Completed Master Theses in Drama Therapy
New York University
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Burch, Darci (2015) The Space Between Us All: The Performance of Dissociation in the
Drama Therapy Relationship
Abstract: This study explores the phenomenon of dissociation and its appearance
and effect in the clinical treatment space. Review of relevant literature shows that
this phenomenon is underrepresented in drama therapy research, as well as highly
debated in regards to presentation, severity, and definition within other mental
health fields. This project includes interviews with clinicians around their
experience and understanding of dissociation in the treatment space. These
interviews were crafted into an ethnodramatic script that was used for
performance in order to understand dissociation and its impact on the therapeutic
relationship. This data is analyzed and discussed to better understand the
presentation of dissociation from both the client and the therapist. This thesis
finds that dissociation by therapist and client are common in the treatment space;
performance of dissociation may assist clinicians in their understanding of the
phenomenon, their client’s experience, and their own experience of dissociation;
and drama therapists may benefit from community dialogue and additional
training on dissociation to reduce stigma, shame, and denial.
Keywords: dissociation, ethnodrama, ethnotheatre, performance enquiry, artsbased research, drama therapy, intersubjective space
DeAngelis, Jon (2015) Director Says to the Therapist…: Dialoguing a Therapeutic
Theatre Performance Through Multiple Roles
Abstract: Therapeutic theater is a broad and evolving form of drama therapy that
includes many methods, approaches and styles. Its intentions and purposes are
firmly rooted in drama therapy while its frame, model of aesthetics, and practice
are descended from ritualistic ceremonies and theatre that have existed for
millennia. As an interdisciplinary approach to healing through community
activity, therapeutic theatre provides a rich and abundant variety of options to
achieve its goals. Through art-based research, this paper investigates the
therapeutic value of one such performance, a play based on the authorresearcher’s traumatic experience. Using narrative inquiry, along with
constructivist theoretical models of role theory as applied by Robert Landy, and
the dialogical self theory of Hermans, the author-researcher presents narrative
restorying through his multiple roles, having been client-survivor, the studenttherapist, director of the play, and witness. The research shows how these roles
alternately conflicted and synchronized, and dynamically interrelated in
humorous, heartbreaking, and reflective ways, always coming from a place of
creativity and renewal. Believing that all participants of therapeutic theatre
performance are to be held within the goals of safety, growth and change, clients
of all types, then, can assume any role under appropriate guidance for a
therapeutic experience. The application of this research will be useful to those
who wish to put this idea into practice.
Hilt, Lisa (2015). I Don’t Feel Naked: Utilizing Drama Therapy Supervision to Explore
the Influence of Client Clothing on Countertransference
Abstract: This paper explores the effects of patient clothing on the
countertransference of an emerging drama therapist. This phenomenon was
researched through the identification of patient roles based on their clothing. Once
roles were identified, a creative clinical supervision took place utilizing drama
therapy techniques. The emerging drama therapist embodied each role through
role-playing and then reflected on the experience in role as the clinician. The
creative supervision process was documented through photography. The photos
were then displayed to communicate the data through arts based research. This
study shows the effect of a clinician enroling as patient on the increased
awareness of the clinician’s countertransference and expansion of patient
understanding.
Jen, Wanning (2015) Role profiles for Taiwanese students
Abstract: This research focuses on the role profiles associated with Taiwanese
international students while acculturating in the United States. Utilizing a role
card sort, 26 Taiwanese students sorted out 58 role cards into four categories: This
is who I am, This is who can help me, This is who I want to be, This is who gets
in my way. Based on role theory (Landy, 1993) and acculturation framework
(Berry, 1997) this research indicates that the salient roles are: perfectionist (This
is who I am), ignorant person (This is who gets in my way) under separation
strategy. Separation strategy denotes an acculturative behavior in which
Taiwanese international students are only interested in maintaining their
Taiwanese cultural identity and refrain from contact with American culture. On
the other hand, the salient roles under integration strategy are free person (This is
who I want to be), and critic (This is who can help me). Unlike separation
strategy, integration strategy refers to Taiwanese students who are interested in
contact with both American and Taiwanese culture.
