Dramatherapy with Children, Young People and Schools: Enabling Creativity, Sociability, Communication and Learning

Lauraine Leigh · Irvine Gersch · Ann Dix · Deborah Haythorne

Aug 2012 · Routledge

About this ebook

Dramatherapy with Children, Young People and Schools is the first book to specifically evaluate the unique value of dramatherapy in the educational environment. A variety of highly experienced dramatherapists, educational psychologists and childhood experts discuss the benefits to the children and young people, and also in relation to the involvement of teachers, the multi-disciplinary team and families. This professional book offers a panoramic view to explain how through dramatherapy children and young people develop their communication skills, sociability and their actual desire to learn.

Detailed case studies demonstrate individual successes in youngsters experiencing a range of emotional difficulties and psychological needs. These studies include: conquering a fear of maths; violent behaviour transformed into educational achievement; safe expression of feelings for a sexually abused child; and where children are diagnosed with mental health disorders such as ADHD and ODD, where the benefits of dramatherapy with children and families are carefully described and evaluated, suggesting that this therapeutic discipline can achieve positive outcomes.

The practical advice and inspirational results included here promote a future direction of integration and collaboration of school staff, multi-disciplinary teams and families. Education and equality are high on the agenda, and the function of dramatherapy is not just as a treatment, but as an economically viable and valuable preventive therapy.

About the author

Lauraine Leigh is a dramatherapist and teacher who has worked over 18 years with a range of children in the NHS and in mainstream and special schools and units, with behavioural difficulties, special needs and mental health diagnoses, promoting close communication with and support of parents and teachers around the child.

Irvine Gersch is Professor of Educational and Child Psychology at the University of East London (UEL). He is a chartered educational psychologist and chartered scientist. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, The Royal Society of Arts and the Higher Education Academy. He is the Programme Director for the Professional Doctorate in Applied Educational and Child Psychology at UEL and a Director of Global Mediation.

Ann Dix is a freelance dramatherapist and supervisor. Prior to this she was manager of a multi agency support team in Leeds, working with schools, children and families. Ann was a drama teacher before qualifying as a dramatherapist in 1993.

Deborah Haythorne is the co-founder and co-director of Roundabout, the largest dramatherapy charity in the UK. Deborah qualified as a dramatherapist in 1985 and completed her research on dramatherapy with children with autistic spectrum disorder in 1996.