Fees

$120.00 a session, $440.00 per semester (Spring or Fall), $850.00 for the year. Discounts of 5% for registration 30 days in advance. $45.00 per session for students (letter documenting student status required from school official). Enrollment for a year's series (Spring and Fall) is encouraged but sessions can be taken individually. Cancellation Policy: because of the small and limited group size, no refunds are available for cancellations or no-show’s. For an registration form, click here. Click here for a registration form.

Who Should Attend

Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Social Workers, Professional Counselors, Marriage and Family Therapists, Alcohol & Substance Abuse Counselors, graduate students in any of the mental health professions, and others by permission.

Continuing Education Units

DEUs have been approved through UPA (Psychologists), the Utah Chapter NASW (Social Workers) and UAMMFT (Marriange and Family Therapists). CEUs for NAADAC (Drug & Alcohol Counselors) and NBCC (Professional Counselors) are offered as an ASGPP Approved CEU Provider. Hours may be counted toward requirements for certification in Psychodrama and recertification for Certified Group Psychotherapists. A session is 6 training hours, a semester is 24 training hours and a year is 48 training hours.

Additional Details About this Training...

Previous training in psychodrama is not required. These sessions are for anyone from first time attendee to master trainer. They are designed to systematically and sequentially introduce one to the method but all sessions are designed to stand alone so that attendance at all sessions is not required.

Goals*: Participants will develop confidence and facility in using role playing intervention in all its many applications, to develop skills in psychodrama, sociometry, and group psychotherapy, and to foster personal and professional awareness, development, and growth. All sessions will include at least one hour directly related to ethical issues and concerns and two hours directly related to *marriage and family therapy applications. (All references cited* are listed at the end of all the descriptions.)

Specific learning objectives (for each session and this workshop series as a whole) and citations* for 2012: Participants will be able to...

1. Identify and develop proficiency with psychodramatic and sociodramatic techniques, methods and interventions that can be readily applied in practice with individuals, couples, families, and groups (Blatner, 2009; Compernolle, 1981; Kipper, 2005);
2. Assess the interpersonal connections between individuals and subgroups within a larger group for the purpose of improving interpersonal and group dynamics and use interventions to address them (applying and using sociometry) (Hale, 2009);
3. Practice psychodramatic techniques in structured exercises in dyads, small groups, and the group as a whole as you are ready and able (Kellermann, 1992a);
4. Use psychodramatic and sociodramatic techniques proficiently and spontaneously in ways that are adequate, creative, and novel.
5. Plan how to use psychodramatic methods and interventions in an ethical and professional manner in your own setting or for an intended application (Kellerman, 1999);
6. Participate in different psychodramatic/sociodramatic sessions as audience/group member, auxiliary ego, protagonist, enactor, or director; and
7. Describe and explain the use of the five instruments of psychodrama: stage, subject (protagonist), director, therapeutic aides (auxiliary egos), and audience (Hirschfeld & McVea, 1998); enactors in sociodrama (Garcia, 2010), and the three phases of a psychodramatic session: the warm up, the action, and the sharing (Kipper, 2005), and the fourth training phase: the processing (Kellermann, 1992a).

Additional Summaries of and Learning Objectives for the particular training sessions in 2012:

February 17, 2012: Psychodrama with Trauma: Professionally Astute and Clinically Practical Strategies
This session will focus experientially on several state of the art safe and sound trauma interventions and identify others (Karp, 1991, Kellerman & Hudgins, 2000),

March 16, 2012: Beyond Being Nice: A Multicultural Sociodramatic Exploration
This session will focus on developing cultural self-awareness and the experience of the “other.”

April 13, 2012: Effective Intervention with the Resistant Client
This session will feature an experiential focus on the variety of effective psychodramatic approaches to address resistance applicable to individual and group interventions.

May 18, 2012: Putting the System in the Chair and On Stage: Using Psychodrama and Sociometry to Treat Families (and other Systems)
This session will focus on the use of sociometry, psychodrama, and sociodrama to identify, to understand and to repair broken systems and relationships (Compernolle, 1981).

September 21, 2012: The Psychodramatic Approach to Dreaming: The Courage to Dream Again
This session will culminate in a dream psychodrama or two as well as focus on the unique psychodramatic approach to working with dreams of various kinds (Nolte, Weistart, & Wyatt, 1977). Bring a dream!

