儿童艺术治疗

With a double major in human development and theatre, and a minor in psychology, 凯利 年轻的 ’20 is ready to tackle her passions after graduation—making drama or creative arts therapy more accessible for children.

 

The summer after her sophomore year, 凯利 interned with the Therapeutic Nursery Program at the Lourie Center for Children’s Social & 情绪健康 in Rockville, Maryland. 在教室里， she helped model and teach proper emotional skills for a vulnerable population of children, while they gained new skills for tackling their various emotional 以及行为障碍. With minimal training, 凯利’s experience was entirely hands-on, allowing her to build relationships with the kids and learn quickly on the job.

After this first internship, she recognized that she could integrate her excitement for education, psychology, and theatre into her post-graduation plans through theatre 儿童艺术疗法. 

Continuing on the human development track, she spent her junior year interning in an arts classroom at Chestertown’s 拉德克利夫溪学校— shadowing a class of 5-year-olds and another of 5th- and 6th-graders. 

When senior year hit, 凯利 had a reprieve from the classroom, as she took the director’s 用于阀座的生产 小嘴音, her Senior Capstone Experience (SCE) for the Department of 剧院 & 跳舞. 记录 the journey of six adults on a silent retreat, the mostly silent performance tracks the growth and healing that humans are capable of when they come together after a 创伤.

“In a world full of suffering and scary things, human connection is what allows us to truly heal,'' remarks 凯利.

Upon crossing the finish line of her theatre thesis, 凯利 was just toeing the starting line of the next—her human development SCE. Following research with local community theaters, she plans to incorporate the healing aspects of theater into their daily 项目. 

Whether she’s designing props, building a set, acting, or directing, 凯利 knows she has a home in the drama department at WC. 从 her very first acting class to her senior capstone, she continues to tell stories that aren’t usually heard, understand the unique character process, and be a part of powerful productions.

凯利 begins graduate school in Fall 2021 at Lesley University, where she will be pursuing a masters in Drama Therapy.

“I am very passionate about finding a way to make drama and creative arts therapy accessible to more kids,” she says, “I don’t know exactly what that will look like 还没有，但我会查清楚的.”