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Cultural differences and similarities in drama therapy
The Arts in Prychorhcrq~~. Vol. 19. pp. 117-121, Printed in the USA. All rights reserved.
01974556/9?
1992 Copyright 0
fS.OO + .oo
1992 Pergamon Press Ltd.
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES IN DRAMA THERAPY
KATERINA
COUROUCLI-ROBERTSON.
The Greek Association of Iheatre and Therapy (GATT), of which I was a founder member, was established as a professional organization to promote the teaching and practice of drama therapy and play therapy in Greece. Although initiated by similar programs in the UK, it is now developing a Greek idcntity. responding to the needs of Greek culture. In this paper I will try to give some idea of what this identity is. how our educational program has devclopcd. and how drama therapy is practiced at present. The term “drama therapy” consists of two Greek words-&umu from the word @xv meaning “to do, art of expression by acting,” and therapy from the Greek Bcpaneia, meaning “service. medical treatment.” Thus, for a Greek. drama therapy immcdiatcly conjures up specific notions in his or her mind, irrespective of what drama therapy actually means in practice. In English, the word “therapy” tends to be associated with the curing or treatment of mental disorder, whereas the Greek work &paneia (therapy) means the curing or treatment of all disorders, both physical and mental. It is important to understand this, I believe, in order to understand the attitude of the Greek people, both professional and otherwise, toward drama therapy. Theatre has always played a very important part in Greek culture and society. The beneficial effects on the psyche of theatrical performance was a recognized part of ancient Greek theatre and is still accepted as such. Today there are two meanings given to the word “drama”: (a) a theatrical play with a tragic theme, and (b) a tragic happening. Because of this connotation, for clients who do not know English, the
lKaterina Couroucli-Robertson
DipSpecEd,
Dram.Dip.*
term drama therapy is translated into Greek as theatre therapy. In English, “drama,” linked with the word “therspy”-a healing process-forms the term drama therapy and takes on a much wider meaning. The practice of drama therapy is based on the fact that dramatic expression is. of its own, therapeutic. Through enactmcnt, life is seen from a different perspective, resulting in clarification. Dramatizing may involve similar cxpericnces to those of real lift but, with the distance that role-playing provides, the patient feels a scnsc of security. What I refer to as cultural differences in attitude toward drama therapy in Greece may have to do with the fact that it is a relatively new discipline. It has not yet been practiced over an extended period of time, but mainly by visiting drama therapists from abroad. with the result that it is less accepted or understood by other professionals, who believe that drama therapy is a vehicle for clever techniques that, used over a short period of time, leave the client with no support for dealing with the new avenues that it opens up. Longterm therapy, which can be achieved through drama therapy, has yet to be acknowledged in Greece. Each drama therapy group has a separate aim, duration, and population, and has to be seen in conjunction with them all. From personal experience, I have found that “healthy” clients feel that the term “drama” is more applicable to them, whereas “therapy” is associated with clients who have a problem. In order to clarify these points I will describe the process of setting up two differing groups and the expectations of the participants.
is a teacher of the handicapped and is currently working in a vocational school for mentally handicapped
adolescents. She is also a drama therapist working at the Theatre and Therapy Ccntre in Athens.
