Date of Award

Spring 5-22-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA - Master of Arts

Department

Expressive Therapies

Advisor

Tim Reagan, PhD, RDT, APTT

Abstract

In this capstone thesis, the author explores the availability and accessibility of school-based trauma-informed drama therapy interventions as a means to address the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). A significant amount of research exploring the impact of ACEs is focused on the long-term negative effects they have on adults, reflecting back on how the adverse childhood experiences impacted their continued development (Brown et al., 2009; Chapman et al., 2004). However, less attention has been paid to the impact of such experiences on children during their childhood. Rather than waiting for ACEs to turn into lifelong physical and mental health problems, programs that address these experiences and stressors need to be implemented at the school-age level. This gap in research reflects a lack of urgency in providing early intervention programing. Even less research has been conducted on the use of dramatic embodied play as a stress-reduction intervention with school-aged children. Through my research, this writer has learned that there are school-based social-emotional learning programs, school-based trauma-informed programs, and school-based drama therapy programs, but only one that combines all three components. This paper concludes with a discussion advocating for the wide-spread adoption of The Miss Kendra Programs as a school-based, trauma-informed, social-emotional learning program that is rooted in the drama therapy technique of DvT.

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