Date of Award

Spring 5-16-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Major

Expressive Therapies

First Advisor

Nicholas Suchecki

Abstract

In inpatient psychiatric settings, treatment is typically oriented toward short-term stabilization rather than trauma processing. This thesis explores how self-compassion and expressive arts therapy may support stabilization for individuals with complex trauma histories, highlighting the role of self-criticism and shame as key mechanisms underlying trauma-related distress. This thesis presents the development of a multi-group therapy model implemented on a 21-bed inpatient trauma and dissociative disorders unit. The model pairs psychoeducational, compassion-oriented groups, grounded in mindful self-compassion (MSC) and compassion focused therapy (CFT), with subsequent expressive arts therapy (EXAT) groups with the intention of cohesively integrating and deepening these themes through creative and somatic processes. Over approximately 4.5 months, groups were facilitated, observed, and iteratively refined. Observations suggest that CFT groups fostered greater participant engagement and validation compared to MSC, while expressive arts interventions, particularly psychodrama- based chairwork, supported emotional insight and access to self-compassion. Across modalities, therapist attunement, flexibility, and responsiveness to group dynamics emerged as central to supporting safety and stabilization. These observations highlight the potential of integrating CFT and expressive therapies within inpatient settings, emphasizing compassion and relational attunement as foundational to safety and stabilization in complex trauma treatment.

Creative Commons License

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

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