The Effect of School-Based Creative Expression Group Therapy on the Self-Concept of Female Adolescents

Abstract

ABSTRACTAdolescents face a wide array of social, emotional, and academic problems during what is often described as a challenging and complicated stage of development. Because the peer group becomes more important as teens begin to search for and establish their identities, group work can be very advantageous. Creative expressive art techniques allow a safe way for adolescent girls to express themselves and relate to others around them while learning coping skills and building a positive sense of self in a setting and manner that is developmentally appropriate. Although the use of creative mediums in working with adolescents has been relatively well established, many teens are intimidated by the idea of creating artwork. The researchers propose a manual of creative expressive interventions designed to allow clients to create art with easy-to-assemble projects, thereby decreasing stress and anxiety related to art, while still allowing a creative process. In this single-case research design, researchers utilized the Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale, Second Edition (Piers-Harris 2), to measure the effects of a creative expression group on adolescent females. Participants provided responses before the intervention for three weeks (A), for eight weeks during treatment (B), and for three weeks following the completion of the study (A).