A new form of group therapy at Aulneau Renewal Centre is bringing parents together with the help of activities from the world of theatre. The first edition of a Drama Therapy parenting group is supporting six adults and their families, in a bid to offer new ways for people to connect and find resources in community.
“We had noticed that participants in other groups were showing a desire to meet as a group in a way that gave them more space to process and support each other,” explains Csilla Przibislawsky, Clinical Supervisor for Aulneau Renewal Centre. “After discussion, we felt that Drama Therapy might be the right fit. This gives parents the chance to explore their experiences in a safe, contained space, and helps them gain new insights into the challenges they’re facing with their children.”
Leah Bochert is a Drama Therapist who runs the program, which is an 8-week commitment. “There’s a lot of sitting and talking, and early in the program, we’re getting to know each other and building trust,” she shares. “I come in with ideas and a casual plan for what we might talk about but it’s all adaptable depending on what’s coming up in the conversation. We might do some role play, or some narrative storytelling. The idea is to uncover perspectives we hadn’t thought of before.”
Why was drama therapy decided upon for parents in particular? “We talk about the concept of embodiment,” continues Przibislawsky. “Sometimes, we can talk about what we think we know, but our bodies are holding many things that we haven’t been able to process yet. Leah listens to the group and suggests ways to help them explore their feelings with different activities, which the group agree to, of course. These activities help us get a felt sense of our experiences.”
Bochert is clear about what a successful group session looks like. “When I see people showing more self-compassion, I know we’re doing something right,” she says. “Drama therapy works because we’re exploring our sometimes difficult experiences and resolving conflicts, but it’s so much less threatening because we’re just having fun together. We’re role-playing and laughing, but the real feelings do come out.”
The Drama Therapy program was funded by a Winnipeg Foundation grant, which Aulneau Renewal Centre is using as a way to prove the effectiveness of this modality. “This is a form of therapy that is garnering more and more attention,” explains Przibislawsky. “We’ve been approached by the two of the most well-respected drama therapy researchers who want to partner with us. We’re excited to see if we can grow this program and help more families.”
The staff and clinicians at Aulneau pride themselves on finding new ways to support their clients and community. “It’s our role to recognize needs and meet them,” Przibislawsky shares. “We want to know what people need. Are there needs that haven’t been tapped into yet? We want to hear from the community, so that we can be of support.”
Bochert and Przibislawsky agree that the best part of any group program is the sense of connectedness that it brings. “We want every single person to leave their session knowing that they’re not the only ones struggling with these situations,” concludes Przibislawsky. “That’s one of the most important things we can learn from each other: we’re not the only ones who feel confused, who are stuck in an emotion, who want to be the best parents they can. We don’t have to cope and find solutions alone.”