Drama therapy?
Do you act out your feelings?
Well, not exactly.
Drama therapy is a creative approach to therapy that incorporates all aspects of theatre and drama, including: play, improvisation, costumes, masks, script-writing, performance, and storytelling. If that sounds like you need previous experience or an artistic personality, don’t get scared off just yet.
As a drama therapist, I’m not here to give you acting tips, or to judge your creativity. Rather, I’m here to help you access your playful, creative side to bring about symptom relief and improved mental health. It also means that you don’t have to tackle your baggage head on, as in standard talk therapy.
Drama therapy is ‘oblique’ which means that you don’t necessarily have to sit down with me and talk about your issues. Rather, I may ask you to tell me a story, or to bring an object that you value to therapy, or we may play some improvisational games.
From there I help you to make sense of the characters, roles, and themes that keep coming up in our work together, and what that means in your everyday life. Drama therapy is about trusting your subconscious to help you figure out what is troubling you, or what stuff you’ve been carrying that it would benefit you to let go of.
Drama therapy online is a unique offering, which means that you and me will not be in the same room together, but will find a way to meet online. We can schedule a session via ZOOM (a free program similar to Skype), or we can meet via instant messenger on Signal, a free to use encrypted chat app.
You can also purchase a block of emails, where I set you a few writing tasks. Email therapy is similar to Tom Riddle’s diary in Harry Potter. You get to write out your thoughts, and I come along and highlight different themes, and ways of thinking, that you might not realise you have. Of course, I’m not Lord Voldemort, so email therapy is hopefully going to be a much more positive and reflective experience than it was for Ginny 😉
Written drama therapy basically functions as a story-writing space, where we can work together to re-author the stories you always tell about yourself and your world, and combat negative thought patterns, identify the impact of old trauma, and figure out what kind of person you want to be going forward.
Online drama therapy is suitable for a range of issues, including anxiety, depression, relationship or family issues, expat issues, loneliness, trauma, stress, exam or student stress, eating disorders, body image issues, LGBTIAQ+ support, or general well-being and self-care.
Due to the online nature of the therapy, it is not suitable for people struggling with suicidal thoughts or any emergency situations. Please reach out to me if you need recommendations of who to talk to in person if you feel like you are desperate to talk, and I will be happy to refer you.
I hope that this has given you a small introduction to what drama therapy entails. If you still have questions, please feel free to reach out to me via the contact form on my website or at monique@dramatherapyonline.com
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