Abstract

Canada’s immigrant youth is growing; projecting that by 2016 foreign-born adolescents and children of foreign-born parents will comprise 25% of the population. Understanding their mental health patterns and vulnerabilities is pivotal for the creation of initiatives enhancing protective factors, while minimizing the risks related to immigration. Currently, adolescents in Canada have the highest rates of depression in the country. Statistics outlining the prevalence of depression for adolescent immigrants have shown mixed results. But research evaluating trajectories of depressive symptoms demonstrate that they are affected by the same risk and protective factors identified in the general adolescent literature. By employing narrative elements from de Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince, a unique clinical intervention program is proposed based on drama therapy principles to decrease and/or prevent the development of depressive symptoms. The relevance of core drama therapy factors is discussed (i.e., distancing and projection), along with the importance of employing story, role playing, and action-oriented group interventions. The proposed program aims to address a series of therapeutic objectives: (a) to foster support by exploring client’s support networks; (b) to explore self-identity and autonomy, facilitating individuation processes; (c) to create space for emotional corrective experiences; (d) to develop coping capacities when facing relational conflicts.