Pam Dunne,
Ph. D, RDT/BCT, NT
Located in Los Angeles, California Pam is the director of Drama Therapy Institute of Los Angeles (DTILA). DTILA offers a variety of training programs in drama therapy and other expressive modalities.
Pam has a Ph.D.in Clinical Psychology from Cambridge Graduate School of Psychology, a Ph.D in Theatre Arts from Florida State University. Other educational and training credits include: MA in Clinical Psychology, International College Los Angeles, California; MA in Child Drama University of Washington Post Graduate Training; Narrative Therapy; Mindfulness and Neurobiology; Psychodrama; Art Therapy; Dance Therapy.
CLINICAL POPULATION:
- Children
- Adolescents
- Families
- Adults with a variety of presenting problems.
- Education at elementary, secondary and university levels
DRAMA THERAPY APPROACH:
- Narradrama
- Role theory and transpersonal approaches
- Restoried Script Performance
- Narradrama as a Three Act Play
- Integration of dance, art, poetry and music with drama therapy
- Intersection of neuroscience, mindfulness and drama therapy
APPROACH TO WORKING WITH STUDENTS:
- Instills the importance of cultural competency, humility and sensitivity toward the responsible practice of drama therapy
- Meets with new AT students (Skype or inperson) to develop a personalized program which meets the needs of individual
- Selects student mentors to serve as a support
- Takes a "hands on" approach and offers experiential opportunities, in class and through field trips which embrace diverse approaches to the practice of drama therapy
COURSES & TRAINING OFFERED:
- DTILA offers all the core, elective, and psychology classes needed for RDT registration. Go to dramatherapyinstitutela.com for a list of all the courses offered.
- Supervision
- Individual training for drama therapy by the hour as needed.
Sylvia Israel,
RDT/BCT, LMFT, TEP
Check out a performance by Sylvia and fellow members of the Bay Area Playback Theatre.
Located in San Rafael, California, Sylvia works in private practice. She has also worked in the following places: Psychiatric Hospital Henry Olhoff Substance Abuse Treatment Center; Faculty at California Institue of Integral Studies (CIIS) and Kansas State University (KSU); Trainer in the Therapeutic Spiral Model of psychodrama working with trauma.
Sylvia trained at California Institute of Integral Studies and with psychodramatist, Nina Garcia, RDT/BCT for psychodrama certification.
Central to Sylvia's clinical and teaching philosophy is how to work safely with trauma survivors. She prioritizes compassion and acceptance towards self and others in cultivating both trainer/student relationships and in life. She has presented workshops on integrating spirituality including Buddhist psychology with psychodrama/drama therapy. Sylvia is a member of Bay Area Playback Theatre.
CLINICAL POPULATION:
- Children
- Adolescents and Adults in private practice and psychiatric settings
- Substance Abuse and recovery
DRAMA THERAPY APPROACH:
- Psychodrama
- Five Phase Model
- Playback Theater
- Art
- Sandtray
- Movement
- Music
- Somatic therapy with psychodrama
APPROACH TO WORKING WITH STUDENTS:
- Supports students in developing their own style of working
- Teaches students how to work safely with trauma survivors
COURSES & TRAINING OFFERED:
- The Therapuetic Spiral Model
- Working safely with trauma
- Integrating Action Methods into your work with Individuals and Couples
- Psychodrama Director's Intensive
- Sociodrama
- Full listings available here
Trisha Jauchler,
RDT/BCT
Click above to discover more about Trisha’s End of Life services.
Located in Pasadena, California, Trisha is Founder and Director (RDT/BCT, CT, CDP) of On Bright Wings End of Life Services.
Trisha has an MA in Theatre, MS in Drama Therapy. She is a Certified Thanatologist/End of Life Doula/Bereavement Facilitator and Certified Dementia Practitioner.
CLINICAL POPULATION: Aging
- Palliative Care
- Hospice
- Dementia
- Bereavement
- Psychiatric (as it relates to the above populations)
DRAMA THERAPY APPROACH:
- Psychodrama
- Multi-modal approaches—art and music with Drama Therapy
- Sandplay
- Viola Spolin/Paul Sills
COURSES & TRAINING OFFERED:
- Please see the Drama Therapy Institute of LA for more training details
- To learn more about workshops geared toward living fully, dying consciously, and grieving artfully, please go to On Bright Wings
Alexis Maron
MA, RDT/BCT, RADT
Located in Seal Beach, California, Alexis is Drama Therapist at The Lido Wellness Center, Newport Beach, CA. She also faciliates substance abuse related drama therapy groups at Nexus Recovery Services, Los Angeles and The Waisman Institute; Anaheim Hills, California. Additionally Alexis, facilitates individual and group Drama Therapy sessions at the Domus Retreat Center, Los Angeles, California.
