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Honouring The In-Between: Video Collage-Based Art Therapy Intervention for Second-Generation Canadian Youth

Title:

Honouring The In-Between: Video Collage-Based Art Therapy Intervention for Second-Generation Canadian Youth

Scharf-Pierzchala, Beatrice ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7779-204X (2025) Honouring The In-Between: Video Collage-Based Art Therapy Intervention for Second-Generation Canadian Youth. [Graduate Projects (Non-thesis)] (Unpublished)

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Abstract

This philosophical inquiry explores the therapeutic potential of video collage as an art therapy intervention for second-generation Canadian adolescents navigating identity development and integration. Adolescence is widely recognized as a key period of identity development, with second-generation bi- and multicultural youth often encountering additional complexity as they negotiate multiple cultural selves: identities associated with both heritage and dominant cultures (Giguère, Lalonde, & Lou, 2010). As many adolescents engage with digital media as an everyday means of communication and self-expression (Varadi, 2025), video-based intervention offers a familiar and adaptable creative medium for exploring identity. This research positions video collage as a tool uniquely suited to accommodate layered, fluid, and non-linear expressions of self, allowing youth to represent and affirm their identities in ways that hold complexity without requiring reduction or closure. In dialogue with literature on art therapy, therapeutic filmmaking, and Participatory Action Research approaches, this study emphasizes the importance of youth agency, power-sharing, and culturally responsive practice when implementing video-based interventions. Key considerations for art therapists include ethical handling of digital materials, attention to power dynamics, and ongoing reflexivity regarding cultural and systemic influences shaping identity. Findings suggest that video collage holds significant promise in supporting self-authorship, emotional expression, and pride in multifaceted identities among second-generation youth, while also demonstrating a need for further empirical research to develop structured frameworks for clinical practice.

Divisions:Concordia University > Faculty of Fine Arts > Creative Arts Therapies
Item Type:Graduate Projects (Non-thesis)
Authors:Scharf-Pierzchala, Beatrice
Institution:Concordia University
Degree Name:M.A.
Program:Creative Arts Therapies (Art Therapy Option)
Date:15 November 2025
Keywords:video collage, art therapy, video-based intervention, adolescents, identity development, second-generation youth, in-between, hybridity, self-authorship, philosophical inquiry
ID Code:996459
Deposited By: BEATRICE SCHARF-PIERZCHALA
Deposited On:01 Dec 2025 18:32
Last Modified:01 Dec 2025 18:32

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