I17
118
KATERINA COUROUCL~-ROBERTSON
Group A-Four Menrally Handicapped Adolescents (Duration Two Years-Meeting for One Hour a Week) The Greek educational system has greatly influenced the attitudes of parents and teachers toward the arts. The emphasis of the Greek educational system has been and still is on scholastic achievement. Anything extraneous to this is regarded as leisure and, therefore, an activity of lesser importance. My initial aim in setting up this group was to develop creative expression, which would help the adolescents to develop their imagination and artistic talents. However, I found little response from parents, who did not consider it to be a worthwhile activity. instead, I was asked to form a group that would help their children overcome specific problems: phobias. temper tantrums, and other behavioral problems. Therefore, I decided that the aim of the group should focus on the development of the social and personal identity of each member, which would help them achieve greater independence and reduce friction in the family. The parents expected their children’s behavior to change immediately and I had difficulty in helping them to understand that any change in pcrsonal behavior was a long process that would invoivc them as well as the therapist. Group B-Foundution Group f&r Eight Druma Therupy Studenrs (L&r&on 30 Sessiuns) Therapy of any kind in Greece is often regarded as applicable only to the sick. A healthy person seeking therapy is considered suspect and could be stigmatized. As a result, there is a plethora of young people seeking education in the healing skills ostensibly for professional reasons, whereas in fact they are doing it for personal reasons. This subject is vast; however, 1 will approach it only as far as our students are affected by it. Each one of us has his or her own personal reasons for choosing a healing profession and often we are not aware of the depth and effect these have on us. We are not interested here in each individual’s needs, but only in the effect of these needs on his or her work. Bach person has a vulnerability that is easily brought to the surface during arts therapy training. Therefore, the educators are obliged to take into account each student’s personal development and health as well as his or her suitability for the profession. Group B is not a specific group but more a synop sis of my experience in working with foundation year
students. Often, members begin with misapprehensions about the true objectives of the group; they are under the impression that they have come to learn skills alone, and when the group process begins to affect them on a more personal level they are apt to become apprehensive, insecure, and show anger toward the leader: In order for this kind of group to achieve its aims, very thorough screening beforehand has to take place and, during the process, the aims and the boundaries of the group need to be made clear. Whatever the aim of each specific group, the term “drama therapy” must be regarded as a whole, with each component taking on equal importance. As professionals, we need to make clear to our clients that we believe dramatic expression is therapeutic and is equally applicable to healthy clients as to those with problems. The Greek Association of Theatre and Therapy (GATT) GATT was founded by a body of 27 people. It has a committee that is elected every two years and providcs drama therapy training supervised by the Institute of Drama Therapy, which also grants diplomas recognized by the The British Association for Drama Therapists. In September 1990 GATT started a fouryear play therapy education, also in collaboration with the institute. Entry Criteria to the Drama Therapy program Applicants are expected to have a degree in an appropriate subject, such as drama and theatre studies, psychology, social studies or a professional quaiitication. such as occupational therapy or psychiatric nursing. Additionally, they are required to have experience in both drama/theatre and the health or social services or education. Special entry: Applications are considered from individuals not included in the above who can demonstrate extended experience and who are prepared to unde~~e additional training where required. Educational Program Our total training covers four years. During the foundation year the students follow a weekly drama therapy group, plus a fonnightiy lecture and. at the end of this period, submit a written essay of one thousand words. Throughout this year the students
CULTURAL DIFFEXENCES AND SIMILARTTLES IN DRAMA THERAPY will be assessed and, after presenting their essay, curriculum vita, and two references, they can make an application to enter the Diploma Course. Part of this application will include an interview with the course leaders. Training course structure and content: The course is taught in two four-hour blocks weekly (through closed groups, lectures, seminars, tutorials, and supervision) with theatre workshops, plus a drama therapy assessment group on Saturdays once a month, and international and special seminars on weekends six times a year. In our new educational scheme, we have placed more emphasis on theatre training because we feel that it was given second place previously. We believe it to be of equal importance to other aspects of training in drama ttterapy. The subject matter of the course consists of the following:
Drama therapy:
144 hours
International Seminars 3 X 12 hours per year Raster School over 3 days-20
6Ohours
hours Methodology and Theory with Dr.
