International Journal of Group Psychotherapy

ISSN: 0020-7284 (Print) 1943-2836 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ujgp20

The Use of Creative Drama in a Children's Group Marilyn Barsky & Gerry Mozenter To cite this article: Marilyn Barsky & Gerry Mozenter (1976) The Use of Creative Drama in a Children's Group, International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 26:1, 105-114, DOI: 10.1080/00207284.1976.11491320 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/00207284.1976.11491320

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The Use of Creative Drama In a Children's Group MARILYN BARSKY, ED.D. , and GERRY MOZENTER, M.S.W.

THE NEED

FIND economical, yet efficacious means to serve a heterogeneous population socioeconomically, racially, and ethnically mixed led to exploration of new therapeutic moods and modes in a group of latency age children. The techniques and strategies experimented with during a two-year period in a group primarily using creative dramatics as the vehicle for therapy will be described and case examples discussed which demonstrate their effect on group process and on individual group members. In the group, both live drama scenes created by group members and puppet shows were used. Puppetry especially seemed to enhance the ability of the children to risk themselves and to be more open; from the first, its use facilitated access to their fantasy lives. As the children grew during the therapeutic process, however, there was less interest in puppet shows and more and more interest in reality-oriented live scenes . Although creative dramatics is becoming increasingly popular in school settings, the literature outlining creative drama therapy in clinical settings is sparse. The Pittsburgh Child Guidance Center has been using this technique for several years, and Irwin and her coTO

Dr. Ba rsky is a staff psychologist at the Family Service and Child Guidance Center of the Oranges, Maplewood and Mill burn, Orange , N.]. Mr. Mozenter is a staff social worker and psychotherapist at the Convalescent Hospital for Children, Rochester, N. Y. The authors acknowledge with thanks the help given in the preparation of this paper by Dr. Marion Powell , Dr. Joan Taylor, and Mrs. Gwen Wolverton .

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workers (1972) have found significantly greater therapeutic gains in their creative drama group as compared to a traditional activity group. Since guidelines for specific clinical techniques and procedures were virtually nonexistent, the present authors proceeded independently , experimenting with their own ideas about techniques and interventions. Another dimension was added to this pilot project by the decision to include both boys and girls, which is rarely attempted in preadolescent groups. The increasing number of latency- age girls in our clinic population , many of whom were acting out in school and needed to be reached quickly, was the most potent reason for making the group co -ed . Furthermore , in our society the two sexes need to learn to live together early on. Finally, the Women's Lib Movement has brought sharply to our attention the need to explore stereotypical cultural reactions to gender. The major goals outlined for the creative drama group were as follows : (1) to facilitate and enhance positive and healthy peer interactions ; (2) to increase the ability to verbalize effectively and to tap and expand individual creative powers ; and (3) to help each group member get in touch with and begin to deal with his covert feelings, partly in order to expedite dealing with overt behavior . Prior to entering the group, in a screemrig uitervH~w. each child was asked about his attitudes toward dramatics and puppetry and about his prior experiences in this area (i.e., his involvement in plays), thus making him aware of the kind of group he was about to enter . In most cases , the reactions were enthusiastic . The parents , too, appeared much less resistant to this type of intervention than to traditional types. The composition of the group was essentially the same during both years . All seven members were between eight and ten years of age and of average to above average intelligence . The boys and girls came from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds but shared many common problems: underachievement at school; behavior problems both at home and at school ; absent or ineffectual fathers ; punitive, nagging mothers ; difficult grandmothers; excessively rivalrous relationships with siblings. In early group sessions, the therapists again discussed the kind of group it was to be, thus "setting the stage" for the kinds of techniq ues and interventions to be utilized. In early sessions , too , there was much

