Publication

Creative Forces Programming with Military Families: Art Therapy, Dance Movement Therapy, and Music Therapy Brief Vignettes

Abstract
Creative arts therapists (art therapists, dance/movement therapists, and music therapists) administer assessments and interventions that support the holistic well-being of military families affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Clinical examples illustrate methods used by creative arts therapists to address the neurological, physiological, and psychosocial needs of service members and their families. Creative arts therapists describe areas of need, identify common goals, and present creative arts therapy interventions used with military families. Three vignettes detail the application of creative arts therapy interventions with families, couples, and parent/child dyads. Art therapy, dance/movement therapy, and music therapy interventions were applied in discipline-specific sessions to promote familial bonding. As a result of these sessions, families were better able to identify challenges and discover strengths, improve intra-familial interactions, and create deeper mutual understanding and connectedness, all of which strengthened family resilience and encouraged motivation in other areas of rehabilitation. Creative arts therapies are an integral part of interdisciplinary care to address behavioural and rehabilitative conditions of military families impacted by TBI and PTSD. Future research should examine the efficacy of creative arts therapies in improving resilience in military families.
(External link) Read "Creative Forces Programming with Military Families: Art Therapy, Dance Movement Therapy, and Music Therapy Brief Vignettes"
Authors:
Chilton, G., Vaudreuil, R., Freeman, E.K., McLaughlan, N., Herman, J., Cozza, S.J.
Publication Date:
2021
Publisher:
Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health (Impact factor = 0.95)
Volume/Issue/Pages:
7(3), 104-113
Population Studied:
Three case vignettes depict CATs sessions at two U.S. military installations that offer traditional outpatient services and intensive outpatient programming. An AT intervention with an extended family in outpatient programming is described, and a spousal DMT session is provided through an intensive outpatient program. MT is illustrated through a description of a parent-child dyad in the context of longitudinal outpatient treatment; N=3 case vignettes.
Treatment:
The art therapy example describes the animal strengths and family environment directive; the dance/movement therapy session included psycho-education about autonomic nervous system regulation and how to shift internal states from arousal to calm; music therapy employed expressive and receptive interventions including (1) therapeutic singing, lyric analysis, songwriting, and music production assisted functional communication and memory recall, (2) music making pro-moted motor coordination and attention, and (3) music performance enhanced emotional expressivity and cognitive sequencing.
Study Design:
Case vignettes
Measures:
N/A