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Tue, 08/13/2024 - 02:57
Edited Text
Art Through Grief
An Art Therapy Curriculum for Incarcerated Women Experiencing Grief
Kelsey Thomas
PennWest: Edinboro
COUN 7550 Introduction to Research in Art Therapy
Dr. Sheila Lorenzo de la Peña
August 9, 2024
Purpose
Statement
The purpose of this research is to create an art therapy
curriculum for women who are incarcerated and
experiencing grief. This curriculum is to be used with
women going through different avenues of grief and at
different places in their healing journey.
Justification
A study done in 2019 found that “the U.S. incarcerates
30% of the world’s population of female inmates”
(Paynter et al. 2019). These rates of women being
incarcerated are continuously increasing. Yet, most of the
mental health research within the incarcerated
population focuses on male inmates. There is an
abhorrent lack of research focused on incarcerated
women and the need for sufficient grief support.
Terms
Art Therapy
Grief
Inmate
A creative process to
help/encourage
emotional processing
An emotional response
to loss
A person confined to an
institution such as a jail
or prison
Women
Physical Loss
Psychological Loss
Cis gender/assigned at
birth female adult
No longer having
something/someone
tangible
No longer having a sense
of control, safety, or
something intangible
Literature Review
Prison Culture
Criminal behavior and life
incarcerated has become a
fast growing topic on TV,
Podcasts, and in today’s
culture.
A major difficulty of
what inmates
experience is their loss
of identity.
Upon a deeper look,
this prison culture is
pressurized by high
external Locus of
Control.
With a lack of space, lack of
empathy, or lack of trained
specialists, inmates are not
able to properly process
their grief.
They lose their
freedom, their
identity, and some
loose loved ones.
For women
specifically, they have
the potential for loss of
motherhood.
Grief in Prison
Literature Review
Art Therapy in Prison
Inmates that show their
creativity are treated
with high regard from
other inmates.
Making art or
participating in art
therapy while
incarcerated requires
an additional level of
creativity.
They are able to take
back their individuality
and recreate their
identity.
The 5 Stages of Grief,
by Elizabeth KüblerRoss, created a
foundational
understanding of the
components of grief
where art can play an
integral role.
Art making provides an
externalization of these
feelings and provide
distance that allows for
difficult conversations.
Art creates an
attachment
to the loss and a
tangible connection.
Art Therapy with Grief
Literature Review
Art Therapy with Grieving Inmates
Female inmates
experience losses such as
their freedom, identity,
contact to those
“outside”, loved ones,
children/motherhood,
Using art as their way
etc.
of communicating allows
them to have a sense of
security that they won’t
be scrutinized for by
other inmates or
punished by guards.
Unprocessed grief, an
external LOC, and various
traumas lead to female
inmates being more prone
to mental illnesses
Bonnie Erickson
found that female
inmates found art
therapy to be nonthreatening and
allowed them a new
form of selfexpression.
David Gussak has done
extensive research on
the effects of art
therapy with inmates
and found that women
had a significant
decrease in depression
Methodology
The curriculum is designed for adult female inmates, with a group size of 1012 participants. Inmates must meet all of the qualifications. Groups should be
led by an ATR or LPC with Art Therapy training.
There will be 14 sessions total that will be structured around the 5 stages of grief.
Each session will be 90 minutes and broken up into 3 parts: check-in and
grounding/ the intervention / closing and clean-up. If inmates miss any session,
there will be no penalty besides missing that session’s work.
e
l
i
m
n
i
e
T
Session 2
Containment
Session 1
Identity
Session 4
Denial
Session 3
Denial
Session 8
Session 6 Bargaining
Anger
Session 5
Anger
Session 10
Depression
Session 9
Session 7 Depression
Bargaining
Session 12
Acceptance
Session 11
Acceptance
Session 14
Closure
Session 13
Reflection
There are strict
guidelines for materials
that are allowed.
Focus is on a specific
part of the whole
incarcerated
population, adult
females.
Limitations
Accessibility to this
population can be
difficult.
Co-morbid or dueling
diagnoses can hinder
participation in the
group.
This population may
not be accepting of the
art therapy process.
Future Considerations
1
2
3
Does the information,
skills, and interventions
stay with the group
members once released?
As this curriculum is
only focused on adult
females, how would
juveniles or male
inmates respond?
This curriculum is only
14 sessions and
expanding it into a
program can allow it to
reach more inmates.
Could the program lead
to opportunities that
allow for more inmate
led/initiated activities?
Final Thoughts
The world of incarceration is intense and filled with
emotionally charged inmates. When these inmates
experience grief, there is a lack of mental health
services offered to help process and cope. Female
inmates are often overlooked, when in reality they
are more likely to develop mental health illnesses.
