Drama Therapy as a Tool for Promoting Resiliency in At Risk Youth

The purpose of this research was to explore and compare current literature in drama therapy and resiliency theory and investigate the usefulness of integrating drama therapy techniques as an intervention for at risk youth. This paper serves to encourage drama therapy as a tool in working with at risk youth. The research presented argues the effectiveness of drama therapy being used with at risk youth to encourage resiliency and support at risk youth in developing into stronger, healthier, functioning and well-adjusted adults. Though some bias and limitations are present within the language of resiliency theory, looking at the work through the lens of drama therapy provides a strength-based approach that can promote strong outcomes in at risk youth. By encouraging a continued understanding of the shared language, it creates a unity of the research and literature and allows clinicians to draw connections within the work

How do you feel? Preparing novice reporters for the death knock

The death knock is a reporting task that presents its own particular pressures. In addition to the usual editorial, legal and ethical concerns, the potential on the part of the journalist to do harm is heightened as they attempt to interview already vulnerable people in a situation which most are ill prepared for. In this environment, reporters are generally expected to learn how to undertake this particular form of sensitive reporting 'by doing'. Many journalists have received little or no training in this area and despite journalism educators demonstrating a willingness to prepare their students for their first attempt at this type of reporting, there is considerable confusion over the most appropriate and effective methods for doing so. This article discusses certain approaches, specifically role playing, that could be used in the classroom. Firstly, journalists' perceptions of the activity and their preparedness for it were identified in order to enrich educators' understanding of the process. Two studies were undertaken - a survey of journalists' attitudes to intrusive reporting and interviews with journalists and other interested parties on their perceptions of the death knock and appropriate educational strategies. Finally, a focus group of current second and third year students was held to review findings

Journeying : young children’s responses to picture books of traumatic and sensitive issues

This study investigates the response of a class of 35 seven and eight year old children to ten picture books with difficult, traumatic subject matter. Two of the stories deal with areas of emotional loss, including the death of a grandfather; five stories take the area of the Holocaust as their central theme, and three are stories of earthquakes, with the consequent loss of life and destruction. My research findings contribute to the study of children’s literature in education by uniquely analysing and giving insight into especially young children’s responses to this particular genre of children’s literature. In this research programme, the children are invited to engage in reading and four designed activities emerged for response: the central importance of spoken language, the place of writing to capture meaning and significance, the value of drawing to enhance understanding and the place of imaginative role play as children worked on their impressions of events in the stories. My central research questions are: What is young children’s understanding of and response to texts and pictures in selected children’s picture books of trauma? In what ways might young children’s responses to these issues and their accompanying activities reshape their critical thinking? What have I, as the researcher, learnt about my role as a teacher through teaching traumatic issues? The study was conducted in Taiwan using participatory action research methods. My evidence shows that these children are capable of understanding complex and disturbing situations that underpin the picture book narratives. They used their social, interactive, verbal, emotional and imaginative skills to respond to the texts in powerful ways. The significance of the teacher’s role as a listener, questioner and learner was crucial in helping to motive and engage the children. The study’s findings are that picture books that deal with disturbing human issues can be introduced as part of a planned programme of Arts and Life education in Grades 1 to 6 of the primary school curriculum and that children as young as seven are capable of responding to them with maturity and sophistication

Mapping Arts, Health and Higher Education Collaborative Projects in London

This publication is based on a report commissioned by The London Centre for Arts and Cultural Enterprise (LCACE) and Arts Council England (ACE) who are committed, along with other partners to building and analysing evidence of the impact of arts activity in the health arena. It seeks to map collaborative projects which have taken place in London since 2002 between the arts, health and higher education institutions. The remit for the research defines arts and health as arts-based activities that aim to improve individual or community health and healthcare delivery, using arts-based approaches which seek to enhance the healthcare environment through provision of artworks, performances or interaction between patients, staff and arts practitioner

What Does It Mean To Be Resilient? The Use of Drama and Child-Centered Play Therapy to Foster Resilience in Children

A pragmatic and systemic theoretical approach to qualitative research was used to examine the following the question: How can Drama Therapy and Child-Centered Play Therapy aid in building resilience in children? The research is pragmatic, because it explores tangible ways in which to build and strengthen resilience, and, systemic, in that it looks at the variables that influence a person’s capacity for resilience. The research explores common themes pertaining to resilience, why resilience is important to develop, and how Drama Therapy and Child-Centered Play Therapy can be used as therapeutic approaches to shape a person’s resilience. The findings of the research demonstrate the importance of considering and integrating the factors that shape and influence child development into therapeutic treatment

