Over the past decade, youth workers across disciplines have adopted “trauma-informed care” approaches to working, learning, and creating with young people. Though trauma-informed care practices seek to attend to the needs of young people who have and continue to experience trauma, such practices also tend to embrace a limited definition of trauma that focuses on preventing symptoms rather than addressing root causes and promoting well-being. This MFA thesis examines a semester-long performance-building process that explored racial and gender justice with youth at a residency for young people living within the foster care system in central Texas. Using a reflective practitioner research method, the author identifies and considers moments of youth and adult healing centered engagement within a shared youth-centered devising process. Through qualitative research methods of thematic coding and analysis, the author discusses the relationship between healing and aesthetics and advocates for an “aesthetics of healing” in applied drama and theatre with youth that centers commitment, openness, and disruption.Theatre and Danc