Kaynan, Barbara (2015) Clinician as Director: Facilitating intersections of therapy and
theatre in drama therapy
Abstract: This phenomenological study is aimed at illuminating the experience of
clinician as director of therapeutic theatre in the drama therapy treatment setting.
Interviews with drama therapists and applied theatre artists revealed in-depth
considerations of the director’s role, function, relationships, responsibilities, and
axiological approach.
Lee, Katherine (2015) Drama Therapy and Attachment Theory in Dialogue: The
Countertransferential Experience of Surrogacy in the Treatment Space
Abstract: The author investigates the interplay between drama therapy and
attachment theory. She presents a literature review of current research in the fields
of attachment theory, early trauma, and creative arts therapies. Through narrative
and arts-based inquiry approaches, she examines her countertransferential
experiences working with children and families in an urban pediatric medical
hospital through the lenses of role theory and attachment theory. Her data consist
of personal journal entries and embodied role sorts which investigate the qualities
of secure, avoidant, ambivalent, and disorganized attachment styles, as well as the
role of the surrogate attachment figure. These data are examined for
commonalities, differences, themes, and narratives. The author synthesizes these
data to draw conclusions about the relevance of attachment theory to drama
therapy as well as the role of the clinician as a surrogate attachment figure.
Findings and directions for future research are explored.
Lee Soy, Natardia (2015). Illuminating Resistance in Adolescent Girls through a Drama
Therapy Performance
Abstract: A drama therapy performance elucidates the ethic of care that shapes
the roles that girls perform. The cultural conserve influences the ethic of care,
which shapes the roles that girls perform. This master’s thesis used therapeutic
theatre to examine the phenomenological experience of girls and women to
answer the question: How can a drama therapy performance illuminate the
authentic interpersonal connections among adolescent girls? The Master’s Thesis
performance used Lois Weaver’s The Long Table to invite the audience to
participate in a conversation about the voices of girls. In doing so, the
performance revealed that understanding the cultural conserve and using Landy’s
Role Method deepens the understanding of girls and the women they become for
the drama therapist.
Key words: role theory/role method, therapeutic theatre, drama therapy
performance, roles, authentic connections and ethic of care
Perryman, Ashley (2015) Like a Virgin: A Drama Therapy Exploration of the Role of
Virgin and its Subtypes
Abstract: This thesis will explore the role of the virgin and how people define
virginity and, consequently, sex. The topics of virginity and sex vary widely and
this thesis will explore different western perspectives around the topic. I will use
western plays involving virgin characters and use the data to subjectively assign
subtypes to the role of virgin. The subtypes along with its quality and function
allow for a deeper and greater understanding of the single role of virgin. The role
is experienced in many different ways and effects many different parts of our
lives. Lastly, I will explore how the use of this role in the clinical space can open
up significant dialogue with many different populations by addressing the
question how will the inclusion of the role of the virgin enhance Robert Landy’s
taxonomy of Roles?
Steklov, Nikolai (2015) Validity of a Card Sort Assessment Instrument in Drama
Therapy
Abstract: Role Profiles is a drama therapy tool developed by Robert Landy to
assess a client's personality structure. Role Profiles employs a card sorting task
and is based on Landy's Role Theory and Role Method of drama therapy. Role
Profiles has promise of being a versatile clinical assessment instrument with
applications in drama therapy treatment, research, and possibly in other mental
healthcare fields as well. However, Role Profiles has not been sufficiently
validated to modern scientific and clinical standards.
This mixed methods exploratory study attempts to measure the validity of Role
Profiles by using an analogous previously validated card sorting tool developed in
self psychology. For the purposes of measuring validity, an online IRB approved
custom card sort task was designed and administered to 100 participants selected
from the drama therapy mailing list register. Results of this research indicate that
Role Profiles may be a valid measure of personality structure and the role system
under certain conditions. In its current state, Role Profiles is most valid in
assessing individuals already familiar with drama therapy.
Results indicate that Role Profiles can change the way a person unfamiliar with
drama therapy thinks about themselves, potentially changing their personality
structure. As such, Role Profiles may be acting as a therapeutic intervention,
rather than as assessment instrument, for individuals unfamiliar with drama
therapy and Role Theory. The findings of this research suggest that Role Profiles
is a flexible and robust instrument, which may be adapted to function both as an
assessment instrument and as a clinical intervention, depending on the specific
population and the needs of the client.
