As the only Master of Arts in Art Therapy program in Northern California, Dominican University of California offers an intimate on-campus learning environment designed to prepare students for successful careers in art therapy while encouraging the artistic and therapeutic process.
This site brings together a collection of master's theses from the students of the Art Therapy program.
Theses/Capstones from 2024
Fantasia on a Theme of Purpose: Using a Music-Guided Scribble Technique to Support Meaning-Making in Older Adult Retiree Musicians, Sophia R. Smith
My Body as a Journey Accessing Pre-colonial Identity for Healing Intergenerational Transgender Shame, Jennifer Lagman
Online Friendships and the Bird’s Nest Drawing in the Age of the Internet, Ian Wong
Theses/Capstones from 2023
Cultural Identity of And Implications for Later Generational Hispanic and Latino Populations In The United States, Tara Bustamante
Evoking the Art of Nature, Tessa R. Evans Keime
Exploring the Connection between Social Media & Body-Image and the Impact of Art Therapy Interventions on a Woman’s Self-Esteem, Courtney Engelhardt
Memes to Cope and Communicate, Priscilla (Nox) Ngo
Theses/Capstones from 2022
Art Making To Reduce Stress in First-Generation and Second-Generation Hispanic Immigrant Parents, Maria Zepeda
Does Attachment Predict Coping Strategies? An In-Depth Look At Millennials During COVID-19, Clinton Johnson
Doodling as Self-Expression: Building Self-Efficacy in Normally Functioning Adults, Journey Coward
Healing Racial Trauma and Reframing the Miseducation of U.S. America: Altering Exclusionary Textbooks as a Therapeutic Experiential, Kamaria Erin Wells
Illuminating the Increase of Intentional Dating in the COVID-19 Pandemic and its Connection to Relationship Satisfaction through the Lens of Photography., Caitlin Carnegie
Putting the Pieces Back Together: Using a Kintsugi-Influenced Directive to Promote Self-Forgiveness and Resiliency in Young Adults with Shame and Guilt, Marieev Krista Princer
The Therapeutic Benefits of Children’s Literature: Responding Through Making Art and Writing Stories, Janae Dueck
Theses/Capstones from 2021
An Art-Based Heuristic Study: How a Male Student with Asperger’s Syndrome Completed an Art Therapy Master’s Program, Stephen David Robertson
COVID-19: Our Hopes and Dreams, Anna Bazis Christie
Individual versus Sequential: The Potential of Comic Creation in Art Therapy, Christine Phang
Perspectives of a Diasporan: A Heuristic, Arts-Based Inquiry of the Importance of Therapy in Armenia, Anna Nairi Muradyan
Theses/Capstones from 2020
Ambiguous Loss of Dementia: Identity Exploration through Narrative Inquiry and Collage, Kayla Ormandy
Exploring Pathways Toward Psychobiological Safety through Mindful Body-centered Art Making with Sheltered Homeless Women, Alicia L. Dabney
Theses/Capstones from 2019
Cultural Wellness Trends Assessed with Art Therapy, Lara Juhasz
Theses/Capstones from 2018
Yoga, Flow and Art Therapy: An Investigation Into Yoga's Effects on the Creative Process, Megan E. Lear
Theses/Capstones from 2017
A Study of Art Therapy in Identity Exploration and Self-Efficacy, Christine Cavasinni
Theses/Capstones from 2016
Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Chinese American Women Cancer Survivors Through Art Therapy, Judy Thai
An art therapy approach to increase the self-esteem of Latina pre-adolescent girls using narrative therapy, Amy Barron
Art Therapy as a Support: for the Acculturation of East Asian International Students in the United States, Ie Roon Jung
Combating self-objectification and nurturing self-concept: Art therapy interventions with adolescent girls, Susan Rothermel
Combating Self-Objectification and Nurutring Self-Concept: Art Therapy Interventions with Adolescent Girls, Susan Rothermel
Effects of art on emotional perception for those with ASD, Stephanie Liu
Exploration of Well-Being Through Art Media Preference and Emotion Regulation Strategies, Ayesha Aziz
Hope after loss: Using art therapy to increase hopefulness, Fiona Ruddy
Increasing Empathy with Adults using Empathy Focused Art-Making Directives, Adriana M. Juarez Arteaga
Increasing productivity in graduate students fulfilling thesis requirements via tactile art, Sarah Morse
In the Bird's Nest: Birth Orders Influence on the Art, Megan Renee Bell
Keep calm and doodle on: A relationship between doodling and stress reduction, Megan Simmons
Longing for Beloning, Naznain Khatami
Mandalas and cultural identity: Increasing positive identification with Chamorro native heritage, Aaron San Nicolas
The Impact of Art Based Positive Psychology on Stress Reduction for Working Mothers, Megan Curry
Using art therapy to increase reading motivation in below grade-level readers, Celia J. Gagnon
Using mindful mandala making to ground and center military spouses, Katrina Mary Bobo
Utilizing art therapy journaling to decrease insomnia and promote sleep hygiene, Emily A.R. Coffee