Theatre, Therapy and Personal Narrative

Contemporary theatre has crossed boldly into therapeutic terrain and is now the site of radical self-exposure. The recent and expanding use of people’s personal stories in the theatre has prompted the need for a robust framework for safe, ethical, flexible and intentional practice by theatre makers. Such a framework is needed due to the risks inherent in putting people’s private lives on the stage, particularly when their stories focus on unresolved difficulties and cross into therapeutic terrain. With this ethical and practical imperative in mind, and in order to create a broader spectrum of ethical risk-taking where practitioners can negotiate blurred boundaries in safe and creative ways, this study draws on relevant therapeutic theory and practice to re-connect therapy and theatre and promote best practice in the theatre of personal stories. In order to promote best practice in the theatre of personal stories (a term I will use to cover the myriad forms of theatre that make use of people’s personal stories), I describe a new framework that synthesises theory and practice from the fields of psychodrama, attachment narrative therapy, and theatre and performance studies. The benefits of this integrative framework for the theatre practitioner are that it promotes safer, more ethical and purposeful practice with personal stories, and encourages more confident and creative artistic expression. The framework provides these benefits because it offers a structured model for decision-making by theatre practitioners who work with personal stories, and suggests ways that the practitioner can explore fresh artistic possibilities with clear intentions and confidence about the boundaries and ethics of the work. The integrated framework has been developed through the grounded theory process of reflective inquiry, using in particular the models of action research, the Kolb experiential learning cycle and applied phronesis. The framework has four elements, which are explored respectively in chapters one to four: 1) History: understanding the roots of the theatre of personal stories in traditions of art, oral history, social activism, theatre and therapy; 2) Ethics: incorporating wide-ranging ethical issues inherent in staging personal stories; 3) Praxis: structuring participatory theatre processes to regulate the level of personal disclosure among participants (a model for structuring practice and regulating personal disclosure is offered — called the Drama Spiral); and 4) Intentions: working with a clear focus on specific intentions — especially bio-psycho-social integration — when working with personal stories. The study concludes, in chapter five, with a critical analysis of two exemplars of practice, examined through the lens of the Drama Spiral

The Role of Artistic Processes in Peace-Building in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Throughout the world, community arts-based processes have become an essential component of peacebuilding work in societies experiencing severe conflicts. Both during a conflict and in post-conflict peacebuilding efforts, community based arts processes can be an especially effective tool to bring together identity groups through sharing common cultural experiences, raising awareness about past suffering, and engaging communities in creative projects. In this research project, the author spent fourteen months in Bosnia-Herzegovina researching the use of community arts-based peacebuilding efforts both during the war and in the post-conflict stage. This paper provides an overview of the research and offers several conclusions on the role of arts in peacebuilding within Bosnia-Herzegovina with the hope that these findings have relevance for other regions and the field in general

Clinician’s Resource Guide: A Compendium of Child Treatment Resources

As an early career clinician in a fast-paced field that is dedicated to working with others, saving time and energy where possible is invaluable. When I first started working with children, I was overwhelmed by the amount of time I was having to dedicate to research to find reputable resources to use in my clinical settings. I realized so much of my time and energy was going towards this research that by the time I entered the therapy room with my clients I was tired, frustrated, and overwhelmed by the lack of easily accessible resources. After working with and learning from so many experienced psychologists I was inspired to create a compendium of child treatment resources that collaborates and consolidates years of experience, clinical work, and expertise into one readily accessible guidebook, the Clinician’s Resource Guide (CRG). The CRG aims to help new clinicians quickly and easily access and obtain resources when providing services to children

‘Trapped in the Labyrinth’ – exploring mental illness through devised theatrical performance

Mental health difficulties remain a major source of burden and distress for individuals, families, health and social care providers with stigma a key target for educational campaigns attempting to improve care pathways and access to support. Stigma is a multifaceted concept having a range of drivers including shame and is thought to act as a barrier to successful help seeking and engagement with support services. The current paper explores some of the salient themes that emerged from a British university drama project on the impact of symptoms and behaviours associated with a severe mental health condition on a young couple's relationship and reflects on the opportunities for connection with an audience provided by the medium and experience. It is suggested that enabling the impact of mental ill health to be explored in a protected environment such as theatre can allow for reflection and empathy to develop, with potential for positive impact on awareness understanding and stigma. Elements of the drama setting and narrative are explored, and analogies are made with the emerging literature on post-traumatic growth