Wade, Cameron (2015) From Whence I Came: Performing Change in an Addicted
Family System
Abstract: This paper synthesizes the processes and results of an art-based
research project that asked the question, how can the collaborative process of
making and performing a piece of,therapeutic theatre affect change in the
relationships among family members living with the trauma of addiction and
inform the praxis of drama therapy? The study focused on the researcher’s lived
experience of the interpersonal and intrapersonal dynamics of familial
relationships in a system impacted by addiction which is understood in this
context as a collective experience of trauma. Through autoethnographic
examination of the ways addiction shaped her family system, the researcher aimed
to record and analyze the relational shifts which occurred throughout the course of
the study in the process of theatre-making and performance. An additional goal of
this paper will be to highlight the connections between this study and current
drama therapy theories and approaches and discuss implications for further
research and future practice.
Brathwaite, Karline (2014). ‘Come leh we play mas!: An Exploration of Drama
Therapy and TrinYesdian Carnival
Abstract : The study is informed by the need for cross cultural sensitivity and
awareness in the practice of Drama Therapy. The author explores one way in
which Drama Therapy can be culturally relevant and responsive to diverse
populations in which it may be situated. Trinidad and Tobago is a West Indian
society in which mental illness and accessing therapy are stigmatized. Mental
illnesses are not regarded differently from medical diseases and are rationalized in
ways influenced by the interplay of religious/spiritual ideologies and the folklore
of the island. When juxtaposed with the metropolitan philosophies and values
related to mental health in the United States of America, the direct imposition of
Drama Therapy can be problematic. As such this study identified the Trinidadian
Carnival as a bridge to an understanding of Drama Therapy within the context of
this West Indian Society. As a phenomenological study, the author questions in
what ways Drama therapy can inform a therapeutic understanding of Trinidadian
Carnival. Through the deconstruction of the Carnival and meta-analysis of
literature in the fields of Drama Therapy and Performance Studies, the author has
identified the performative nature of Mas as a substantial area for further analysis
that can inform the therapeutic use of theatrical performance in Drama Therapy.
More specifically, a deconstruction of the performance of traditional Carnival
characters can facilitate an understanding of the therapeutic use of role play and
the utility of Role Theory as a therapeutic framework to the conceptualization of
Mental Health and Wellness.
Clay, Ida (2104). New Perspective: Drama Therapy and the Stages of Change Model in
Recovery from Addictions
Abstract: This thesis looks at the therapeutic value of utilizing performancebased inquiry though arts based research to connect one’s personal story of
healing to the five stage recovery model of addiction. The literature review begins
by first looking at Transtheoretical Model of Change, which contains the five
stages of change for recovery. A close look is taken into the links between trauma
and addiction, along with information on recovery through the use of Alcoholics
Anonymous. Motivational Interviewing connected to change in relation to other
approaches used in the performance are discussed. Drama therapy is then
chronicled from the perspective of Landy’s Role Theory, and the importance of
embodiment in Psychodrama, Self-Revelatory Performance and Rehearsals for
Growth.
The author then presents an overview of her own experience developing a selfrevelatory performance as part of her recovery from addiction. Journal entries
detailing the experience are presented, as is the final script. Implications for the
field of drama therapy are offered to the reader.
Keywords: drama therapy, transtheoretical model of change, the five stages of
change, alcohol use, addiction, motivational interviewing, self-revelatory
performance.
Como, Amber (2014). Theatre as Therapy: An Exploration of the Liminal Space
between Character and Actor/Client
Abstract: This thesis presents a phenomenological study exploring the
experiences of ten graduate students who completed Dr. Robert J. Landy’s final
project in his “Introduction to Drama Therapy” course at New York University in
the Fall of 2012. This project asked participants to perform a cutting of a
published play (i.e. a piece of traditional aesthetic theatre) in small groups and
then to stay in role as whatever character they had just played and deliver a
devised monologue using the theatrical role as a guide to examine a more
personal struggle. This research uses role theory and the role method of drama
therapy to explore participants’ experiences of this phenomenon in order to
examine how playing a theatrical role opens up the liminal space of “me” and
“not me,” providing aesthetic distance which allows for an unveiling of identity.
