Drama Therapy and Psychodrama Essay

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Introduction:

In this essay, I am writing about how drama therapy can help people suffering from the mental health of different conditions and their severity. I was inspired to write this due to personal struggles with mental health, I found it an interesting topic to research about how this different form of therapy could be used to help all ages and mental health disabilities. This topic also interested me due to there is an increasing rise in mental health cases as the world becomes more educated and more socially accepted. The stigma behind having mental health is slowly fading as everyone speaks up more about their mental health. As there is an increase in mental health the government has helped fund support and campaigns. It is believed that only 10% of the population suffers from a mental health condition of sorts if that is only one or more. Mental health is an ever-growing topic and there are becoming increased ways to cope with it from medication to a creative arts approach of drama in therapy form.

The History of Mental Health:

As previously stated, the stigma of having mental health issues is slowly fading away as people become increasingly educated. However, this was not always the case it used to be believed that mental health conditions and illnesses were due to the product of supernatural forces and demonic possession, and this often led to primitive treatment practices. Up to the early 20th century, it was believed that mental health was caused by the supernatural. Only in the last hundred years have the views drastically started to change with the fact there is a better understanding that mental health is a ‘unique disease.’ In the past, those who were believed to have mental health conditions were usually punished by physical restraint and solitary confinement in the asylums of the time. As knowledge emerged in the early nineteen hundreds American psychologist John B. Watson and neurologist Sigmund Freud believed there were two ways mental health came about, through psychodynamics and behaviorism. They discovered that treatments should involve methods of adaptive reconditioning. As time progressed and a better understanding was created things such as antipsychotic drugs and different forms of therapy came about such as Drama Therapy.

Drama Therapy:

Drama therapy is the intentional use of drama and theatrical ways to achieve therapeutic goals. Drama therapy is an active practice, and experiential used for all age groups. This approach can provide the context for participants to tell their stories, set goals, solve problems, and express feelings. The term Drama Therapy first came to in the early 1900s by an author, who had been interested in children’s play and had written about it in a paper that was given to Medical Association. However, it also dates back to the early 18th century when it was used in Europe in a more ritual-type form in mental health hospitals. Drama therapy is used in multiple ways and a variety of settings, including hospitals, schools, mental health centers, prisons, and businesses.

Pete Slade is a forerunner in the sphere of dramatic play with an interest in special needs and sets out to describe his personal experience gathered over 60 years in this field. He wrote his book Child Play, the books give a fascinating insight into the highly creative and sensitive minds of children, and how to use their playful techniques to help others. The book includes a range of topics with it is Contexts are various and play in and out of school, drama therapy, adult training, personality development, and dance are all considered. The effects and implications of recent legislation and developments are also discussed.

To become a dramatherapist you must meet the statutory regulator of drama therapists the HCPC and the professional body is the Association of Dramatherapists (BAD). There are currently four post-graduate training courses in Dramatherapy that lead to a qualification approved by the Health Professions Council, accredited by the Association of Dramatherapists, and recognized by the Department of Health. These courses are offered at Roehampton University, University of Derby, Central School of Speech and Drama, and Anglia Ruskin University.

Drama Therapy in a University:

Drama Therapy is a compulsory session for some students at Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama specifically for those studying a variation of screen design and production. I interviewed a student studying BA Hons in Stage management and technical theatre. They have one compulsory session for every production show they produce, due to some of the hard and sensitive topics and themes that are within the show. This has been implemented by the university as they have an understanding the students working on the shows do not take in the themes of the production as they are too focused on their tasks ahead, it is only until after the shows the themes have time to sink in. One example of them having drama therapy was after producing the show ‘London Road’ which is about the Ipswich murders, which contains sensitive topics. The drama therapists exposed these themes to the students after the show period was completed. This left the students feeling uncomfortable due to being forced to talk about topics they do not necessarily want to talk about within a group for an hour with people they are necessarily friends or acquaintances with. The students have informed me that they complained about the way the university uses drama therapy and that the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama rebranded the sessions from ‘Drama Therapy’ to ‘Drama Process,’ however, it is still the same concept leaving students crying. The Student I interviewed stated ‘No one enjoys it. It is a great option to have to book a one-to-one if we are struggling It is a great thing to have. However, a mandatory group session is horrible for some people as it is not a nice environment.’ They then went on to say ‘It is high pressure and horrible. I am quite sure all of us have complained.’ In this instance, the university has not used drama therapy to help their students to the best of their abilities.

They explained one of the sessions they had with the drama therapist after a show, someone opened up about issues and thoughts that pressured the other students into feeling as if they have to open up just as much when they do not want to in front of course mates. They do exercises sitting in a circle in a room, going around saying how they feel out of ten, the student felt as if they had to lower their number to match how others were feeling to not bring them down as they felt like a nine whilst others stated, they felt like a two or a three. This puts students in an uncomfortable situation. Sometimes the drama therapist brings out toys she gets the students to pick one that represents a theme of the show, they had to ‘explain why they picked it and place it in the middle of the circle and explain the positioning’ to help them express their feelings about the themes.