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therapist-initiated discussion about concentra tion , characterization , pantomiming, and the like , calculated to "conjure up" a theatrical flavor. For our sessions, a totally bare r oom was used . Everyon e , including the therapists, sat in a circle on th e floor . A puppet theatre and a variety of hand p uppets were always accessible in a nearby closet should the children express the desire to use them . A few props such as a hat or a pair of glasses were usually available as the occasion demanded. The rationale was that the fewer the p rops , toys, and other distractions, the more the inner imagination would be stimulated. For the most part in the first ye ar various creative dramatic techniques were used. In the second_year , the approach was broadened to include from time to time some techniq ues popularized in the encounter movemen t . Some highly structured, simple dramatic games, the following being representative examples, were used at first : (1) an exercise in wh ich one of a p air initiates a pantomimed action like shaving or jump ing rope and the other must attemp t to mimic the action exactly, a feat dem an ding close observation and attention ; (2) an exercise with two participants in which only two words can be spoken , "yes" and "no." As an ,example, an older sister watching television keeps saying "no" more and m ore striden tly to a little brother who wants her to com e play with him as he says "yes" m ore a n d more p leadingly. The purpcse of this exer cise was to focus upon personal ity style and feelings rather than upon content, a goal best attained through minimal dialogue; (3) the game of "Magic Shop," a psychodram atic technique 1 in which the therapist plays shopkeeper on a South Sea Islan d. T he child com es into the shop to buy intangibles like feelings or new parents or the ab ility to play b all better, commodities which he "pays" for with other intangibles such as feelings of anger or inadequacy which the buyer no longer needs and/ or wants . This proved a successful technique for promoting fan tasy and delving into feelings. The first ch allenge encountered was to devise ways of helping the children to overcome their diffi culties in listening to each other . These youngsters were so in need and so self- absorbed that they were inattentive to their peers an d overly demanding with the therap ists. To cope with this problem, the therapists utilized a psychodramatic 1 Demonst ra ted at a workshop at America n Orthopsyc hiatric Association , New York City, 1973, by Hann ah Weiner, its inventor.

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technique in which the children paired off and interviewed each other. At the end of a specified time, each child .of the pair introduced the other to the whole group, attempting to remember as much detail as possible. We tried this technique at the beginning of the year and then again near the end. The difference in the details remembered and the poise exhibited the second time around was striking. Discussion about concentration on character and importance of being a good audience was stressed through the year , which also helped with the listening problem. In very early sessions, we found it necessary to give budding imaginations , blocked by anxiety, a boost. An example of this kind of intervention was the throwing out of a line such as , "Mrs . Jones came home one day to find her best lamp smashed to smithereens. " From this and other rudimentary stimuli came scenes which clearly demonstrated idiosyncratic reactions and feelings. A boost of this kind was necessary only once or twice, and, as a matter of fact , was used only in the first year. Initially we hoped the youngsters could work effectively as a whole group. Once when there were discipline problems with a couple of boys , we suggested that the group act out a trial in which members played judge , defense and prosecuting attorneys , and jury. The children's great enthusiasm for this production did not quite compensate for the ensuing chaos! As a result, we subsequently worked in min i-groups for various dramatic productions. We were available when these small groups asked for help but did not often impose ourselves and our ideas as the groups prepared various scenes . We took participating roles in these scenes when invited but found it wise for one therapist to remain part of the audience , both to serve as a model for cri ti cal listening and to exert control. Toward the end of the second year , it became possible again for the entire group to work together on a production from time to time . As time passed, the therapists provided less and less structure; scenes and playlets , more aptly termed "happenings ," arose out of the im mediacies of either the interaction in the here -and-now or the d iscussions which came from the pressing concerns of the group memb ers . The format for each session varied . At times the children would create little scenes out of their experience or imagination which wou ld clea rl y reveal unconscious or preconscious feelings and / or m ot iv ati ons wh ich could then be discussed. At other times children

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would come to the group with fears, anger, and/or pressing experiences which demanded some release. Out of this need would arise scenes, later enabling more direct discussion. As an example of the former , children in the first year began discussing their dreams . The therapists encouraged John, a psychotic youngster , to share a dream of his with the group. From the beginning John had resisted involvement in the group and at the same time attempted to gain the individual attention of the therapists by resorting to extremely negativistic, attention-getting antics. However, in a particular session, after being stimulated by the acting out of dreams by several other children, he told of a dream in which he and his older brother were race car drivers. In a race, his brother, who was originally winning, crashed into a wall, enabling John to emerge as the winner. This dream was enthusiastically acted out by the members of the group with John playing himself. This session was a turning point in John's therapy. For the first time he really was part of the group activity and a focus of positive and constructive attention. Also he was able to verbalize his intense feelings of anger toward his brother and allow some discussion of the guilt and fear which accompanied his angry feelings. His dream also became a springboard for discussion centering around rivalries between brothers and sisters and the feelings involved. Examples of the second type of format, in which pressing concerns evoked scenes which then led to direct discussion, are as follows: At report card time, there was much tension and anxiety as an undercurrent in the group. The group reorganized into threesomes, each preparing a short scene in which parents react to a report card. Each child determined his own grades. It was striking to note the frequency with which parents were judgmental and even punitive and the frequency with which children prepared bad grades for themselves. Finally the therapists played a scene depicting understanding parents. Discussion then centered around how kids feel when parents are punitive and lacking understanding. As an illustration of how such scenes lead to meaningful insights, we quote verbatim from our process notes: Session opens with John being bossy and wanting his own way with a puppet show so the others just withdraw and refuse to help him. Quietly they let him know they will not be bossed around. The

