Date of Award

Spring 5-5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Major

Expressive Therapies

First Advisor

Dave Mowers, MA, RDT, LCAT

Abstract

Neurodivergent women are frequently underdiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or late diagnosed due to gender differences and the prevalence of masking. Masking is the unintentional or intentional suppression of neurodiverse traits to present more neurotypical. Consequences of long-term masking can include increased risk of anxiety, depression, and burnout. This study explores the potential of drama therapy as a modality to support unmasking and increasing self-esteem in neurodivergent adult women. Drawing on existing literature on neurodiversity, masking, and drama therapy, a two staged role-based intervention was developed and implemented within a six weeklong psychotherapy group for five late diagnosed neurodivergent women. All participants were diagnosed with ADHD, and a majority identified as auDHD. The intervention utilized dramatic play and role theory to explore participants' masked and unmasked identities. Observational data was used to assess the impact of the intervention. The findings of the observational data indicate that the intervention provided group participants the opportunity to explore the emotional complexities related to late diagnosis, but it did not result in an increase in self-esteem for group participants. Participants used role play to examine both idealized neurotypical identities and their neurodiverse selves, revealing ongoing tension between self-acceptance and internalized stigma. These results suggest that drama therapy may serve as a valuable exploratory tool for neurodivergent women in therapeutic settings. Future research is needed to examine longer term interventions and additional drama therapy processes to better support identity development and self-esteem for this population.

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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