I have been running groups for more than 30 years. Please see my side bar link “Bi-weekly personal growth group” on my welcome page, for current information about my current on-going long-term therapy group.
Groups are incredibly useful and powerful forms of healing and change. Jacob Moreno, M.D., the founder of psychodrama and group therapy said, “The body remembers what the mind forgets.” Psychodrama is an experiential form of therapy that assists participants in the integration of emotional and physical processes. In addition, Moreno saw that hurt and trauma happens in groups, and so we need groups to heal from those experiences. Cognitive therapy, relapse prevention (in substance use groups), and the understanding of interpersonal dynamics all dovetail nicely in a psychodrama group. Old roles that are painful, tired out, over- or underdeveloped can be let go, while new authentic roles can be tried on and adopted in a safe, judge-free environment.
Psychodrama originated as a group action method. Participants in psychodrama enact events from their lives or address parts of themselves, their universe, their feelings, etc. using five main instruments. The stage provides a flexible space for freedom of experience and expression. The psychodrama director (a term used in preference to therapist) functions as counselor, producer and analyst, assisting the group to build an environment where the protagonist (main actor or client) can safely experiment freely with the assistance of auxiliaries (group members). Auxiliaries assist the director and protagonist in guiding and exploring the protagonist’s world, portraying the actual or imagined people and aspects contained in it. The audience can be a sounding board of public opinion or subject of the drama. They may assist the protagonist or may be assisted by the drama portrayed (Moreno, 1953/1993). Sharing in the group promotes the connection of the full group into the theme or open tension system presenting in the group on that day.
As part of the group process, the members collectively decide, through sociometric selection, what particular issues they wish to work on, and this might include work in personal development or the group might decide to put the “steps into action.” Groups are wonderful adjuncts to individual therapy. The material from individual work can be expanded in a group setting, and vice versa.
Group sizes are limited. Some of my groups are closed with a specific number of participants, and others are open or on-going. Contact me to learn more about group, about what groups are available and to see if there is an opening in any existing group or when the next new group will start.
Workshops are offered throughout the year. Please see my group therapy page for more information about my personal growth group and the theory of psychodrama, sociometry and group psychotherapy. Through the Michigan Psychodrama Center (www.michiganpsychodramacenter.com), along with my husband Patrick Barone, TEP, I offer personal growth day-long, weekend and weekly intensives for individuals seeking personal growth, and a monthly psychodrama training group, for students seeking training or hours towards certification in Psychodrama.