Date of Award

Fall 9-15-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Major

Expressive Therapies

First Advisor

Chyela Rowe Ph.D., RDT/BCT

Abstract

The recent increase in anti-trans legislature in the United States has negatively impacted the mental health of transgender young adults nationwide. Current research suggests that creative expression in a group setting may be uniquely suited to help transgender people combat the negative mental health effects of internalized anti-trans messaging. Based on this research, a community engagement project was designed for transgender young adult participants to explore resilience building through drama therapy-informed community play. Three play-based support groups, facilitated by a drama therapy graduate student who identified as a peer to the participants, were offered to transgender young adults in their local community. Each group invoked the drama therapy core processes through a different form of play: storytelling, toy- based worldbuilding, and dress-up. These groups were positively received by participants and increased the facilitator’s sense of community connection, resilience, and self-validation. Challenges with scheduling, accessibility, and public perception of play impacted the success of these initial support groups, which in turn impacted the facilitator’s self-efficacy as an emerging transgender drama therapist. The discussion offered suggestions for changes to recruitment procedures that may facilitate wider accessibility for future groups.

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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