Group Therapy

Group drama therapy can have many benefits, including: 

  • Improved communication: Group therapy can help people develop and practice new communication skills and teamwork. 

  • Exploration of issues: Drama therapy can provide a safe space to explore underlying issues without verbalizing them. 

  • Self-awareness: Drama therapy can help people develop self-awareness and a more positive self-image. 

  • Emotional expression: Drama therapy can help people express and regulate their emotions. 

  • New ways of thinking: Drama therapy can help people experiment with new ways of thinking and behaving. 

  • New skills: Drama therapy can help people discover new skills and talents. 

  • Imagination and creativity: Drama therapy can promote imagination and creativity. 

  • Relationship improvement: Drama therapy can help people improve their relationships. 

Group work has included:

The Priory Hospital Adolescent Unit:

Weekly sessions with young people living on the unit with accute mental health problems.

Dramatherapy MA Courses

20years providing long term student dramatherapy groups for those studying on the MA dramatherapy courses in London.

Therapeutic Workshops for Adopt London West with groups of 10 young adoptees covering various therapeutic themes.

Aims to:

  • Increase young people’s feelings of safety by offering structure, creating a predictable environment and offering consistency in relation to arrival/departure times during the workshop.

  • Enhance Self-Regulation by supporting the building of relationships and promoting the group to identify, label and cope with affect building and supporting ‘in the moment’ regulation skills, but also offering the individual support to develop young people’s ability to manage emotions while drawing on techniques.

  • Help young people develop a positive self-image and improved self-esteem by helping young people develop new skills, being a part of a group and working together.

  • Give young people a greater sense of control by giving each one a role within the workshop.

  • Support the Development of Secure Attachment building relationships through natural interactions in a positive and safe group experience.

Testimonial from the Social Work Team:

At Adopt London West we have run 3 therapeutic drama workshops with Susanna over the past couple of years. As social workers we love working with Susanna and the workshops have had such positive impacts on the children who have attended. Susanna brings incredible energy, creativity, compassion and expertise when she runs these groups. The combination of Susanna’s extensive group work experience, her expertise in trauma and attachment and her many years of experience as a drama therapist mean that she runs these groups with great confidence and she is able to hold and work with the complex dynamics, emotions and behaviours in the room.

 We have loved Susanna’s creative ideas and how flexible and nimble she is; she plans a lot of activities so that if something isn’t gelling for the children, she can quickly move on to something else. She creates different zones in the workshop space and allows children to join in in whichever way they are comfortable which was really refreshing for them. As staff we also felt well supported and well held by Susanna who showed great leadership in running the groups whilst genuinely collaborating with us, and with the children on ideas.

 

Testimonials from parents:

“I wanted to reach out and say a huge thank you to Susanna, you and the team that facilitated last week’s drama workshop. My son appears far more confident and relaxed! He also felt able to disclose an incident of bullying that has been worrying and affecting him at school. I believe this is directly related to the level of trust, acceptance and empowerment he felt, and as the week progressed he grew in confidence enough to be able to recognise and speak out about the hurt he has been experiencing.”

“Thank you for inviting my son to join the workshop and for providing him with an incredible experience and supportive environment, showing him he can be who he is, and be proud of that.”

 “I wanted to congratulate you and team for such a successful and excellent Easter holiday camp. ‘my daughter’ looked forward to every day with great excitement, (that was really refreshing to witness) and her mood has been much lighter since attending!”