Drama Therapy: An Introduction for Therapists

Role play is great.  But there is so much more!

For students and mental health professionals looking for a taste of the drama therapy process, this highly experiential workshop will introduce participants to basic principles  and techniques of drama therapy practice that will increase the clinician's comfort level with utilizing dramatic and embodied techniques in their clinical work. We will explore a variety of interventions along a continuum from projection to full embodiment, designed to safely assist emotional expression and creative problem solving.

Participants will directly experience how dramatic action and embodied practice can be energizing to the therapeutic relationship, facilitating a process of externalization for clients to better engage and dialogue with different parts of the self and/or group, and to expand their ability to play diverse roles in their life. Time will be specifically dedicated to how participants can apply this learning directly to their clinical work and engaging their clients.

A description of the teaching methods to be used:

• Lecture and discussion to introduce drama therapy theory.
• Experiential activities and individual and small group performance to demonstrate and apply theoretical learning.
• Video and film viewing and discussion.
• Class discussion of activities to apply learning and compare and identify ways of incorporating techniques into real life clinical situations across varied settings.

The learning objectives of the course. Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the possibilities and limitations for the use of dramatic arts in therapy for mental health professionals who are not licensed as creative arts therapists and identify pathways to further training.
• Describe concept of aesthetic distance and embodiment vs.projection, and how specific dramatic interventions can help in adjusting emotional regulation and expression.
• Identify ways to work with and through resistance, as well as make offers for more playful and dramatic intervention to occur in the therapy space. 
• Identify three basic drama based interventions that can be used safely in your current clinical practice and setting.