Date of Award

1988

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Art

Abstract

This project presents an expressive therapy program with preschool-aged victims of a natural disaster . Primary process level communication is discussed as the underlying mechanism in the expressive therapy process . The suitability of expressive therapy methods is examined through informal interviews with parents and teachers, observations by the program facilitator , and the products the children created . The expressive therapy procedure was shown to be suitable f o r this age group . The results which showed expressive therapy methods to be suitable with preschool-aged victims of a flood were that the children reacted to the expressive therapy methods with enthusiasm , changes in behaviors , and increased creativity . Additionally, the results support the theory that expressive therapy allows the communication of potentially overwhelming psychic material encased in the primary process. The expressive therapy procedures allowed three children to communicate their experience of physical and sexual abuse . The conclusion reached in the project was that expressive therapy methods are suitable for preschool-aged victims of a flood . Future research could be directed toward follow-up evaluation to assess the longevity of the observed responses .

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