The contribution of dramatherapists

Dramatherapy is a form of psychological therapy and is not a diversional or recreational activity. It is client focused and may be a short or long-term intervention either as individual, one to one therapy, or in groups ranging from six to twelve people. The therapy gives equal validity to body and mind within the dramatic context; stories, myths, playtexts, puppetry, masks and improvisation are examples of the range of artistic interventions a dramatherapist may employ. While the aesthetic of the art form is important the primary concern is the collaboration between the therapist and client to find the most helpful dramatic vehicle to explore and address/work through their areas of distress, fears and hopes.    

Dramatherapists are both artists and clinicians and often work in conjunction with Health Through Arts Projects, particularly those concerned with social inclusion and the ever changing social-cultural climate.

Dramatherapy is an inclusive method of working and the therapy is adapted to the client or client group. Dramatherapists work with people with mental health problems from the whole age and capability spectrum in a range of settings from hospitals and community services to prisons. This means that they also work in conjuntion with a range of other professionals. Sometimes this means providing a specific service such as supervision, staff training  or team building and at other times co-facilitating groups. Dramatherapists may also provide a psychological perspective on clients and contribute to joint or generic assessments of clients’ needs.

In Bath, dramatherapists are working with Psychologists to evaluate the effectiveness of dramatherapy with people with dementia while in Coventry, Hertfordshire and Oldham teams of arts therapists are providing services to people with learning disablitities. In Manchester, reaseach into the value of dramatherapy with people with schizophrenia has culminated in a play, devised with the help of service users,  based on the research findings.

Dramatherapists are co-facilitating groups with speech and language therapists with a focus on the voice as both a dramatic tool and a communication system. Joint working with physiotherapists has led to an increase in awareness of body image and movement possibilities, especially in relation to the limits to mobility and coordination imposed by some drugs.

Dramatherapists are aware of the need to provide evidence that their practice is effective in promoting change in their clients' lives and are working jointly with other professionals including nurses, and with service users to research and evaluate the field.

After a recent therapy group with adult survivors of sexual abuse in a northern Mental Health NHS Trust, group members made the following comments:

Psychotherapy was helpful but only skimmed the surface.  Much to my surprise dramatherapy made messages 'hit home' in a really powerful way.  It was 'right there in front of you'.  Really powerful stuff that often reached the very chore (sic) of your being".

The (dramatherapy ) sessions were so unlike anything that I had previously experienced, with amazing results

…the toys helped me to remember things I thought were too painful to live with.

I am able to start to stand back from myself and see what’s going on with me.

All key workers involved with the clients said they would be ‘very’ (87%) or ‘moderately’ (13%) likely to refer more clients.