Using an inclusive therapeutic theatre production to teach self-advocacy skills in young people with disabilities. (November 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cook, Angelle
• Is Part Of: Arts in psychotherapy. Volume 71(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-11
• Subjects: drama therapy -- therapeutic theatre -- self-advocacy -- disabilities -- mental illness -- chronic illness; Art therapy -- Periodicals; Dance therapy -- Periodicals; Music therapy -- Periodicals; Poetry -- Therapeutic use -- Periodicals; 616.891656
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2020.101715
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0197-4556

Abstract

Highlights: therapeutic theatre interventions may be one way to teach the self advocacy skill of assertiveness to individuals with disabilities Those with disabilities may find a need self advocate because of living within an ableist world. Role play assessments may be one type of measurement to utilize for those with disabilities. Abstract: This quantitative study utilized an inclusive therapeutic theatre production for young people with disabilities, mental illness, and medical conditions to establish if involvement in the production could affect self-advocacy skills, specifically, assertiveness. In the literature, assertiveness has been documented as a subcomponent of self-advocacy. The therapeutic theatre intervention thematically centered on the characters advocating for their needs. The Drama Therapy Role Play Interview (DTRPI), an established role-play measure developed by Snow (2009) for participants with disabilities, was used as the pre- and post-test measure. A single-sample t -test was conducted to determine if any difference existed between the pre-test and post-test scores for assertiveness. The participants scored significantly higher in the post-test ( M = .88, SD = .92) than in the pre-test t (12) = (3.48), p = 0.005. The agent of change could have been achieved through several means: education, discussion, or embodiment.