27 hours
Sue Jennings (Director of the Institute of Drama Therapy in London) or other staff Tutorials and Supervision 64 hours
192 hours
per year Practice Gruups Year 2
15 hours
Year 3
30 hours
Year 4
45 hours
Theatre Work on Psychiatric Cases Year 4-2
hours
32 hours
per fonnight Cumpli~nt~
192 huurs
Experience in
Work Situation in Professional Capacity 2 hours per week Assessed Drama Therapy Group
I
48 hours
monthly X 2 years Drama and Thea&e:
Theory and Theatre 2 hours per
64 hours
fortnight Theatre Workshops 4 hours a
64 hours
month Special Studies-3rd
Year
SO hours
Performance 4th Year
50 hours
Performance Theatm Production in Co~uni~
50 hours
4th Year Theatre Going-10
hours a year
30 hours
Penonal Development: Closed Drama Therapy Group
I45 hours
a week
160hours
119
Theories of Individuals and TreatmenUTheories of Gruups and T~a~n~Ev~~ti~ Assessment-2
and
hours weekly X 2 years
Special Seminam-ii
128 hours
Thea&e and Related Areas
(Le., nondrama therapy) Vivas 2 hours per year
I X
12 hours per year
Mhours 6 hours
Total hours 1.423
PracticeGroups
Each student needs to conduct drama therapy groups, which are supervised and clinically monitored. Three of these groups are presented in the form of written reports for assessment. One group must be a health module based on creative drama. The final group is of a year’s duration and process-based. Students may present one report based on work with an individual and one may be co-led. One group must be with client population other than the work setting. Description of GATT Students’ Practice Group at the Dafni State Mental Hospital The Dafni State Mental Hospital is the biggest mental institute in Greece. Most of the inmates are completely institutionalized and have been there for many years. In February 1990, GATT was offered, for three months, five pilot places at Dafni with psychotic women, adolescents of both sexes, becoming thus the only qualified body ever to intervene at Dafni as drama therapists. Three groups were formed, of which two catered to psychotic women (led by four third-year drama therapy students) and the third was for psychotic adolescents (led by a drama therapy student in her last year). What came to be called the “Dafni Project” began with a theatre performance given by the leaders of the groups formed, as well as many more GATT members. The performance was open only to inmates and staff. This was the first time that the two sides ever shared any activity, and one of the aims of the three groups (which included at least one staff member) was the cooperation between staff and inmates. After this performance, the inmates were asked if they would like to become part of groups that did similar activities, and they had the opportunity to talk to their prospective leaders. The performance was based on a Greek fairy tale, “The Poor Girl and the King.” This fairy tale concentrates on some basic aspects of the female: marriage, pregnancy, and motherhood. Each of these as-
I20
KATERJNA
COUROUCLI-ROBERTSON
pects is undermined by faisity, and their fulfillment is achieved through an individuation of opposites. There are also the themes of gossip and lies and transformation. The last is achieved by the girl’s four fates, who personify her psyche. The participants were divided into three groups, and all these themes were worked through.
This consisted of psychotic patients, six members (one of whom was nursing staff) plus two women leaders meeting once a week for one and a half hours-15 sessions. This group was basically experiential, as it quickly became obvious that they had great dif~culty in playing on any level at all, and two of the members could not communicate except monosyllabically on very practical. concrete matters. Over the period of the group, a sense of trust and security developed. and the members began to express themselves more freely and creatively-using drawing, movement, and musical instruments, games, theatre games. masks, stories, and myths. By the last scssions, mcmbcrs were able to take on roles and act out stories, albeit on a fairly limited fcvel. Group 2 (nine p~wplc) This consisted of six psychotic women and one psychiatrist, one woman leader and one man leader. They met once a week for one and a half hours for 16 sessions. The six women had been abandoned by their families and had had no contact with the outside world. The general aim of this group was to help them accept their isolation and come to terms with the fact that they would bc there for life. A recurring theme had to do with survival. Group 3 (ten people]
This group consisted of what are referred to at Dafni as psychotic adolescents, but who are in fact between the ages of 20 and 30 years, and have been there since childhood. The members were three women and four men, plus a psychiat~st and a teacher who attended more or less alternatively as members of the group. plus one woman leader. In beginning this group, very basic concepts had to be learned by the members: for instance, forming a circle, being able to carry out simple instructions, and forming a concept of time A lot of work was done with body and voice. Initially, the members had to be
shown by the staff how to carry out the instructions. They were not even able to present their names. They matured a great deal during the process, to the extent that they were able to bring forward personal themes they wanted to work on: for example, returning home. The staff no longer needed to play such an active role. Conclusion These examples briefly outline the kind of work our trainees did with very disturbed clients. They also show the importance of an open theatre performance as an approach to this kind of work. This event allowed introductions to be made both with the inmates and the staff in a far more humane and less threatening manner. It also gave an emphasis to the beginning of the work, which enabled the inmates to feel the difference from their everyday timetable. Another very important fact was the participation of the staff members in these groups, which gave them the opportunity to see the inmates in a different light. The drama therapy groups operated until the end of June 199 1. An indication of their success lies in Dafni’s wish to continue its c~~ration with GATT as well as to establish a permanent position of a GATT therapist on its staff.