Drama Therapy in a Hospital:

However, hospitals help their patients express how they are feeling whilst going through treatments, mental health battles, and many other medical conditions. One hospital that I was in contact with was Nightingale Hospital which has been using drama therapy for many years from helping children to the elderly, all with different conditions and reasoning as to why the hospital has chosen to go ahead with drama therapy. At Nightingale Hospital they have specialists in drama therapy. A drama Therapist will guide individuals through a variety of purposeful activities chosen accordingly and specifically for the patient. These activities can include storytelling, role-playing, puppetry, games, improvisation, and script use. To help the individual act out desired behaviors, roles, and relationships, allowing them to perform in a way in which they wish to see in their own lives. Drama therapy was borne out of the notion that some painful life experiences are too difficult to express through normal verbal dialogue. Drama therapists support individuals to engage in drama activities such as stories, play texts, and improvisation to explore and address difficult and painful life experiences or make troubling issues more bearable through an indirect approach.

Drama Therapy in Classrooms:

‘One of the great gifts of life is to know how to play’ Drama therapy only works through play, kids do it best and without realisation. In the classroom, kids are constantly drawing sculpting, and playing with toys to tell stories, without realizing they could be telling a story about their own lives. In this instance drama therapy is not being used as treatment, it is just naturally happening as it Is what children know best, however, encouraging this play could lead to fewer mental health illnesses and conditions down the line and or help the children when they grow up, to be better at expressing feelings and thoughts. It can be challenging for young children and even teenagers to be able to talk about things behind closed doors and what goes on outside of school time. Implementation of ‘Golden Time’ and hour at the end of a Friday to just play can help the teachers and adults have a better understanding of what is going on in the children’s lives and could be able to offer help if they are concerned.

How Does Drama Therapy Work?

Drama therapy works due to the fact people subconsciously tell stories and create situations about their feelings and life without meaning to, therefore the specialists can look at that behavior and have a better understanding of how the patient is thinking and feeling during these struggling times. Drama therapy uses play, embodiment, projection, role, story, metaphor, empathy, distancing, witnessing, performance, and improvisation to help people make meaningful change.

A drama therapist first assesses a client’s needs and then considers approaches that might best meet those needs. Drama therapy can take many forms depending on individual and group needs, skill and ability levels, interests, and therapeutic goals. Processes and techniques may include improvisations, theatre games, storytelling, and enactment. Many drama therapists make use of text, performance, or ritual to enrich the therapeutic and creative process. The theoretical foundation of drama therapy lies in drama, theatre, psychology, psychotherapy, anthropology, play, and interactive and creative processes.

Drama therapy is beneficial for individuals, families, and communities struggling with transition, loss, social stigmatization, isolation, and conflict. It is an effective option for the treatment and prevention of anxiety, depression, and addiction, among other conditions. Drama therapy can promote positive changes in mood, insight, and empathy, and it can facilitate healthy relationships.

My Experiences:

In this section, I will be talking about my first-hand experiences with therapy. As stated, I chose this topic due to personal struggles, I have suffered from two mental health conditions since 2018 being diagnosed at a ‘severe’ level. Due to my age at the time medication was not an option for me, the doctors helped me with finding therapists to see if this would help. I had two years until the thought of medication would help so I tried standard therapy and counseling, however, I never once got on with the therapists due to the nature of struggling to explain my thoughts and feelings, also struggled with Dyslexia which made it even harder for me. After studying drama therapy, I am confused as to why this form of therapy was never offered to me, one of the first things therapists would ask me is what courses I was studying at the General Certificate of Secondary Education Level, I had always been honest and excited to tell them how I was studying two creative art subjects and my passion for them. Yet drama therapy was never an option for me. I feel that if drama therapy had been offered to me, I would have had a better outcome and been able to find a way to deal with my mental health sooner rather than having to resort to medication. After struggling to get on with traditional counseling and therapy I am scared to try again with any form of therapy. I strongly believe I would have had a different outcome with drama therapy.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, drama therapy can be extremely useful if it is done correctly and in a way that is beneficial for the patients. However, if it is not done correctly, it can cause people to feel extremely uncomfortable and not be willing to give it ago in the future. On the other hand, though I believe drama therapy should be offered more to everyone at any age and with whatever mental health condition and illnesses to reconnect with their childhood of not really thinking and just expressing their feelings. There are clear examples of where drama therapy does and does not work, as the world continues to grow its understanding of mental health conditions and illnesses the way drama therapy will improve. In addition to this drama therapy should be used more and more instead of traditional standard counseling and therapy as it is uncomfortable and hard to express emotions due to the nature of the topics and or due to disabilities such as dementia and also learning difficulties such as dyslexia. Drama therapy is more accessible for all ages, gender, and disability. However due to the fact as previously stated, only four universities in the United Kingdom offer a degree in drama therapy, drama therapy is hard to come by in the United Kingdom due to the limited amount of trained people in the industry.

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