| The treatment of trauma has traditionally been based in cognitive therapies, and empirically-based treatments have been used as the main treatment modality for most mental health professionals. Cognitive therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and Exposure Therapy are efficacious treatments to treat trauma, but the treatments have shown limitations when it comes to culture. When treating adolescents in comparison to adults, however, building rapport and maintaining the therapeutic alliance often require alterations to treatment. Due to the developmental stage of adolescence, adapting therapy to cater to the creative spirit of an adolescent may assist in helping to build rapport with a therapist. Creative therapies, such as art, dance, and music therapy, have been emerging to show significant improvement in mood, stress, and even traumatic experiences. Considering that dance, art, and music have been used to heal for centuries, these therapies are embedded in culture and diversity. In order to best assist in the treatment of trauma for adolescents based on culture, developmental stage, and building therapeutic rapport, creative therapies may be more effective in the treatment of trauma in adolescents. A proposal for mental health professionals to adapt and alter their evidence-based therapies to cater to the training and implementation of creative therapies will be introduced. |
