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Case Reports
. 2022 Jul 11;9(7):1029.
doi: 10.3390/children9071029.

Art Therapy Open Studio and Teen Identity Development: Helping Adolescents Recover from Mental Health Conditions

Linda J Kelemen  1 , Liat Shamri-Zeevi  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Art Therapy Open Studio and Teen Identity Development: Helping Adolescents Recover from Mental Health Conditions

Linda J Kelemen et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

Adolescent identity development is driven to a significant degree by peer interaction. However, when mental health conditions (MHC) or other crises separate teens from their peers, their identity development can be slowed or arrested. We developed a unique open studio intervention (OS-ID) that could facilitate identity development in teens recovering from MHC, and incorporated this intervention into a therapeutic day school catering to our target population. We utilized qualitative case study research to explore these students' experiences. Over the 10-month period of our intervention, we saw positive changes in the participants' identity development. Key elements in OS-ID include the therapists' commitment to supported autonomy; the absence of participatory demands; the emphasis on creative process over product; the use of setting and materials to promote the healing process; the facilitators' and participants' witnessing the process; the privatization and protection of the participants' creations; and the ubiquitous presence of non-threatening significant others. This OS-ID modality could be an effective mechanism for assisting socially isolated teens to manage their social anxiety, develop their identity, and transition back into their peer environments.

Keywords: OS-ID; adolescents; art therapy; identity development; open studio; social anxiety; supported autonomy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Ethan’s wax drippings on Bristol board.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Leora’s drawing of a girl bound and alone.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Liora’s painting of houses in the hills.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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