Date of Award
Spring 5-4-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Expressive Therapies
Major
Expressive Therapies
First Advisor
Dr. Leticia Prieto Álvarez
Abstract
Children and adolescents tend to lack agency and power in their lives with their status as minors. Lack of agency can be exacerbated if they are experiencing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Narrative songwriting is an approach with emerging methods that may support liberation, agency, and ownership for this population. Although there is a plethora of trauma-informed songwriting methods in music therapy literature focusing on young populations, there is sparse research about using narrative songwriting with this population. In this thesis, literature from both music therapy and narrative therapy with young populations experiencing ACEs was located and analyzed using a qualitative thematic analysis. Integrated perspectives of values, benefits, risks, and techniques for the narrative songwriting approach are provided. I propose an updated definition of narrative songwriting and a beginning definition of de-centered musical practice. I identified that narrative songwriting is a flexible approach, emphasizing the importance of a culturally reflexive, de-centered musical practice. Arts-based research was conducted to embody these findings and recommendations for future research are provided.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Emma, "Reclaiming the Narrative: Integrating Narrative Therapy and Songwriting for Children and Adolescents Living Through Adverse Childhood Experiences" (2026). Expressive Therapies Theses. 158.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_therapies_theses/158
