Connecting, Coping, and Creating: An Expressive Arts Group for First Year College Students

ABSTRACT

First-year college students are at-risk for mental health concerns that surface or are exacerbated by transition to college academics and new lifestyle. The purpose of this article is to: (a) investigate the mental health needs of first-year college students, (b) examine the benefits of an expressive arts group for this population, and (c) present an example of an eight-week expressive arts group curriculum. We describe the rationale for incorporating expressive arts into group therapy with first-year college students and describe an eight-week expressive arts group curriculum designed to help first-year college students connect to others, cope with college demands, and create new ways of expressing themselves.

KEYWORDS:

• College students
• expressive arts
• group therapy
• creativity in counseling