Drama therapy has been a major part uf the therapeutic treatment program for adult psychiatric patients at Gladman Memorial Hospital Day Treatment Center in Oakland, California and Pachic Medical Center-NortheastIWestside Lodges in San Francisco for the past seven years. These psychiatric facilities serve mentally disturbed adults of various ages and levels of functioning, often providing an alternative to hospitalization, or a steppingstone for those making the transition from the hospital back into the community. The majority of clients are diagnosed as having a range of affective and thought disorders, which impede independent func~oning~ Based un Nurk at these and other similar institutions, this paper provides a framework for the use of drama therapy as an effective intervention with this population. Aside from David Johnson’s related research (1981, 1982), there have been relatively few reports on process-oriented drama therapy with adult psychiatric patients (Slade, 1959; Jennings, 1973; Wethered, 1973; Goodman & Prosperi, 1976; Schattner & Courtney, 1981). With the recent founding of the National Association fur Drama Therapy f1979), along with the establishment of registry and the development of graduate training programs in drama therapy. theoretical and experimental studies are needed to support the practice of drama therapy in clinical settings. The first half of this paper outlines objectives in drama therapy which are geared specifically to meet the most common needs and problem areas of psychiatric clients, in conjunction with the treatment orientation of the day treatment center. Using examples from this practitioner’s experience, the second part of the paper describes the process and methods used to achieve these goals,