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Arts-Based Programs and Arts Therapies for At-Risk, 

Justice-Involved, and Traumatized Youths 

Research suggests that the arts can have a positive impact on youth development, from birth through 

adolescence. For example, Menzer (2015) found that that engaging in various arts activities (such as 

singing, dancing, play acting, and doing crafts) at a young age is associated with positive social and 

emotional behaviors, including empathy, sharing, and mood control. Similarly, a series of longitudinal 

data analyses sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) examined the potential impact 

of arts engagement (such as taking arts courses or participating in a school band or choir) on educationrelated outcomes for children and teenagers from low-socioeconomic-status neighborhoods. The study 

found that, among children and teenagers from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, 

those with high levels of arts engagement showed more positive outcomes on indicators such as school 

grades, test scores, and high-school graduation rates, compared with youths with low levels of arts 

engagement (Catterall, Dumais, and Hampden-Thompson 2012). 

For at-risk and justice-involved youths, the arts can provide an outlet for addressing emotional 

and/or problem behaviors through opportunities to learn new skills, develop new talents, and 

express thoughts and ideas in creative and therapeutic ways (Ezell and Levy 2003). Similarly, for 

youths dealing with trauma or victimization (including exposure to violence), the arts can help them 

to cope with painful experiences by fostering resiliency (Heise 2014). Creating art can strengthen a 

youth’s problem-solving skills, autonomy, sense of purpose, and social competence. Moreover, art 

can help encourage positive emotions and strength, allowing youths to view themselves as survivors 

and not as victims (van Westrhenen and Fritz 2014).

This review explores recent research on arts-based programs and arts therapies. Programs were 

considered arts-based if at least one of the main components was an arts-related activity, or if there 

was a deliberate use of arts in the program to bring about a change in behavior. This category 

includes standalone, arts-based interventions as well as programs incorporating the arts in 

combination with other approaches (such as mentoring). 

The review focuses on the following three populations: 1) at-risk youths, 2) justice-involved youths, 

and 3) traumatized youths.1 These groups are defined as follows:

1

It is important to note that at-risk youths, system-involved youths, and traumatized youths are not mutually exclusive categories. 

Suggested Reference: Development Services Group, Inc. 2016. “Arts-Based Programs and Arts Therapies for At-Risk, Justice-Involved, 

and Traumatized Youths.” Literature review. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 

https://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/litreviews/Arts-Based-Programs-for-Youth.pdf 

Prepared by Development Services Group, Inc., under cooperative agreement number 2013–JF–FX–K002. Points of view or opinions 

expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of OJJDP or the U.S. 

Department of Justice.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention www.ojjdp.gov 2

 At-risk youths have risk factors (i.e., personality traits; characteristics of the environment; or 

conditions in the family, school, or community) that have been shown to increase their 

likelihood of engaging in delinquency and other problem behaviors (Murray and Farrington 

2010). 

 System-involved youths include those who are currently involved in the juvenile justice system 

(e.g., on probation, in diversion programs, in detention.). 

 Traumatized youths are those considered traumatized, based on their personal experiences. 

“Individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is 

experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that 

has lasting adverse effects” (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 2014, 

p. 11).

Finally, this review does not include arts-based or arts education programs aimed at the general youth 

population, as such programs typically do not focus on the therapeutic nature of art.

Arts-Based Programs and Arts Therapies

Arts programs for at-risk, justice-involved, and traumatized or victimized youths can generally be 

separated into 1) arts-based programs (‘’art is therapy”), including arts education programming; and 2) 

arts therapies (“art in therapy”) that focus on healing processes (Djurichkovic 2011).

Arts-Based Programs. A key assumption behind arts-based programs serving at-risk populations is that 

arts engagement can be therapeutic in itself (Hughes 2005). As Ezell and Levy explained, “these 

programs focus on both the creative process and product while broadly defining ‘therapeutic’ as any 

artistic activity that promotes positive change” (2003, p. 108). Arts-based programs for youths can be 

preventive or rehabilitative in nature. Programs usually target problem behaviors and behavioral 

health issues, including delinquency, anger, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and suicidal thoughts or 

ideations (Rapp-Paglicci, Stewart, and Rowe 2008; Ross 2016). Such programs generally focus on 

improving outcomes such as prosocial behaviors, resilience, problem-solving skills, self-regulation, 

academic achievement, and family functioning (Rapp-Paglicci, et al. 2011; Coholic, Eys, and Lougheed 

2012).

Arts-based programs may be implemented at various points in the juvenile justice system. For example, 

programs may be designed as prevention interventions—targeting youths who have not yet come into 

contact with the juvenile justice system, but have displayed problem behaviors that place them at risk 

for arrest or referral. Alternatively, some programs may be diversionary and directed toward juveniles 

who have committed low-level or first-time offenses. Programs also may be based in detention or 

residential facilities for adjudicated juveniles who have committed more serious offenses (Clawson and 

Coolbaugh 2001; Wolf and Holochwost 2015; Ross 2016).

