Exploring Art Therapy Techniques in Parent-Child Dyads with Children Who Have Experienced Trauma

Author

Yuval MinzFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-22-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA - Master of Arts

Department

Expressive Therapies

Advisor

Dr. Tamar Hadar

Abstract

Exposure to trauma during childhood has been shown to have severe long-term consequences. It has been shown that art therapy promotes the reduction of trauma symptoms in children, as it allows them to easily engage in the process of therapy through non-verbal treatment. Involving the caregiver in the treatment process of children was shown to hold significant benefits for children, especially in a setting of parent-child art therapy interventions. In this capstone thesis, I present a case study in which I explored the impact of art therapy interventions performed in a parent-child dyad on the well-being of a child who has experienced trauma. The interventions were performed in family sessions over the course of two weeks in a virtual in-home therapy setting. The case study presents significant benefits of the creative interventions on the child’s experienced symptoms, as well as on the parent-child relationship. These preliminary results show a growing need for additional studies on the topic of dyadic art therapy with children who have experienced trauma, in order to improve outcomes in the child’s treatment as well as to strengthen the family relationships and the parent’s ability to support their child.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Minz, Yuval, "Exploring Art Therapy Techniques in Parent-Child Dyads with Children Who Have Experienced Trauma" (2021). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses. 484.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/484