Drama Therapy Program

Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in Morristown, New Jersey. I went to college at Northwestern University in Chicago and then lived in Manhattan for most of my 20s. I have an older brother and sister, four incredible nieces and nephews, and a brilliant Chihuahua named Linus.

What were you doing before you came to CIIS?

I studied theater at Northwestern and worked professionally as an actress for about seven years until I took off and traveled all over India and Vietnam. I spent six months in India and worked for a charity in Can Tho, Vietnam for a month. I am proud to say that I was actually a working actress who never had to wait on tables.

Right before I came to CIIS I worked for author and speaker Debbie Ford, running weekend workshops based on Jungian shadow work and training people to become "integrative coaches." I am also a certified Vinyassa Yoga teacher.

Why did you choose Drama Therapy?

I loved being an actress, but I noticed that I was not feeling totally fulfilled. Through the deep transformational work I was doing working with Debbie Ford and through teaching yoga, I learned that I loved delving into other people's emotional worlds, as well as my own, but I missed the theater. Drama therapy was the perfect marriage of the two.

What specifically appeals to you about CIIS?

Its holistic approach to teaching. CIIS offers many different theories and viewpoints to students, then encourages them to discover what they think is true. As a therapist-in-training, I consider many schools and points of view, which is how I would like to work with my clients.

I am also attracted to CIIS's commitment to growing with the changing times, as opposed to teaching the same recycled one-dimensional material over and over again.

The intimacy of the CIIS community appeals to me as well. There is a lot of interaction and support among the students and teachers that I have not seen in other schools that I have attended. Here at CIIS I have not felt like a tiny fish in huge pond, which I like.

What has been one of the best aspects of studying in the Drama Therapy department at CIIS?

One of the most special aspects of this program has been the sense of collaboration I feel with my classmates and my teachers. We are in a rigorous training atmosphere where the opportunity to learn and grow is in every moment. I feel as though we all work together to get the most out of our time here.

Describe how and why a specific course, book, or project has had a significant impact on you and your life.

I think Renée Emunah's class Drama Therapy Process has had the most significant impact on my life. When the semester culminated in a self-revelatory performance, I knew I was in a very exciting and right place. I was able to create a beautiful and touching theater piece while truly transforming a pressing issue in my life. It was incredible.

What is unique or special about the CIIS community?

Students' real interest in each other is very unique to the CIIS community. I get the sense people really want to know who you are and what you are up to, instead of being caught up in their own tunnel vision of just getting through school. This sense of community allows students to grow and learn at a much higher level.

Please describe a current project that you're working on while you're at the Institute.

I am the student representative for the National Association of Drama Therapy and have been cowriting an article on the 20th anniversary of the Drama Therapy program. I am about to begin my practicum in the psychiatric unit of Alta Bates Hospital in Oakland, California, utilizing the drama therapy method of developmental transformations with adolescents and adults in an inpatient setting.

What are your plans after you graduate from CIIS?

I see that vision slowly take shape as I make my way though the program. My overall mission is to make drama therapy a more widely known and accepted form of therapy. I am very interested in working with young children, as well as adults who have not been able to realize their own potential and magnificence. I hope to eventually run a theater company that uses the foundations of drama therapy for both personal process and public performance.

Drama Therapy Program