Drama Therapy Program
Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, Concentration in Drama Therapy
Drama therapy, as one of the creative arts therapies, facilitates artistic expression—engendering clarity, mastery, meaning, and hope. In drama therapy, we choose from a wide array of adapted dramatic processes.
Drama therapy invites us to uncover and integrate dormant aspects of ourselves, stretch our conception of who we are, and experience our intrinsic connection with others.
— Renée Emunah, Acting for Real
Freedom and possibility are two key words that begin to describe the essence of drama therapy. Life is finite; there are only so many experiences we can have. But in drama, the opportunities and options are endless, enabling us to dive more deeply into the richness of life.
And when the dramas are authentic and “real,” they have the power to affect, and even alter, our real lives profoundly. How therapeutically adapted dramatic processes work over time to heal wounds, make lasting changes, and help people reach their highest potential is something we have been investigating over the past 25 years.
The primary sources of drama therapy include dramatic play, theater, role play, psychodrama, and dramatic ritual. Storytelling, improvisation, self-revelatory performance (A process, articulated by Renée Emunah, involving shaping personal material into an aesthetic theatrical performance, and bringing healing to actor and audience), life review, playback theater, physical theater, creative drama, puppetry, scripted pieces, and more are tailored to the needs of a specific group or individual.
Incorporated Arts
In the CIIS Drama Therapy (PDT) MA program, the following arts are selectively incorporated to enhance the therapeutic and/or aesthetic nature of the work: music, dance/movement, painting, poetry, photography, and video.
In former times, acting simply meant putting on a disguise. . . . Now it’s clear that the wearing of the disguise changes the person. As he takes the disguise off, his face is changed from having worn it. The stage performance informs the life performance and is informed by it.
— Joseph Chaiken, The Presence of the Actor
The arts abound at times of nightfall, death, birth, war, and natural disaster, for they help to encapsulate terror. If psychological trauma is the origin of art, is it any wonder that the creative arts therapies hold so much promise as a reparative force?
—David Johnson, Essays on the Creative Arts Therapies
Rigor and Recognition
Our program is still one of only two approved MA-level programs in drama therapy in the United States and one of only a handful worldwide. The CIIS Drama Therapy Program (PDT) is internationally recognized as one of the most highly developed, rigorous training grounds for drama therapists.
Our aim in the program is to take people on a challenging and compelling personal and intellectual journey...toward deeper levels of understanding and developing competence in drama therapy. Our commitment is to provide a serious, multilayered training in using this potent medium ethically, respectfully, and skillfully.
Faculty and students delve into the complexities, subtleties, and possibilities in drama therapy. Coursework is sequenced and progressive. Theoretical, practical/clinical, and experiential formats are incorporated. Small, action-oriented classes within a cohort model support students’ personal development and a sense of community.
The Journey Ahead
While many people come to our program already personally familiar with the transformative power of drama and having seen its positive effect on others, even the first semester of the program reveals new dimensions to the field and gives a glimpse of the vast range of exploration ahead.
To play it out is the most natural self-healing measure that childhood affords.
— Erik Erikson, Childhood and Society
We use role-play and enactment in training—making learning more engaging, embodied, and interactive. We believe that learning can and should be relevant, exciting, and transformative.
The burgeoning field of drama therapy offers a huge range of work opportunities, and we encourage students to pursue their individual passions. The unique combination of a solid background in counseling psychology and specialized training in drama therapy, along with facility in leading groups (a skill that mental health facilities highly value) comprises some of the factors that have led our graduates to obtain satisfying jobs readily.
Where We Work
Alumni work in private practice, psychiatric settings, battered women shelters, schools, and substance-abuse treatment programs; they work with children, at-risk adolescents, seniors, veterans, and polarized groups in the community.
Some use action methods and role-play in corporate consulting, diversity training, and small- and large-scale community projects. Others are engaged in research, teaching, publication, performance, and doctoral or postdoctoral pursuits.
On-Site Clinical Training
An integral part of the program is on-site clinical training and supervision at a wide range of possible placement sites. Interns receive individual weekly supervision on-site by a licensed clinician, as well as small-group supervision in drama therapy at CIIS.
Students complete a final project in conjunction with an Integrative Seminar. There is a choice of writing a theoretical/clinical article, performing an original self-revelatory theater piece, or producing a DVD documenting a drama therapy treatment process. All formats are presented publicly, leading to a sense of culminating achievement in the program.
Accreditation
CIIS is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The program follows the academic guidelines set forth by the National Association for Drama Therapy and meets academic requirements for registry as a drama therapist. Students also fulfill academic requirements for Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) licensure in the state of California.
The dramatic mode liberates clients from real-life constraints and from imbedded patterns, affording them a means of expanding their behavioral and role repertoire.
—Renée Emunah, chapter in Beyond Talk Therapy
