Becoming The Monster: The Use of Monstrous Role with Queer Adults in a Partial Hospitalization Program

There is an established history of horror genres being used as an allegory for otherness, especially in regard to queer identity. For much of western media history, these monstrous roles were one of the few ways queer individuals could see themselves in stories. While these depictions were primarily negative, queer people nevertheless found a way to positively identify with the experience of the monster. This positive identification with traditionally negative depictions inspired the creation of a role method-based intervention for use with queer adults in a partial hospitalization program. Two back-to-back 45-minute groups were conducted on two separate occasions to explore this framework. After each series, the thesis writer recorded a monologue as their own monstrous role to identify themes that emerged from the group. Through this process, it became clear that while monstrous identification can be a powerful tool for better understanding oneself regarding otherness, the depth of related work needs to be spread over a longer period of care for full integration and understanding