Pub Date : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102376
Marián López Fernández Cao , Ana Serrano Navarro
This article examines the role of metaphor in art therapy as both a tool for narrative comprehension and a means of transforming meaning, enabling new interpretations. The Brundibár Project, conducted over three years, implemented 25 workshops of 30 h each across eight centers, involving 217 children and adolescents at risk or affected by trauma. Within these sessions, metaphor was used as a vehicle for meaning-making and transformation. The workshops fostered the development of a rich metaphorical repertoire among participants, reflecting their capacity to symbolically reframe experiences. The findings highlight how the attentive support of trained art therapists is essential in collecting and nurturing these metaphors, thereby enhancing their transformative potential. Relating the outcomes to existing literature, the study demonstrates that metaphor operates as a central element in art therapy interventions. It supports processes of identification, conflict management, and resolution, which participants can integrate into their own narratives. The art therapist’s shared perspective further strengthens these strategies, contributing to the possibility of personal change. As a result, the Brundibár Project has established a new classification of metaphors, offering a framework that may inform future applications and research in art therapy.
{"title":"Metaphor in art therapy: Its use with vulnerable children","authors":"Marián López Fernández Cao , Ana Serrano Navarro","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102376","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102376","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article examines the role of metaphor in art therapy as both a tool for narrative comprehension and a means of transforming meaning, enabling new interpretations. The Brundibár Project, conducted over three years, implemented 25 workshops of 30 h each across eight centers, involving 217 children and adolescents at risk or affected by trauma. Within these sessions, metaphor was used as a vehicle for meaning-making and transformation. The workshops fostered the development of a rich metaphorical repertoire among participants, reflecting their capacity to symbolically reframe experiences. The findings highlight how the attentive support of trained art therapists is essential in collecting and nurturing these metaphors, thereby enhancing their transformative potential. Relating the outcomes to existing literature, the study demonstrates that metaphor operates as a central element in art therapy interventions. It supports processes of identification, conflict management, and resolution, which participants can integrate into their own narratives. The art therapist’s shared perspective further strengthens these strategies, contributing to the possibility of personal change. As a result, the Brundibár Project has established a new classification of metaphors, offering a framework that may inform future applications and research in art therapy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102376"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145473958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102378
Hao-Yue Yang , Yi-Yan Chen, Shi-Yu Gu, Xian-Hui Tang
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder that causes major disability and poses an increasing global public health burden. Dance has rapidly gained popularity among patients with PD because it may enhance well-being in this population. The aim of this study was to conduct meta-analyses to assess the effect of dance on quality of life among adults with PD, reporting not only the mean effect size but also the variation in the effect size across studies. Therefore, the PubMed, Web of Science, PEDro, and Cochrane Library databases were searched in March 2025 for randomized controlled trials that compared dance interventions with typical interventions. Quality of life was assessed with the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). The literature search initially yielded 432 records; ultimately, 8 RCTs involving 211 patients with PD were included in the meta-analyses. The results indicated that dance could improve quality of life, as indicated by a reduction in the mean effect size on the PDQ-39 total score (WMD = − 2.840, 95 % CI: − 5.34 to − 0.35) compared with that in the control intervention; the 95 % prediction interval (PI) of the true effect size was (-11.92, 6.24), which indicated that dance might be helpful (decreasing the PDQ-39 total score) for approximately 79.20 % of the population and less effective (increasing the PDQ-39 total score) for approximately 20.80 % of the population. The tests for subgroup differences based on intervention duration, dance time, dance frequency and patient age showed no statistical significance, suggesting that these factors did not modify the effects of dance compared with the control intervention. The test for subgroup differences among the 8 sub-dimensions of the PDQ-39 revealed statistical significance (P = .01), indicating that the sub-dimensions of the PDQ-39 might significantly modify the effect of dance in comparison to the control intervention. Dance also significantly decreased scores on the motor dimension of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (WMD = − 3.81, 95 % CI: − 4.70 to − 2.91) among individuals with PD, and the 95 % PI of the true effect size was (-12.89, 6.53), which indicated that the effect of dance could be helpful (decreasing scores on the motor-UPDRS) for most patients with PD. These results suggest that dance significantly improved the quality of life of patients with PD, although the relatively small number of included trials and the limited sample size constrain the generalizability of the findings. Further research should focus on identifying which aspects of dance are most beneficial for patients with PD.
