Transforming a body: Sculpting in therapy

ABSTRACT

The writer shares the course of treatment with a gender nonbinary teenager and their parents that utilized techniques from drama therapy, relational self psychology, sculpting, and family therapy. Following the rupture and attempted repair with the patient’s parents, work with the patient and their family finally led to a joint decision to terminate treatment. This case study discusses the clinical challenges and implications of working within a family system in which parents’ values misalign with the psychotherapist’s treatment goals.

Trigger warning

This paper contains misgendering that can emotionally trigger some individuals.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescents
• drama therapy
• embodied sculpting
• family therapy
• gender non-confirming

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Heather Ferguson, Bradley Jones, and Judy Levitz for their editorial comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ “Folx” is a variation of the word “folks” that is meant to be gender-neutral and inclusive of all groups of people.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kristin Long

Kristin Long, DPsa, LP, LCAT, has a full-time private practice in New York City, working with children, adolescents, families, and adults. She is a faculty member and supervisor at The Institute for Expressive Analysis, where she teaches classes on the therapeutic use of the body and Expressive Analysis with children and adolescents, and at New York University, where she teaches a course on Projective Techniques. Kristin is also a Fellow at The Parkmore Institute, where she received her doctorate in Psychoanalytic Studies. Kristin is a co-editor of the book Creative Arts Therapies and the LGBTQ Community.