Developmental Transformations with Refugee Children: Exploring Different Cultural Responses to Traumatic Experience

Author

Katrina L. SanyalFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA - Master of Arts

Department

Expressive Therapies

Advisor

Angelle Cook, PhD, RDT/BCT

Abstract

This 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.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Sanyal, Katrina L., "Developmental Transformations with Refugee Children: Exploring Different Cultural Responses to Traumatic Experience" (2023). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses. 670.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/670