{"title":"Effects of dance on quality of life among people with Parkinson's disease: Meta-analyses","authors":"Hao-Yue Yang , Yi-Yan Chen, Shi-Yu Gu, Xian-Hui Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102378","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102378","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder that causes major disability and poses an increasing global public health burden. Dance has rapidly gained popularity among patients with PD because it may enhance well-being in this population. The aim of this study was to conduct meta-analyses to assess the effect of dance on quality of life among adults with PD, reporting not only the mean effect size but also the variation in the effect size across studies. Therefore, the PubMed, Web of Science, PEDro, and Cochrane Library databases were searched in March 2025 for randomized controlled trials that compared dance interventions with typical interventions. Quality of life was assessed with the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). The literature search initially yielded 432 records; ultimately, 8 RCTs involving 211 patients with PD were included in the meta-analyses. The results indicated that dance could improve quality of life, as indicated by a reduction in the mean effect size on the PDQ-39 total score (WMD = − 2.840, 95 % CI: − 5.34 to − 0.35) compared with that in the control intervention; the 95 % prediction interval (PI) of the true effect size was (-11.92, 6.24), which indicated that dance might be helpful (decreasing the PDQ-39 total score) for approximately 79.20 % of the population and less effective (increasing the PDQ-39 total score) for approximately 20.80 % of the population. The tests for subgroup differences based on intervention duration, dance time, dance frequency and patient age showed no statistical significance, suggesting that these factors did not modify the effects of dance compared with the control intervention. The test for subgroup differences among the 8 sub-dimensions of the PDQ-39 revealed statistical significance (<em>P</em> = .01), indicating that the sub-dimensions of the PDQ-39 might significantly modify the effect of dance in comparison to the control intervention. Dance also significantly decreased scores on the motor dimension of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (WMD = − 3.81, 95 % CI: − 4.70 to − 2.91) among individuals with PD, and the 95 % PI of the true effect size was (-12.89, 6.53), which indicated that the effect of dance could be helpful (decreasing scores on the motor-UPDRS) for most patients with PD. These results suggest that dance significantly improved the quality of life of patients with PD, although the relatively small number of included trials and the limited sample size constrain the generalizability of the findings. Further research should focus on identifying which aspects of dance are most beneficial for patients with PD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102378"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145473981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102381
Rami Yoon, Hye-Won Hong, Yun-Mi Park
This study introduces Phygital Art Therapy as a conceptual model that reimagines the therapeutic space through the convergence of physical materials and immersive digital technologies. While digital art therapy has expanded access and media diversity, it often falls short in supporting embodied emotional expression and dynamic client–therapist interaction. To address these limitations, this paper proposes the Phygital Therapeutic Field Model (PTFM), which highlights four interrelated components: sensory–media integration, reorganization of interaction structures, fluidity of psychological space and time, and the ethical implications of technologically mediated therapy. Drawing on recent developments in immersive media and AI, the model explores how clients engage in creative processes that unfold across physical and virtual environments simultaneously. These hybrid settings allow for deeper emotional articulation, symbolic reconstruction, and adaptive self-expression. Rather than viewing technology as a separate tool, the phygital approach frames it as a co-active element within the therapeutic relationship. The therapist’s role expands to include sensory attunement, media coordination, and ethical navigation across shifting experiential layers. Through this lens, art therapy becomes a responsive process in which sensation, memory, identity, and meaning are continually reconfigured. By offering an integrated perspective on digitally infused creative practices, this study contributes to ongoing dialogue about the evolving nature of therapeutic environments and the possibilities they hold for supporting emotional depth and personal transformation.
