This dissertation explores the effectiveness of both narrative therapy and art therapy practices incorporated into a participatory action research (PAR) project to foster alternate stories of hope in addressing bullying and other aggressive actions. Results indicate that narrative therapy, when incorporated into a PAR design, can assist with the…

This research study is a qualitative action research study that examines the best ways to support the emotional needs of students as they matriculate through high school. Specifically for this study, high school educators who teach in the four academic content areas (English, Math, Science, and Social Studies classes) implemented Calming Corners,…

This study employed art-based research with phenomenological qualitative inquiry to understand the perspectives of professionals who are working in the Israeli school system with children diagnosed with selective mutism. Selective mutism (SM) is a disorder originated in anxiety in which a child, between the ages of 3-5, does not speak at school…

Visual art is an enriching part of educational curriculum and an individual's development (Malley & Silverstein, 2014), but public school curriculum is increasingly focusing on standardization, core subject curriculum, testing, and accountability measures leaving creative fields behind as merely an additive part of education or a resource…

Little music therapy research has been published on therapeutic presence (TP). This study explored the inclusion of TP in music therapy education. Participants were eight credentialed music therapists who identified as music therapy educators and/or clinical supervisors. They attended one of two focus groups and were asked to submit a 1-minute…

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, art therapy education was rarely taught online. This study employed a qualitative narrative research design. Its purpose was to understand the experiences of art therapy educators as they transitioned to remote and online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic and to uncover the creative strategies they developed or…

Although art therapy has been used for over 100 years as an adjunctive treatment method for physical and mental health disorders, the research findings regarding the efficacy of this approach have been mixed and inconclusive. Reviews of the current literature on the efficacy of art therapy have noted the field lacks well-controlled studies.…