Using art therapy to facilitate interpersonal relationships with LGBTQ+ adolescents in the school setting: A literature review

Abstract

The mental health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ+) adolescents are worsening due to the lack of available and appropriate services. It was hypothesized that the queer adolescent population would be vastly overlooked in research, thus leading to a significant lack of knowledge on how to best support them. A literature matrix was used to organize research articles and various forms of media regarding this topic. Significant findings include the following: LGBTQ+ adolescents are much more likely to experience disparities in treatment for mental health-related symptoms; safety concerns stem from historical instances of discrimination and adolescent peer conflict; therapeutic approaches, including art therapy, have documented little amounts of research among this population; and the school setting offers a safe environment for receiving therapeutic services. As hypothesized, there was a significant gap in available research pertaining to queer adolescents and their treatment. The proposed art therapy group was included to reduce this gap and offer a template for available services moving forward.