Practice Group at St. Andrews
Kalamaki
St. Andrcws of Kalamaki is a state-run institution for abused and neglected children, which also has an external prog~m serving the community by providing after-school care and activities like dance, music. and gymnastics for children with working parents. Groups were held both for children who were boarders and for the caregivers of those children. The children ranged in age from 3 to 7. and were divided into three groups with six, five, and five members, respectively, based on age and psych~ynamics. The groups met weekly for an hour for the older children and half an hour for the younger. The main goal of these groups was to develop creative expression through games, theatre games, and fairy tales, and to offer the children a space and a structure within which they could express themselves. Some themes explored were: movement and stillness; animals; the circus; journeys-to the seaside, to the park-happiness and sadness; transformations-eggs to chicks, caterpillars to butterflies; monsters; the search for the life-giving herb; explorers; houses and shelters; “The Frog Prince”; “Oseo.” One group of nine members was held for caregivers of these children. Because they are working under
CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES
AND SIMILARITIES
stress for much of the time, it is important that they have a time and space in which to play, explore, and develop their creativity so that they have added resources with which to deal with their everyday situations. This group was able to establish closer reiationships by working together on different levelsthrough myth, mask, theatre games, stories, drawing, and movement.
IN DRAMA THERAPY
121
allowing the trainees to continue exercising their profession and also giving them the time to absorb the drama therapy theory, and to develop as future practitioners. If the program is modularized, the hours of each module and number of modules could be universally agreed upon.
Supervision Conclusion It is often necessary, but not always possibfe. to provide such groups for the staff of an institution in order to help them with their personal needs. In the above example, this was achieved, with the result that the staff felt a new lease on fife in dealing with their work, which in turn was reflected in the children’s behavior. Recommendations Based on My Experience Therapist With GATT
as a
The recognition of dmma therapy practice varies from country to country and it is not always clear at what scale professionally a drama therapist is placed. This is not only due to the novelty of the profession but also to the diffcrcnt educational standards that exist bctwcen and within these countries. In order for drama therapy as a profession to have equal status within all European countries, t suggest that all courses leading to the Diploma in Drama Therapy should include the following features, which 1 have found important in my experience as a trainee and therapist. Entry Criteriu Prospective trainees shoufd be professionals in their own right (from either the thcatre world or the caring professions, in&ding educators, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc.), as this will help to ensure that they have already had experience working closely with people and have reached the maturity required to become therapists. Durution of Educarional Number of Morales
Program or Minimum
Ideally, drama therapy education should be taught on a part-time basis over a period of four years, thus
While a trainee is doing his or her practice group, he or she should be supervised by the training center at least fo~nightly. This supervision should begin before the commencement of each group in order to help trainees set them up and should continue after the group is over so as to help the trainees assess their work and write their report.
Cfoseci Drama Therapy Developmeni
Group
This should take place for the duration of two years, at the end of which each member together with the leader will decide whcthcr he or she is ready to terminate. This group will not provide treatment, but the therapeutic work done will be undertaken in rcla(ion to the requirements of the educational program. This group is important so that the trainees may experience the long-term effects of drama therapy on a regufar basis, which will enable them later to run such groups themselves. Finally, I believe it is important for all the arts therapies to have a certain level of education and some common denominators so that validation of the arts therapies as a recognized profession can become possible in the near future. Although theatre has its ancient history in Greece, a developed concept of drama therapy is still relatively recent. However, it is an advantage in Greece that theatre in its ancient roots had a healing function and, therefore, is more readily understood by contemporary Greek artists and clinicians. Drama therapy, being a relatively new concept here, has had difficulty getting established, but we believe that with a sound educational program and strict criteria for entering and completing the course, we are on the way to getting our Society recognized and drama and play therapy as concepts accepted and valued.
