Timeline method, a threshold ritual developed for the opening and closing of expressive arts therapy sessions, was conducted at a large pediatric hospital within three day treatment psychiatric units. From November 2021 through April 2022, six participants between the ages of nine through sixteen engaged with the Feeling Timeline as a bridge into session, exploring feelings through contained creation. Additionally, the Feeling Timeline demonstrated the invitation of further modalities of expression within the session and therapeutic closure at the end of each session. The process revealed the intervention’s effectiveness and the importance of acknowledging beginnings and endings, developing the therapeutic relationship through a consistent ritual over multiple sessions, and grounding within the present moment. Results indicate the necessity of consistent and structured threshold ritual practices at the opening and closing of expressive arts therapy sessions for children and adolescents in this context. Recommendations are suggested for further research on using threshold rituals in expressive arts therapy
Intermodal Transfers Offer Creative Recovery Options from Postpartum Depression: A Critical Literature Review with Recommendations for Treatment
Get PDFPostpartum depression (PPD) is considered as a universal health epidemic, affecting between 10-20% of mothers. Despite this high prevalence rate, symptoms of PPD often go overlooked and underdiagnosed in physical and mental healthcare due to a lack of research and awareness. The expressive therapies have introduced creative treatment options for PPD; however the modalities are often kept separate. Intermodal transfers, informed by the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC), can provide effective and accessible benefits to mothers with PPD. This literature review critically analyzes the efficacy of intermodal transfers in the treatment of PPD. The findings show that a multimodal approach is accessible and effective in reducing depressive symptoms, potentially preventing the severity of PPD, and improving the support for new mothers. A proposed intervention is included in the appendix for guidance towards future practice
Building Nature: A Nature-Based Drama Therapy Method in an Urban Program
Get PDFFinding a mental health center that fits the needs of an individual can take time. Some individuals must travel to different states and enter large metropolises to find the specific type of support they need for their mental health journey. This can mean that for extended periods of time, as individuals go through residential treatment, partial hospitalization programs (PHP), and/or intensive outpatient programs (IOP), they can not only find themselves in a completely new community, but also entirely removed from nature. For this reason, my thesis focused on creating a method to reconnect humans ‘trapped’ in an urban setting with the healing power and benefits of nature. I incorporated nature elements to engage as many senses as were available amid the COVID-19 pandemic guidelines for sanitation and safety. I believe that the incorporation of a nature-based drama therapy method into an adult PHP program can help improve emotional and physiological self-regulation, group cohesion, and inspire patients to reconnect with nature as a tool for their own personal growth and healing journeys
The Traumatology of Adverse Childhood Experiences in High Risk Youth: Examining the Healing Potential of the Neurobiological Processes in Art Therapy- Option 1: Development of a Method
Get PDFExamining the healing potential of neurobiological processes in art therapy with high risk youth who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) vitally needs to consider the neuroscience perspective of trauma. Practicing through a trauma-informed approach, there is a need to further investigate the impacts of art therapy for this population within the field of traumatology. Existing literature provides an understanding of ACEs, the neurobiological changes in functionality of the brain from toxic stress, the impacts on the brain, neurobiological processes in art therapy, prevalence of ACEs in high risk youth, and studies of art therapy with adverse childhood experiences in high risk youth contributing valuable insight in treatment and prevention. This paper examines the literature and discusses a method in a single group of 5 participants, aged 14-16, in a high risk youth setting who have been exposed to ACEs and exhibit problems in functioning impacted by ACEs. Through my experience and learning, results indicated that art therapy has healing potential in treatment for ACEs in adolescents as there are neurobiological properties in art evidenced through regulation and expression, the importance of resiliency, identifying coping strategies tolerating toxic stress, and the emphasis of the need for early intervention for this population. There is a need for further research as literature is limited and given the reality of ACEs as a growing public and mental health crisis
Exploring the Benefits of Expressive Arts Therapy with Survivors of Sexual Violence, A Literature Review
Get PDFSexual violence is a common experience throughout the United States. The aftermath of this traumatic experience impacts the entire body, including the emotional, physical, and mental states of an individual. The distressing symptoms of sexual violence can last from weeks to years. The aftermath of sexual violence can make it difficult for victims to complete daily tasks and can lead to disorders such as Depression or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This literature review explores the current treatments used with survivors of sexual violence, which include trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and other effective treatments. Due to the trauma affecting the entire body, specifically the Broca’s area, the verbal part of the brain, this review explores the need for more nonverbal treatment methods. The focus question behind this research is to discover if expressive arts therapy in particular can be beneficial as a treatment for survivors of sexual violence. The growing research on expressive arts therapy shows that it offers a holistic approach that moves beyond verbal expression and utilizes the integration of music, art, drama, and movement. This thesis demonstrates that expressive arts therapy can increase trauma healing through the individual\u27s physical, emotional, and mental parts. Research shows that an integrated, whole-body approach that uses a variety of art forms may be helpful in daily executive functioning, processing, and expressing the trauma, growth, and healing. Additionally, this literature review demonstrates the need for further research to confirm its effectiveness with individuals who have experienced sexual violence
