Date of Award

Spring 5-16-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Major

Expressive Therapies

First Advisor

Leticia Prieto Alvarez, PhD, MT-BC, LMHC

Second Advisor

Mitchell Kossak PhD, LMHC, REAT

Abstract

This thesis examines how socially constructed ideals of motherhood shape maternal identity, distress, and isolation, and explores the potential of addressing these experiences through a community-based expressive arts project. Drawing on motherhood studies, expressive arts therapy, and narrative therapy, the project highlights the potential benefits of utilizing expressive arts in a community setting to ease the tension between romanticized cultural narratives and the lived realities of mothers. Conducted with a support group for mothers in rural Vermont, the project used visual art, movement, creative writing, and collaborative mixed-media painting to examine problem-saturated motherhood stories, connect through embodied experience, and explore alternative narratives. Findings suggest that the art-making process supported connection, normalization, and re-authoring while also revealing themes of guilt, overwhelm, resilience, humor, and hope. The project demonstrates that community-based expressive arts could create space for mothers to externalize distress, witness one another’s experiences, and co-create more compassionate stories of motherhood. This thesis argues that expressive arts informed by narrative therapy may reduce stigma and support maternal well-being outside a clinical setting.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

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