Skip to content
1981
Volume 11, Issue 2
  • ISSN: 2054-7668
  • E-ISSN: 2054-7676

Abstract

Lifelong learning about anti-oppressive practice (AOP) is essential for clinicians, particularly in the current social and political climate, yet there are challenges associated with teaching AOP. This article offers a case illustration of aesthetic distance in clinical training through the use of the drama therapy tool of ancestral monologues, thus addressing some of the challenges that arise in AOP clinical training and supporting students to work with clients, colleagues and communities with increased cultural humility.

Resumen

El aprendizaje continuo sobre la práctica antiopresiva (PAO) es esencial para los clínicos, particularmente en el clima social y político actual; sin embargo, existen desafíos asociados con la enseñanza de la PAO. Este artículo ofrece una ilustración de caso sobre la distancia estética en la formación clínica mediante el uso de la herramienta de dramaterapia de monólogos ancestrales, abordando así algunos de los desafíos que surgen en la formación clínica en PAO y apoyando a los estudiantes para que trabajen con clientes, colegas y comunidades con una mayor humildad cultural.

Résumé

L’apprentissage permanent de la pratique anti-oppressive (PAO) est essentiel pour les cliniciens, en particulier dans le climat social et politique actuel, mais l’enseignement de la PAO présente des difficultés. Cet article propose une illustration de la distance esthétique dans la formation clinique par l’utilisation de l’outil de dramathérapie des monologues ancestraux, abordant ainsi certains des défis qui se posent dans la formation clinique à la PAO et aidant les étudiants à travailler avec des clients, des collègues et des communautés avec une plus grande humilité culturelle.

© 2025 Intellect Ltd
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/dtr_00171_1
2025-10-27
2026-04-15