01974556/9?
1992 Copyright 0
fS.OO + .oo
1992 Pergamon Press Ltd.
CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES IN DRAMA THERAPY
KATERINA
COUROUCLI-ROBERTSON.
The Greek Association of Iheatre and Therapy (GATT), of which I was a founder member, was established as a professional organization to promote the teaching and practice of drama therapy and play therapy in Greece. Although initiated by similar programs in the UK, it is now developing a Greek idcntity. responding to the needs of Greek culture. In this paper I will try to give some idea of what this identity is. how our educational program has devclopcd. and how drama therapy is practiced at present. The term “drama therapy” consists of two Greek words-&umu from the word @xv meaning “to do, art of expression by acting,” and therapy from the Greek Bcpaneia, meaning “service. medical treatment.” Thus, for a Greek. drama therapy immcdiatcly conjures up specific notions in his or her mind, irrespective of what drama therapy actually means in practice. In English, the word “therapy” tends to be associated with the curing or treatment of mental disorder, whereas the Greek work &paneia (therapy) means the curing or treatment of all disorders, both physical and mental. It is important to understand this, I believe, in order to understand the attitude of the Greek people, both professional and otherwise, toward drama therapy. Theatre has always played a very important part in Greek culture and society. The beneficial effects on the psyche of theatrical performance was a recognized part of ancient Greek theatre and is still accepted as such. Today there are two meanings given to the word “drama”: (a) a theatrical play with a tragic theme, and (b) a tragic happening. Because of this connotation, for clients who do not know English, the
lKaterina Couroucli-Robertson
DipSpecEd,
Dram.Dip.*
term drama therapy is translated into Greek as theatre therapy. In English, “drama,” linked with the word “therspy”-a healing process-forms the term drama therapy and takes on a much wider meaning. The practice of drama therapy is based on the fact that dramatic expression is. of its own, therapeutic. Through enactmcnt, life is seen from a different perspective, resulting in clarification. Dramatizing may involve similar cxpericnces to those of real lift but, with the distance that role-playing provides, the patient feels a scnsc of security. What I refer to as cultural differences in attitude toward drama therapy in Greece may have to do with the fact that it is a relatively new discipline. It has not yet been practiced over an extended period of time, but mainly by visiting drama therapists from abroad. with the result that it is less accepted or understood by other professionals, who believe that drama therapy is a vehicle for clever techniques that, used over a short period of time, leave the client with no support for dealing with the new avenues that it opens up. Longterm therapy, which can be achieved through drama therapy, has yet to be acknowledged in Greece. Each drama therapy group has a separate aim, duration, and population, and has to be seen in conjunction with them all. From personal experience, I have found that “healthy” clients feel that the term “drama” is more applicable to them, whereas “therapy” is associated with clients who have a problem. In order to clarify these points I will describe the process of setting up two differing groups and the expectations of the participants.
is a teacher of the handicapped and is currently working in a vocational school for mentally handicapped
adolescents. She is also a drama therapist working at the Theatre and Therapy Ccntre in Athens.