October 19, 2012: Powerful & Effective Interventions for Addictions: Psychodrama & Sociodrama
This session will focus experientially on the variety of tried and true ways action methods can be used to address addiction and related issues.

November 9, 2012: When Expression is Too Much: The Psychodrama of Restraint
“Psychodrama is just as much a method of restraint as it is a method of expression. . . . In such methods as role reversal, or enactment of roles which require restraint, retraining and/or reconditioning of excitability lies a great under estimated and disregarded application of psychodrama” (Moreno & Moreno, 1975, p. 235-236). Come experience, see, and learn some effective strategies!

December 7, 2012: Surviving Compassion Fatigue: Psychodramatic and Sociodramatic Help
Those who really care are vulnerable to harm. Join us as we identify, explore, and experience various avenues of hope and healing as is uniquely possible using action methods.

References (peer-reviewed, published literature)

Blatner, A. (2009). The place of psychodramatic methods and concepts in conventional group and individual therapy. Group: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 33, 309-314.

Compernolle, T. (1981). J. L. Moreno: an unrecognized pioneer of family therapy. Family Process, 20, 331-335.

Costa, J. (1987). The use of the psychodramatic spiral in recording the process of a psychodrama. Journal of the British Psychodrama Association, 4, 19-22.

Garcia, A (2010). Healing with action methods on the world stage In Eva Leveton (Ed), Healing
collective trauma using sociodrama and drama therapy (pp. 3-24). New York: Springer.

Hale, A. E. (2009). Moreno’s sociometry: Exploring interpersonal connection. Group: The Journal of the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, 33, 347-358.

Hirschfeld, B. & McVea, . (1998). “A cast of thousands”: working with the five instruments of psychodrama in the therapeutic relationship. Australian & New Zealand Psychodrama Association Journal, 7, 51-60.

Hollander, C. E. (1969). A process for psychodrama training: The Hollander psychodrama curve. The International Journal for Action Methods: Psychodrama, Skill Training, and Role Playing, 54, 147-57.

Karp, M. (1991). Psychodrama and piccalilli: Residential treatment of a sexually abused adult. In P. Holmes & M. Karp (Eds.), Psychodrama: Inspiration and technique. (pp. 95-113). New York: Routledge.

Kellermann, P. F. (1992a). Processing in psychodrama. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama & Sociometry, 45, 63-73.

Kellermann, P. F. (1992b). The psychodramatist. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama &Sociometry, 45, 74-88.

Kellermann, P. F. (1999). Ethical concerns in psychodrama. The British Journal of Psychodrama &Sociometry, 14, 3-19.

Kellerman, P. F. & Hudgins, M. K. (Eds.) (2000), Psychodrama with trauma survivors: Acting out your pain.

Kipper, D. A. (2005). Introduction to the special issue on the treatment of couples and families with psychodrama and action methods: The case of generic psychodrama. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama & Sociometry, 58, 51-54.

Nolte, J.; Weistart, J. & Wyatt, J. (1977). Psychodramatic production of dreams: The end of the road. Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama & Sociometry, 30, 37-48.

About the Approach...

Psychodrama, sociometry and group psychotherapy are methods developed by J. L. Moreno whose interests in the theater, existential philosophy, and psychiatry developed into this unique approach to the problems of humanity. He envisioned his approach as a way to change the whole of mankind, including the social order, but his ideas were accepted most readily by mental health professionals. Nevertheless, they continue to have wide interest and application. Moreno's approach forms a coherent system for understanding people as individuals, individuals in relationship, and a society as a whole. His methods are of interest to professionals from a wide variety of psychotherapeutic perspectives and lay persons without theoretical interests.

Most basically psychodrama is a mode of communication, one which is powerful and effective. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is the value of a motion picture reenactment of what happened? This method makes clear the limitations of a purely verbal approach. It engages individuals and groups on multiple levels through a combination of channels: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, intuitive, intellectual, emotional, relational, actional/behavioral, etc.

Psychodrama emphasizes spontaneity and creativity in the here and now and looks at events through the eyes of the person who experienced it. The director or leader of the group directs or works with the protagonist or group member whose issue is most in common with those of the rest of the group. The director uses auxiliaries, supporting cast/group members who assist in the enactment that helps the protagonist understand, explore, and resolve their concern and indirectly those of the group as well. Though psychodrama often initially appears to be magical it is a systematic method that can be learned.

