Research Snapshot – Implementation Research with Expressive Arts Therapy (EAT) to Support the Newcomer Survivors of Gender-based Domestic Violence (GBDV) in Toronto (2024)

What is this research about?

This implementation research aims to support newcomer survivors of gender-based domestic violence (GBDV) in Toronto through expressive arts therapy (EAT). The focus is on understanding the needs of newcomer GBDV survivors and determining which EAT modalities can improve their health and wellbeing. This publication documents learnings from an project in process.

From the publication abstract:

“Context: Canada hosts thousands of newcomers from disadvantaged economies. Because of cultural non-essentialism and stigma, newcomer women in Canada embrace multi-level barriers to express their everyday discrimination and trauma experienced at home. Language creates another level of challenge. To understand the under-expressed domestic violence and the level of their trauma, this study added an arts-based evidence-generation technique followed by healing strategies by expressive arts modalities for this implementation research.”

What do you need to know?

The Hubs for Expressive Arts for Life (HEAL) project is a pilot implementation study on six different newcomer groups in two phases. The first phase, reported on here, involved Arabic, Bengali, and Farsi-speaking newcomer women groups. The second phase will involve newcomer members of LGBTQ+ community self-identifying as women, Tigrinya-speaking, and women living in shelters. Improving the mental health and wellbeing of newcomers at risk of, or experiencing, gender-based domestic violence is the focus of the HEAL project. This project addresses a critical gap in supporting newcomer women who face multiple barriers in expressing and addressing domestic violence. These include language barriers, cultural stigma, and immigration-related challenges.

The research questions are:

• Which modalities of Expressive Art Therapy practices can improve health and wellbeing of gender-based domestic violence survivors?
• To identify the baseline needs of newcomer survivors of domestic based violence.
• What changes can we expect and measure in participants’ attitudes, knowledge, and practices during and after their participation in the designed Expressive Arts Therapy program?
• How can the  successful interventions be scaled up, shared, and adapted to other populations? 

The research is unique in its:

• Use of peer researchers as cultural consultants. The study was designed as a peer-engaged community-based research initiative.
• Integration of arts-based techniques with traditional evaluation methods
• Focus on culturally appropriate interventions
• Adoption of an outcome-harvesting approach to capture both intended and unintended benefits

What did the researchers do?

The researchers implemented a mixed-method study design:

• Peer researchers conducted a collaborative review of the literature to find the best arts practices for identifying violence (type, bases, frequency, and severity), sort out the best modalities of expressive arts therapy (EAT) for newcomer women in Canada, and measures to evaluate the intervention findings.
• The research is ongoing, with three of six planned groups completed. 12 expressive arts therapy (EAT) sessions were conducted with closed groups of newcomer woman participants from three linguistic groups (Arabic, Farsi/Dari, and Bengali).
• Three future planned groups include Tigrinya speakers, shelter residents, and LGBTQ2S+ community members.
• Peer researchers conducted a 1-to-1 telephone interview with every participant for wellness and vulnerability checks three months after the last session. A Focus Group Discussion (FGD) is done for every group six months after the last session to assess sustainability and emerging challenges.
• Researchers explored the use and impact of three therapy modalities:

1. Movement and discussion
2. Storytelling and cognitive work
3. Visual art and journaling

The evaluation framework includes:

• Pre-program surveys
• In-program feedback
• Post-program surveys
• 3-month follow-up interviews
• 6-month focus group discussions

What did the researchers find?

The HEAL approach is scalable and culturally safe for the service providers and other end-users to support the vulnerable victims of gender-based domestic violence. Key elements of the intervention’s effectiveness include:

• Creation of a safe, non-abusive environment for trauma recovery
• Development of self-regulation and co-regulation techniques
• Integration of cultural sensitivity in trauma recovery
• Building community connections and support networks

How can you use this research?

The research team plans to develop:

• Scalable culturally appropriate practice guidelines
• Resource navigation toolkit for survivors
• Policy advocacy documents for legislative amendment

This research can be utilized by multiple stakeholders.

For Service Providers:

• Implement culturally sensitive arts-based approaches for trauma recovery
• Learn about and adopt somatic therapy and narrative meaning-making techniques. In the HEAL project, somatic therapy was the foundation approach for self- and co-regulation techniques using movement through the main arts modality, dance ribbons, in combination with guided discussion.
• Use the developed practice guidelines for supporting newcomer GBDV survivors

For Organizations:

• Expand mental health programming to include arts-based approaches
• Strengthen partnerships for comprehensive support services
• Implement trauma-informed practices in newcomer services

For Policymakers:

• Inform legislative amendments regarding GBDV support
• Develop policies that address cultural and linguistic barriers in mental health services
• Support funding for innovative intervention approaches

 Study authors and journal/book name

Authors: Akm Alamgir and Christen Kong, Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services.

Publication: Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Gender Research, Vol 7, No 1, 2024 (original link)

Related Access Alliance Activities

Gender, Sexual Orientation & Health research activities at Access Alliance
You will find our current research projects on this thematic priority on this page. Our research projects seek to better understand root causes and social determinants of systemic health inequities in ways that can infom upstream and long term solutions. In this section of our website we provide links to projects that investigate how systemic inequities based on gender and sexual orientations are socially produced, and how this impacts health outcomes and access to healthcare. Our projects seek to build evidence for promoting safe, inclusive and equitable understanding of gender and sexual orientation.

HEAL Project – Addressing and Preventing Family Violence Through Hubs of Expressive Arts for Life – background and ongoing information
This project page provides additional information, knowledge mobilization products, and activities for the HEAL project. It also further outlines our co-design mixed method community-based participatory action research approach.

Our Community-based Research Approach
This page provides an overview of our approach to Community-based research along with hands-on CBR tools for making research inclusive, empowering and equity driven. The key criteria for community-based research (CBR) are that the agenda originates in the community, is done by the trained members of the community (peer research model), and the benefit of the research is visibly implemented for making a change in the community. CBR is a transformative model of knowledge production grounded in community, collaboration, and positive change.

Project presentation PDF at 7th International Conference on Gender Research in Barcelona, Spain April 25-26 , 2024.

For more information contact research@accessalliance.ca