I17
118
KATERINA COUROUCL~-ROBERTSON
Group A-Four Menrally Handicapped Adolescents (Duration Two Years-Meeting for One Hour a Week) The Greek educational system has greatly influenced the attitudes of parents and teachers toward the arts. The emphasis of the Greek educational system has been and still is on scholastic achievement. Anything extraneous to this is regarded as leisure and, therefore, an activity of lesser importance. My initial aim in setting up this group was to develop creative expression, which would help the adolescents to develop their imagination and artistic talents. However, I found little response from parents, who did not consider it to be a worthwhile activity. instead, I was asked to form a group that would help their children overcome specific problems: phobias. temper tantrums, and other behavioral problems. Therefore, I decided that the aim of the group should focus on the development of the social and personal identity of each member, which would help them achieve greater independence and reduce friction in the family. The parents expected their children’s behavior to change immediately and I had difficulty in helping them to understand that any change in pcrsonal behavior was a long process that would invoivc them as well as the therapist. Group B-Foundution Group f&r Eight Druma Therupy Studenrs (L&r&on 30 Sessiuns) Therapy of any kind in Greece is often regarded as applicable only to the sick. A healthy person seeking therapy is considered suspect and could be stigmatized. As a result, there is a plethora of young people seeking education in the healing skills ostensibly for professional reasons, whereas in fact they are doing it for personal reasons. This subject is vast; however, 1 will approach it only as far as our students are affected by it. Each one of us has his or her own personal reasons for choosing a healing profession and often we are not aware of the depth and effect these have on us. We are not interested here in each individual’s needs, but only in the effect of these needs on his or her work. Bach person has a vulnerability that is easily brought to the surface during arts therapy training. Therefore, the educators are obliged to take into account each student’s personal development and health as well as his or her suitability for the profession. Group B is not a specific group but more a synop sis of my experience in working with foundation year
students. Often, members begin with misapprehensions about the true objectives of the group; they are under the impression that they have come to learn skills alone, and when the group process begins to affect them on a more personal level they are apt to become apprehensive, insecure, and show anger toward the leader: In order for this kind of group to achieve its aims, very thorough screening beforehand has to take place and, during the process, the aims and the boundaries of the group need to be made clear. Whatever the aim of each specific group, the term “drama therapy” must be regarded as a whole, with each component taking on equal importance. As professionals, we need to make clear to our clients that we believe dramatic expression is therapeutic and is equally applicable to healthy clients as to those with problems. The Greek Association of Theatre and Therapy (GATT) GATT was founded by a body of 27 people. It has a committee that is elected every two years and providcs drama therapy training supervised by the Institute of Drama Therapy, which also grants diplomas recognized by the The British Association for Drama Therapists. In September 1990 GATT started a fouryear play therapy education, also in collaboration with the institute. Entry Criteria to the Drama Therapy program Applicants are expected to have a degree in an appropriate subject, such as drama and theatre studies, psychology, social studies or a professional quaiitication. such as occupational therapy or psychiatric nursing. Additionally, they are required to have experience in both drama/theatre and the health or social services or education. Special entry: Applications are considered from individuals not included in the above who can demonstrate extended experience and who are prepared to unde~~e additional training where required. Educational Program Our total training covers four years. During the foundation year the students follow a weekly drama therapy group, plus a fonnightiy lecture and. at the end of this period, submit a written essay of one thousand words. Throughout this year the students
CULTURAL DIFFEXENCES AND SIMILARTTLES IN DRAMA THERAPY will be assessed and, after presenting their essay, curriculum vita, and two references, they can make an application to enter the Diploma Course. Part of this application will include an interview with the course leaders. Training course structure and content: The course is taught in two four-hour blocks weekly (through closed groups, lectures, seminars, tutorials, and supervision) with theatre workshops, plus a drama therapy assessment group on Saturdays once a month, and international and special seminars on weekends six times a year. In our new educational scheme, we have placed more emphasis on theatre training because we feel that it was given second place previously. We believe it to be of equal importance to other aspects of training in drama ttterapy. The subject matter of the course consists of the following:
Drama therapy:
144 hours
International Seminars 3 X 12 hours per year Raster School over 3 days-20
6Ohours
hours Methodology and Theory with Dr.