Phototherapy and Empowerment for People Living with Chronic Conditions
Get PDFAn exploration of combining empowerment theory, photo-based art interventions, and hope-based interventions in a group setting and whether this method can reduce feelings of depression and anxiety and increase feelings of hope, power, and empowerment for those living with chronic conditions and chronic pain. The reviewed literature showed that hope-based art interventions, photo-based art interventions, and empowerment can increase feelings of hope and empowerment and decrease levels of depression and anxiety in people living with chronic conditions. I created a method that combined all three interventions in a group therapy setting where the participants completed the artwork between sessions and shared their work and thoughts surrounding it in the following session. The group took place over zoom through a local creative university. The participants were between the ages of eighteen and twenty-six; all participants were female except for one male who attended one session and were Caucasian, Asian, Asian-American, and Indigenous. I learned that the combination of photo-based interventions, hope based interventions, and empowerment theory in a group setting for people with chronic conditions has the potential to lower feelings of depression and anxiety and with further research in a group with more consistent attendance, has the potential to increase feelings of hope, purpose, and empowerment. This research highlighted the need for more exploration into successful expressive therapy measures that support people with chronic conditions through empowerment, art, advocacy, and community
Siblings of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Art Therapy
Get PDFFocusing on the neurotypically developing siblings of child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is essential in order to understand how the diagnosis affects the family overall. Sibling relationships are essential in how a person develops in their family system, but due to the symptoms of the ASD diagnoses there can be challenges. By using a family systems approach, the present literature review discusses adjustment in the neurotypically developing sibling, the roles they take on in their family, and how art therapy can be used to alleviate some stressors for both the child diagnosed with ASD and their neurotypically developing sibling
Letters to Your Future Self and Reducing Anxiety: Development of a Method
Get PDFAnxiety is a very common phenomenon in the world, whether it be diagnosed or not. With how detrimentally it can affect any given individual, it is important that the expressive arts therapies develop methods of aiding in reducing anxiety in people. This thesis explored the development of a method for reducing anxiety in individuals on an inpatient unit through writing and decorating a letter to their future self. The intervention was conducted four times, twice on two independent units, with between two to five participants in each group. Participants were instructed to write a letter to their future selves reminding them of what they’ve learned and what they want their future selves to remember. They then decorated to cover of their card to represent what was written inside. The results found that overall, writing a letter to your future self and decorating the cover helped to reduce anxiety within individuals on an inpatient unit. Further research on reducing anxiety in both groups and individuals using this method is recommended
A Qualitative Study on Nurse Facilitators of Mind-Body Skills Groups
Get PDFThe Center for Mind-Body Medicine (CMBM), founded by Dr. James Gordon, provides communities with evidence-based Mind-Body Skills Groups (MBSGs) that foster self-care, self-awareness, and self-expression. MBSGs range from 8 to 12-week series on various mind-body practices wherein group members meet, practice, and reflect on the impact of mind-body skills in their lives. Research has demonstrated that participants in MBSGs have positive outcomes. Healthcare professionals (HCPs), especially nurses, gain resiliency from MBSGs. As facilitators of MBSGs, nurses develop essential skills transferable to clinical and educational settings. MBSGs are therapeutic for adult participants with chronic stress. Prior to this thesis, only one study examined the impact of facilitating MBSGs on the facilitator. There was no research on the nurse as an MBSG facilitator. This paper examines the influence of mindfulness on the CMBM model, which uniquely provides MBSGs to various populations. It also investigates the CMBM model’s impact on the nurse facilitators’ ability to be mindfully aware and responsive. The paper utilizes a cross-sectional qualitative research design; the researcher interviewed five nurse facilitators of MBSGs to capture their nuanced experiences. The semi-structured interviews revealed the following three themes: (1) self-care (subthemes: self-care during COVID-19, mindfulness as self-care, and leaning toward compassion to find safety and self-compassion); (2) patient applications (subthemes: compassionate presence as a mind-body skill and a platform to share other mind-body skills); and (3) finding confidence. The interview findings suggest MBSG facilitation has potential to be a nursing intervention; MBSGs could enhance nursing resilience in healthcare organizations and nursing colleges