Post Graduate
Certificate
Psychodramatic
Techniques
Level One

Trainer:
Bona Anna

 Dates: click for details
Venue: The Earth Institute, 1/20 Clarke St, Crows Nest
Cost: $2290 Full payment by start of program for 10% discount, deposit $100

Course Outline:
Trainees participate in this year long ongoing training group designed in accordance with the ANZPA Training and Standards Manual. The hours are accredited with Psychodrama NSW. The training has two aspects:
  • psychodrama theory and practice
  • personal development.
The training group is designed for individuals with different levels of experience in psychodrama. This enables all participants to benefit from the different roles and ability in the training group. Participants have the opportunity to experience psychodrama, deepen their directing capabilities and broaden their therapeutic interventions. Trainees who successfully complete their first year of this program achieve the Post Graduate Certificate in Psychodramatic Techniques Level One. Trainees who choose to continue into Levels 2 and 3 can gain further credit towards ANZPA accreditation.

 

Our Purpose:
This course is designed for you to bring Morenian experiential methods into your thinking and practice. You will master the basic techniques, understand warm up, see and feel the effect of increased spontaneity in yourself and others. Imagine if you could bring this spontaneity into your work! The point is to apply what you learn into your work and life, to be more effective in your work and have more satisfying interactions.

Overview

So much training and self-development is shallow and simplistic: 'Learn this and you will be able to do that'. But human beings don't work this way, because real life is complex and unpredictable. Knowing what to do is very different from being able to do it. Psychodrama is a profound way to look at life in all its complexity and chaos. And to do this in a teachable, straightforward manner. This way you can face life with confidence and spontaneity.

Psychodrama is the drama of the soul, it is the theatre of truth. 'Psyche' relates to the spirit or mind, while 'drama' relates to the stories acted out in life every day. By combining mind and action, psychodrama gets to the reality beneath the surface. It teaches you to 'feel colours' or 'see smells', as it were. It may sound a bit 'airy fairy' but it's not. Once you get below the surface you can learn things about yourself and the roles you play that will help you make a real difference to your life and the lives of people around you.

Psychodrama is a general term that refers to any approach that expresses the philosophy and methods developed by Dr. J.L. Moreno. Thus the term psychodrama includes the concepts of spontaneity, creativity, role creation, role system, social and cultural atom, surplus realty and the specific techniques of self-presentation, mirroring, doubling, role reversal, concretisation, maximisation and future projection.
  What is Psychodrama?

A group action method originated by Dr.J.L.Moreno (1889-1974) which uses directed dramatic techniques to explore and resolve issues raised by participants.

Psychodrama aims to strengthen the abilities of people to express themselves responsively and creatively in the ordinary here and now situations in which they live and work. It explores real-life situations using dramatic enactment and analysis of the system of roles presented to generate effective new behaviours. Psychodrama highlights two-way relationships between individuals and works creatively with values and relationship dynamics within and between groups and in wider cultural settings.

These methods are extremely helpful in building effective working relationships and deepening the impact of work in human service fields. It is not essential to become a fully qualified psychodratmatist or direct a psychodrama to do this. There are many benefits gained from studying the method and applying its insights to any situation.
  History of psychodrama

Psychodrama is based on the philosophy and methods conceived of by psychiatrist Dr Jacob Moreno (1889-1974). It grew out of his experiments in Vienna in the 1920's with the theatre of spontaneity, a form of improvisational theatre. Moving to the USA in 1925 he continued to combine this with his interest in social science, exploring the possibilities of treating clients using group psychotherapy. This work has been further refined by many practitioners and training institutes around the world including in the United Kingdom, Central and Eastern Europe, USA, South America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Though somewhat younger, Moreno was a contemporary of Sigmund Freud, and like Freud he developed techniques to get below the surface of ordinary life to help people heal. Yet where Freud used the couch, Moreno used the stage, and instead of sitting passively he was an active participant on this stage.

Moreno developed several techniques related to psychodrama, including sociodrama, sociometry, role theory and group psychotherapy, all of which are studied within the institute program.

Psychodrama is being actively used and taught throughout to the world. In places such as North and South America, Canada, the European Union, Russia, Turkey, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, China and Japan.
  Who is the course for?

This year long course is designed for counsellors, coaches, organisational consultants, pastoral workers, teachers and health professionals who want specific skills in action methods. Further training is required to become a psychodramatist.

The training is taught through supervised experiential learning supported by reading and written assignments. The aim of this type of learning is for the trainees to know the theoretical and practical aspects of the psychodramatic methods through their experience. It involves both personal development and skills training. We provide a flexible system of training designed to meet the individual needs of trainees. Training sessions involve mini lectures, demonstrations, supervised practice and group interaction. Trainees are also expected to learn from applying psychodramatic concepts and methods in their work and their personal lives.
  Course requirements

Psychodrama training is a post-graduate course and is open to those with a degree, diploma or workplace equivalence. To be eligible for the course you must have a minimum of 12 hours experiential work in psychodrama or a related field and you must have an initial interview with the trainer to discuss your purpose.