{"title":"Phygital art therapy: A theoretical model integrating digital and physical media in psychotherapeutic practice","authors":"Rami Yoon, Hye-Won Hong, Yun-Mi Park","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102381","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102381","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study introduces Phygital Art Therapy as a conceptual model that reimagines the therapeutic space through the convergence of physical materials and immersive digital technologies. While digital art therapy has expanded access and media diversity, it often falls short in supporting embodied emotional expression and dynamic client–therapist interaction. To address these limitations, this paper proposes the Phygital Therapeutic Field Model (PTFM), which highlights four interrelated components: sensory–media integration, reorganization of interaction structures, fluidity of psychological space and time, and the ethical implications of technologically mediated therapy. Drawing on recent developments in immersive media and AI, the model explores how clients engage in creative processes that unfold across physical and virtual environments simultaneously. These hybrid settings allow for deeper emotional articulation, symbolic reconstruction, and adaptive self-expression. Rather than viewing technology as a separate tool, the phygital approach frames it as a co-active element within the therapeutic relationship. The therapist’s role expands to include sensory attunement, media coordination, and ethical navigation across shifting experiential layers. Through this lens, art therapy becomes a responsive process in which sensation, memory, identity, and meaning are continually reconfigured. By offering an integrated perspective on digitally infused creative practices, this study contributes to ongoing dialogue about the evolving nature of therapeutic environments and the possibilities they hold for supporting emotional depth and personal transformation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102381"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dance/movement therapy (DMT), at the intersection of creative arts therapies and somatic therapies, has been difficult to pin down due to a lack of an official theoretical framework. The objectives of this study were thus to identify the therapeutic factors that are unique to DMT, explore their neural correlates, and develop a theoretical framework of proposed mechanisms of change. Through an in-depth literature review of DMT publications and a synthesis of the findings we identified five main elements or mechanisms of change with multiple subcategories each: 1. Connection through movement, 2. Emotional regulation through movement, 3. Body sensing and being, 4. Creative movement expression, and 5. Meaning making through movement. We further considered these in relation to ongoing neurobiological inquiries and research and suggested connected neural patterns. One of the implications of this study is a call to interdisciplinary efforts, incorporating embodied, creative and relational modalities into scientific (neuroscience) research.
{"title":"Mechanisms of change in dance/movement therapy and their neural correlates: A theoretical framework","authors":"Rebekka Dieterich-Hartwell , Rebecca Barnstaple , Cecilia Fontanesi","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102389","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102389","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dance/movement therapy (DMT), at the intersection of creative arts therapies and somatic therapies, has been difficult to pin down due to a lack of an official theoretical framework. The objectives of this study were thus to identify the therapeutic factors that are unique to DMT, explore their neural correlates, and develop a theoretical framework of proposed mechanisms of change. Through an in-depth literature review of DMT publications and a synthesis of the findings we identified five main elements or mechanisms of change with multiple subcategories each: 1. Connection through movement, 2. Emotional regulation through movement, 3. Body sensing and being, 4. Creative movement expression, and 5. Meaning making through movement. We further considered these in relation to ongoing neurobiological inquiries and research and suggested connected neural patterns. One of the implications of this study is a call to interdisciplinary efforts, incorporating embodied, creative and relational modalities into scientific (neuroscience) research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102389"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623032","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Depersonalization-derealization disorder (DDD) frequently includes a sense of bodily detachment such as being unable to feel one’s body, with a lack of awareness of bodily sensations. This suggests that body-focused interventions may be efficacious in addressing depersonalization-derealization (DD) symptoms. We developed two dance/movement tasks with an aim to reduce DD symptoms either through dance exercise by raising the salience of bodily signals (DE task) or by training body awareness through paying attention to bodily signals (BA task). Individuals with DDD (n = 18) and non-clinical controls (n = 14) performed both tasks individually in a cross-over design. Assessments included DD symptom severity, interoception, mindfulness, proprioceptive accuracy, interval timing, and body vigilance, before, during and after the tasks. At baseline, DDD participants exhibited significantly higher temporal precision but significantly lower interoceptive awareness, mindfulness and visual proprioceptive accuracy compared to controls. No significant group differences were found for interoceptive accuracy or sensibility. Both dance tasks reduced the severity of DD symptoms, overall and anomalous bodily experiences, in the DDD group. Within-subject correlations in the DDD group showed that a decrease in symptoms were associated with task-specific (BA) elevations in mindfulness. Objective measures of task performance corroborated physiological task differences, with the DE task involving a higher average heart rate and more body movements than the BA task. These results provide further support for individual, structured dance/movement as an efficacious tool to reduce symptoms in DDD by promoting mindful engagement with the body, and highlight the possibility and importance of tailoring dance-based interventions to specific symptoms and disorders.