Arts-based interventions can take many forms, including visual or theater arts, drama, dance, crafts,

literature, and music. Program activities may involve performing, drawing, painting, sculpting, 

singing, and playing instruments (Hughes 2005). Another example is expressive writing, in which one 

of the main goals is to encourage youths to write about stressful experiences (such as violence or 

victimization) and their feelings associated with those experiences, to help them process their emotions 

and gain more control over their responses. In one expressive writing intervention implemented in 

schools in high-violence urban neighborhoods, students were instructed to write down their deepest 

thoughts and feelings related to violence they had personally experienced or witnessed. They also were 

given the option to write stories, skits, songs, or poetry instead of a simple narrative account. Students 
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were also given an opportunity to share their writing with the rest of the group (Kliewer et al. 2011).

Different types of arts programs represent different approaches to working with youths. For instance, 

theater and performing arts place more emphasis on communication skills, team building, and 

developing problem-solving skills or empathy, whereas the visual and literary arts, such as painting or 

creative writing, are more solitary activities that can allow for self-reflection and mood control (Ezell 

and Levy 2003; Kliewer et al. 2011).These programs often are led by master artists from the community, 

who can serve as prosocial role models or mentors (Hughes 2005). 

This diversity of arts-based programs can be seen in the YouthARTS Development Project. In 1995, the 

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) partnered with the NEA to conduct a 

national evaluation of the program. The YouthARTS Development Project was designed to identify, 

implement, and refine effective arts-based, delinquency prevention programs in three selected 

communities: Atlanta, Georgia; Portland, Oregon; and San Antonio, Texas. Each site implemented 

different arts-based programs targeting a specific population of at-risk youths. For example, in Atlanta, 

a program targeting juveniles who committed their first status offense (primarily truants) was designed 

to provide art instruction, job training, and literacy education. In Portland, the arts program was 

designed to allow youths (who were on probation for any status or delinquency offense) to work with 

artists and be involved in the production and administration of a public arts project. The media 

included printmaking, photography, poetry, drama, and videography. Finally, in San Antonio, an 

afterschool program for high-risk students involved three artists at each school who designed and 

implemented arts activities for students, including dance, visual arts, drama, creative writing, and 

storytelling (Clawson and Coolbaugh 2001). Evaluations of the programs were conducted separately 

for each site. Overall, the evaluations suggested the programs had positive impacts on youths’ attitudes 

and behaviors (including delinquent behaviors). However, the evaluations had notable limitations,

including small sample sizes, high attrition rates, and data collection mismanagement such as

misplaced surveys (Clawson and Coolbaugh 2001).

Arts Therapies. Although the arts can be therapeutic in nature, arts therapies are distinctive in that their 

underlying goal is to use the medium of art to create a therapeutic relationship between the therapist 

and the client (Hughes 2005). Additionally, arts therapies strive to encourage the client to approach his

or her own emotional and psychological issues from a therapeutic perspective. Arts therapies have the 

ability to increase an individual’s awareness of the self and of others, cope with stress and traumatic 

experiences, and enhance cognitive abilities (Jackson 2015). They allow youths to deal with trauma or 

other negative experiences by providing an alternative way to express negative feelings, insecurities,

and vulnerabilities, rather than acting out in destructive ways (Vice 2012). 

Arts therapies are delivered by trained professionals and can include visual art therapy, drama therapy, 

dance therapy, and music therapy. For example, visual art therapy may involve the creation and 

investigation of images, leading to the expression of feelings that a youth is unable or unwilling to 

express verbally (Jackson 2015). By using various art materials, youths are able to create metaphors for 

what they are feeling; this method gives therapists a greater understanding of their clients and it serves 

as a noninvasive conversation-starter (Sutherland, Waldman, and Collins 2010; Jackson 2015). Forms of 

arts therapies that involve personally creating or performing artwork are often called “creative arts 

therapy” (van Westrhenen and Fritz 2014). 

The assortment of arts therapies represents different techniques for working with youths. For instance,

music therapy, whether through active music-making or passive listening, can facilitate cognitive 

development by helping youths make links across areas of experience that are not otherwise accessible. 

Rickson and Watkins (2003) evaluated a music therapy program that was delivered to adolescent boys 
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with social, emotional, and learning difficulties. The group therapy included positive discussion of 

group members’ self-selected music; personalization of a song, which was used for greeting peers; 

rhythm games in which the boys would engage in creative improvisation through a range of percussion 

instruments; and group song-writing activities. The program’s goal was to have the boys offer an 

appropriate response to a question, wait their turn, offer creative ideas, accept others’ ideas, and use 

self-control (Rickson and Watkins 2003). 

