A systematic review and meta-analysis by Orkibi, Keisari, Sajnani, and de Witte offers encouraging evidence for drama-based therapies as a way to support mental health. While they differ in their histories and approach, both drama therapy and psychodrama use experiential theatre-based techniques such as role-play, improvisation, embodied expression, and storytelling to help people explore experience, rehearse possibilities, develop insight, and experiment with different choic
Dramatherapy brings together creativity, movement, play, storytelling, and reflection. But how can researchers identify and study the processes happening within a session? This study by Angelle Cook and colleagues introduces a framework entitled the "Drama Therapy Core Process Coding System" (DT-CPCS) to help researchers and practitioners observe and describe drama therapy processes more consistently, inform training and supervision, and support future investigations into how
Dr. Renée Emunah has spent more than 40 years shaping the field of dramatherapy through teaching, clinical practice, research, and creative innovation. As founder and longtime director of the Drama Therapy Program at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), Emunah and her team trained more than 600 graduates and developed influential approaches that integrate theatre and psychotherapy and that draw on performance to explore personal and social change. As Emunah st
Happy International Drama Therapy Week! From October 19th to 26th, we celebrate the value of dramatherapy all over the world. We begin with a new article that explores the history, purpose, and work of the World Alliance of Dramatherapy (WADth). Since its founding in 2017, WADth has grown into an alliance of 17 professional associations representing 34 countries and more than 4,200 registered members. As WADth enters its second decade, the authors reflect on the possibilities
The Children's Hospital Association interviewed Registered Drama Therapist and Licensed Creative Arts Therapist Hanna Rosenberg from the Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital at NYU Langone in the United States. Hanna spoke about how drama therapy gives children choices, encourages self-expression, and helps them to explore who they are beyond the role of "the sick kid." As one young patient put it: "When I'm here doing this with you, instead of a patient, I feel like a person." Dr
ArtsHub profiled Kirsten Meyer, a drama therapist with more than 18 years of experience across South Africa and Australia. She shares why creativity is a powerful therapeutic tool, why words don't always tell the whole story, and how play can be an essential part of the healing process. This profile explores how drama therapy is about creating a safe space to explore emotions through stories, movement, objects and play. By working through a character or object, people can exp
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