Drama Therapy & Psychodrama: What is the difference?
There are a number of areas in common and also several differences: They both use drama as a vehicle for psychotherapy. Psychodramatists generally have no background as theatre artists while drama therapists do. Psychodramatists are generally psychotherapists who have gone on to sub-specialize in a particular approach to therapy, just as other therapists sub-specialize as analytical psychologists (or “Jungians”), psychoanalysts, cognitive-behavior therapists, etc. (However, I like to emphasize that in addition to being its own approach–especially for classical psychodrama–many psychodramatic techniques and associated underlying principles can also be integrated with other therapeutic approaches.) Drama therapists are generally theatre artists who take extra training in psychology and psychotherapy in order to apply drama in a therapeutic fashion. Psychodrama generally works with the protagonist in role as himself, in various situations. Drama therapists often work with patients in a mo
