Understanding school-based drama therapy through the core processes: An analysis of intervention vignettes

Abstract

Recent scholarship into school-based drama therapy (SBDT) has largely explored individual interventions and programs. What remains less understood are broad practice trends across SBDT in North America. The current study is an investigation of descriptive intervention vignettes (N = 49), aggregated from a larger 2018 survey of North American drama therapists. It is the third exploration of this data set and specifically seeks to understand SBDT practice vignettes within the context of drama therapy core processes. In applying the core processes as an analytic instrument to examine SBDT, this research dually investigates how drama therapists are using core processes in their school-based work as well as the use of the core processes as a research tool. Core processes were identified in each of the vignettes and their unique presence and frequency distribution contributed to further understanding SBDT across the profession. Limitations in using the core processes as a research tool are noted. Recommendations are made for SBDT intervention research and to better position the core processes for future research.