Drama therapy relies on a range of techniques to meet numerous therapeutic goals and outcomes, including, according to the Drama Therapy Association, the ability of clients to tell their stories, rehearse desired behaviors, practice relationship skills, set goals, improve interpersonal skills, achieve catharsis, appropriately express feelings, and perform the change they wish to be and see in the world.

Among the drama techniques yoked to other methods of therapy to achieve these goals are storytelling, role-playing, improvisation, performance, and the use of puppetry and masks.
Among its many uses, “Drama therapy is spot-on for working with recovering addicts,” Bailey says. “Addicts are afraid of feelings and have been numbing their feelings out for years with their substances of choice. Drama therapy is all about experiencing and expressing feelings, but it tends, especially in the beginning, to be fun, so addicts can work on slowly learning how to feel again, and feel with other people, without becoming stressed and feeling the urge to get high.”

As with other creative arts therapies, an especially powerful aspect of drama therapy rests in its ability to promote relationship building, and its nonthreatening nature encourages participation. “Drama therapy, because it generates strong bonds of trust, helps addicts work on their fears of getting close to others, asking for help, and wanting to give and take in a relationship,” Bailey says.

Another group of clients for whom drama therapy can be particularly helpful are those on the autism spectrum who have difficulty understanding and expressing emotion, Bailey says. “Drama therapy,” she adds, “provides lots of practice on these nonverbal as well as verbal communication skills. It creates trusting relationships and provides training in give and take as well as flexibility—very needed abilities for people on the spectrum.” What’s more, she says, it’s fun, so it’s easy to motivate people to participate.

A registered drama therapist is a master’s-level credential administered by the North American Drama Therapy Association (NADTA) to individuals who have completed courses in psychology and drama therapy as well as two clinically supervised internships and 1,500 hours of work experience coupled with theater experience. Candidates have either attended an accredited drama therapy master’s program or completed the NADTA Alternative Training Program under the mentorship of a board certified trainer.