Drama therapy, or Dramatherapy

Drama therapy, or Dramatherapy (single word) outside the US, is an effective treatment tool for psychotherapists, social workers, and other mental health care professionals working with groups and individuals in a variety of situations. Drama therapy involves the use of drama and theater methods to reach therapeutic objectives. Drama therapy is both dynamic and experiential, providing the participant with a safe environment in which to explore personal and family situations, achieve objectives, uncover subconscious and repressed feelings, and resolve negative behavior patterns. . Drama therapy can take numerous forms, depending on individual and group requirements. The techniques of Drama therapy may include enactment, theater games, storytelling, and improvisation. Drama therapy has proven effective with numerous populations in a variety of treatment settings, including hospitals, schools, mental centers, businesses, and even prisons. Drama therapy has expanded to allow many forms of theatrical techniques as therapy including theater games, mime, role-play, puppetry, and other improvisational techniques.

Drama therapy is an expressive therapy, which is the deliberate use of the creative arts as a form of therapy. The process of creation is emphasized instead of the final aesthetic product. Drama therapy functions under the assumption that though creative expression people can heal. All expressive therapists share the belief that through creative expression and tapping into the imagination a person can explore the body, feelings, emotions and the thought process. Some expressive therapists consider themselves generalist, rather than using a specific discipline to treat clients, basing their approach on the clients' needs, by using multiple forms of creative expression with the same individual to aid with deeper exploration. All types of creative expressions have an equivalent therapeutic discipline. Examples include art, dance, poetry, music and play therapy.

Drama therapists work with a wide variety of social groups in a wide variety of situations. Drama therapist has worked in a variety of areas such as medical illness, grief, educational and behavioral problems, emotional issues, and even criminal behavior.

Certificate programs in drama therapy are available in for graduate-level student and mental health care professionals. Registered Drama Therapists certification is available for individuals who have achieved expertise in dramatic, theatrical, and performance media. A comprehension of psychotherapeutic methods with diversified populations in a variety of settings is necessary for effective drama therapy.