Drama therapy uses role playing and performance to help participants explore their feelings and gain new perspectives. It allows people to express emotions in a safe environment by taking on roles and scenarios from their own experiences. Examples showed how drama therapy helped people experience different viewpoints and emotions like comfort and frustration. Advantages include a stronger ability to understand personal roles and develop relationships, while disadvantages include potential participant resistance and a need for more scientific evidence of its effectiveness as a newer form of therapy.

1. Drama
Therapy

2. What is
Participants follow roles to tell a story or perform a part,
embracing a new perspective of the character and
themselves
drama therapy?

3. What is drama therapy?
Shed light on feelings of a person,
and teach them to overcome obstacles

4. •Drama and psychological healing: Aristotle,
originator of the term “catharsis”
•Drama therapy emerged in the 1970s
•Used in hospitals, schools, prisons
Developmental Context

5. Examples
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsPtNbNymi4
(12:48 – 14:04, 15:21 – 17:15)

6. More Examples
Acting in EE night’s stage play
•Experienced comforting
a scared person
•Experienced frustration
of not being in control

7. One “sculptor”,other group members are “statues”
“Sculptor” instructs “statues” to assume poses, acting out a scenario
about love (usually taken from personal experience)
• Sculptor: observes their past experience without too much prejudice
• Statues: empathizes with their assumed roles
• Audience: able to discuss using tangible image
NTU Student Counseling Center
“Sculptor of Love”

8. Demo
•Two members demonstrate drama therapy by
acting on stage and the third member introduces
the therapy.
•Invite an audience member to participate

9. Advantages
•Express feelings in a safe environment
•Recall emotions often overlooked in life
•Strengthen the ability to perform personal roles
•Develop relationships
More difficult to achieve
with “talking therapy”

10. Disadvantages
•Participant resistance
•More scientific evidence needed
Newer form of therapy
•Low penetration rate
Few consider drama therapy to be their first choice.
•Still idealistic
Drama and real life are different

11. Future prospective
•VR: more immersive form of drama (e.g. role-
playing game)
•As of yet, there are no master programs for
drama therapy in Taiwan

12. Encouraging young people to believe in themselves and find
their own voice whether it's through writing, drama or art is
so important in giving young people a sense of self-worth
--Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse
Wrapping up
Unlike talk therapy, drama therapy gets there really fast.
Role-playing -acting out issues and problems - is more
effective than talking
--Robert Landy, Registered Drama Therapist