Date of Award

Spring 5-17-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Major

Expressive Therapies

First Advisor

Raquel Chapin Stephenson

Abstract

This review examines the importance of hope and resilience in art therapy interventions for children by synthesizing current research on how art therapy can foster hope. The data were collected by reviewing published peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, reflective writing, and artmaking—arts-based research methods. The beginning sections delve deeply into the definition of hope and resilience in the context of adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. Art therapy acts as a creative medium for fostering these qualities. It is discussed that creative expression contributes to emotional regulation, utilizes therapeutic intra- and inter-relationships as a source of hope, and connects the child with their inner source of resilience. Although research has infamously associated resilience with an inherent internal ability to rise above external adversities, only a few authors have challenged this notion beyond individual positionality and towards oppressive systemic structures. Future research will benefit from problematizing understandings of resilience in forming adaptive coping strategies in strength-based art therapy, which underlies how creative experiences contribute to the development of therapeutic relationships as a source of hope.

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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