DRAMA THERAPY ALTERNATIVE TRAINING PROGRAM

Drama Therapy Course Work

The Center for Creative Arts Therapy offers coursework required by the North American Drama Therapy Association (NADTA) for the Registered Drama Therapy credential. These include the following (24 credits total needed):

1. Creative Drama/Improvisation (3 credits)

2. Principles of Drama Therapy or Introduction to Drama Therapy (3 credits)

3. Creative Arts Therapies (3 credits)

4. Drama Therapy with Special Populations (3 credits)

5. Research in Drama Therapy/Creative Arts (3 credits)

6. Psychodrama or Sociodrama (3 credits)

7. Advanced Electives in Drama Therapy (3 credits)

8. Ethics and Professionalism in Drama Therapy (3 credits)

Theatre Experience/Training

To become a Registered Drama Therapist, one needs 500 hours of theater experience.

In The Center for Creative Arts Therapy's Drama Therapy Alternative Training Program, each student will do an Independent Study Therapeutic Theatre production toward the theater experience requirement. In addition, the following are theater electives offered:

1. ​Transformational Theater Direction and Practice (1-9 credits)

2. Improvisation and Theater Lab II, III (1-9 credits)

3. Independent Study – Therapeutic Theatre (3 credits)

Internship and Work as a

Drama Therapist

The Center for Creative Arts Therapy offers multiple internships in Drama Therapy towards the 800 hour Alternative Drama Therapy Training requirements:

1. Minimum of 300 hours of Direct Client Contact doing Drama Therapy

2. Minimum of 30 hours of Supervision (1 hr to each 10 hrs of direct client contact)

3. Maximum of 470 hours of Indirect Service (preparation, cleanup, documentation, meetings, etc.)

Psychology Coursework

To become a Registered Drama Therapist (RDT) one needs the following psychology coursework from an accredited graduate-level college. One of these courses, however is allowed to be taken through a non-accredited special institute or program, such as Creative Clinical Consulting:

1. Development Across the Lifespan (3 credits)

2. Abnormal Psychology/Psychopathology (3 credits)

3. Group Dynamics (3 credits)

4. Theories of Personality (3 credits)

Additional Training

                    A minimum of 500 hours of additional hours are required from one or any combination of the following categories:
 

1. Drama Therapy Work Experience

2. Drama Therapy Internship hours

3. Drama Therapy training or Psychotherapy training (including continuing education workshops, seminars, and conferences)

4. Up to 100 hours of personal psychotherapy within the past five (5) years