User:Lemon Ginger and Honey/Expressive therapies

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Music therapy

Main article: Music therapy

Music Therapy is the use of music, music-making, or other music-related interventions within a therapeutic relationship. Music therapy is a broad field with many areas and populations to specialize in. A holistic practice, music therapy can address emotional/psychological, cognitive, communication, motor, sensory, pain, social, behavioral, end of life, and even spiritual needs. This is due in part to music being processed in many areas of the brain. Music therapy helps patients "communicate, process difficult experiences, and improve motor or cognitive functioning" (Jenni Rook, MT-BC, LCPC, 2016). When used as psychotherapy, at its core, music therapy may use music as a symbolic representation and expression of the psychological world of the individual.

Townsend's study in the "Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines" has shown that 1 in 5 children who lost their parent are most likely to develop a psychiatric disorder. This finding underscored the significance of instructors to initiate writing on the subjects of "death" and "loss" in academic writing. One of the few ways to bring this into practice is through music-making or songwriting.

Songwriting allows individual to process the trauma they experience in their life in three ways: By telling stories that have been passed down to them; by connecting their songs to cultural traditions; and by sharing their feelings with each other and their community. ​​Songwriting is a way to organize a narrative. Through forming a coherent story, an unpleasant or chaotic situation can be made more approachable.

Deroo's research focuses on the Black teenage girl, Noriah, who wrote the song named "Air I Breathe" in remembrance of her passing mother and sister. Through Noriah's story, Deroo tries to find the answer to how can youths tackle the nuanced implications of loss using creative expression. Noriah's experience shows that there can be many therapeutic possibilities with songwriting. By using eulogies in her songs, Noriah is able to communicate her bond with her lost ones through lyrics. As demonstrated with the composition of "Air I Breathe", while the memories of Noriah and her departed would eventually fade, "Air I Breathe" serves as a permanent reminder for Noriah to keep in mind the memories. During a speech in the university classroom, Noriah expressed her purpose in writing the song. “I wrote a song about the loss of my little sister and biological mother, back to back, and so much love I had for them, and what I couldn’t get out. It was a way to get out the rest of the feeling that I had—telling that story to you directly, but I could sing it instantly. It was like a form of therapy” (Deroo).

In addition, writing and sharing about lost can benefit the community who then can learn from the experiences that were previously private. As Ryden argues, audiences embrace the story as if they are their own, making meaning of the experience in their own ways. This idea was further demonstrated through the interaction between Noriah and Wendy. Being inspired by Noriah's song, Wendy entered the room with her own experience of loss.

Music Therapy also benefits a variety of disorders, like cardiac and mental disorders. It aids those who suffer from depression, anxiety, autism, substance abuse, and Alzheimer's. In cases where a person is suffering from mental disorders, music relieves stress, improves self-esteem, etc. Evidence has shown that people who have used Music Therapy in the past have improved in several aspects of life that do not concern just those suffering from mental illness. In music therapy, (ADDED A COMMA) people may improve their singing which may then impact their ability to speak. Therefore, it can change several aspects of life, not just those of helping mental illness.

Poetry therapy

Main article: Poetry therapy

Poetry therapy (also referred to using the broader term bibliotherapy) stands out from other creative arts therapies, which are all based on the assumption of the existence of a language that functions without words. Poetry therapy, however, is the use of the written word to bring healing and personal growth. For instance, To, The Bravest Person I Know is one of the classic illustrations of how to use poetry to overcome anxiety, depression (mood), and other sorts of insecurity.

In Manning's research about high school poetry classes, he found that through poetry classes, students are able to reimagine their struggles as a source of strength, develop a sense of possibility, and build bonds that empower them to speak through the silence that surrounded their life struggles. Manning advocated the need for opportunities for creative expression in classroom spaces. Not only would this practice encourage youth to express themselves authentically using their own words in an environment where their voice is constrained by school literacy, but it would also contribute to positive changes to the current school environment by honoring students' voices and life experiences.