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. 2023 Apr:83:102005.
doi: 10.1016/j.aip.2023.102005. Epub 2023 Mar 5.

Photovoice techniques and art therapy approaches with refugee and immigrant adolescents

Holly Feen-Calligan  1 , Lana Ruvolo Grasser  2 , Sara Nasser  1 , David Sniderman  1 , Arash Javanbakht  2
Affiliations

Photovoice techniques and art therapy approaches with refugee and immigrant adolescents

Holly Feen-Calligan et al. Arts Psychother. 2023 Apr.

Abstract

This paper describes a program informed by art therapy and Photovoice approaches and techniques aimed at helping new immigrant and refugee teens to navigate personal and cultural identities by reflecting on their experiences as new residents in the US. Photovoice is a photography and social action method that encourages participants to photograph aspects of their daily lives, reflect on their meaning and significance and galvanize necessary changes. The program began in February 2020 at the Arab-American National Museum (AANM), but was adapted for an online format and re-framed towards a reflection on the COVID-19 pandemic. Broad questions teens explored included: What is good? What is challenging? What is sustaining during challenging times? What needs to change? and What about your culture and background are you proud of and wish to share with other US residents? Highlights of the sessions demonstrate how art therapy interventions paralleled photography-assigned themes of self, home, and community and encouraged group interaction and mutual support. A virtual museum exhibition culminated the program and reached community leaders. Self-reports from select participants highlight changes in posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and somatic symptoms over the course of programming.

Keywords: Art therapy; Case study; Photovoice; Refugees; Youth.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest None.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Inside the Museum. Note: The dome at the Arab American National Museum was conducive to the idea of wholeness and coming together for in a circle of support.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Trapped Inside.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Protector. Note: These photos were shot by the same artist to represent lived experiences during the pandemic.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
War Remnants. Note: About War Remnants, the artist wrote “…Due to the bad circumstances and the war in Syria, my family and I had to leave our country. we emigrated to Jordan and we lived there for about four to five years…”.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
Beauty in Nature.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.
Ramadan. Note: Fig. 6 was taken during Ramadan in response to the request to shoot, “What’s in your environment?” A prayer rug, prayer beads, tea, and dates, which are commonly eaten first as a way to break one’s fast each night.
Fig. 7.
Fig. 7.
To Reach Your Goals Always Look Up. Note: The plane in this image represents a literal goal of flying to the US. The artist wrote, “What actually inspires me in this life is when I feel proud when accomplishing something that I worked hard for and when putting my effort into it. Also, my family and my prayers [inspire me]. I feel … a lot of inspiration and gratitude for a lot of things in this life … Of course, many of us have faced a lot of obstacles throughout … life. These obstacles are very tough and hard but we have to be strong and be always positive and … to learn from the lessons that this life gives us… I want to convey to the viewers’ many good things, such as looking at the one thing from different perspectives because they might find something new…. and to not give up and stay positive and they will find that joy.”
Fig. 8.
Fig. 8.
Bullies. Note: This artist stated, “The rose is very pretty but it can be sharp if you mess with it… Waterdrops represent sadness.”
Fig. 9.
Fig. 9.
Flowers Grow Out of the Darkness.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Arakelyan S, & Ager A (2020). A multilevel bioecological analysis of factors influencing the mental health and psychosocial wellbeing of refugee children. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 62(5), 484–509. 10.1111/jc - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bashore L, Alexander GK, Jackson DL, & Mauch P (2017). Improving health in at-risk youth through photovoice. Journal of Child Health Care, 21(4), 463–475. - PubMed
    1. Coles A, & Jury H (Eds.). (2020). Art therapy in museums and galleries: Reframing practice. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
    1. Diaków DM, & Goforth AN (2021). Supporting Muslim refugee youth during displacement: Implications for international school psychologists. School Psychology International, 3(42), 238–258.

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