Alexis is a Drama Therapist specializing in relationships, family dynamics, and sexual and chemical addictions. After receiving her BA in Theatre from University of California Los Angeles she followed her instincts to New York University where she earned her MA in Drama Therapy.
CLINICAL POPULATION:
- Clients with Drug/Alcohol and/or Sex/Love Addictions
- Clients with Down Syndrome
- Clients with Depression/Anxiety
- Normal Neurotics with Relationship Issues
COURSES & TRAINING OFFERED:
“Alexis is a gentle and kind therapist who has what I call a therapeutic personality. She is able to challenge her clients to work toward solving their problems. She is able to tolerate conflict and to hold a client’s feelings firmly and calmly. Her knowledge of drama therapy practice is first-rate.
”
Doug Ronning,
RDT/BCT, LMFT
Click above to discover more about Doug’s Monster Movie Salon at CIIS.
Based in Lafayette, California, Doug is a psychotherapist at TheraThrive. He is a Supervisor at Westside Community Health Services, as well as Assistant Professor, Counseling Psychology Department, School of Professional Psychology and Health, Drama Therapy at California Institute of Integral Studies.
Doug has an MA Counseling Psychology, Drama Therapy, California Institute of Integral Studies.
When asked what else he would like to share with the community Doug said, "As part of a multiple-disciplinary approach I incorporate Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Drama Therapy, Expressive Arts Therapies (including Sandtray and Phototherapy) and HRV bio-feedback. I also facilitate a weekly Wisdom through Games group at TheraThrive, a highly experiential group uses thought-provoking themes from gaming. I also produce the event series Monster Movie Salon as part of my work at CIIS."
CLINICAL POPULATION:
- Youth
- Adolescents
- Adults
- Couples
- Families
- Anxiety
- Compulsive disorders
- Twice-exceptional youth
- Relationship counseling
DRAMA THERAPY APPROACH:
- Integrative Five Phase Model
Shelia Rubin,
LMFT, RDT/BCT
Click above to discover more information on the Center for Healing Shame.
Located in Berkeley, California, Shelia works in private psychotherapy practice. She is the Co-Director Center for Healing Shame and an Adjunct Faculty at JFK University and California Institute of Integral Studies. At CIIS she is Teacher/Director of Embodied Life-Stories Self Revelatory Performance.
Shelia has an MA in Psychology with a focus in Drama Therapy, California Institute of Integral Studies.
Shelia believes shame is the embodied belief that “Something is wrong with me." Much of her clinical focus revolves around the concept and experience of toxic shame.
CLINICAL POPULATION:
- Families, couples and individuals
- children age 2-18: Affective Disorders
- Marriage/Family Therapy
- Normal Neurotic
- Older Adults
- Abused/Neglected Children
- Eating Disorders
- Grief/Loss
- PTSD
- Physically Disabled
- Chronically Mentally Ill
- Geriatric
- Refugee/Immigrants
- Substance Abuse
- Terminally ill
- Veterans
- Youth at Risk
- HIV/AIDS
- DT in Education
- Undocumented Persons
- Personality Disorder
- Spiritually Issues
- LGBTAQ
DRAMA THERAPY APPROACH:
- The Five Phase Model
- Self Revelatory Performance
- Psychodrama
- Bibliodrama
- Improvisation training - Authentic Movement
- Developmental Method
APPROACH TO WORKING WITH STUDENTS:
- Working with Alternative Training students includes a requirement that individuals attend the Center for Healing Shame training program of six 13-hour workshops plus Intro to Drama Therapy, Embodied Life Stories and Directing Self-Revelatory Performance
COURSES & TRAINING OFFERED:
- Embodied Life Stories 10-week series
- Weekend and intensives
- Direction of Self Revelatory Performance
- Healing Shame Workshops both live and online
- For more information visit her website.
“Best workshop I attended all year. Essential knowledge for anyone who does any kind of emotionally based psychotherapy. Greatly needed information which will be immediately useful.”
Josiah Stickels,
LMFT, RDT/BCT
Based in San Francisco, California, Josiah is the program manager for the adult partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs at Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, UCSF. He worked at Dual diagnosis residential treatment at Alta Mira Treatment Programs and with Adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit at the McAuley Institute of St. Mary's Medical Center in San Francisco, California.
