Grant Proposal for an Art Therapy Program for Individuals Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Graduation Date
Summer 1995
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
University of California, San Francisco Center on Deafness (UCCD) seeks $40,935 from Bank of America Foundation in order to provide an Art Therapy program for individuals who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. The program is to run from September 1, 1995 to August 31, 1996. To help offset the cost of this program, the individuals served will be charged through sliding scale fees and third party payments.
The University of California, San Francisco Center on Deafness (UCCD) has been serving individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing for over twenty-eight years. UCCD is the only comprehensive mental health outpatient program for individuals who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the northern Bay Area. UCCD offers individual, couple, and family therapy, assessment/plan development, medication, group therapy, case management, and crisis intervention.
Approximately eight percent of the U.S. general population is Deaf or Hard of Hearing. The prevalence of mental illness among individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing is at least as high as in the population at large. Additionally, agencies which serve the Deaf and Hard of Hearing population are under-funded, over crowded, and serve a restricted clientele. Even with the comprehensive mental heath services offered at UCCD, there are still many individuals who are not being served, due to Medi-Cal changes and reduction in funds. Approximately 200 individuals who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing are turned away from UCCD per year. Many of these individuals are at risk of crises stemming from isolation, low self-esteem, and communication difficulties which are often associated with deafness and hearing impairment. When in need of crisis reduction, these individuals often cannot find mental health services that are culturally competent and linguistically appropriate.
The proposed Art Therapy Program will allow approximately one hundred individuals to receive these necessary mental health services. Adult, youth, and parent art therapy groups will be offered, as well as individual and family art therapy. With the goal of reducing crises and hospitalizations, the art therapy program will provide these individuals with alternative ways of expressing their feelings, problems, and needs, and provide opportunities to increase their level of community participation.