Metrics

Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Bailey, S. (2016), ‘Dissolving the stigma of disability through drama therapy: A case study of an integrated classroom approach to addressing stigmatization by pre-professional health care students’, Drama Therapy Review, 2:1, pp. 65–78, https://doi.org/10.1386/dtr.2.1.65_1.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Bemak, F., Talleyrand, R. M., Jones, H. and Daquin, J. (2011), ‘Implementing multicultural social justice strategies in counselor education training programs’, Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 3:1, pp. 29–43, https://doi.org/10.33043/jsacp.3.1.29-43.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Bergkamp, J. A. (2010), ‘The paradox of emotionality and competence in multicultural competency training: A grounded theory’, doctoral thesis, Seattle, WA: Antioch University, https://aura.antioch.edu/etds/786. Accessed 17 October 2024.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Bergkamp, J. (2022), ‘Tugging at the root of oppression: Infusing social justice across doctoral level clinical psychology curriculum’, Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 14:1, pp. 37–52, https://doi.org/10.33043/JSACP.14.1.37-52.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Bergkamp, J., Olson, L. and Martin, A. (2022), ‘Before allyship: A model of integrating awareness of a privileged social identity’, Frontiers in Psychology, 13, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.993610.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Blackwell, D. M. (2010), ‘Sidelines and separate spaces: Making education anti-racist for students of color’, Race Ethnicity and Education, 13:4, pp. 473–94, https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2010.492135.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Bryant-Davis, T. (2023), ‘Healing the trauma of racism and sexism: Decolonization and liberation’, Women & Therapy, 46:3, pp. 246–60, https://doi.org/10.1080/02703149.2023.2275935.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Butler, J. D. (2017), ‘The complex intersection of education and therapy in the drama therapy classroom’, The Arts in Psychotherapy, 53, pp. 28–35, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2017.01.010.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Chapman-Hilliard, C. and Parker, B. (2022), ‘Embodied social justice learning: Considerations for curriculum development and training in counseling programs’, Journal for Social Action in Counseling and Psychology, 14:1, pp. 77–93, https://doi.org/10.33043/JSACP.14.1.77-93.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Crenshaw, K. (1989), ‘Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics’, University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989, article 8, pp. 139–67, https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/uclf/vol1989/iss1/8. Accessed 26 August 2025.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. DiAngelo, R. and Dyson, M. E. (2018), White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Dokter, D. and Sajnani, N. (2022), Intercultural Dramatherapy: Imagination and Action at the Intersections of Difference, London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Emunah, R. (2016), ‘Instilling cultural competence in (the raising of) drama therapists’, in S. Jennings and C. Holmwood (eds), Routledge International Handbook of Dramatherapy, London: Routledge, pp. 92–105.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Emunah, R. (2020), Acting for Real: Drama Therapy Process, Technique, and Performance, 2nd ed., New York: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Frydman, J. S., Cook, A., Armstrong, C. R., Rowe, C. and Kern, C. (2022), ‘The drama therapy core processes: A Delphi study establishing a North American perspective’, The Arts in Psychotherapy, 80, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2022.101939.
     [Google Scholar]
  16. Gonzalez, I. A., Newhart, S., Arcot, R. R. and Hudlin, M. (2024), ‘“A weight to carry”: Experiences of masters-level counseling faculty teaching a multicultural counseling course’, Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 52:4, pp. 242–56, https://doi.org/10.1002/jmcd.12307.
     [Google Scholar]
  17. Gopalakrishna, M., Ravi, P. and Chander, P. (2024), ‘Finding a language to say goodbye: Trauma-informed anti-oppression drama therapy in South India’, in N. Sajnani and D. R. Johnson (eds), Trauma-Informed Drama Therapy: Transforming Clinics, Classrooms, and Communities, 2nd ed., Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas, pp. 231–60, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=3782695. Accessed 13 February 2025.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Hays, P. A. (2001), Addressing Cultural Complexities in Practice: A Framework for Clinicians and Counselors, Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Jones, P. (1996), Drama as Therapy: Theatre as Living, London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  20. Kowalsky, R., Raz, N., Keisari, S. and Pendzik, S. (2022), An Introduction to Psychotherapeutic Playback Theater: Hall of Mirrors on Stage, Abingdon and New York: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  21. Krein, R. K. (2024), ‘Queer ancestral monologues’, unpublished master’s thesis, Seattle, WA: Antioch University Seattle.