Experiential introduction to Drama Therapy

This 3-hour online Professional Development Workshop introduces some key principles and models of Drama Therapy

"Drama Therapy is an active, experiential approach to facilitating change. Through storytelling, projective play, purposeful improvisation, and performance, participants are invited to rehearse desired behaviors, practice being in relationship, expand and find flexibility between life roles, and perform the change they wish to be and see in the world.”
- North American Drama Therapy Association, nadta.org

What?
This workshop will introduce Drama Therapy practice drawing on the Integrative Five-phase Model and the group experience. 

The session will involve movement, improvisation and group work. 

All techniques presented honour multiple ways of knowing and learning while putting forth an integrated arts-based approach to creative group work.

With an emphasis on culturally inclusive practice, experiential activities will be intertwined with theoretical framing and discussion of the method.

Who?
This is a professional development offer for Mental Health Professionals, Social Workers, and Creative Arts Therapists. 

Prior training in psychology, counselling, social work and/or creative arts therapies is assumed. 

No prior experience with theatre is required.

Please make a considered purchase to ensure this workshop meets your needs.

We ask you to dress in comfortable attire for physical activity, and ensure you have adequate space for movement.


Learning Objectives

• Participants will understand Drama Therapy as a broad field of study and practice.
• Participants will develop an embodied sense of early phase work in a Drama Therapy group.
• Participants will role-play scenes to deepen their understanding of the dynamics of Drama Therapy practice.
• Participants will listen to multiple viewpoints and understand the complexities of diverse perspectives and communities.

This MIECAT Public Programs event is facilitated by Evan Hastings.

Evan has a passion for turning pain into medicine through theatre. His work illuminates the intersection of Drama Therapy and Theatre of the Oppressed, creating performative engagements that raise urgent issues in aesthetic dialogue.

He is the Founder of Shadow Liberation, a participatory shadow theatre initiative that has engaged diverse audiences in dialogue across 18 countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East & North America.

Evan is a Professional Member of ANZACATA. He has an MA in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Drama Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, CA, USA and a BA in Performance Education from the Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA, USA.