They experience physical and psychological losses,
that when not properly grieved can lead to further
mental health struggles. This curriculum allows for
an externalization of harbored grief and creates an
indissoluble connection with what or who they lost.
Thank
You
Questions?
References
Arnold, R. (2019). Navigating loss through creativity: Influences of bereavement on creativity and professional practice in art therapy. Art Therapy, 37(1),
6–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2019.1657718
Clark, K. Breaking Out of Prison Culture? Or Culture Breaking Out of Prison?: Understanding Convict Code Endorsement During Incarceration and
Post-Release. : University of Colorado Boulder.
Erickson, B. (2008). Art therapy treatment with incarcerated women [Doctoral dissertation, University of Central Florida]. UCF Showcase of Text, Archives,
Research & Scholarship (STARS).
Gussak, D. (2009). Comparing the effectiveness of art therapy on depression and locus of control of male and female inmates. The Arts in Psychotherapy,
36(4), 202–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2009.02.004
Gussak, D. E. (2019). Art and Art Therapy with the Imprisoned. In Routledge eBooks. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429286940
Harner HM, Hentz PM, Evangelista MC. Grief Interrupted: The Experience of Loss Among Incarcerated Women. Qualitative Health Research.
2011;21(4):454-464. doi:10.1177/1049732310373257
Hunt, Katie (2021) Bereavement Behind Bars: Prison and the Grieving Process. Prison Service Journal, 254 . pp. 17-23. ISSN 0300-3558
Kübler-Ross, E., & Kessler, D. (2005). On grief & grieving: Finding the meaning of grief through the five stages of loss. Scribner.
Paynter, M. J., Drake, E. K., Cassidy, C., & Snelgrove‐Clarke, E. (2019). Maternal Health Outcomes for Incarcerated Women: A scoping review. Journal of
Clinical Nursing, 28(11–12), 2046–2060. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14837
Schneider, J. (2001). Grief/ Depression Assessment Inventory. http://www.integraonline.org/assessments/grief_depression_inventory.pdf
Testoni, I., Marrella, F., Biancalani, G., Cottone, P., Alemanno, F., Mamo, D., & Grassi, L. (2020). The value of dignity in prison: A qualitative study with
life convicts. Behavioral Sciences, 10(6), 95. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs10060095
Trammell, R. (2012). Enforcing the Convict Code : Violence and Prison Culture. Lynne Rienner Publishers.
An Art Therapy Curriculum for Incarcerated Women Experiencing Grief
Kelsey Thomas
PennWest: Edinboro
COUN 7550 Introduction to Research in Art Therapy
Dr. Sheila Lorenzo de la Peña
August 9, 2024
Purpose
Statement
The purpose of this research is to create an art therapy
curriculum for women who are incarcerated and
experiencing grief. This curriculum is to be used with
women going through different avenues of grief and at
different places in their healing journey.
Justification
A study done in 2019 found that “the U.S. incarcerates
30% of the world’s population of female inmates”
(Paynter et al. 2019). These rates of women being
incarcerated are continuously increasing. Yet, most of the
mental health research within the incarcerated
population focuses on male inmates. There is an
abhorrent lack of research focused on incarcerated
women and the need for sufficient grief support.
Terms
Art Therapy
Grief
Inmate
A creative process to
help/encourage
emotional processing
An emotional response
to loss
A person confined to an
institution such as a jail
or prison
Women
Physical Loss
Psychological Loss
Cis gender/assigned at
birth female adult
No longer having
something/someone
tangible
No longer having a sense
of control, safety, or
something intangible
Literature Review
Prison Culture
Criminal behavior and life
incarcerated has become a
fast growing topic on TV,
Podcasts, and in today’s
culture.
A major difficulty of
what inmates
experience is their loss
of identity.
Upon a deeper look,
this prison culture is
pressurized by high
external Locus of
Control.
With a lack of space, lack of
empathy, or lack of trained
specialists, inmates are not
able to properly process
their grief.
They lose their
freedom, their
identity, and some
loose loved ones.
For women
specifically, they have
the potential for loss of
motherhood.
Grief in Prison
Literature Review
Art Therapy in Prison
Inmates that show their
creativity are treated
with high regard from
other inmates.
Making art or
participating in art
therapy while
incarcerated requires
an additional level of
creativity.
They are able to take
back their individuality
and recreate their
identity.
The 5 Stages of Grief,
by Elizabeth KüblerRoss, created a
foundational
understanding of the
components of grief
where art can play an
integral role.
Art making provides an
externalization of these
feelings and provide
distance that allows for
difficult conversations.
Art creates an
attachment
to the loss and a
tangible connection.