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. Kriofske Mainella, A. M., Raval, G., Koziol, C. and Callender, K. (2024), ‘Getting on the same page in multicultural counseling training’, Counselor Education and Supervision, 63:1, pp. 13–25, https://doi.org/10.1002/ceas.12292.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Landy, R. J. (1983), ‘The use of distancing in drama therapy’, The Arts in Psychotherapy, 10:3, pp. 175–85, https://doi.org/10.1016/0197-4556(83)​90006-0.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Leary, J. D. (2005), Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing, Portland, OR: Joy DeGruy Publications.
     [Google Scholar]
  25. Leighton, L. B. (2018), ‘The trauma of oppression: A somatic perspective’, in C. Caldwell and L. B. Leighton (eds), Oppression and the Body: Roots, Resistance, and Resolutions, Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, pp. 17–50.
     [Google Scholar]
  26. Leveton, E. and Volkas, A. (2010), ‘Healing the wounds of history: Germans and Jews facing the legacy of the Holocaust’, in E. Leveton (ed.), Healing Collective Trauma Using Sociodrama and Drama Therapy, New York: Springer Pub. Co., pp. 127–46.
     [Google Scholar]
  27. Mayor, C. (2012), ‘Playing with race: A theoretical framework and approach for creative arts therapists’, The Arts in Psychotherapy, 39:3, pp. 214–19, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2011.12.008.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Mayor, C. and Williams, B. (2024), ‘Dreaming of an abolitionist drama therapy’, The Arts in Psychotherapy, 90, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2024.102189.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Menakem, R. (2017), My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, Las Vegas, NV: Central Recovery Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Miller, R. and Volkas, A. (2007), ‘Healing the wounds of history’, in A. Blatner and D. Wiener (eds), Interactive and Improvisational Drama: Varieties of Applied Theatre and Performance, New York: iUniverse, pp. 34–44.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Nedved, A., Carver, D., Douglas, A. and Meyer, D. (2020), ‘Justice for all: Utilizing drama therapy to increase empathy and promote social justice with marginalized populations’, in M. Pope, M. Gonzalez, E. R. Cameron and J. S. Pangelinan (eds), Social Justice and Advocacy in Counseling: Experiential Activities for Teaching, New York: Routledge, pp. 163–66.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Nieto, L., Boyer, M. F., Goodwin, L., Johnson, G. R. and Smith, L. C. (2010), Beyond Inclusion, Beyond Empowerment a Developmental Strategy to Liberate Everyone, Olympia, WA: Cuetzpalin.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Pieterse, A. L., Lee, M. and Fetzer, A. (2016), ‘Racial group membership and multicultural training: Examining the experiences of counseling and counseling psychology students’, International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling, 38:1, pp. 28–47, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10447-015-9254-3.
     [Google Scholar]
  34. Pollack, S. and Mayor, C. (2022), ‘The how of social justice education in social work: Decentering colonial whiteness and building relational reflexivity through circle pedagogy and image theatre’, Social Work Education, 43:1, pp. 140–55, https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2022.2104244.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Powell, A. (2016), ‘Embodied multicultural assessment: An interdisciplinary training model’, Drama Therapy Review, 2:1, pp. 111–22, https://doi.org/10.1386/dtr.2.1.111_1.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Qhobela, L. (2023), ‘Embracing dialogue as breathing: Exploring drama therapy as a tool for facilitating uncomfortable historical conversations’, Drama Therapy Review, 9:1, pp. 9–22, https://doi.org/10.1386/dtr_00117_1.
     [Google Scholar]
  37. Raucher, G. and McKenna, S. C. (2018), ‘Reflections on marriage and family therapy training for drama therapy students at the California Institute of Integral Studies’, Drama Therapy Review, 4:1, pp. 117–27, https://doi.org/10.1386/dtr.4.1.117_1.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Sajnani, N., Mayor, C. and Boal, J. (2021), ‘Theatre of the oppressed’, in D. R. Johnson and R. Emunah (eds), Current Approaches in Drama Therapy, 3rd ed., Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas, pp. 561–85.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Sajnani, N., Tomczyk, P., Bleuer, J., Dokter, D., Carr, M. and Bilodeau, S. (2016), ‘Guidelines on cultural response/ability in training, research, practice, supervision, advocacy and organizational change’, Drama Therapy Review, 2:1, pp. 141–48, https://doi.org/10.1386/dtr.2.1.141_7.
     [Google Scholar]