{"title":"Structured dance movement therapy for depersonalization-derealization disorder","authors":"L.S. Merritt Millman , Elaine C.M. Hunter , Devin B. Terhune , Guido Orgs","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102374","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102374","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Depersonalization-derealization disorder</em> (DDD) frequently includes a sense of bodily detachment such as being unable to feel one’s body, with a lack of awareness of bodily sensations. This suggests that body-focused interventions may be efficacious in addressing depersonalization-derealization (DD) symptoms. We developed two dance/movement tasks with an aim to reduce DD symptoms either through dance exercise by raising the salience of bodily signals (DE task) or by training body awareness through paying attention to bodily signals (BA task). Individuals with DDD (<em>n</em> = 18) and non-clinical controls (<em>n</em> = 14) performed both tasks individually in a cross-over design. Assessments included DD symptom severity, interoception, mindfulness, proprioceptive accuracy, interval timing, and body vigilance, before, during and after the tasks. At baseline, DDD participants exhibited significantly higher temporal precision but significantly lower interoceptive awareness, mindfulness and visual proprioceptive accuracy compared to controls. No significant group differences were found for interoceptive accuracy or sensibility. Both dance tasks reduced the severity of DD symptoms, overall and anomalous bodily experiences, in the DDD group. Within-subject correlations in the DDD group showed that a decrease in symptoms were associated with task-specific (BA) elevations in mindfulness. Objective measures of task performance corroborated physiological task differences, with the DE task involving a higher average heart rate and more body movements than the BA task. These results provide further support for individual, structured dance/movement as an efficacious tool to reduce symptoms in DDD by promoting mindful engagement with the body, and highlight the possibility and importance of tailoring dance-based interventions to specific symptoms and disorders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102374"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145525375","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102386
Tanner Olsen, Michael J. Silverman
Although music can be beneficial for adults in medical settings, there is a need to compare the effects of live and recorded music while controlling for confounding variables. The purpose of this single-session randomized pilot effectiveness study was to compare live and recorded music on pain, mood, and bond in adults hospitalized on an inpatient medical unit while controlling for interventionist and music choice. Participants (N = 22) were randomized into live or recorded conditions. In both conditions, participants selected music choices from a researcher-created menu. Participants completed a Likert-type pain scale and the Quick Mood Scale at pre- and posttest and the bond subscale from the Working Alliance Inventory – Short Form at posttest. Repeated-measures analyses of variance indicated significant favorable within-group changes in pain, wide awake/drowsy, relaxed/anxious, cheerful/depressed, and well-coordinated/clumsy subscales. Mean change differences tended to be slightly larger in the live music condition than the recorded music condition for pain, wide awake/drowsy, cheerful/depressed, and well-coordinated/clumsy. The recorded music condition had a significantly greater impact in the relaxed/anxious subscale. The live condition tended to have a slightly more favorable mean posttest bond score. A single live or recorded music session can significantly impact pain and mood in adults hospitalized on an inpatient medical unit. By using song menus and the same interventionist, the authors isolated and compared some of the effects of live and recorded music. Implications for clinical practice, limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided.