27 hours
Sue Jennings (Director of the Institute of Drama Therapy in London) or other staff Tutorials and Supervision 64 hours
192 hours
per year Practice Gruups Year 2
15 hours
Year 3
30 hours
Year 4
45 hours
Theatre Work on Psychiatric Cases Year 4-2
hours
32 hours
per fonnight Cumpli~nt~
192 huurs
Experience in
Work Situation in Professional Capacity 2 hours per week Assessed Drama Therapy Group
I
48 hours
monthly X 2 years Drama and Thea&e:
Theory and Theatre 2 hours per
64 hours
fortnight Theatre Workshops 4 hours a
64 hours
month Special Studies-3rd
Year
SO hours
Performance 4th Year
50 hours
Performance Theatm Production in Co~uni~
50 hours
4th Year Theatre Going-10
hours a year
30 hours
Penonal Development: Closed Drama Therapy Group
I45 hours
a week
160hours
119
Theories of Individuals and TreatmenUTheories of Gruups and T~a~n~Ev~~ti~ Assessment-2
and
hours weekly X 2 years
Special Seminam-ii
128 hours
Thea&e and Related Areas
(Le., nondrama therapy) Vivas 2 hours per year
I X
12 hours per year
Mhours 6 hours
Total hours 1.423
PracticeGroups
Each student needs to conduct drama therapy groups, which are supervised and clinically monitored. Three of these groups are presented in the form of written reports for assessment. One group must be a health module based on creative drama. The final group is of a year’s duration and process-based. Students may present one report based on work with an individual and one may be co-led. One group must be with client population other than the work setting. Description of GATT Students’ Practice Group at the Dafni State Mental Hospital The Dafni State Mental Hospital is the biggest mental institute in Greece. Most of the inmates are completely institutionalized and have been there for many years. In February 1990, GATT was offered, for three months, five pilot places at Dafni with psychotic women, adolescents of both sexes, becoming thus the only qualified body ever to intervene at Dafni as drama therapists. Three groups were formed, of which two catered to psychotic women (led by four third-year drama therapy students) and the third was for psychotic adolescents (led by a drama therapy student in her last year). What came to be called the “Dafni Project” began with a theatre performance given by the leaders of the groups formed, as well as many more GATT members. The performance was open only to inmates and staff. This was the first time that the two sides ever shared any activity, and one of the aims of the three groups (which included at least one staff member) was the cooperation between staff and inmates. After this performance, the inmates were asked if they would like to become part of groups that did similar activities, and they had the opportunity to talk to their prospective leaders. The performance was based on a Greek fairy tale, “The Poor Girl and the King.” This fairy tale concentrates on some basic aspects of the female: marriage, pregnancy, and motherhood. Each of these as-
I20
KATERJNA
COUROUCLI-ROBERTSON
pects is undermined by faisity, and their fulfillment is achieved through an individuation of opposites. There are also the themes of gossip and lies and transformation. The last is achieved by the girl’s four fates, who personify her psyche. The participants were divided into three groups, and all these themes were worked through.
This consisted of psychotic patients, six members (one of whom was nursing staff) plus two women leaders meeting once a week for one and a half hours-15 sessions. This group was basically experiential, as it quickly became obvious that they had great dif~culty in playing on any level at all, and two of the members could not communicate except monosyllabically on very practical. concrete matters. Over the period of the group, a sense of trust and security developed. and the members began to express themselves more freely and creatively-using drawing, movement, and musical instruments, games, theatre games. masks, stories, and myths. By the last scssions, mcmbcrs were able to take on roles and act out stories, albeit on a fairly limited fcvel. Group 2 (nine p~wplc) This consisted of six psychotic women and one psychiatrist, one woman leader and one man leader. They met once a week for one and a half hours for 16 sessions. The six women had been abandoned by their families and had had no contact with the outside world. The general aim of this group was to help them accept their isolation and come to terms with the fact that they would bc there for life. A recurring theme had to do with survival. Group 3 (ten people]
This group consisted of what are referred to at Dafni as psychotic adolescents, but who are in fact between the ages of 20 and 30 years, and have been there since childhood. The members were three women and four men, plus a psychiat~st and a teacher who attended more or less alternatively as members of the group. plus one woman leader. In beginning this group, very basic concepts had to be learned by the members: for instance, forming a circle, being able to carry out simple instructions, and forming a concept of time A lot of work was done with body and voice. Initially, the members had to be
shown by the staff how to carry out the instructions. They were not even able to present their names. They matured a great deal during the process, to the extent that they were able to bring forward personal themes they wanted to work on: for example, returning home. The staff no longer needed to play such an active role. Conclusion These examples briefly outline the kind of work our trainees did with very disturbed clients. They also show the importance of an open theatre performance as an approach to this kind of work. This event allowed introductions to be made both with the inmates and the staff in a far more humane and less threatening manner. It also gave an emphasis to the beginning of the work, which enabled the inmates to feel the difference from their everyday timetable. Another very important fact was the participation of the staff members in these groups, which gave them the opportunity to see the inmates in a different light. The drama therapy groups operated until the end of June 199 1. An indication of their success lies in Dafni’s wish to continue its c~~ration with GATT as well as to establish a permanent position of a GATT therapist on its staff.
