Dramatherapy

Raising Children's Self-Esteem and Developing Emotional Stability

Penny McFarlane

• Publisher: David Fulton Publishers
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781136788901
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Didattica
• Subtopic: Didattica generale

Providing a new and proven way forward for practitioners who want to help children, but who do not have recourse to a qualified therapist, this book covers:

• tried and tested practical activities to use with children
• simple explanations of how and why dramatherapy works
• informative case studies that show activities being used in practice
• a useful list of further reading, centres for training and qualifications.

Chapter 1 An Introduction to Dramatherapy The play's the thing/Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King. (Hamlet, William Shakespeare)

 

What is dramatherapy?

The British Association of Dramatherapists has given its definition of dramatherapy as having as its main focus the ‘intentional use of the healing aspects of drama and theatre as the therapeutic process.’ It further explains that dramatherapy is ‘a method of working and playing which uses action methods to facilitate creativity, imagination, learning, insight and growth’ (see Appendix B).This chapter will explore the ways in which dramatherapy, through cultivating a safe trusting environment, can employ creative methods to bring about positive change for the child.

Many people ask about the difference between drama and dramatherapy since in the hands of a good drama teacher, therapy in the form of raised self-esteem, self-confidence and empowerment often takes place anyway. The difference lies in the word ‘intentional’ in that dramatherapy may be said to be the intentional use of drama for therapeutic ends. Similar techniques may be employed but for a different reason. The means may be the same but the intended end or outcome is different.

So what are these techniques? They will vary depending on the client or child and the issues involved. They may entail movement or voice or both, improvisation and role play, story making and story telling or more specialised techniques such as sculpting, mirroring or role reversal. They may involve the use of clay or paint, masks and puppets, material, costumes and props — or they may simply rely upon the dramatic use of the therapeutic relationship between therapist and child.

The therapeutic relationship

Much time is spent in creating this necessary relationship before the work actually starts. According to Axline (1989) the most important element in the session is the relationship between the child and the therapist. There must be a necessary acceptance of the child as he is, a witnessing of what the child has to offer and a reflecting back of the child's feelings, emotions and situation. In this way the therapist can be emotionally present for that child.

Winnicott (1965) claims that the therapeutic relationship has much in common with the natural processes of the mother-infant relationship in that they share the underlying principles of tolerance, acceptance and respect, being the attributes of the good-enough mother. The child must learn to trust the therapist as one who will provide them with the opportunities to heal and change in much the same way as the therapist must trust in the child's ability to make the necessary changes in his life if given the opportunity.

The issue of trust

The space

The issue of trust is a major consideration in any dramatherapeutic engagement. In order to create a space in which the child feels safe enough to explore their feelings several points need to be taken into consideration. There is first the practical interpretation of the word ‘space’. A busy corridor is simply not conducive to work of this kind. Far better to use the cluttered Maths cupboard where at least privacy is guaranteed and the child has the security of having four walls around them. Likewise, a huge hall, while possible for some group work, is not recommended for the more fragile structure of the one-to-one session. In creating the ‘Rainbow Room’ from the landing area of a disused fire escape in an inner-city primary school, the aim was to provide a space which resembled as near as possible the original place of safety for the child — namely, the womb.

It is equally important that this space, once created and established as the place of safety where feelings may be unravelled and change may happen, does not in itself change. There is sometimes a tendency in schools to determine the importance of an activity by the numbers of people taking part. Hence the dramatherapist and child may well find themselves moved around from week to week depending on the number of other engagements in the school diary. It is therefore vital that a space is found (or created!) which can remain at the disposal of the dramatherapist come what may. A change of space may mean not only that any important work done so far may have to begin again, but also that an element of doubt may creep in on the part of the child about whether this person can provide what the child is beginning to hope and trust they can — a consistently secure and accepting environment.

The contract

The fabric of the trusting relationship is as fragile as it is important. Many children who come for therapy will not have had positive experiences of being able to trust. The drawing up of some sort of contract between the therapist and child may help to place the relationship on a firmer footing. It is helpful if the ideas for the contract can be elicited as far as possible from the child. The therapist may like to use a metaphor such as that of baking a cake, as described in Diana's story ‘Through the Wall’, in order to make the idea more accessible to the child.

However it is accomplished, the issue of how long the contract will run is of primary concern. The child needs to know that there will not be a sudden ending to this new-found relationship. Equally, however, the child needs to be given the opportunity to put into the contract what they feel will help make it work. In Diana's case, this was ‘behaviour and stuff’. By being given the opportunity to contribute to the contract the child becomes the co-creator in the ‘play’ — a cofacilitator in the therapeutic scenario rather than someone that therapy is being ‘done to’. This concept of joint ownership of a session and of letting the child take the lead will be discussed in Chapter 3.

