| The presented program development: Building Coping Skills, Emotional Regulation, and Insight in Preadolescent Girls: An Expressive Art Therapy Program Developmental Model, is a preventative model. The program is for girls' ages eight to 11 years old that are experiencing depressive symptoms, maladaptive emotional regulation, behavioral problems, negative life events, and adjustment issues. The program is 10 weeks and meets once per week for two hours. Developing a psychoeducation and process orientated curriculum that incorporates art therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy techniques in a group setting teaches self-expression, emotional development, coping skills, social skills, and self-regulation. The effectiveness of the program can be measured by outcome measurements. The program provides participants with relevant topics, exploring creativity, self-expression, emotional regulation skills, peer to peer learning, and coping skills. The program is invaluable for further healthy development. Structured programs for preadolescents that incorporates psychoeducation, cognitive behavioral therapy, expressive art therapy, and developing coping skills are somewhat limited. Developing a program that incorporates expressive art therapies, cognitive behavioral therapy, coping skills, and emotional regulation for young girls contributes to the field of clinical psychology. Providing future research and data on expressive art therapies, emotional regulation, and coping skills with preadolescent girls contributes greatly to the clinical psychology profession, as there is limited literature that integrates the topics. |