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subject of report cards comes up, and they decide to act out a scene about this . John plays a mixed-up father, who is alternately too strict and too lenient. Bill, true to his personality, plays a scrappy and insolent child. When the scene is over, they talk about their feelings about report cards. John says he'll get all z's. Bill claims to be afraid of getting his card but really expects a good one. He talks about being scared because of not knowing what to expect and says it is just like meeting new people. This leads to therapistinitiated discussion about fears and the defenses each one uses. They are very accurate . Bill says when he is afraid, he pretends to be tough . Mary says she just hangs back. John can't seem to speak for himself so Mary adds that John when he's afraid acts younger and that he is acting today as he did earlier in the year . Another example centered around a girl, Babs , who was apprehensive about an upcoming dental appointment. Again we broke up into groups, quickly preparing scenes in which one person played a dentist , another a nurse , and the third a patient. These scenes led to discussion of the double messages that parents and doctors often give children concerning helplessness and powerlessness . Some members of the group were able to discuss openly both positive and negative feelings toward us, their "doctor" therapists. Finally some direct suggestions made to Bab s, the girl about to visit her dentist , by other group members clearly helped to reduce her immediate anxiety and uncertainty . As the first year gathered momentum, techniques were improvised which expedited discussion of feelings of anger , fear , helplessness, shyness , and sadness. One technique was the use of an inquiring reporter who asked questions of the actors after a scene . This strategy captured the imaginations of the children, and they clamored for , and received , the privilege of asking their own questions of the actors . The use of "answering plays" which the therapists acted out for the children was another ploy which proved useful. As an example, a play by some group members which depicted the world as a jungle filled with fears and uncertainties was answered by a therapist play which presented the concept of trusting a guide to help the human animal through the jungle. In many ways, the group process evolved similarly to a traditional type activity group , though initially some unique difficulties were evident . There were the initial individual gropings for status in the

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group and belongingness to it , with both a resistance to, and an implicit demand for, therapist structure. As the group evolved, alliances between members developed , with some isolates and some disrupters. There was the usual chaos which occurred from time to time and which cleared up only through group action to obtain and sustain group rules. In the beginning of the first year, the therapists actively structured the sessions, which brought out the hostility of those members accustomed to resist authority and the overdependence of those too frightened and/ or too passive to resist authority. Gradually we reduced interventions to only those instances when anarchy threatened to erupt . In the second year, we began each session with group discussions emanating solely from the individual and group concerns of the moment. All dramatic productions evolved from these concerns. In some instances dramatic techniques were not used at all; instead, some encounter techniques were utilized as the occasion demanded. For example, in one session several members arrived with considerable hostility toward each other. Group discussion was impossible. Thus we used a tug-of-war technique in which a towel is used for the rope and two people are pitted against each other. Each tries to pull the other over the midline . Each child had an opportunity to participate, and those whose angers were directed against each other were made adversaries . The technique dissipated the anger enough so that we could talk about it. This was one of several occasions when racial tensions came out in the open and could then be dealt with. In another session, one of the group members initiated an encounter technique. The group was divided into separate clusters of two and three and resisted all attempts toward unification. Nancy, popular with both boys and girls, blacks and whites alike, succeeded in persuading the group to form a small circle and hold hands. Then each member was given the opportunity to say how he or she felt about the group and each other. This was an extremely dramatic meeting, providing a turning point for one isolated girl , Laurie , in the group. She was pinpointed in this session by other members for being a whiner, a complainer and as someone who refused to contribute to the group in any constructive way. With therapist support, Laurie cried and became quite upset, verbalizing her feelings of dislike for the group and anger at some specific members.

