Empowering At-Risk Youth Through Open Studio: Developing an Evaluation Tool to Assess Empowerment

Abstract

An integrative literature review was used to understand how an open studio approach in art therapy is used with at-risk youth to increase empowerment. The following concepts were explored: risk and protective factors in adolescence, open studio approach in art therapy, psychological empowerment, and self-reporting evaluation tools. Risk and protective factors include family and peer dynamics, educational opportunities, and communication skills. These factors are influential in the development of empowerment. Empowerment is defined as having control over one’s life, the ability to identify needs and resources, and the ability to take action. The open studio approach in art therapy supported adolescents by providing them a space to engage in creative experiences that work to build a sense of empowerment. The researcher further synthesized this data to design an evaluation tool to assess how at-risk youth are empowered by participating in the open studio approach to art therapy. The evaluation tool for at-risk adolescents can be used as a guide for therapists to address the protective factors of empowerment and the effectiveness of the open studio approach. This tool can be used as a means to gain the necessary data to demonstrate the efficacy of a studio based approach in art therapy for empowering at-risk youth.