Date of Award

5-16-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Expressive Therapies

First Advisor

Jason D. Butler, PhD, RDT/BCT, LCAT

Abstract

This thesis presents the findings of an expressive arts therapy group intervention for adults in a geriatric unit of a psychiatric hospital in the greater Boston area.  The twice weekly, 6-week intervention aimed to explore the central question of what occurs when a method of expressive arts journaling is introduced to older adults for symptom management of anxiety and mood disorders during their hospital stay. Through arts-based research and participant feedback, this capstone thesis charts the group experiences. The MOSS Visual Journaling model is named after its domains; Mindfulness, Open-studio, Story-telling, and Self-compassion. Themes generated through thematic analysis of the data were peer relationships, self-efficacy, self-awareness, and future-oriented thinking. This thesis explores a positive relationship between the MOSS Visual Journaling groups and active participation in treatment as a salient intervention for older adults. Further research may clarify and examine its potential benefits with older adults and its use with demographics of the global majority.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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