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This session , and an ensuing family session in which again her symptom of complaining, a long-standing, self-defeating ploy for gaining center-stage and for controlling others, was discussed , had great impact on Laurie . Over the next few sessions Laurie changed her behavior pattern , stopped complaining and moved from the outskirts of the group to become a more involved member. During a group discussion of a play about a little girl who always complained of imaginary illnesses, Laurie proudly announced , "I don 't complain any more ." Laurie continued to relate in a more positive manner and was rewarded by becoming accepted and eventually well regarded by other group members . One of the goals of this group was to help various individuals to get in touch with feelings so they could deal with them in a manner less destructive to themselves and others. A case in point was Tom, a passive-aggressive youngster who was often disruptive and who in a sly way instigated antisocial kinds of behavior in others . Through his dramatic play it became obvious that Tom had severe conflicts with authority and was particularly fearful of girls and women . He did a play with one of the girls in which the puppets engaged in fighting and were onl y stopped when a policeman came on the scene . As soon as the policeman left , however , the fight resumed despite sincere-sounding promises . As therapy progressed , he began to say that he felt anger, particularly toward Laurie , the complainer, whom he said sulked. Later in the year, after a puppet play about parents who were strict and imposed punishment but then did not enfqrce the punishment given , he was able to say that his own parents, particularly his mother, responded similarly to him . Since Tom was able to express his feelings only when he could attain the distance and anonymity provided by puppets and play acting, through these techniques we were able to touch areas which may well have taken years to reach in individual therapy. The scenes created by a girl named Babs illustrate the manner in which plays can eludicate inner covert feelings . Babs came into the group a bossy, angry , controlling girl. There was no father at home , and her mother was both critical of her and neglectful. The source of her bossiness and need to control became apparent through a puppet show she gave entitled , "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?'' The show opened with Jane crying to her mother that the kids in school called

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her names. Mother immediately sent Jane to father, who in turn sent her to grandmother. Again the message surfaced: adults are unable and/ or unwilling to help children with their problems. Babs responded to this with anxiety and insecurity which she controlled by acting angry and bossy. Another show she created in which she played a bossy, unsympathetic mother indicated that her own behavior was largely modeled on that of her mother . This illustrates how an ongoing diagnostic process, inextricably intertwined with the therapeutic, is facilitated by dramatic play. Therapist struggles with this group mainly revolved around persuading members to adhere to the structure and to listen to each other. The techniques we used - among them, breaking up into mini-groups to produce plays with the same themes but with the unique flavor that the particular mix of children brought to them ; the use of an inquiring reporter to focus on the meaning of the underlying themes and feelings evoked from them; and the use of answering plays which provided an opportunity for re-education - hold much promise as strategies through which to effect change in latency-age children. A comparison of traditional activity group therapy and this creative drama group has led us to the observation that: (1) Creative drama therapy greatly facilitates the expression of fantasy , feelings, and reality-bound topics of direct concern to the members. (2) It has the further advantage of leading reluctant preadolescents quickly and painlessly into verbal interactions with their peers and with the therapists . (3) It lends a focus and structure to the group which is comforting to this age of youngster even though at times he fights against it. (4) The vehicle of drama is an effective means of focusing in on different, but still reality-oriented, ways of living and taking notice of the acceptability of options and value systems other than one's own. It should be remarked that the disadvantages of a co-ed group seemed to outweigh the advantages. Though we were able to discuss issues of culturally-determined sex bias and to deal openly with hostile and inappropriate interactions between the boys and girls, disparate interests and the anxiety engendt:red by the budding sexuality and unconscious seductiveness of the physically more mature girls, particularly near the end of the second year, created difficulties for the therapists in controlling the group and keeping it unified.

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SUMMARY Our basic purpose in this paper has been to describe and elaborate the clinical techniques we used and their seeming effect upon group process and individuals in preadolescent creative drama groups. In our subjective judgment, many of our goals for these groups were reached. Through the exercises, the dramatic scenes, and the interactions provided by these experiences, the children learned to listen to each other and to cooperate, to get in touch with and deal with their feelings . Unproductive behaviors were confronted both in fantasy and in here-and-now relationships, leading to more direct confrontation of individual problems and thus to the development of better coping skills .

REFERENCE Irwin , E. C ., Levy , P . , and Shapiro, M. (1972), Assessment of Drama Therapy in a Child Guidance Clinic. Group Psychother. ~ Ps)•chodrama]. , 25 :105- 116.

Dr. Barsky 's address: 395 South Center St . Orange, N.J. 07050

The use of creative drama in a children's group.

International Journal of Group Psychotherapy ISSN: 0020-7284 (Print) 1943-2836 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ujgp20 The...
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