Dramatherapy (MA)

Get professional training in dramatherapy: our emphasis on clinical placements and a range of dramatherapy approaches will prepare you for work in the arts therapies. When you graduate, you’ll be qualified to work as a dramatherapist in the UK and overseas, and eligible for registration with the Health and Care Professions Council in the UK.

Overview

Through lectures, practical workshops, case discussions and theoretical studies, our course will introduce you to a range of approaches to dramatherapy. You’ll reflect on your own practice in group discussions, and be supported by an extensive programme of tutorials and supervisions.

Your studies will focus on intercultural practice, attachment/mother-infant observation and the understanding of how past relationships manifest in current client difficulties – and how they can be worked with through the dramatherapeutic relationship. You’ll also work with music therapists in lectures and performance work, such as Playback Theatre.

Our experiential teaching will focus on your own dramatic autobiographical process, dramatherapy theory, links between theory and practice, and bi-weekly experiential dramatherapy groups. In these, you’ll reflect upon your clinical experiences and the process of becoming a dramatherapist.

You’ll take part in clinical placements in two to three fields, under the supervision of qualified dramatherapists. Your placements could be in community settings, schools, hospitals or hospices, giving you valuable experience of working in a multidisciplinary team and great preparation for employment.

Supported by our team of practising and research-active music therapists, you’ll have access to the latest and most effective dramatherapy approaches with both adults and children, as well as to the best advice for your future career.

Careers

As a qualified dramatherapist you’ll be able to work in many different areas, such as the NHS, social services, education, or community projects. You may also choose to work privately or on a freelance basis, with a client base from prisoners to children with learning difficulties.

Successful completion of this course will allow you to register with the Health and Care Professions Council – a legal requirement for practising dramatherapists in the UK.

You’ll also benefit from our links with the British Association of Dramatherapists and other allied health professions and practitioners, such as psychotherapists, arts therapists and psychiatrists.

Modules

Core modules:
Year one:
Clinical Placements and Experiential Development 1
Music Therapy and Dramatherapy Multidisciplinary Theoretical Studies
Dramatherapy Practice and Clinical Skills

Year two:
Clinical Placements and Experiential Development 2
MA Therapies Major Project

Assessment

You’ll demonstrate your learning in a number of ways, including essays, live presentations and practical tasks such as improvisation and performance. You’ll also be asked to undertake some self-analysis and reflection in discussion with your personal tutor.

Half-way through the course, your progress will be assessed by an examiner.

Your final piece of written work will be a Major Project which involves clinical evaluation. In the final oral assessment, you’ll present a piece of clinical work to two examiners, who will assess your overall clinical skills and readiness to practice.

One of our modules includes music therapy, and covers content from our Music Therapy MA course as well as this Dramatherapy MA. On more generic subjects, such as psychoanalytic studies, psychiatry and psychology, you'll work with our music therapy students; where techniques and approaches are specific to each profession you'll be taught separately.

Placements

You’ll spend much of your time on clinical placements in a range of settings.

Specialist facilities

You’ll work in our new purpose-built therapy centre, which includes state-of-the-art therapy rooms and a large hall. The centre is used for all of our teaching and for our professional therapy consultations. You’ll also have access to the extensive range of facilities offered by the Department of Music and Performing Arts, including a fully-equipped drama studio, two other large drama rehearsal spaces, a recital hall, a suite of computer music studios and music practice rooms and a full range of specialised dramatherapy props and equipment.

You’ll work in our new purpose-built therapy centre, which includes state-of-the-art therapy rooms and a large hall. The centre is used for all of our teaching and for our professional therapy consultations. You’ll also have access to the extensive range of facilities offered by the Department of Music and Performing Arts, including a fully-equipped drama studio, two other large drama rehearsal spaces, a recital hall, a suite of computer music studios and music practice rooms and a full range of specialised dramatherapy props and equipment. Our Cambridge campus also houses the Mumford Theatre, a full-size venue for professional touring companies.

Research

Our dramatherapy staff are internationally renowned researchers and consultants and our music, dramatherapy and performing arts research is recognised as ‘world-leading’ (Research Excellence Framework, 2014). We hold regular international conferences and support a vigorous community of research students.