{"title":"Comparing live and recorded music on mood, pain, and bond in adults on an inpatient medical unit: A randomized pilot study","authors":"Tanner Olsen, Michael J. Silverman","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102386","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102386","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Although music can be beneficial for adults in medical settings, there is a need to compare the effects of live and recorded music while controlling for confounding variables. The purpose of this single-session randomized pilot effectiveness study was to compare live and recorded music on pain, mood, and bond in adults hospitalized on an inpatient medical unit while controlling for interventionist and music choice. Participants (<em>N</em> = 22) were randomized into live or recorded conditions. In both conditions, participants selected music choices from a researcher-created menu. Participants completed a Likert-type pain scale and the Quick Mood Scale at pre- and posttest and the bond subscale from the Working Alliance Inventory – Short Form at posttest. Repeated-measures analyses of variance indicated significant favorable within-group changes in pain, wide awake/drowsy, relaxed/anxious, cheerful/depressed, and well-coordinated/clumsy subscales. Mean change differences tended to be slightly larger in the live music condition than the recorded music condition for pain, wide awake/drowsy, cheerful/depressed, and well-coordinated/clumsy. The recorded music condition had a significantly greater impact in the relaxed/anxious subscale. The live condition tended to have a slightly more favorable mean posttest bond score. A single live or recorded music session can significantly impact pain and mood in adults hospitalized on an inpatient medical unit. By using song menus and the same interventionist, the authors isolated and compared some of the effects of live and recorded music. Implications for clinical practice, limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102386"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145579175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102391
Gitta Strehlow
The interdisciplinary methodological concept of ‘scenic understanding’ developed by German psychoanalyst Lorenzer is demonstrated theoretically and practically using case vignettes from psychodynamic music therapy. This methodological and epistemological approach is based on the analysis of unconscious scenes that are created as intersubjective and dynamic constructions by both patient and (music)therapist taking into account the sociocultural context. ‘Scenic understanding’ focuses on relationships that are characterised by both sensual-symbolic and symbolic-linguistic interactions. Sensual-symbolic forms of interaction cannot be put into words. These are sensual experiences that can be expressed through arts forms such as music. Three case vignettes are used to illustrate and interpret the sensual-symbolic forms of interaction in musical actions. The structural similarities between the mutual sensual-musical relationship between patient and therapist and the situation of an infant are highlighted in the case vignettes as a decisive feature of ‘scenic understanding’. The methodological concept of ‘scenic understanding’ is crucial as a mechanism for change, as it enables inner problems to be grasped scenically as situation-specific characteristics, processed musically and/or verbally, and ultimately enables patients to develop further.
{"title":"‘Scenic understanding’ as a methodological concept for change in psychodynamic music therapy","authors":"Gitta Strehlow","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102391","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102391","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The interdisciplinary methodological concept of ‘scenic understanding’ developed by German psychoanalyst Lorenzer is demonstrated theoretically and practically using case vignettes from psychodynamic music therapy. This methodological and epistemological approach is based on the analysis of unconscious scenes that are created as intersubjective and dynamic constructions by both patient and (music)therapist taking into account the sociocultural context. ‘Scenic understanding’ focuses on relationships that are characterised by both sensual-symbolic and symbolic-linguistic interactions. Sensual-symbolic forms of interaction cannot be put into words. These are sensual experiences that can be expressed through arts forms such as music. Three case vignettes are used to illustrate and interpret the sensual-symbolic forms of interaction in musical actions. The structural similarities between the mutual sensual-musical relationship between patient and therapist and the situation of an infant are highlighted in the case vignettes as a decisive feature of ‘scenic understanding’. The methodological concept of ‘scenic understanding’ is crucial as a mechanism for change, as it enables inner problems to be grasped scenically as situation-specific characteristics, processed musically and/or verbally, and ultimately enables patients to develop further.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102391"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145623030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102372
Shoshana T. Glick
Fatness is frequently pathologized or treated as a moral failing, rather than acknowledged as a socially marginalized identity. This study addresses a gap in drama therapy literature by expanding Robert Landy’s role taxonomy to better reflect the lived experiences of individuals who identify as fat. Grounded in a constructivist, social justice-informed framework, this research used a qualitative approach to explore the roles associated with fat identity. An anonymous online survey gathered narrative responses from North American participants (N = 116) who self-identified as fat. Through reflexive grounded theory thematic analysis, 19 distinct roles were identified that are not adequately captured in Landy’s original taxonomy, underscoring how dominant cultural perspectives can perpetuate marginalization by shaping theoretical frameworks that overlook lived experiences outside normative identities. These roles reflect the complex, often contradictory ways participants experience and navigate fatness—highlighting internalized stigma, societal pressure, body-based identity, and performative expectations. The study supports the necessity of expanding existing therapeutic frameworks to better address marginalized experiences. The resulting role taxonomy is intended as an evolving clinical tool for use in role method and other drama therapy practices. It may support deeper insight for clients exploring body image, sizeism, and identity, and can be used alongside other role expansions to accommodate intersectionality. The findings underscore the importance of treating fatness as a valid identity and encourage clinicians to adapt role-based interventions in ways that affirm and include clients whose experiences fall outside of traditional role taxonomies.
