Course Description

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an introduction to the Five Phase Model of drama therapy, as well as an opportunity to practice this process and apply it to clinical work. Each week of class will include active practice as well as lecture and group discussion. No experience in drama or theatre is required, though a willingness to engage in dramatic play is essential. While the class is intended for mental health practitioners, other healthcare professionals, educators and theatre/performing artists may also benefit from this class and our other classes in drama therapy.

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Course Outline

1. Overview and Phase 1: Dramatic Play

• Overview of the Five Phase Model
• Expectations and policies
• Dramatic play: definition and exploration
• Therapeutic benefits and applications of dramatic play
• Theoretical framework of the Five-Phase Model
• Practice with dramatic play

2. Phase 2: Scenework

• Exploration of the process and development of scenework
• Therapeutic benefits and applications of scenework
• Sculpting and application
• Practice with scenework
• Drama therapy scenework examples and discussion

3. Phase 3: Role Play

• Exploration of the process and development of role play
• Discussion of the overlap of scene work and role play
• Therapeutic benefits and applications of role play
• Sociometry and role
• Practice with role play
• Drama therapy role play examples and discussion

4. Phase 4: Culminating Enactment

• Exploration of the process and development of performance
• “The planned crisis”: therapeutic benefits and applications of performance
• Practice with performance
• Drama therapy performance examples and discussion

5. Phase 5: Dramatic Ritual

• Exploration of the process and development of dramatic ritual
• Therapeutic benefits and applications of dramatic ritual
• Post-performance processing and continued work
• Designing interventions to target specific therapeutic needs
• Methods to increase client engagement
• Recognizing and working through client resistance
• Practice designing and leading interventions related to the 5-Phase Model
• Closure and wrap-up

Learner Outcomes

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

• engage more freely in creative, spontaneous play
• describe the five-phase model of drama therapy
• design and appropriately apply the five-phase model of drama therapy to clinical practice