The Role of Art Therapy in the Formation of Identity in Female Adolescents
Graduation Date
Summer 1996
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy
Degree Granting Institution
Notre Dame de Namur University
Program Name
Art Therapy
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of art therapy in facilitating the healthy growth of identity in severely emotionally disturbed (SED) female adolescents. Involved in this study are five female adolescents who are diagnosed as SED. The girls are fifteen years old thirteen years old, seventeen years old, and two sixteen years old. All girls vary in ethnicity and differ in reasons of referral to counseling. Four of five group members reported positive growth in personal identity and one Member reported no change. These findings are discussed in relation to the literature on relationship differences between males and females art therapy and group therapy.