Many adolescents struggle with worries, anxiety in social situations or depression and would benefit from therapy services, but do non accept access to providers or are reluctant to pursue services due to stigma nigh therapy.

Through a collaboration betwixt faculty in Instance Western Reserve University's theater and psychological sciences departments, nosotros are offering Project DRAMA, a unique program that combines evidence-based strategies for anxiety and depressed mood with improvisation, the theatrical art of operation and storytelling without a script.

Project DRAMA stands for Developing Resilience & Anxiety Management in Adolescents. The program is for teens ages 14-17 years of age who struggle with worries, social anxiety or depression.

What does the program involve?

Participants will:

  • engage in 12 weeks of guided improv plus evidence-based techniques to reduce feet and low.
  • be asked to consummate a survey and an interview at the beginning and end of the report.

Why improv?

Improv involves being spontaneous and in-the-moment and interacting with others, experiences that adolescents with social anxiety, worries, and depression struggle with. Improv is a style to exercise situations that crusade anxiety in those with social feet, such as interacting with a store clerk, having a telephone chat, or starting and maintaining a conversation. Improv also combines seamlessly with show-based techniques to address anxiety and depression.

The theater arts take been shown to help adolescents to learn about emotions (Hansen, Larson, & Dworkin, 2003; Larson, Hansen, & Moneta, 2006), increase emotional sensation and expression (Lewis & Banerjee, 2013), and reduce behavioral problems (McArdle et al., 2011). The theater arts take also led to an improvement in social skills in those with autism (Lewis & Banerjee, 2013). Improv has also led to improvements in anxiety, depression, and cocky-esteem in broken-hearted in adults (Krueger, Murphy, & Bink, 2019).

What bear witness-based techniques are used?

Show-based techniques to accost anxiety and depression in adolescents are fatigued from Cerebral-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques including relaxation, facing fears, mindfulness, and recognizing ane'southward negative thoughts, evaluating their accuracy, and modifying them to be more accurate.

Who administers the sessions?

Sessions are administered by Instance Western Reserve University students with experience in improv who accept been trained in the administration of the plan exercises.

What is the toll of the program?

The plan is gratuitous of charge. It is being offered as part of a research study.

Will I be compensated for participating?

There is compensation for involvement in this report.

  • Your family will be compensated when both the parent and adolescent pre-intervention assessment batteries have been completed
  • Your family will be compensated again when both the parent and adolescent mail-intervention assessment batteries have been completed

Who are the researchers?

The primary investigators are Amy Przeworski, Ph.D. from the Department of Psychological Sciences and Christopher Bohan, Thou.F.A. from the Department of Theater at Example Western Reserve University. Arin Connell, Ph.D., a licensed clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychological Sciences at CWRU is providing clinical supervision. Graduate students in Dr. Przeworski's lab, including Alex Piedra, M.A., and undergraduate students in the lab, including Ethan Kinstler and Grace Ingham, are also members of the research team.

Who is eligible for the programme?

Adolescents who are ages 14-17 who experience social anxiety, worries, or depression are eligible for the plan.
Your kid may not be a good fit for this study if they:

  • Have been diagnosed with a developmental disorder
  • Accept been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or developmental delays
  • Accept experienced psychosis
  • Are suicidal
  • Are currently involved in therapy
  • Cannot speak English

How do I get my teen involved?

Interested families are encouraged to email Amy Przeworski, PhD, or Alex Piedra, MA at soarlab@case.edu.

Parents will be asked to complete a survey battery that will aid us learn if their kid is a skilful fit for our study. This survey should accept nigh 30 minutes. If their child is a skilful fit, the child will exist sent a survey battery, which volition as well take about thirty minutes to consummate. When both these surveys are complete, parents and children volition be scheduled for a 60-minute interview, to have identify virtually over Zoom.

Eligible participants volition be randomly assigned to either participating in the group or a wait list. Those who stay on the waiting listing for 12 weeks will be asked to complete the remote interview and surveys later on they complete the waiting list and will so be assigned to the adjacent group that is available.

How is the program administered?

The programme is administered in a edifice on the Instance Western Reserve University campus. Groups of viii-x teens will participate in the group together. There will be 12 weekly sessions with sessions lasting ii hours. Participants will have a v-infinitesimal interruption during the sessions and will be provided with necessary materials and snacks.

What COVID-19 condom procedures are in place?

Participants are required to inform the researchers if they accept been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, if they have tested positive for COVID-19 or have a family fellow member who has tested positive for COVID-19, and if they have any symptoms of COVID-nineteen. Participants volition be asked not to attend the group sessions if they have been exposed to someone who is COVID-nineteen positive, accept tested positive, or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

During the group, all participants must habiliment masks at all times (other than while eating a snack or taking a quick drinkable). Participants will maintain 6 feet of distance from 1 some other. All shared materials volition be sanitized regularly and hand sanitizer will be bachelor for participants to use at any time.