Using Theater and Psychology to Help Homeless Youth

October 3, 2026 - 11:35

At Larkin Street Youth Services, a Northeastern psychology and theater student used theater workshops to support homeless youth.

The student combined two fields that often sit apart. Psychology offers frameworks for understanding trauma, stress, and resilience. Theater offers movement, voice, and a stage for stories that rarely get told. Bringing them together created a space where young people facing housing instability could express themselves without pressure to explain or justify their circumstances.

The workshops focused on participation rather than performance. Games, improvisation, and role play gave participants room to try on different identities and reactions. For many, this was a rare chance to be seen as creative and capable rather than defined by hardship. The student drew on psychology research showing that expressive activities can lower anxiety, build confidence, and strengthen social ties.

Homeless youth often carry heavy burdens. Shelters and service programs address immediate needs like food and safety, but emotional and creative needs can go unmet. Theater workshops filled part of that gap. Participants worked together, made choices, and received applause instead of pity.

The project also challenged the student's own assumptions. Listening to participants shaped each session. Flexibility mattered more than a fixed plan. The experience showed how psychology and the arts can work side by side, not as separate disciplines but as complementary tools for healing and connection.