A mindfulness-based art therapy curriculum for parents in underserved communities

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) an empirically effective method of promoting psychological health and wellbeing. But access to MBSR is lacking in underserved urban communities. This is due in part to the limited research focus on urban communities -- MBSR studies have primarily focused on measuring symptom reduction in middle-class -- and in part to cultural concerns that diverse urban communities tend to have about mindfulness.;To address the needs of diverse urban communities, this dissertation develops a culturally responsive mindfulness-based art therapy curriculum (MAT-C) as a resource for clinicians to teach adapted MBSR techniques to parents. Developing MAT-C had 3 phases: (a) a comprehensive review of current literature on mindfulness and art therapy methods; (b) participatory research in mindfulness communities and community mental health agencies; and (c) an evaluation by experienced community-based clinicians of MAT-C's cultural relevance, quality, and effectiveness. Implications and future considerations of this study are discussed based on the evaluators' critiques and participatory research experiences.