Through this study, this research looks at reading, witnessing, and embodying
traditional aesthetic theatre on a spectrum of distance, posits a therapeutic benefit
of playing a traditional theatrical role, and suggests an expansion of Stephen
Snow’s definition of therapeutic theatre which he defines as a piece of theatre that
is developed with therapeutic intentions and goal-setting in mind; facilitated by a
therapist skilled in drama or a drama therapist; brought to culmination in a
performance for a community beyond the social sphere of the therapeutic group
itself; and finally processed by the group post performance to include traditional
aesthetic theatre.
Dixon, H. Brooke (2014). Revealing the Invisible Healers: How Therapeutic Theatre
Could Impact Direct Support Professionals
Abstract: The research explores the potential impact of creating a therapeutic
theatre piece with individuals serving as direct support professionals. This was
accomplished by surveying relevant literature and completing an
ethnographic/autoethnographic study to gain a deeper understanding of those who
work within the field of direct support as well as pin point major needs within the
community of direct support professionals. Drama therapy in the form of
therapeutic theatre was also examined to determine how it could potentially meet
the needs discovered. The information was examined through the lens of role
theory and utilized the taxonomy of roles as created by Robert Landy as a tool.
The culmination of the research is a set of criteria for a therapeutic theatre piece
crafted from the information gleaned and discoveries made. The conclusion
reached is that therapeutic theatre could indeed impact direct support
professionals in a positive way and help to meet previously unmet need within the
community.
Finder, Allison (2014). The Long Goodbye of Acute Care: Exploring the Significance of
Closure in the Practice of Drama Therapy
Guerrieri, Alexandra Baer (2014). Reflections on Clients with Schizophrenia: A
Personal Study of Countertransference for the Drama Therapist
Abstract: The purpose of this autoethnographic study is to analyze and describe
the effects of countertransference on the drama therapist that occur when working
with clients with schizophrenia. This study is based on the experience of working
with six schizophrenic clients in a group setting at the Richard Hall Community
Mental Health Center (RHCMHC) in Bridgewater, NJ. A literature review defines
schizophrenia, drama therapy, transference, countertransference, and empathic
witnessing. An explanation is offered regarding how countertransference—
defined herein as the entire body of unconscious feelings that the therapist has
towards the client—could be used as an informative tool when working with
schizophrenic clients. Robert Landy’s role theory and method is used as the
theoretical model for this analysis, and Landy’s role sort and tell-a-story are used
as diagnostic tools when analyzing and understanding the countertransferential
role repertoire. This analysis will demonstrate that, through a personal
examination of my countertransference, I was able to obtain a deeper, more
empathic understanding of my clients, which subsequently improved the efficacy
of my drama therapy interventions with my clients.
Keywords: countertransference, drama therapy, empathic witness, role method,
role theory, schizophrenia
Levanas, Danielle (2014). The Insitutionalized Body: An Investigation into the Use of
Drama Therapy on a Forensic Psychiatric Unit
Abstract: As the use of drama therapy is becoming common in a wide variety of
mental health settings, there remain a limited number of studies pertaining to the
use of drama therapy in forensic psychiatric settings. This phenomenological
metasynthesis explores the intersection of the criminal justice system with the
behavioral sciences that can be found on a forensic psychiatric inpatient unit
(FPU), while investigating the use of embodied, dramatic forms to treat complex
trauma, vicarious trauma, and the impacts of systemic violence. The author
synthesizes literature from diverse fields—including biopolitics, forensic law,
performance studies, arts-based research, acting, trauma studies, critical race
feminist theory, drama therapy—with her own reflections, in order to consider
three roles commonly found on an FPU: the Doctor, the Officer, and the
Patient/Prisoner.
