Drama Therapy for LGBTQ+ Youth

DeLante Fludd

COUN 604: Expressive Arts in Counseling

Dr. Denise Boston

January 21st, 2022

 Drama Therapy for LGBTQ+ Youth

This paper will outline a proposed drama therapy program for LGBTQ youth to facilitate

the coming out process. The population will be further clarified to support the rationale behind

the proposed program. The issue of coming out will be further supported by research from

experts who explore sexual and gender identity in the field of counseling. For the proposed

program, there will be an explanation of the theoretical perspective along with the chosen art

modality for the sessions. Lastly, the expected outcomes of the program will be addressed. This

proposed program is based on the work of Bonnie Bernstein who is a professional

Dance/Movement therapist and established her program for healing in trauma recovery. This

profound work utilized Dance/Movement Therapy to free clients both mentally and physically of

their past traumatic experiences. The hope is this model will support LGBTQ youth in the

coming out process during a critical period in their life.

Population

LGBTQ youth face unique challenges in the coming out process as they are experiencing

traditional developmental shifts (Ali & Lambie, 2019). As a result, I have chosen to focus on

middle adolescents from ages 14-17. This is typical for high school age and is a critical

developmental stage to be involved in the coming out process. This time may be marked by

significant stressors such as anxiety, isolation, confusion, and grief. Initially, there was a focus

on males, however, this topic is not unique to males. While males may notice their attraction

earlier than females, youth typically first disclose their feelings between the ages of 16 and 20

(Haltom & Ratcliff, 2021). As a result, this will focus on all gender identities to establish a more

inclusive environment.
 Historically, research has struggled to be inclusive of intersectional identities of sexual

orientation/identity and race/ethnicity. Here, cultural views on the LGBTQ community play a

significant role. The African American and Latinx communities are more likely to hold views

that disagree with homosexuality and other expressions (Haltom & Ratcliff, 2021). Research has

shown less attention to LGBTQ people of color as there is less participation and less resources

provided that target this specific population in order to conduct the research. As a result, this

program will have a targeted audience of BIPOC participants. Additionally, as this is a time for

identity exploration, there will be an increased effort to include those exploring gender identity

as well. Transgendered individuals also have limited research and more specifically, Transgender

individuals who also identify as a person of color.

Presenting Issue

Coming out is the common term for an individual developing an understanding of their

sexual or gender identity and publicly disclosing this information (Pelton-Sweet & Sherry,

2008). This is defined as a process as it may happen at any point in a lifetime and typically

involves multiple stages. Many cultural factors play a role in coming out such as age,

race/ethnicity, religion/spirituality, and gender. As a result, it is important to understand the

ADDRESSING model when working with clients through the coming out process.

Two key factors in coming out are the private acknowledgement for the individual and

the public disclosure to the individual’s environment (Haltom & Ratcliff, 2021). With both

factors, there is an increased risk of anxiety, depression, and suicide ideation, specifically for

middle adolescents (Ali & Lambie, 2019). In order to cope, youth may turn to maladaptive

behaviors such as substance abuse or self-harm. Without the proper support, this can lead to life-

long damaging effects mentally and physically. As this is a critical age, it is important to provide
the social support necessary to cope with the coming out process. As a result, it is recommended

to provide this form of therapy in a group setting. This will allow participants to have support

from peers who are dealing with the same struggles and successes of coming out.

Theoretical Approach

As coming out is a process that is unique to the individual, the chosen theory for this

program is Person-Centered Therapy. Person-Centered Therapy was founded by Carl Rogers on

the basis of understanding the unique worldview of the individual client (Degges-White & Davis,

2018). There is a focus on the potential of the individual and highlighting the good they are able

to produce in the world. This modality will be supported by a strengths-based approach and

group counseling. According to Ali and Lambie (2019), the strengths-based group model allows

for social interaction to facilitate the support and coping strategies necessary for combating the

difficulties associated with coming out. As individuals are in different stages of the coming out

process, those early in the process may learn adaptive behaviors from those further along in the

process.

Art Modality

With the focus of self-exploration in the chosen therapeutic modality, this work will

primarily use Drama Therapy as the art modality. Drama therapy has been used for centuries to

allow clients to explore their feelings, behaviors, and life in a safe space (Degges-White &

Davis, 2018). This modality was chosen as it is an expressive art form that combines other forms

such as visual art and storytelling to reflect real life experiences. This will be combined with

visual arts as a secondary modality in the form of mask work. Clients will create a mask that is
representative of who they would like to be. This will be an imagined version of themselves after

the coming out process to facilitate the self-identification exploration.

This program will be modeled on the work of Bonnie Bernstein who utilized

Dance/Movement Therapy for trauma recovery. Bonnie Bernstein (2019) found that the body

holds on to trauma and dance/movement allows the survivor to free themselves instead of

holding on to the trauma. More specifically, this program will model the structure of Bernstein’s

work. The goal is for the participants to find comfort in coming out and developing a stronger

sense of self (Pelton-Sweet & Sherry, 2008). Creative expression, particularly with adolescents,

has been linked to an increased self-expression and overall awareness of their identity. Drama

Therapy allows the participants to “try on” other identities and find what works best for them.

Program Format

The program will take place over the course of 12 weeks in an afterschool setting at the

school or a community center. Participants will meet once a week which may increase to twice a

week during the rehearsal period towards the end of the sessions. The first few weeks will work

on introducing drama vocabulary and developing a sense of group. At the end of each session,

the participants will write for a short period of time. This will begin the script process for the

final showcase. Throughout the weeks, students will continue to explore themselves through

improvisation developing their identity to body and voice. The text will then be organized and

developed into vignettes for the participants to perform. This will transition the last few weeks

into the rehearsal period where the final showcase will take place. Lastly, participants will invite

people of their choosing to the showcase and perform their scenes. If a student is uncomfortable

performing for the invited audience, their work will be performed by another participant to

protect their anonymity.

Expected Outcomes

The overall goal of the program is to allow the participants to develop a support system to

aid in the coming out process. Participants should feel comfortable with the private

acknowledgement of their identity after the 12 weeks in the program. In the group setting, the

participants should develop peer support that will allow them to strengthen adaptive coping

behaviors and eliminate maladaptive behaviors associated with the coming out process. There

should be a clear sense of self that the participants walk away with and they should be able to

articulate their feelings in a positive manner. Ultimately, there should be a deeper understanding

of their identity and the environment that they live in so that they are able to safely navigate

coming out to their desired audience.

 References

Ali, S. & Lambie, G. W. (2019). The impact of strengths-based group counseling on lgbtq+

young adults in the coming out process. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Mental Health 23(1),

45-62. https://doi.org/10.1080/19359705.2018.1530159

Degges-White, S. & Davis, N. L. (2018). Integrating the Expressive Arts Into Counseling

Practice (2nd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.

Haltom, T. M. & Ratcliff, S. (2021). Effects of sex, race, and education on the timing of coming

out among lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the U.S. Archives of Sexual Behavior 50,

1107-1120. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01776-x

Pelton-Sweet, L. M. & Sherry, A. (2008). Coming out through art: A review of art therapy with

lgbt clients. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association 25(4), 170-

176. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01776-x