Date of Award

5-4-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Expressive Therapies

First Advisor

Raquel Stephenson

Abstract

Art therapy and art-based programming have increasingly been introduced in a variety of service settings to children experiencing homelessness, with the belief that artmaking can promote recovery and resilience, and support mental wellbeing. Despite the presence of such programs, there is very limited research on the impact of art therapy and arts-based intervention on the lives of children experiencing homelessness. This literature review is focused on the role of art therapy in working with children who have experienced or are currently experiencing homelessness, which is defined as a form of complex trauma. This research aimed to address the following question: How can art therapy be used to support the needs of children experiencing homelessness? Overall, the body of research available to me suggested that art therapy can be used to support children experiencing homelessness by providing them the opportunity to process and reorganize trauma safely, while also building self-esteem and coping strategies that support affect regulation.

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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