Practice Group at St. Andrews
Kalamaki
St. Andrcws of Kalamaki is a state-run institution for abused and neglected children, which also has an external prog~m serving the community by providing after-school care and activities like dance, music. and gymnastics for children with working parents. Groups were held both for children who were boarders and for the caregivers of those children. The children ranged in age from 3 to 7. and were divided into three groups with six, five, and five members, respectively, based on age and psych~ynamics. The groups met weekly for an hour for the older children and half an hour for the younger. The main goal of these groups was to develop creative expression through games, theatre games, and fairy tales, and to offer the children a space and a structure within which they could express themselves. Some themes explored were: movement and stillness; animals; the circus; journeys-to the seaside, to the park-happiness and sadness; transformations-eggs to chicks, caterpillars to butterflies; monsters; the search for the life-giving herb; explorers; houses and shelters; “The Frog Prince”; “Oseo.” One group of nine members was held for caregivers of these children. Because they are working under
CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES
AND SIMILARITIES
stress for much of the time, it is important that they have a time and space in which to play, explore, and develop their creativity so that they have added resources with which to deal with their everyday situations. This group was able to establish closer reiationships by working together on different levelsthrough myth, mask, theatre games, stories, drawing, and movement.
IN DRAMA THERAPY
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allowing the trainees to continue exercising their profession and also giving them the time to absorb the drama therapy theory, and to develop as future practitioners. If the program is modularized, the hours of each module and number of modules could be universally agreed upon.
Supervision Conclusion It is often necessary, but not always possibfe. to provide such groups for the staff of an institution in order to help them with their personal needs. In the above example, this was achieved, with the result that the staff felt a new lease on fife in dealing with their work, which in turn was reflected in the children’s behavior. Recommendations Based on My Experience Therapist With GATT
as a
The recognition of dmma therapy practice varies from country to country and it is not always clear at what scale professionally a drama therapist is placed. This is not only due to the novelty of the profession but also to the diffcrcnt educational standards that exist bctwcen and within these countries. In order for drama therapy as a profession to have equal status within all European countries, t suggest that all courses leading to the Diploma in Drama Therapy should include the following features, which 1 have found important in my experience as a trainee and therapist. Entry Criteriu Prospective trainees shoufd be professionals in their own right (from either the thcatre world or the caring professions, in&ding educators, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, etc.), as this will help to ensure that they have already had experience working closely with people and have reached the maturity required to become therapists. Durution of Educarional Number of Morales
Program or Minimum
Ideally, drama therapy education should be taught on a part-time basis over a period of four years, thus
While a trainee is doing his or her practice group, he or she should be supervised by the training center at least fo~nightly. This supervision should begin before the commencement of each group in order to help trainees set them up and should continue after the group is over so as to help the trainees assess their work and write their report.
Cfoseci Drama Therapy Developmeni
Group
This should take place for the duration of two years, at the end of which each member together with the leader will decide whcthcr he or she is ready to terminate. This group will not provide treatment, but the therapeutic work done will be undertaken in rcla(ion to the requirements of the educational program. This group is important so that the trainees may experience the long-term effects of drama therapy on a regufar basis, which will enable them later to run such groups themselves. Finally, I believe it is important for all the arts therapies to have a certain level of education and some common denominators so that validation of the arts therapies as a recognized profession can become possible in the near future. Although theatre has its ancient history in Greece, a developed concept of drama therapy is still relatively recent. However, it is an advantage in Greece that theatre in its ancient roots had a healing function and, therefore, is more readily understood by contemporary Greek artists and clinicians. Drama therapy, being a relatively new concept here, has had difficulty getting established, but we believe that with a sound educational program and strict criteria for entering and completing the course, we are on the way to getting our Society recognized and drama and play therapy as concepts accepted and valued.