Keywords: drama therapy, forensic psychiatry, trauma-informed care,
embodiment, artsbased research, complex trauma, vicarious trauma, biopolitics,
structural violence
Machlowitz, Sheryl (2014). Drama Therapy: Using Role/Method to Illuminate the Nondisabled Sibling
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to identify and examine the emerging roles
that are performed by the non-disabled sibling of a person with an autism
spectrum disorder (ASD). The non-disabled sibling’s identities are illuminated
and validated by studying their roles through the lens of role/method in drama
therapy. The literature review defines drama therapy and how role/method is used
in treatment, followed by an historical examination of how disability has been
socially constructed, a review of how disability impacts the family structure and a
description of ASD. Murray Bowen’s family systems theory (1978) is used as a
model to provide a rationale for the manner in which each family member
interacts and impacts the fabric of the family system, influencing the roles that are
played. Robert Landy’s Role/Method and Role Taxonomy (1993) in drama
therapy is the theoretical model that is used to identify, define and explore the
roles that have been distilled from the published studies of siblings’ memoirs,
blogs, interviews and newsletters. The emerging roles that have been identified
for the non-disabled sibling are categorized and placed on a role taxonomy chart
and then analyzed. Finally, there is a discussion of how drama therapy and role
method is used with the ASD and how the non-disabled siblings are currently
being supported.
Keywords: siblings, family systems, disability, autism, drama therapy, role
theory, role method, role
Porst, Anne (2014). Working Through The Role of The Angry Person: A Pragmatic
Drama Therapy Case Study
Schwartz, Lisagail (2013). The Lived Experience of Witnessing Therapeutic Theatre
Abstract: The present mixed method study uses phenomenology and arts-based
research to examine and explore the question: What is the lived experience of
witnessing therapeutic theatre? This Master’s Thesis reviews the literature on
therapeutic theatre and reviews the role of audience as witness. This study aims to
guide drama therapists in their efforts to better serve the audience. In order to gain
an understanding of the lived experience subjects (audience members) participate
in an anonymous online questionnaire, which asks them to describe their
experience of witnessing therapeutic theatre. The data is represented and analyzed
via an original play. The findings identified in the play are discussed. Limitations
and implications for future research are explored and discussed.
Vicich, Alexandra Devin (2013). Therapeutic Change for Women in Collective
Performance
Abstract: This phenomenological study describes the therapeutic potential of
change for women who come together in collective creative process to perform
their stories. The author examines women, aged 30-72, and their experiences of
collective performance, spanning 29 years, in response to their life circumstances,
emotional health, personal relationships, professional life, and community
connections. Roles inside and outside of the group are explored, as are their group
and individual processes. Research on women, collectives, applied theatre, and
therapeutic theatre is presented. Perspective is gained through the lenses of
feminist theory, social constructivism, and psychodramatic role theory.
Comparisons are made between applied theatre and drama therapy, and the
mutual exclusion of group versus individual, socio-political versus therapy, is
questioned. Implications for the use of socio-political community drama in a
therapeutic theatre format in drama therapy are formulated.
Wu, Yi-Chieh (2011). Under the Mask: Using Performance to Explore the Concept of
Self through Drama Therapy
Segall, Jeremy (2010). Celebrity Ego Incognito: The Role of Self as Other in Drama
Therapy
Dipasquale, Maryanne (2009). Our Remedies Oft In Ourselves Do Lie or The Use of
Group Drama Therapy with Conduct-Disordered Adolescent Males in a Juvenile
Correction Facility
Abstract: Conduct Disorder (CD) and its many frequently co-occurring
diagnoses are examined at length, and the underlying causes are explored.
Deficits specifc to CD are enumerated and addressed with the intention of
remedying these deficits in order to promote normative and healthy adolescent
development. These deficits are paired with drama therapy techniques tailored to
meet the needs of this population. In the interest of addressing these deficits, a
drama therapeutic group protocol is laid out for the treatment of CD.
Ellaby, Donna (2005). Derek and the Healers: Three Approaches to Drama Therapy
Abstract: This thesis examines Role Theory and Role Method, Psychodrama, and
Developmental Transformations as demonstrated by Robert J. Landy, Antonina
Garcia, and David Read Johnson in videotaped sessions with Derek, a Black
drama therapy student, who agreed to serve as client. The theoretical foundation
of each approach and the content of each session are presented together with each
therapist’s reflections and the author’s observations. The client’s presenting
problem of paternal abuse is explored and evaluated in light of clinical material
about his mother and his socioeconomic and racial status. The relative therapeutic
benefits of the three modalities and the affective styles of the therapists are
examined in detail. A determination regarding appropriate future treatment is
explored.
