Future of Service (cont)

research in Scotland. SATF’s next Business Meeting (which any SATF member can attend) is set for Saturday 20th May, 11.00am to 1.00pm in Edinburgh.

The last Continuing Professional Development event in Edinburgh in January, supported by Dramatherapy Scotland, featured Dramatherapist and Play Therapist Dr. Ann Cattanach and attracted 54 members (read all about it on the front page of this Newsletter!) It is hoped that a future SATF event can be held in Glasgow. For more SATF details, contact Genevieve.

Looking beyond Scotland, Edinburgh’s Art Therapy course held a reception for visiting members of The European Consortium of Arts Therapists Educators (ECARTE) on 31st March. For feedback contact the Course Administrator at Queen Margaret College, Duke Street, Leith.

Genevieve Smyth

What’s news?

More news from Dramatherapists around Scotland, this time from Zoe Brook, Dramatherapy trainee based in Glasgow.

I am now beginning my third year on the Manchester course with only 8 weekends of training and a dramatherapy placement (and the 10,000 word report) to go! Which means I’ve had more time to get in touch with what’s going on in Glasgow and Scotland as a whole on the creative arts therapies scene.

I’ve just completed 9 days training with Andrew Dawson on Using Art and Drama with Children and Young People and Developing Play Therapy. This was really good - I liked

Andrew’s style! I also found it a really good opportunity to network with other agencies. The training was also free to Glasgow statutory and voluntary agencies which was even better.

Morag Morrison started training on the Manchester course in September last year and I have the greatest sympathy for her when I think of all the train journeys she will be taking at 6.00am on Saturday mornings.

Lucy Corbeshley started training on the York course in

October last year. Lucy and I did theatre studies at Glasgow University together and have also worked together doing drama workshops for youth clubs.

Zoe Brook.

Final word

As you know, I’m not a Dramatherapist

although recent experience in my actual

profession (that of teaching) would lead

me to feel that perhaps some training in

Dramatherapy would not go amiss! It

appears more and more that a teacher’s

role is that of counsellor, social worker,

surrogate mother and, dare I say it,

therapist!

I use drama extensively as I work with a

class of 26 Primary 7 children, all of

whom regularly bring their own issues and

problems to the class every day. Recently

thoughts have turned to high school and

the issue of drug taking and I have found

the use of issue based drama work, and

in particular the use of Forum Theatre to

be invaluable as the children struggle

through some quite complex and

challenging concepts for them. They have

truly learned the therapeutic nature of

drama in this educational setting and I

hope, as we continue to explore the

wonders that are to be found in this

artistic form, they will be encouraged to

seek it out whenever they can.

Elinor