Year: 2018
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Everyone experiences grief at some point in their life; sometimes it is an unconscious sentiment that could be brought to the surface via art-making, allowing for self-expression of these emotions. Childhood grief may be of particular difficulty for a child to experience and understand. The difficulty can be amplified when the loss is that of a caregiver who they rely on and are strongly attached to. Children may be faced with the lack of self-expressive language or life experience to engage with the emotions that are connected to their grief. An art therapy intervention for school-aged children affected by grief following the loss of a primary caretaker is proposed which integrates attachment theory, Winnicott’s concept of transitional objects, and grief and bereavement research. The intervention uses doll making in a group setting to serve as a positive reminder of the departed attachment figure that can provide a way to honor the relationship.
Author: Erica Nicole Onofrio
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2889643886