Then I saw this.
http://www.bbc.com/news/education-35505576
In this video children make brief statements about how the use of counselling makes them feel better. Are children encouraged enough to talk about their feelings in school and at home?
I immediately thought, is this something that psychodrama can fix? A gap that it can bridge? Is drama therapy ever used in an educational setting?
Working in this type of environment, with children, be it a private dance school or a mainstream primary school, we always have a responsibility to not only teach, but to ensure the safety and well being of the children placed in our care. According to this report, 1 in 5 children will have a mental health issue, could we use the practices of drama therapy and psychodrama drama to help children cope better with their environment and how it effects them, especially in education? Is it possible that the lack of safe places for children to explore their feelings is aiding towards this '1in 5' figure?
I have been reading the handbook of psychodrama and often return to this particular quote,
" psychodrama has been defined as a way of practicing living without being punished for making mistakes" Marcia Karp - chapter 2 an introduction to psychodrama
With all of this in mind I will develop the questions I would like to ask, to fellow performers who also teach, to professionals working with arts as a therapy and to people in education.
I have often used my knowledge of drama to aid teaching, even things such as drama games to help the pupils relax and simply get to know each others names, now I am wondering how much more can be done with these tools.
Now developing the focus - continue to look for sources for your themes/topics and the professional associations these areas have
ReplyDeletehttps://badth.org.uk Dramatherapy Wales - DT Conference 2014
What is Drama Therapy?http://www.nadta.org/what-is-drama-therapy.html
"Drama therapy is active and experiential. This approach can provide the context for participants to tell their stories, set goals and solve problems, express feelings, or achieve catharsis. Through drama, the depth and breadth of inner experience can be actively explored and interpersonal relationship skills can be enhanced. Participants can expand their repertoire of dramatic roles to find that their own life roles have been strengthened."
Hi Paula,
ReplyDeleteGreat! Thankyou , will look into that site further!