Art and drama: partners in therapy

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Expressive Arts Therapy
• Group Therapy

Background:

• Latency-age boys often struggle with expressing complex emotions and fantasies.
• Traditional therapeutic methods may not fully engage this age group's creative potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the background, rationale, and dynamic process of an art-drama therapy group.
• To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of multimodal expressive arts therapy for latency-age boys.

Main Methods:

• A group therapy setting utilizing art and drama techniques.
• Facilitating the exploration of personal symbols and intense fantasies within the group dynamic.

Main Results:

• The art-drama therapy group provided a powerful and productive therapeutic experience.
• Boys were able to explore personal symbols and intense fantasies effectively.

Conclusions:

• Multimodal expressive arts therapy is a viable and effective approach for latency-age boys.
• Art-drama therapy facilitates significant emotional exploration and therapeutic progress in children.