Because of the highly structured and therapeutic nature of these interventions, the arts therapist must 

receive professional training and become certified to deliver one of the specific forms of arts therapy 

listed above (Hughes 2005; Jackson 2015).

Overall, arts therapies’ distinctive approach creates a forum in which therapists can engage at-risk and 

traumatized youths in finding alternative ways of processing difficult feelings and impulses.

Theoretical Foundation

A number of different psychological theories explain how arts-based programs can bring about changes 

in youths’ behaviors. Two of these theories are cognitive behavioral therapy and positive youth 

development (Hughes 2005).

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a problem-focused approach to help people identify and change 

the dysfunctional beliefs, thoughts, and patterns of behavior that contribute to their problems. The main 

premise of CBT is that to change behavior, it is first necessary to change the way a person thinks 

(Development Services Group, Inc. 2010). Some arts-based programs incorporate principles of CBT by 

involving exercises or activities that focus on self-awareness, expression, problem solving, selfidentification, and other areas that relate to how a person thinks (Hughes 2005). For example, activities 

such as role-playing allow youths to practice certain prosocial skills and behaviors that they may learn 

in a program. (For more information, see the Model Programs Guide literature review on CognitiveBehavioral Treatment.)

Another theoretical model underlying some arts-based programs is the positive youth development 

(PYD) framework. Rather than relying on a deficits model, which views youths as “broken” individuals 

who need to be fixed, PYD focuses on their assets and healthy development (Development Services 

Group, Inc. 2014; Wolf and Holochwost 2015). Programs based on PYD take a strengths-based approach

by providing youths with opportunities for prosocial involvement, enhancing skills, and facilitating the 

development of positive relationships (Rapp-Paglicci, Stewart, and Rowe 2008). (For more information, 

see the Model Programs Guide literature review on Positive Youth Development.) Arts-based programs 

can incorporate principles of PYD by encouraging the development of supportive relationships with 

prosocial adults (such as the master artists who run the program), educating youths about the arts and 

nurturing their creativity and skills, and providing a safe environment to participate in arts activities 

(Maschi et al. 2013). 

Additionally, a number of theoretical frameworks support the use of arts therapies with traumatized 

children, including neuropsychological and developmental models. According to the 

neuropsychological model, traumatic memories may be stored in the part of the brain that is nonverbal, 

meaning that youths may have difficulties when attempting to verbalize their issues during therapy. 

This orientation suggests that nonverbal, expressive therapies (such as certain arts therapies) can be 

more effective than verbal therapies in maltreated children with traumatic histories (Klorer 2011). 

Various developmental models are also used as foundations for creative therapy approaches for youths

with traumatic histories. The arts can help children through each stage of development by helping them 
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acquire multiple skills that can foster the development of their cognitive, social, and personal 

competencies (Hughes 2005). For example, art provides youth with the opportunity to learn through 

play, creating a medium for them to build bridges across stages of their personal development. Artistic 

practice can allow children to express their thoughts in a way that may not have been possible without 

using a creative medium (Hughes 2005; van Westrhenen and Fritz 2014). 

Outcome Evidence

Although the research literature has identified generally positive relationships between arts 

participation and social–emotional skills among children and youths (Menzer 2015), more studies are 

needed to clarify the potential impacts of arts interventions for at-risk, justice-involved, and 

traumatized youths. The research that is available suffers from methodological deficiencies such as 

small samples, lack of comparison groups, short follow-up periods, and reliance on self-report 

measures (Hughes 2005; Bittman, Dickson, and Coddington 2009). In addition, for programs or 

therapies that integrate the arts with other components, research on the impact of the arts-specific 

components is lacking. Therefore, it is not known what effect the arts component of a program may 

have on outcomes, when compared with the effect of other components. Even within the context of 

standalone arts programs or arts therapies, more research is necessary to understand the relative effects 

of interventions using different art forms.

Although the quantity and quality of the research is limited, below are examples of arts-based programs 

and arts therapies featured on the Model Programs Guide that have demonstrated positive impacts on 

youths.

Reading for Life. One example of a literature-based arts program is Reading for Life (RFL). RFL is a 

diversion program in Indiana for juveniles (aged 11–18) who have committed nonviolent offenses. In 

this program, juveniles study works of literature in small reading groups, led by trained volunteer 

mentors. The goal is to foster moral development in juveniles who have committed offenses and reduce 

their rates of recidivism. The program is based on the idea that literature can facilitate moral 

development by helping youths vicariously experience situations and stories presented in books, and 

relate the lessons they learn to experiences in their own lives (Bruner 2003; Seroczynski et al. 2015)

Seroczynski and colleagues (2015) also found that RFL participants had significantly lower recidivism 

rates than did the comparison group. Specifically, at the 2-year follow up, RFL participants had a lower 

chance of being prosecuted for any offense (including misdemeanors and felonies) and had fewer 

arrests than did the comparison group.