The Psychodramatic approach enables the individual and group to explore events, concerns, or issues, both problematic and fulfilling, in the past, present, or future. The focus may include interpersonal events or intrapersonal ones such as dreams, hallucinations, or internal conflicts. It can function to provide education, support, insight, a test of reality or as a spur to creativity or personal growth. It can play an important role in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and relapse prevention. In a way unique from other approaches it addresses the importance of warming up to an issue or action, setting the scene, choosing roles, and being flexible and creative.

For articles & more information about the approach, including the Benefits, Limitations, and Potential Harm in Psychodrama, Empirical Psychodrama Research References, go to http://www.cccutah.org/articles.htm

About Training in Psychodrama...

Psychodrama and related methods are taught almost exclusively in an experiential format. They require highly complex skills, recognizing the variety of ways protagonists can be helped in the telling of their story. The method makes use of group dynamics and what is happening in the here and now; it is taught accordingly.

The training is non-linear, that is the same session can serve as an introduction to the novice and a completion for the student pursuing the lengthy certification process. Experienced trainees help the newer ones learn the method and in turn learn through teaching.

Workshops consist of a series of psychodramas in which the participants experience the roles of protagonist, auxiliary ego, director, and observing group member as they are ready. Each session is reviewed ("processed") to identify and discuss technical elements. Training exercises may be used to prepare participants for the different roles.

Workshops may address issues such as basic skills development, strategies of directing, catharsis, rage, guilt, fear, death, God, or intra group issues to name a few. Ultimately the activities in any workshop will depend on the desires and needs of the group. The training is open to persons with both personal and professional interests in learning the method.

About the Director...

Rob Pramann, Ph.D., C.G.P., T.E.P., is the Director of Christian Counseling Centers of Utah's Training in Psychodrama. He is a psychologist and also certified as a Group Psychotherapist (2/96), a Practitioner of Psychodrama (2/97) and a Trainer, Educator and Practitioner of Psychodrama (4/01). Rob has trained with a number of recognized trainers in psychodrama, first generation students of J. L. Moreno (1889 - 1974), the originator of the method. He is a graduate of the Psychodrama Institute of New Haven, where he studied under Eugene Eliasoph, ACSW, TEP, to complete his training for certification as a Practitioner of Psychodrama (CP). Following that he trained under of John Nolte, Ph.D., T.E.P., to complete requirements for certification as a Trainer, Educator and Practitioner (T.E.P.) of Psychodrama. He was was appointed as an Executive Editor to the Journal of Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy in March of 2010 and was awarded "fellow" status by the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama in April, 2010. He has actively pursued training since 1988 because of what the approach has given him both personally and professionally and has functioned in a number of informal and formal training roles.

Rob's practice of Psychodrama is varied and extensive. It includes presentations at local, national, and international conferences, providing supervision and training in psychodrama, sociometry and group psychotherapy to a variety of lay and professional groups, as well as applying it to his ongoing work with groups, families, couples, and individuals. He has directed outpatient groups and inpatient drug and alcohol groups. Also, he has applied the approach for the purposes of staff team building and supervision, resolving intra-organizational conflict, and in the context of both spiritual retreats and small group exploration of Bible narratives (“Bibliodrama"). In addition he has engaged in the related community building adaptation of psychodrama with Salt City Playback Theatre Company. Finally he has taught the method in graduate and undergraduate classes. His training experience with the approach includes work with school with junior high school students, intellectually challenged persons, psychiatric inpatients, psychiatric day treatment patients, chronic psychiatric outpatients, sex offender outpatients, and autistic outpatients.

Rob and staff are also available to conduct private sessions for individuals, families, couples, work groups, organizations, churches, etc. for purposes of conflict resolution, personal or professional development and training, addressing individual or group problems and issues, or as an introduction to or demonstration of the method. He may be contacted through the e-mail address at the top left of this page.

Directions...

Both locations are 25 minutes from the Salt Lake City airport. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Sandy Utah is at the corner of 7th East and 8600 South. Argosy University is just off I-15. The area is easy to navigate. All streets and addresses are coordinated in terms of how far east, west, north, and south they are from the Mormon Temple downtown Salt Lake City. There are several shuttle companies that service the airport and nearby accommodations for those who may need to stay overnight.

731 East 8600 South
Sandy, Utah 84094-6312
801-561-9987
800-530-1934

Email