Positive youth development through the use of poetry therapy: The contributing effects of language arts in mental health counseling with middle school-age children

摘要

Provided in this article is an outline of the school-based application and research on the contributing effects of poetry therapy on positive youth development for the middle school-age client throughout a counseling internship at a Multidisciplinary Center. The focus of this article is on the integration of poetry therapy into mental health counseling in a school setting, where the population of interest is located in an underserved, rural, low socioeconomic standing district. The poetry therapy activities used in treatment are based on the R.E.S. model provided by Mazza. This article commences with an overview of the center and its functions, which is followed by the model's linkage to the specified population of interest and to the counselor's professional role. This is followed by a description of the individual components included in the model. This includes a report of the methods, process, and illustrations of each activity used in treatment. Preliminary findings from this study indicate that the use of language arts had a contributing affect to positive youth development (e.g., promoting self-expression, self-esteem, self-identification, decision-making, and team cohesion, motivating for success, and aiding in cognitive processes).