Focus On Psychodrama

This textbook is for all students and practioners of psychodrama and drama, and professionals seeking to extend their knowledge of creative arts therapies. The author provides a comprehensive overview of the theory and practice of psychodrama, presenting a systematic analysis of its essential therapeutic ingredients. He specifies the core issues involved, discussing the interpersonal, the emotional, the imaginary, the behavioural and the cognitive elements. The book examines the professional roles assumed by psychodramatists and establishes the skills required in each role. Explored is the use of the concept of acting out, both in psychodrama and psychoanalysis, and the author also discusses the problem of resistance, and the importance of the concept and technique of closure in each psychodrama. A processing checklist is added at the end of the book as a systematic aid in evaluating the professional skills of the psychodramatist. The chapters are both pragmatic and solidly grounded in theory, thereby providing students with an effective, in-depth alternative to the traditional verbal therapies.

This handbook is a comprehensive introduction, using first-hand accounts of psychodrama sessions. The contributors vividly illustrate the contribution dramatic improvisation can make to emotional health.

Psychodrama: Advances in Theory and Practice provides a comprehensive overview of developments in the theory and practice of psychodrama, integrating different psychodramatic schools of thought. Psychodrama is one of the pioneering approaches of psychotherapy and is practised by thousands of practitioners and in most countries of the world. The editors of this volume bring together contributions from Europe, South America, Australia, Israel and the USA to explain and explore recent innovations. They look at how psychodrama has contributed to the development of psychotherapy, introducing concepts that have had a profound influence on other therapies. These include concepts such as role theory, the encounter, the co-unconscious, the social atom, sociometry, action research, group psychotherapy, the cycle of spontaneity and creativity, role play and many related concepts and techniques. This book will be of great interest to all students, practitioners and trainers in the field of psychodrama. It will also appeal to professionals and students in the related fields of psychotherapy, counselling, psychology and psychiatry.

One-to-One Psychodrama Psychotherapy: Applications and Technique will be an invaluable resource and manual to the field for those training in or practising psychodrama psychotherapy in a one-to-one frame. This book brings together for the first time current thinking and practice, developed and refined at the London Centre for Psychodrama Group and Individual Psychotherapy. Divided in two parts, this book provides a comprehensive background to the field and an exploration of the theory and techniques discussed, drawing upon the experience of practitioners in their one-to-one practice. Case studies are presented and discussed across diverse issues, such as anxiety, bereavement, shame, eating disorders, dissociative identity disorder, multi-agency work with children and brief interventions within an organisational setting. One-to-One Psychodrama Psychotherapy will appeal to all experienced practitioners as well as those wishing to work with psychodrama psychotherapy on an individual basis.

Contemporary Psychodrama weaves together psychodrama and psychoanalysis with illustrative clinical examples, whilst preserving the essence of psychodramatic philosophy and methodology. Previously unavailable in the English language, this book presents José Fonseca's diverse new approaches to psychodrama together with a blending of theories. The book is divided into clear sections, covering: * new approaches to psychodrama theory * new approaches to psychodrama technique * psychodrama and sexuality * the past and future of psychodrama. Fonseca's innovative ideas include the adaptation of techniques originally intended for groups to individual psychodramatic psychotherapy. He distinguishes between not only the normal and the mentally ill but the normal and the optimal, and presents a detailed developmental psychology, inspired by Moreno and Buber, but clearly influenced by object relations theory. Contemporary Psychodrama presents the original concepts of a leading light of the Brazilian psychodrama movement that will be of great benefit to all professionals working with psychodrama. José Fonseca, M.D., Ph.D., was one of the pioneers of the psychodramatic movement in Brazil and a founder of the Brazilian federation of psychodrama. He has published two books in Brazil, Psychodrama of Madness and Relationship Psychotherapy.

In a world where natural, social and political disasters are a daily reality, the therapist is increasingly called upon to find rapid and effective methods of treating the survivors of trauma, including sexual abuse, torture, war-related trauma, addiction, depression and bereavement. The contributors to this book provide persuasive evidence of how psychodrama can safely be used to create paths of change for even the most severe traumatization and they also discuss the possible transmission of trauma patterns across generations. Research following World War II, neurobiological studies and other recent research into PTSD has shown that many trauma symptoms are unconscious, non-verbal, right-brained experiences which cannot be accessed through talk therapy. Psychodrama creates a place to act out unprocessed trauma within the containment of therapy, in order to stop the obsessive repetition of the past.Psychodrama with Trauma Survivors documents the impact of trauma and explores the development of treatment, providing integrated models of experiential treatment for clinicians to use. It is an invaluable resource for those interested in psychodrama and those working with trauma survivors.

This open access book outlines the intersections between social work and the methods of sociometry and psychodrama. Different sections offer essential practice wisdom for both trauma-focused and trauma-informed experiential work for individuals, groups, organizations, and communities. This text enriches the understanding of various action-based approaches and highlights how to enliven social work practice. The chapters include clinical vignettes and examples of structured sociometric prompts with diverse populations, topics, and social work settings to enhance the understanding of group practice, individual practice, and community practice. It provides social workers and other professionals with dynamic tools to improve assessment, intervention, activism, and leadership. Strength-based practical tools are offered to readers, along with guidance for theoretical conceptualizations. This integrative book is an essential read for students, practitioners, leaders, and scholars within the fields of social work, psychodrama, the creative art therapies, group therapy, community organizing, and social activism.

This book offers a comprehensive guide to psychodrama, including the underlying philosophy, methodology, theory and applications. Taking readers through the process of staging a psychodrama session, from the contracting phase, exploration and enactment to closure and integration, the book also presents brief short examples to illustrate how to choose the best methodological approach for any context, and describes in detail the various psychodrama techniques and their application in practice, with indications, contraindications, typical pitfalls and FAQs. The book demonstrates that psychodrama is not merely a collection of methods and techniques and that the potential of psychodrama cannot be fully utilized without an in-depth knowledge of its conceptual foundations. With examples from a range of practices, it shows the broad applicability of psychodrama in therapeutic and non-therapeutic contexts alike, e.g. in educational contexts (school and adult education), social work, organization development, coaching and many other fields. This easy-to-read book uses jargon-free language and will appeal to psychotherapy researchers and practitioners, as well as non-therapeutic professionals like human resource consultants and life coaches. This is a translated and revised edition of the best-selling German book Psychodrama: Grundlagen (Springer, 2014, 3rd edition).