Purposeful Play: A Literature Review of Play Therapy and Projective Techniques of Drama Therapy

Author

Rachel RudelFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-16-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA - Master of Arts

Department

Expressive Therapies

Advisor

Laura Wood, PhD, RDT/BCT

Abstract

Both play therapy and drama therapy are forms of expressive arts therapies that utilize storytelling, imagination, and play to promote healing through a therapeutic lens. Throughout history, both fields have interacted with projection through both assessment, research, and storytelling. In drama therapy, the movement from classification of expressive techniques (Lindzey, 1959) to the concept of ‘projective techniques’ is distinctive due to its use of objects such as miniatures and masks to project story (Dunne, 2009). This literature review will explore theories of play therapy and core processes of drama therapy while discussing the similarities and differences of how they interact with projective techniques in both modalities. The intention for this thesis is to create more intermodal pathways between the two fields in a respectful and constructive context.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Rudel, Rachel, "Purposeful Play: A Literature Review of Play Therapy and Projective Techniques of Drama Therapy" (2020). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses. 279.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/279