{"title":"Thickening role theory: A fat roles taxonomy expansion","authors":"Shoshana T. Glick","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102372","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102372","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fatness is frequently pathologized or treated as a moral failing, rather than acknowledged as a socially marginalized identity. This study addresses a gap in drama therapy literature by expanding Robert Landy’s role taxonomy to better reflect the lived experiences of individuals who identify as fat. Grounded in a constructivist, social justice-informed framework, this research used a qualitative approach to explore the roles associated with fat identity. An anonymous online survey gathered narrative responses from North American participants (<em>N</em> = 116) who self-identified as fat. Through reflexive grounded theory thematic analysis, 19 distinct roles were identified that are not adequately captured in Landy’s original taxonomy, underscoring how dominant cultural perspectives can perpetuate marginalization by shaping theoretical frameworks that overlook lived experiences outside normative identities. These roles reflect the complex, often contradictory ways participants experience and navigate fatness—highlighting internalized stigma, societal pressure, body-based identity, and performative expectations. The study supports the necessity of expanding existing therapeutic frameworks to better address marginalized experiences. The resulting role taxonomy is intended as an evolving clinical tool for use in role method and other drama therapy practices. It may support deeper insight for clients exploring body image, sizeism, and identity, and can be used alongside other role expansions to accommodate intersectionality. The findings underscore the importance of treating fatness as a valid identity and encourage clinicians to adapt role-based interventions in ways that affirm and include clients whose experiences fall outside of traditional role taxonomies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102372"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145424364","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Music therapy has long been recognized as a valuable approach for supporting autistic children, yet its individualized and improvisational nature has made it challenging to evaluate and articulate within research frameworks. This paper presents a neuroscience-informed framework that connects theory, research, and practice by describing how the inherent capacities of music can support sensory, emotional, and social development. Drawing on findings from developmental psychology and neuroscience, it outlines how processes such as auditory–motor coupling, neural synchrony, and experience-dependent plasticity may help explain the therapeutic effects of music. The framework also proposes a semi-structured intervention design that balances flexibility with consistency, offering a practical scaffold for both clinical implementation and research. Core therapeutic principles—such as rapport, attunement, joint play, and providing choices—are articulated as foundations for fostering engagement and communication. By integrating neuroscientific insight with therapeutic practice, this framework complements existing clinical approaches and clarifies how music therapy can be understood, adapted, and studied as a dynamic, child-centered intervention grounded in both developmental and neuroscientific knowledge.
