SOCIODRAMA WITH CHILDRENS GROUPS IN THE CLASSROOM AND IN THERAPY

PRESENTER: REBECCA WALTERS

Sociodrama and power
DATE AND TIME: 27th of June, Thursday  10:00-12:30
CONFERENCE TOPIC: Sociodrama and youth – raising the next generation: sociodrama of children and young people, and the professionals and institutions working with them
TYPE: Workshop
ROOM:
NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 22
TAGS: Sociodrama and Youth, June27 Morning
ABSTRACT:

Sociodrama is a natural, powerful and playful method for helping children develop problem solving skills and try out new behaviors and roles. It helps children learn how to self-regulate and develop impulse control as well as to safely and appropriately express strong feelings. Sociodrama can be used to address social issues that arise in the classroom and on the playground such as stealing, fighting, bullying and intolerance. Sociodrama can be used to address issues that come up in counseling and therapy groups such as dealing with abusive siblings, displacement, the absence of parents due to death, divorce and incarceration of parents. The use of sociodramatic stories provides the necessary distance for younger children to address difficult feelings and issues. In this highly interactive workshop participants will patriciate in sociodramatic structures that work well with children ages 6-12 including the Empty Chair(s), Fairytales, Sociodramatic Heroes and Role Training for New Behavior.

Participants will be able to

  • distinguish between sociodrama and psychodrama and when to use which
  • describe at least two sociodramatic structure that work with children’s groups
ABOUT THE PRESENTER:

Rebecca is the Director of the Hudson Valley Psychodrama Institute (since1989). She was Director of Psychodrama Services at a Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital where for twenty five years she ran psychodrama and sociodrama groups on inpatient and outpatient child, adolescent and adult units. For over forty years she used sociodrama in in therapy and in recovery groups, education and training. Rebecca has taught sociodrama and psychodrama throughout the world. She was the 2018 recipient of American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama (ASGPP) JL Moreno Award for lifetime achievement.