Confidentiality

Hand in hand with the idea of a contract is the issue of confidentiality. The child needs to be able to trust that the therapist is able to hold and keep safe anything which he divulges. At the same time, the therapist needs to work with the teacher, teaching assistants and special educational needs coordinator (SENCO), who have possibly referred the child as a result of their concerns. Due to the way in which dramatherapy works with metaphor, the issue will very often remain within the metaphor and no allusion need be made as to its connection to the child's reality. This is discussed further in Chapter 3.

Confidentiality is a thin dividing line which needs to be trodden and the good of the child must always be the primary motive. In general, the way I work is to explain to the child that I am working with whoever referred them — teacher, head teacher, SENCO — and that we are all concerned as to their happiness. In accordance with Child Protection there must obviously be some statement to the effect that a referral would have to be made if it was thought the child were in danger. Thereafter, it is the process of the child and not the content of the sessions which may be discussed on a confidential basis if it is felt to be beneficial to the child.

Dramatic distancing

Once an atmosphere of trust has been created, the modus operandi of dramatherapy can come into play. One of the main principles of dramatherapy centres on the use of fiction to express a truth. The age-old story of the man who goes to the doctor to confide an embarrassing problem which he attributes to his friend serves as an analogy here. ‘Doctor, Doctor, I've a friend who…’ creates the safety net which the man needs to express that which he finds inexpressible.

By creating an ‘as if’ scenario the situation may be considered from an objective and not a subjective viewpoint, thus allowing the emotions involved to be distanced until such time as the psyche feels that it is safe enough to engage with them. As Jennings (1990: 6) explains, ‘Paradoxically this distance enables us to come closer and to experience at a greater depth.’

Thus, dramatic distancing, brought about through, for example, the use of projection or role play with the help of masks, puppets and small figures or objects, can bring about a ‘space’ where emotions can be expressed and explored and healing can take place. In this way, the dramatic space and the therapeutic space are very closely linked. The emotions expressed may have to do with personal issues or they may be concerned on a broader spectrum with more social or religious matters.

The objectives

Whatever the issues, the objectives of dramatherapy are to use the psychological processes of creativity and learning, spontaneity, play and imagination to focus on the positive, to build positive relationships, to raise self-esteem and to promote personal development and growth, outcomes which are in close alignment with the holistic approach of the 2004 Children's Act.

Summary

• Dramatherapy differs from drama in that it is the intentional use of drama for therapeutic ends.

• Dramatherapy involves a variety of techniques and props similar to those used in drama.

• The therapeutic relationship between therapist and child is a primary consideration.

• Trust is a key element of this relationship.

• Trust can be enhanced by use of an appropriate space and by the drawing up of a contract.

• Confidentiality often remains within the metaphor. It centres on the process of the child and not the content of the sessions.

• Dramatic distancing further enhances the atmosphere of safety.

• The objectives of dramatherapy emphasise the building blocks of positive growth in accordance with the latest holistic approach to educational thinking.

Chapter 2 A Way of Working Embodiment-projection-role You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

Embodiment-projection-role

An important theory central to the process of dramatherapy is that of embodiment, projection and role. To enter into a brief explanation of this theory is to provide a useful framework for explaining the methodology used by many dramatherapists. There are other models of dramatherapy including Meldrum's Theatrical Model and Landy's Role Model but the Creative Expressive Model as promoted by Sue Jennings employs the embodiment-projection-role process and is the one I have found most useful in my work.

Embodiment

The embodiment-projection-role process corresponds in a general way to the stages of child development as outlined by the psychological theorists J. Piaget and E. H. Erikson. During the first couple of years the child is concerned primarily with bodily sensations, with chewing, sucking, tasting and feeling. This is Piaget's ‘motory/sensory developmental stage’ and Erikson's ‘trust versus mistrust’. The ideas of Erikson are useful to a dramatherapist since they emphasise the areas of dramatic conflict which can arise if these stages are not progressed through normally (see Append...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• The Stories
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword
• Preface
• Chapter 1 An Introduction to Dramatherapy
• Chapter 2 A Way of Working Embodiment-projection-role
• Chapter 3 The Significance of Metaphor and Symbol in Dramatherapy
• Chapter 4 The Value of Personal Story Telling
• Chapter 5 The Use, of Pre-written Material and Recurrent Themes
• Chapter 6 Dream Work
• Chapter 7 Working with Loss and Bereavement
• Chapter 8 Group Work
• Appendix A Index of Issues and Supporting Exercises and Activities
• Appendix B Useful Sources and Suggested Training
• Bibliography and References
• Index