Project Venture. Project Venture is an outdoor/experiential program that targets at-risk American 

Indian youths. The program concentrates on American Indian cultural values—such as learning from 

the natural world, spiritual awareness, family, and respect—to promote healthy, prosocial 

development. The goals of Project Venture are to help youths develop a positive self-concept, effective 

social and communication skills, a community service ethic, decision-making and problem-solving 

skills, and self-efficacy. The program is designed for American Indian communities seeking strategies 

to prevent alcohol abuse.

Project Venture does not provide a standard drug-and-alcohol education curriculum. Instead the 

program uses American Indian cultural values to build a positive environment through thinking 

activities, as well as arts-based activities such as speaking and singing, and storytelling of traditional 

folk stories/metaphors, to achieve prosocial outcomes.

An evaluation of Project Venture found youths in the treatment group demonstrated less growth in 
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention www.ojjdp.gov 6

substance use as measured by four outcome measures (cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol, and other illicit 

substances) taken together. The program also had a significant effect on the treatment group’s use of 

alcohol (Carter, Straits, and Hall 2007).

Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools. An example of an intervention targeting 

traumatized youths through arts therapy is Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools 

(CBITS). CBITS was designed for use in schools for children ages 10–15 who have had substantial 

exposure to violence or other traumatic events and who have symptoms of posttraumatic stress 

disorder (PTSD) in the clinical range. The CBITS program has three main goals: 1) to reduce symptoms 

related to trauma, 2) to build resilience, and 3) to increase peer and parent support. The program was 

developed to reduce symptoms of distress and build skills to improve children’s abilities to handle 

stress and trauma in the future.

CBITS includes relaxation training, exposure, and problem solving. Symptom reduction is 

accomplished through cognitive techniques and trauma-focused work in imagination, writing, and 

narratives. “Imaginal” exposure first happens in a private session between the individual child and the 

clinician. Drawings and writings involving descriptions of the traumatic event occur later within a 

group setting. For example, Ngo and colleagues (2008) described how one adaptation of CBITS 

involved participants writing a song or rap about a traumatic event, and creating a poem or graphic 

novel as part of the trauma narrative.

Program evaluations by Stein and colleagues (2003) and Kataoka and colleagues (2003) found that 

CBITS had a significant, positive impact on the treatment groups’ PTSD symptoms, depressive 

symptoms, and psychosocial dysfunction.

For more information on the programs, please click on the links below.

Reading for Life

Project Venture

Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS)

Conclusion

Arts-based programs and arts therapies provide a unique way to help youths in times of transition and 

development. It is sometimes difficult for at-risk, traumatized, and justice-involved youths to verbalize 

their feelings and experiences—a challenge that positions the arts as a beneficial approach in

rehabilitative programming and therapies for these populations. The arts provide a nonthreatening 

way for children and adolescents to express their inner feelings, manage emotional and behavioral 

problems, cope with trauma and victimization, develop artistic talents and skills, and improve 

strengths and assets they already possess (Riley 2001; Clawson and Coolbaugh 2001). 

Arts-based programs (including arts education programming) and arts therapies represent two 

approaches to incorporating the arts into treatments for at-risk, traumatized, and justice-involved 

youths. Although the two approaches are similar in terms of the various programmatic elements that 

are implemented, each uses a different method for working with youths and resolving problem 

behaviors. Arts therapies focus on the therapeutic relationship between the therapist and the youth, 

whereas arts-based programming focuses on the process of creating art as a way to address youths’ 

issues (Djurichkovic 2011). 

A number of theoretical frameworks suggest that arts programs and arts therapies may be important 

interventions for at-risk, justice-involved, and traumatized youths. For a population whose members 
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention www.ojjdp.gov 7

feel that their lives are out of control, arts-based programming and arts therapies can provide youths 

with a greater sense of stability. Given that art is an interactive process, youths have the opportunity to 

form trusting relationships with prosocial adults (i.e., therapists, master artists, or teachers) who can 

encourage them to participate in solitary or group activities while reflecting on their problems. Youths

have the opportunity to create a final product (via either arts therapy or arts programs), thereby earning

a sense of accomplishment and, in the process, completing a piece of art that reflects the hard work 

done during the healing and rehabilitation process (Vice 2012). Despite indications of such benefits,

more evidence is needed to disaggregate and connect the arts components of specific interventions to 

positive outcomes. Future studies should explore how and in what optimal conditions the arts directly 

can impact the behavior of at-risk, justice-involved, and traumatized youths.

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