Beauregard, Mark Allen (2004). Drama Therapy in the Treatment of Childhood and
Adolescent Gender Identity Disorder
Abstract: This thesis will explore issues related to Gender Identity Disorder
(GID) within child and adolescents populations. The most current literature and
research will be reviewed regarding the diagnosis, leading to the exploration of
how drama therapy can be an effective agent of treatment for children and
adolescents with GID and gender variance issues. The author will review research
conducted with current Registered Drama Therapists on their work with this
population. Specific issues of containment, self expression, transference and
countertransference dynamics, drama therapy interventions, and role theory
perspectives will be discussed in their relationship to using drama therapy in
treating this population. Need for further research and concentration on this
subject is encouraged.
Haen, Craig, M. (1999). Recasting the Hero: A Drama Therapy Perspective on Male
Gender Roles
Long, Kristin (1998). Drama Therapy with Deaf Adults with Chronic Mental Illness: A
Hearing Therapist’s Perspective
Abstract: Research focusing on therapy with Deaf populations asserts that a
hearing therapist who is neither fluent in American Sign Language nor a member
of the Deaf community cannot provide effective therapy without the services of
an American Sign Language interpreter. This paper will explore my nine month
experience as a hearing drama therapist providing services without an interpreter
within the deaf community at a day treatment center for adults with mental illness.
I will research the concept of “culture” and how it relates to working with the
Deaf as well as explaining the importance of understanding culture as a drama
therapist. This paper will also offer a definitions of signed languages, state
research on multiple diagnoses, and provide examples of effective therapy when
working with this populations. Most significantly I will present the reader with
my personal understanding of how drama therapy is a modality which can
successfully be used by a hearing therapist with Deaf adults with mental illness.
Lavner, Sara (1992). The Therapeutic Effects of Humor in Drama Therapy
Abstract: I decided to do my thesis about humor and it’s therapeutic effects
because of my own personal experiences with humor’s positive impact. As an
actress, it was always the easiest to perform, and as a person, it has often seen me
through pain. In the late seventies and early eighties, I had a comedy act that I
performed with a male partner throughout the city. I wrote, directed and acted in
it. The act evolved from improvisation. I had never written original material
before and had no idea that I could write comedy. At our first performance, I was
quite surprised that the audience laughed. I realized that I had hit upon and inner
resource that was previously undiscovered. The humor and its creation helped me
to deal with many aspects of my life at that time. It also increased my “humor
ability” or the practice of not seeing myself or the world too seriously. This had
provided increased perceptions and choices in my life. I knew that a sense of
mastery and humor were connected; I wanted to see if drama therapy combined
with humor could encourage the same thing in other people.
Doner Tudanger, Gaye (1991). Incorporating the Role of the Bad Girl Into the Role
Repertory
Abstract: This thesis is written primarily but not solely for women. However,
hopefully, the documentation of the research groups I conducted will inform all
therapists how women become more empowered and integrated human beings as
they search for their personal “bad girls”. In this thesis, I have attempted to
explore what discovering and playing out one’s bad girl means to women. First, I
will examine the loss of the bad girl to the personal and collective unconscious of
women throughout the development of patriarchal religions, and then pursue the
question of why it is important to recover her. Some reasons behind this
hypothesis will come from Jung’s theory regarding the Shadow and the need to
incorporate it into all our lives. Then I include a chapter in the reasons why I
believe drama therapy to be an effective modality for accomplishing this. I will
discuss the mechanisms through which drama therapy elicits vivid bad girl
images. I will then substantiate, based upon current clinical brain/mind research
on the unconscious, how these creative and healing images function in the
therapeutic process. I will note the role of the drama therapist in their integration.
Danish, Barbara L. (1987). Catharsis in Drama Therapy: Defining and Recognizing
Therapeutic Change
Abstract: In the term “catharsis” is embodied both the rich history of the theatre
and the essence of the experience of transformation which is a goal of
psychotherapy. It is therefore, a particularly appropriate concept to express the
process of change which is the work of drama therapy. Drama Therapy uses the
art of the drama as therapeutic intervention and catharsis expresses, in a uniquely
dramatic way, that element of the therapy process which is the hallmark of
personal change. Although it has been defined and used in diverse and often
contradictory ways, it is the purpose of this paper to articulate a definition of
catharsis in drama therapy and to illustrate the inherently dramatic way that
catharsis can be understood to be experienced in drama therapy.