Josiah has a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology concentration in Drama Therapy at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS).
Josiah has served on the NADTA board of directors as western region representative, vice president, and president-elect. His tenure as President of the NADTA commences December 2019-2021.
CLINICAL POPULATION:
- Affective Disorders
- Older Adults
- Eating Disorders
- Grief/Loss PTSD
- Chronically Mentally Ill
- Refugee/Immigrants
- Substance Abuse
DRAMA THERAPY APPROACH:
- Five Phase Model
- Role theory
- Psychodrama
Mimi Savage,
PhD, RDT/BCT
Watch Mimi speak with Deyane Moses on Helping Troubled Teens Through Filmmaking in LA (2014).
Located in Los Angeles, California, Mimi is the Founder and faculty teacher at SoCal Drama Therapy Centre. She is Faculty Lecturer at UCLA School of Arts and Architecture: Visual Arts and Performing Arts Education program and Faculty Member of the Social Emotional Arts (SEA) Program and Medical SEA Program at UCLArts & Healing.
Mimi has a PhD in Expressive Arts Therapy from Lesley University in Boston, Massacusetts.
CLINICAL POPULATION:
- Adopted foster youth
- Homeless women
- Acute psychiatric populations
DRAMA THERAPY APPROACH: The SoCal Drama Therapy Centre offers curriculum in drama therapy and expressive therapy for professional development and for certification to become a registered drama therapist (RDT). Courses are taught on-line, hybrid and on campus to both U.S. and international students. We also offer internship/supervision opportunities for those students already enrolled in accredited college AT programs in the fields of drama therapy and expressive therapy.
APPROACH TO WORKING WITH STUDENTS:
- At the SoCal Drama Therapy Center, drama therapists are trained, professional development for educators and clinical practitioners is available, drama therapy and creativity workshops are facilitated, and individual personal growth coaching is offered!
- Professional development courses for creative art therapists, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, child life specialists, nurses, teaching artists, artists, and educators who want to learn how expressive therapy and drama therapy are holistically and culturally appropriate ways of working with various populations.
COURSES & TRAINING OFFERED:
- Principles of Drama Therapy
- Therapeutic Theatre/Life Script
- Psychodrama
- Sociodrama
- Ethical Issues in Creative Art Therapies
- Creative Drama & Improvisation
- Drama Therapy with Special Populations
- Projective Methods of Drama Therapy
- Research in Drama Therapy
- For more info, check the website
“Dr. Savage, a gifted creative clinician, has worked with diverse populations from children with significant developmental delays to homeless adults. Distinguished by her research assessing the uses of narradrama, Dr. Savage’s professional background in theatre and film contributes to her superior skills in drama therapy.”
Ilene Wolff,
RDT/BCT, LMFT
Click above to discover more about Ilene’s drama therapy training opportunities.
Ilene is the Director of The Drama Therapy Institute of San Francisco, California. She is also International Workshop Leader utilizing Stanford Evidenced Based Research and Communication Theory with Drama Therapy: How to Overcome Fear of Conflict. Ilene is Director of The Drama Therapy Institute Psychiatric and works as a social worker and group therapist for four Bay Area hospitals.
Ilene has an MA in Drama Therapy from Antioch University West. She is an LMFT and Psychodramatist. Ilene is a TEAM certified therapist in Advance Applications of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. She is also a Clinical Hypnotherapist and a Strategic Brief Solution Focused Therapist.
CLINICAL POPULATION:
- All Ages 3- 90 years old, diverse class and cultural backgrounds
- Young children alienated from parents
- High conflict couples
- Procrastination, perfectionism and achievement addiction
- Failure to thrive and launch
- Multi-family and child therapy
- Couples process groups, overcoming fear of anger, rejection and loss
- Depression and grief, complex trauma and PTSD
- Relationship problems
- Habits and Addictions
DRAMA THERAPY APPROACH:
- Sociometry
- Psychodrama
- Cognitive Behavorial Therapy
APPROACH TO WORKING WITH STUDENTS:
- Supports students in learning to support themselves and flourish in the field of Drama Therapy
- Provides practical tools for students to develop into highly effective therapists
- Helps students reach the most difficult clients
- Shares Stanford Evidenced Based Research to ensure students succeed
COURSES & TRAINING OFFERED:
- Offers a variety of ongoing groups and trainings that can be found on her website