Date of Award
Summer 9-15-2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
MA - Master of Arts
Department
Expressive Therapies
Advisor
Tamar Hadar
Abstract
The field of expressive art therapies utilize the process of creativity to promote therapeutic healing. The focus of this thesis is the mental health concerns that impact the LGBT+ community, and how the art of drag performance can be implemented as an arts-based treatment approach for this population. Traditional forms of mental health treatment reflect majority values that discount the experiences of queer individuals, despite the disproportionately high levels of mental health challenges faced by the LGBT+ population compared to those who identify as heteronormative. The research included in this thesis explores the mental health concerns prevalent within the LGBT+ community, how the principles of the expressive arts are able to address such concerns, and the value drag holds as an art form for queer people. The specific therapeutic domaines identified as holding the most relevance to the mental health of the LGBT+ population are: community relations, societal rejection, identity expression, and self image.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Soubosky, Nicole, "Drag as a Method of Expressive Art Therapy For LGBT+ Individuals" (2021). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses. 519.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/519
Included in
Rights
The author owns the copyright to this work.
