Therapeutic Use of Dramatic and role Playing

Summary

“All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players” Shakespeare

This module introduces the participants to the therapeutic use of drama and role playing. Dramatic role playing is an active process that helps individuals through enactment to solve problems, find emotional release, bring depth and breadth to their inner experience and bringing meaning to internal imageries. Role playing also enhances the creative possibilities in cultivating the ability to make conscious and observe personal roles whilst seeking to increase role flexibility and repertoire of roles. In becoming conscious of the fact that we are ‘merely players’ in playing out our roles in the worlds stage, the more aware we become in being able to play those roles with conscious intentions, the more creativity to our role playing we can bring into our lives. As Blatner 2006 suggested, ‘We can play with the way we play the roles’. This enables us to discover which behaviours are more effective, and which behaviours, attitudes, assumptions, etc. are less effective and redundant and can do without.

This is a six weeks learning cycle module and commences with a day workshop in week one. The workshop provides participants with an overview of the area of study as well as outlining the associated basic skills. Participants will be invited to formulate their questions relevant to their clinical context. This provides the focus for their own individual action learning. The individual will be allocated to an action learning set (ALS). A problem scenario pertinent to achieving the module outcomes is presented to the ALS. The ALS engages as a learning team in organising themselves to enquire, research, discuss and formulate their solutions to the presenting problem scenario. The ALS present and publish their group findings and receive feedback from the facilitator and from the other ALS by week six. The learning activities are supported by two 2-hourly online group tutorial session for each set during week two and week five. An online group supervision is provided to each ASL in week four/five to facilitate skills implementation and evaluation. The individual participant is expected to keep a personal learning journal of their learning experiences throughout the six week cycle. This is to include an evaluation and the learning acquired from their efforts in implementing the skills relevant to the module in their own respective work environment.

Aims

This module is designed to enhance participants understanding and skills of therapeutic dramatic role playing within a wide range of developmental and clinical contexts. It is aimed at participants who may wish to include action oriented techniques into their current helping roles. The module intends to offer relevant, contextual skills in the application dramatic role playing addressing the various situational and developmental objectives within clinical, educational and social reflecting the participants own unique work settings. It is aimed at those who may currently be employed in the education, social, health and voluntary sectors working or intend to work with individuals and groups to bring about potential change, transformation, growth or healing through incorporating into their skills set the therapeutic use of dramatic role playing.

This module is one of the many supporting modules of creative arts therapy which participants may decide to subscribe to in their CPPD, especially if they are intending to use creative arts therapy in work. Other related areas of the creative arts therapy pathway are the use of small world play, use of stories, art and image making etc. etc.

Intended Outcomes

At the end of the this module, the participant will be able to

• Facilitate the role playing process for individuals/groups in bringing about the desired intended outcomes.
• Observe, reflect, assess and evaluate role dynamics and the dramatic role playing process in identification and formulation of problem areas, needs as well as in monitoring therapeutic progress and change
• Utilise various therapeutic structures and techniques in dramatic role playing which is appropriate to the individual/group and relevant and its aims.

Indicative Contents

*The specific contents of each respective module in the CPPD programme is dependent on the baseline knowledge and skills of the participants of the cohort. As the programme adopts an action learning approach to learning, the problems and challenges of practice that participants bring to the module will to a large extent determine the contents of the module. The content will be pertinent to the necessary relevant skills and knowledge required to address the issues brought forth. The indicative contents listed below provide a suggestive area of focus and is negotiable with each cohort.

· Acting Out or Acting In – healing through dramatic action

· Role theory – from theatre to social psychology and social anthropology; symbolic interactionist to functional to structural role theory

· Role playing techniques in therapy – from Humanistic approaches of Psychodrama, Dramatherapy, Gestalt Therapy to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy etc

· Psycho-educational role playing - role acquisition, role rehearsal in social skills and cognitive development to personal effectiveness training

· The theatre and the dramaturgical contributions of Stanislavsky and Brecht

· Imaginative and fantasy roles – myths, legends and fairy tales; superheroes & villains, playing with our ‘reality’

· Assessment of roles, role dynamics and role analysis; interpersonal and intrapsychic role conflicts – role identity vs role ambiguity and confusion

· The therapeutic relationships between ‘playing’ and ‘roles’

Reference

Specific references, reading lists or bibliography will be provided as the group progresses in their engagement with their action learning sets and determine by direction and area of their learning interest and research. The reference below is intended to provide a brief introduction to area of study.

· Blatner, A., (1996) Acting-In: Practical Applications of Psychodramatic Methods, Third Edition, Springer Publishing Co..

· Landy, R. (1996). Essays in drama therapy: The double life. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

· http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role_theory

The next module will commence:

Workshop – Saturday 8^th May 2010 (9am to 5pm @ Disted College)

Online Group Tutorial Session 1 – Wednesday 19^th May 2010 (8pm to 10pm online)

Online Group Supervision Session – Wednesday 2^nd June 2010 (8pm to 10pm online)

Online Group Tutorial Session 2 – Wednesday 16^th June 2010 (8pm to 10pm online)

Action Learning Set Group Presentation Submission Date: 26^th June 2010

Personal Learning Journal Submission Date: 3^rd July 2010