It is expected that you will attend all sessions and complete reading, written assignments and other relevant tasks. Minimum requirement for Graduate Certificate Level One is 90% attendance and completion of 90% of assignments.
Semester 1 Weekend 1: The Psychodramatic Method

Learning outcomes:
  1. Understand the 5 aspects of a psychodrama and the concept of projection and projective techniques.
  2. Understand the 3 stages of a psychodrama session - warm up, enactment and sharing.
  3. Understand and demonstrate the use of the psychodrama techniques of role reversal, doubling, mirroring, soliloquy, aside, concretisation, maximisation, self presentation.
  4. Describe the techniques for increasing the warm up throughout the session.
  5. Participate in a drama as an auxiliary or protagonist.
  6. Understand Moreno's theory of the Canon of Creativity involving warm up, spontaneity, creativity and the cultural conserve.
  Weekend 2: Role Theory

Learning outcomes:
  1. Understand the concept of role, including the construct of feeling, thinking and action components of a role.
  2. To understand the development of roles and distinguish three types of roles - psychosomatic, social and psychodramatic.
  3. Understand the concept of the social and cultural atom and the interactive systems of roles.
  4. Understand personality as a system of roles.
  5. Create a role diagram based on one's social atom.
  6. Identify and name roles and counter-roles and understand the relationship of these roles.
  Weekend 3: The Role of the Director-Producer

Learning outcomes:
  1. Identify and distinguish progressive, fragmenting and coping roles.
  2. To understand and define personal roles that are progressive or fragmenting using a role matrix.
  3. Develop hypotheses about a person's functioning and the presence of healthy roles.
  4. Understand the use of a variety of therapeutic interventions.
  5. Extend your ability to double, mirror and reverse roles.
  6. Further develop your ability to be an effective auxiliary.
  Weekend 4: Psychodrama 1:1 Applications

Learning outcomes:
  1. Deepen your understanding and use of psychodramatic methods.
  2. Deepen your understanding and perception of Morenian role dynamics.
  3. Understand the move into action and recognise action cues.
  4. Apply these to 1:1 situations that you face.
  5. Direct a small vignette of 1:1 situation.
Semester 2 Weekend 5: Action Methods in Organisations with Rollo Browne

Learning outcomes:
  1. See organisations as social systems comprised of subgroups, world views.
  2. Make a preliminary analysis of the functioning of a group or system.
  3. Understand the fundamental principles of sociometry.
  4. Apply basic Morenian methods to organisational situations (the uses of warm up, sociometry, concretisation, doubling, mirroring, role reversal)
  Weekend 6: Group Work Essentials

Learning outcomes:
  1. Understand a model for describing aspects of and forces in group life.
  2. Describe group life and dynamics as they happen.
  3. Develop an understanding of group leadership.
  4. Make interventions to progress the group.
  Residential - Stanwell Tops

An intensive four day residential period of training and supervision. Details are listed elsewhere in this site > see Stanwell Tops Residential.
  Weekend 7: Integrating The Psychodramatic Method

Learning outcomes:
  1. Demonstrate the use of various Morenian techniques in a drama or application in your work.
  2. Conduct an adequate warm up.
  3. Recognise the action cue and use it to produce an enactment.
  4. Direct a small vignette with an interview, scene setting, use of psychodramatic techniques.
  5. Apply one of Moreno's frameworks to the roles displayed in the drama.
  6. Make an intervention that progresses the work of the group or the protagonist.
  7. Conduct an adequate sharing phase of the drama.
Details Semester 1 Dates:

Weekend 1: Sat 20th & Sun 21st March, 9.30am - 4.30pm
The Psychodramatic Method

Weekend 2: Sat 10th & Sun 11th April, 9.30am - 4.30pm
Role Theory

Weekend 3: Sat 22nd & Sun 23rd May, 9.30am - 4.30pm
The Role of the Director-Producer

Weekend 4: Sat 19th & Sun 20th June, 9.30am - 4.30pm
Psychodrama 1:1 Applications
  Semester 2 Dates:

Weekend 5: Sat 14th & Sun 15th August, 9.30am - 4.30pm
Action Methods In Organisations with Rollo Browne

Weekend 6: Sat 11th & Sun 12th September, 9.30am - 4.30pm
Groupwork Essentials

Residential: Thurs 7th - Sun 10th October
Stanwell Tops Residential, led by Max Clayton & Rollo Browne
> see Stanwell Tops Residential
This residential workshop is open to other trainees

Weekend 7: Sat 13th & Sun 14th November, 9.30am - 4.30pm
Integrating the method

Total 117 hours
Venue: The Earth Institute, 1/20 Clarke St, Crows Nest
Cost: $2290 Full payment by start of program for 10% discount, deposit $100
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