Art Therapy with Grief
Literature Review
Art Therapy with Grieving Inmates
Female inmates
experience losses such as
their freedom, identity,
contact to those
“outside”, loved ones,
children/motherhood,
Using art as their way
etc.
of communicating allows
them to have a sense of
security that they won’t
be scrutinized for by
other inmates or
punished by guards.
Unprocessed grief, an
external LOC, and various
traumas lead to female
inmates being more prone
to mental illnesses
Bonnie Erickson
found that female
inmates found art
therapy to be nonthreatening and
allowed them a new
form of selfexpression.
David Gussak has done
extensive research on
the effects of art
therapy with inmates
and found that women
had a significant
decrease in depression
Methodology
The curriculum is designed for adult female inmates, with a group size of 1012 participants. Inmates must meet all of the qualifications. Groups should be
led by an ATR or LPC with Art Therapy training.
There will be 14 sessions total that will be structured around the 5 stages of grief.
Each session will be 90 minutes and broken up into 3 parts: check-in and
grounding/ the intervention / closing and clean-up. If inmates miss any session,
there will be no penalty besides missing that session’s work.
e
l
i
m
n
i
e
T
Session 2
Containment
Session 1
Identity
Session 4
Denial
Session 3
Denial
Session 8
Session 6 Bargaining
Anger
Session 5
Anger
Session 10
Depression
Session 9
Session 7 Depression
Bargaining
Session 12
Acceptance
Session 11
Acceptance
Session 14
Closure
Session 13
Reflection
There are strict
guidelines for materials
that are allowed.
Focus is on a specific
part of the whole
incarcerated
population, adult
females.
Limitations
Accessibility to this
population can be
difficult.
Co-morbid or dueling
diagnoses can hinder
participation in the
group.
This population may
not be accepting of the
art therapy process.
Future Considerations
1
2
3
Does the information,
skills, and interventions
stay with the group
members once released?
As this curriculum is
only focused on adult
females, how would
juveniles or male
inmates respond?
This curriculum is only
14 sessions and
expanding it into a
program can allow it to
reach more inmates.
Could the program lead
to opportunities that
allow for more inmate
led/initiated activities?
Final Thoughts
The world of incarceration is intense and filled with
emotionally charged inmates. When these inmates
experience grief, there is a lack of mental health
services offered to help process and cope. Female
inmates are often overlooked, when in reality they
are more likely to develop mental health illnesses.
They experience physical and psychological losses,
that when not properly grieved can lead to further
mental health struggles. This curriculum allows for
an externalization of harbored grief and creates an
indissoluble connection with what or who they lost.
Thank
You
Questions?
References
Arnold, R. (2019). Navigating loss through creativity: Influences of bereavement on creativity and professional practice in art therapy. Art Therapy, 37(1),
6–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2019.1657718
Clark, K. Breaking Out of Prison Culture? Or Culture Breaking Out of Prison?: Understanding Convict Code Endorsement During Incarceration and
Post-Release. : University of Colorado Boulder.
Erickson, B. (2008). Art therapy treatment with incarcerated women [Doctoral dissertation, University of Central Florida]. UCF Showcase of Text, Archives,
Research & Scholarship (STARS).
Gussak, D. (2009). Comparing the effectiveness of art therapy on depression and locus of control of male and female inmates. The Arts in Psychotherapy,
36(4), 202–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2009.02.004
Gussak, D. E. (2019). Art and Art Therapy with the Imprisoned. In Routledge eBooks. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429286940
Harner HM, Hentz PM, Evangelista MC. Grief Interrupted: The Experience of Loss Among Incarcerated Women. Qualitative Health Research.
2011;21(4):454-464. doi:10.1177/1049732310373257
Hunt, Katie (2021) Bereavement Behind Bars: Prison and the Grieving Process. Prison Service Journal, 254 . pp. 17-23. ISSN 0300-3558
Kübler-Ross, E., & Kessler, D. (2005). On grief & grieving: Finding the meaning of grief through the five stages of loss. Scribner.
Paynter, M. J., Drake, E. K., Cassidy, C., & Snelgrove‐Clarke, E. (2019). Maternal Health Outcomes for Incarcerated Women: A scoping review. Journal of
Clinical Nursing, 28(11–12), 2046–2060. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14837
Schneider, J. (2001). Grief/ Depression Assessment Inventory. http://www.integraonline.org/assessments/grief_depression_inventory.pdf
Testoni, I., Marrella, F., Biancalani, G., Cottone, P., Alemanno, F., Mamo, D., & Grassi, L. (2020). The value of dignity in prison: A qualitative study with
life convicts. Behavioral Sciences, 10(6), 95. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs10060095
Trammell, R. (2012). Enforcing the Convict Code : Violence and Prison Culture. Lynne Rienner Publishers.