  40. Sayre, D. N. (2022), ‘Care work and social justice in creative arts therapy: Putting queer performance theory and disability justice in conversation with drama therapy’, The Arts in Psychotherapy, 80, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2022.101940.
     [Google Scholar]
  41. Scheff, T. (1981), ‘The distancing of emotion in psychotherapy’, Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 18:1, pp. 46–53, https://doi.org/10.1037/h0085960.
     [Google Scholar]
  42. Seward, D. X. (2014), ‘Multicultural course pedagogy: Experiences of master’s-level students of color’, Counselor Education and Supervision, 53:1, pp. 62–79, https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6978.2014.00049.x.
     [Google Scholar]
  43. Stanek, D. (2015), ‘Bridging past and present: Embodied intergenerational trauma and the implications for dance/movement therapy’, Body, Movement and Dance in Psychotherapy, 10:2, pp. 94–105, https://doi.org/10.1080/17432979.2014.971872.
     [Google Scholar]
  44. Stevens, A. D.-F. (2023), ‘BART, the Black American role taxonomy: A culturally expansive approach to role theory and method’, Drama Therapy Review, 9:1, pp. 81–99, https://doi.org/10.1386/dtr_00121_1.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. Swallow, J. (n.d.), ‘Ancestral psychodrama: The genogram in action’, Hudson Valley Psychodrama Institute, https://hvpi.net/2019/07/30/ancestral-psychodrama/. Accessed 12 February 2025.
  46. Tam, R. (2019), ‘Identifying the necessary skills to equip drama therapists in professionally facilitating anti-oppression’, unpublished doctoral dissertation, Cambridge, MA: Lesley University.
     [Google Scholar]
  47. Taylor, J. and Trevino, A. (2022), ‘The good, the bad, and the ugly: Experiences, barriers, and self-efficacy enhancement for social justice-oriented faculty’, Journal for Social Action in Counseling & Psychology, 14:1, pp. 53–77, https://doi.org/10.33043/JSACP.14.1.53-77.
     [Google Scholar]
  48. Vasquez, H. and Femi, I. (1993), No Boundaries: A Manual for Unlearning Oppression and Building Multicultural Alliances, Oakland, CA: TODOS: Sherover Simms Alliance Building Institute.
     [Google Scholar]
  49. Vigdor, N. (2025), ‘What’s next for D.E.I. with Trump back in office?’, New York Times, 23 January, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/us/trump-dei.html?searchResultPosition=9. Accessed 12 February 2025.
     [Google Scholar]
  50. Volkas, A. (2014), ‘Drama therapy in the repair of collective trauma’, in N. Sajnani and D. R. Johnson (eds), Trauma-Informed Drama Therapy: Transforming Clinics, Classrooms, and Communities, Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas, pp. 41–67.
     [Google Scholar]
  51. Volkas, A., Van, I. and Wheat, A. (2021), ‘Society as the client: Healing the wounds of history’, in D. R. Johnson and R. Emunah (eds), Current Approaches in Drama Therapy, 3rd ed., Springfield, IL: Charles C  Thomas, pp. 162–205.
     [Google Scholar]
  52. Williams, B. M. (2016), ‘Minding our own biases: Using drama therapeutic tools to identify and challenge assumptions, biases and stereotypes’, Drama Therapy Review, 2:1, pp. 9–23, https://doi.org/10.1386/dtr.2.1.9_1.
     [Google Scholar]
  53. Williams, B. M. (2017), ‘Role power: Using role theory in support of ethical practice’, Drama Therapy Review, 3:1, pp. 131–48, https://doi.org/10.1386/dtr.3.1.131_1.
     [Google Scholar]
  54. Williams, B. M. (2018), ‘Unapologetically black: Seven questions and poems that explore how race performs in clinical practice’, Drama Therapy Review, 4:2, pp. 223–32, https://doi.org/10.1386/dtr.4.2.223_1.
     [Google Scholar]
  55. Williams, B. (2020), ‘The R-RAP revisited: Current conceptualizations and applications’, Drama Therapy Review, 6:2, pp. 183–201, https://doi.org/10.1386/dtr_00027_1.
     [Google Scholar]
  56. Williams, B. (2021), ‘Tracks on repeat: An autoethnographic poessay’, Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 21:1, https://doi.org/10.15845/voices.v21i1.3227.
     [Google Scholar]
  57. Williams, B. (2023), ‘An arts-based autoethnographic exploration of a Black woman witnessing Slave Play: The audience’s the thing’, Drama Therapy Review, 9:1, pp. 155–75, https://doi.org/10.1386/dtr_00124_1.
     [Google Scholar]
  58. Williams, B. and Lepere, R. (2023), ‘Breathing beyond borders: Reclaiming BIPOC knowledges and methodologies in drama therapy’, Drama Therapy Review, 9:1, pp. 3–8, https://doi.org/10.1386/dtr_00116_2.
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/dtr_00171_1
Loading
  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): aesthetic distance; anti-oppressive practice (AOP); anti-racism; antiracisme; antirracismo; consejería multicultural; creative arts therapy; distance esthétique; distancia estética; educación; education; justice sociale; justicia social; multicultural counselling; pedagogy; pedagogía; pratique anti-oppressive (PAO); práctica antiopresiva (PAO); pédagogie; social justice; terapia de artes creativas; thérapie multiculturelle; thérapie par les arts créatifs; éducation

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test