Find out how drama therapy might help your child, even if she’s not a “theater kid”
When you hear the words “drama therapy”, what do you think of? Maybe you imagine standing on stage, performing a play in front of an audience. If you’re super extroverted (like me!) this might appeal to you, but if you are someone who is not so jazzed about public speaking, this might sound like a nightmare. How could performing a play be therapeutic?
I had some of these same thoughts before I became a Registered Drama Therapist. I knew that I loved theater, and I knew that creating and performing art was an inherently healing activity, but I wasn’t entirely sure how theater could be used to help heal mental health problems. Here’s a little bit of what I have learned about the field of drama therapy, and why it might be a great fit for you or your child…even if you aren’t an extrovert.
Therapy That Uses Theater
While some drama therapists do help their clients to perform plays, there are many other ways to practice drama therapy that don’t involve getting up on a stage in front of lots of people. Most Drama Therapists incorporate theater techniques, like improvisation, roleplay, and storytelling, into group or individual therapy sessions where there is a greater sense of privacy. Sometimes, Drama Therapy is a standalone form of therapy treatment, but it can also be blended with other, more familiar forms of therapy that a client may already be using, such as CBT, trauma-focused therapy, or play therapy.
The North American Drama Therapy Association defines drama therapy as "the intentional use of theater techniques to achieve symptom relief, emotional growth, and mind-body integration." It’s an experiential form of therapy, which means participants learn by doing, rather than simply sitting and talking about their feelings and problems. This full-body approach can be a great fit for clients who have a hard time feeling grounded and focused in traditional therapy, or who need to access bigger, deeper feelings that are difficult to put into words.
What Are the Benefits of Drama Therapy?
Although acting is a form of make-believe, drama therapy explores real-life issues. Through an imagined character or an improvised scenario, we get the opportunity to try out new ways of interacting with other people, and can come up with more creative solutions to problems than we might think of in our everyday lives. Because Drama Therapy is based in play, it’s often a less intimidating, more enjoyable way to explore heavy subjects. The safe remove of make-believe can also make it easier to share experiences or feelings that might be too overwhelming to talk about right away in traditional talk therapy.
Theater is one of the oldest art forms on earth, and it can be found in cultures all over the world. By participating in a Drama Therapy group, people can develop a sense of community, create new friendships, boost empathy, and strengthen self-esteem. For people who have experienced trauma, Drama Therapy can be especially helpful because it engages the entire body, which helps to fully process traumatic memory and relieves trauma-related symptoms, like flashbacks. Drama Therapy is also an excellent option for people interested in improving their social skills, because it emphasizes nonverbal communication and team-building.
Finding a Registered Drama Therapist
Many Drama Therapists enter the field after professional careers in theater, where they may have noticed the healing effect that drama can have on both the audience and the performers. Therapists who are certified in Drama Therapy are called Registered Drama Therapists. This is a specialized, Master’s-level credential that requires the same coursework as a mental health counselor, as well as extensive training in several forms of Drama Therapy, professional theater, and completion of a supervised internship that is equivalent to a second Master’s degree. Like other mental health professionals, Drama Therapists are board certified and adhere to a code of ethics.
Because it doesn’t rely solely on verbal communication, drama therapy has been used across many cultures, and adapted to meet the needs of people of all ages, abilities, and needs. Drama Therapists can be found working in a wide variety of settings, including inpatient and outpatient mental health facilities, schools, shelters, Early Intervention programs, wellness centers, and in private practice. If you’d like to learn more about Drama Therapy, please feel free to reach out to me (I’m a Registered Drama Therapist myself!), or check out the North American Drama Therapy Association’s website.
