Date of Award

Spring 5-5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Expressive Therapies

First Advisor

Dr. Raquel Chapin Stephenson

Abstract

Grief comes in many forms and is an expected part of living as an emotion-oriented being. Within this framework exists forms of grief most commonly understood and accepted in society and others that often go under the radar, especially for older adults. A wealth of literature exists for the exploration of grief and a sizeable subsection in grief around older adulthood, but few explore a breadth of grief-based experiences through the lens of art therapy in an assisted living environment. This thesis explores how arts-based directives can be used to process grief with older adults in an assisted living setting. This study was conducted through observations taken over the course of several hour-long sessions at an assisted living facility in the Boston area with seven participants and a variety of therapeutic art experiences oriented around grief. Observations and data are comprised of a combination of notes taken from sessions and response art created by the author. With the support of additional literature, the results of the groups indicate that art in a group environment with an older population can not only assist participants in expressing and processing their grief but also in building connections, confidence, and their identity as artists.

Comments

The author welcomes the use of his work to be used in the furthering of research and grief support and for this work to be promoted for the betterment of the lives of individuals experiencing grief in all its forms. If the author's work is used in any way it should be attributed. The author is happy to be contacted regarding questions about his work.

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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