Research Symposium

BIO

I am a sophomore from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and I am interested in working in mental health healthcare. My research interests are children’s mental health, prevention, and the role of technology and research in mental health. I aim to contribute to advancements that improve care and accessibility in the field.

Community Art Therapy (CAT) with Adolescents in Grenada and St. Lucia

Abstract

This study explores the effectiveness of community art therapy (CAT) in Caribbean adolescent populations and to what extent their artworks demonstrate self-esteem and resilience. Community Art Therapy is the practice of conducting group sessions of art therapy in the context of different cultures and clients. Art therapy-based studies have been conducted in several cultures, but studies of CAT with Caribbean populations, especially adolescents, are limited. Therefore, our study asks (1) What visual themes and symbols depict Caribbean adolescent art during CAT? And (2) How do visual themes in Caribbean adolescents' artwork from CAT relate to self-esteem and resilience? Previous research has indicated that CAT is often beneficial for adolescents (Devidas & Mendonca, 2017; Sutherland et al., 2010). Art therapy can bring out expressions and emotions that more traditional therapy techniques may struggle with. CAT sessions were conducted in the Caribbean islands of Grenada and St. Lucia between 2023 and 2024, and 30 photos of artwork were collected from Caribbean adolescents. The arts-based research (ABR) model was used to inquire on the Caribbean adolescents’ artwork by trained researchers. The process involves analyzing the qualitative visual arts data over time, coding the data, and then categorizing our codes from the observations. Preliminary findings indicate that Caribbean adolescents’ artworks include themes of family, goals, joy, simplicity, brightness, and more, although some works expressed less positive themes. Overall, findings demonstrated the effectiveness of CAT in fostering emotion expression. Future research should expand upon the treatment of CAT in Caribbean islands and other populations.

Keywords: Art therapy, adolescents, Caribbean