{"title":"Bridging neuroscience and practice: A semi-structured music therapy approach with autistic children","authors":"Marianna Ruiz , Maayan Salomon-Gimmon , Karsten Specht , Christian Gold , Maj-Britt Posserud","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102375","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102375","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Music therapy has long been recognized as a valuable approach for supporting autistic children, yet its individualized and improvisational nature has made it challenging to evaluate and articulate within research frameworks. This paper presents a neuroscience-informed framework that connects theory, research, and practice by describing how the inherent capacities of music can support sensory, emotional, and social development. Drawing on findings from developmental psychology and neuroscience, it outlines how processes such as auditory–motor coupling, neural synchrony, and experience-dependent plasticity may help explain the therapeutic effects of music. The framework also proposes a semi-structured intervention design that balances flexibility with consistency, offering a practical scaffold for both clinical implementation and research. Core therapeutic principles—such as rapport, attunement, joint play, and providing choices—are articulated as foundations for fostering engagement and communication. By integrating neuroscientific insight with therapeutic practice, this framework complements existing clinical approaches and clarifies how music therapy can be understood, adapted, and studied as a dynamic, child-centered intervention grounded in both developmental and neuroscientific knowledge.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102375"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145473875","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-01DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2025.102380
Young-Ok Lee , Hae-Mi Jung , Su-Been Kim , Yun-Mi Park
This qualitative case study explored how Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) based art therapy intervention influences the psychosocial development and identity recovery processes of out-of-school youth in Seoul, Korea. Out-of-school youth who have been disengaged from formal educational systems continuously experience identity confusion, emotional withdrawal, and social disconnection, yet tailored emotional interventions utilizing non-verbal therapeutic approaches for this vulnerable population remain limited. To address existing gaps in intervention approaches, an art therapy program was developed, centered on SEL's five core competencies—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The program was implemented with four out-of-school youth aged 14–18 years recruited from a local support center over a 10-week period. The intervention consisted of weekly 2-hour group art therapy sessions facilitated by qualified art therapists. Multiple qualitative data sources were systematically collected and analyzed through triangulation, including participant artwork, behavioral observations, participant narratives, and interview data. Data analysis followed qualitative case study approaches to understand participants' lived experiences and meaning-making processes. Results revealed meaningful changes in participants across several domains: expansion of self-awareness through symbolic expression, acceptance and integration of negative emotions and improved self-regulation capacities, development of empathic communication and social connectedness within the group context, and recovery of personal agency through exploration of creative roles and responsibilities. Notably, the SEL core competencies were organically integrated throughout the art therapy process rather than developing in isolation, functioning as key facilitating factors for holistic psychosocial growth. Therefore, preliminary evidence from this study suggests that SEL-based art therapy represents a promising intervention approach for supporting agency recovery and enhanced social connectedness among out-of-school youth, offering an alternative to language-centered approaches through symbolic and sensory-based artistic expression.
{"title":"Finding myself in 10 weeks: An SEL-based art therapy program for out-of-school youth","authors":"Young-Ok Lee , Hae-Mi Jung , Su-Been Kim , Yun-Mi Park","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102380","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2025.102380","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This qualitative case study explored how Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) based art therapy intervention influences the psychosocial development and identity recovery processes of out-of-school youth in Seoul, Korea. Out-of-school youth who have been disengaged from formal educational systems continuously experience identity confusion, emotional withdrawal, and social disconnection, yet tailored emotional interventions utilizing non-verbal therapeutic approaches for this vulnerable population remain limited. To address existing gaps in intervention approaches, an art therapy program was developed, centered on SEL's five core competencies—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The program was implemented with four out-of-school youth aged 14–18 years recruited from a local support center over a 10-week period. The intervention consisted of weekly 2-hour group art therapy sessions facilitated by qualified art therapists. Multiple qualitative data sources were systematically collected and analyzed through triangulation, including participant artwork, behavioral observations, participant narratives, and interview data. Data analysis followed qualitative case study approaches to understand participants' lived experiences and meaning-making processes. Results revealed meaningful changes in participants across several domains: expansion of self-awareness through symbolic expression, acceptance and integration of negative emotions and improved self-regulation capacities, development of empathic communication and social connectedness within the group context, and recovery of personal agency through exploration of creative roles and responsibilities. Notably, the SEL core competencies were organically integrated throughout the art therapy process rather than developing in isolation, functioning as key facilitating factors for holistic psychosocial growth. Therefore, preliminary evidence from this study suggests that SEL-based art therapy represents a promising intervention approach for supporting agency recovery and enhanced social connectedness among out-of-school youth, offering an alternative to language-centered approaches through symbolic and sensory-based artistic expression.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":"96 ","pages":"Article 102380"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145525326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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