Biller.+Colleen+Drama+Therapy

Something I Would like you to know about me: My name is Colleen Rose Biller, and I love life! I come from an active and artistic family where my 17 year old brother Johnny is a star athlete in high school Track and  Basketball, my father Tim is a commander in the U.S Navy in addition to being an an avid fisherman,  and my mother Joan is a teacher and an artist. I personally love nature, running, theatre, laughter, poetry and working with children. Facts: My favorite color is chartruce, I was born on an island, and I wear a 7.5 shoe size.

 Education and Career Goals:
I have gone to private schools my enitre life, including an all girls Catholic College Prep in Sacramento, CA. I started at Southern Oregon as a theatre major and continued on with it for the entirely of my freshman and sophmore years. I planned on being a theatre teacher for children with special needs, but decided it woudl be more beneficial to me and my future students if I was an education major.For my career goals, I plan on teaching abroad and then recieving my SPED Masters in the states. Eventually, I feel drawn to teach special education or work with individual with disabilities in some way. I would like to teach middle or high school drama and literature some day, but my plans may very well change depending on what life has in store.

 What brings me joy:
Family, laughter, reading, writing, the outdoors, teaching (obviously), improv,, helping people, chocolate...

 My greatest fear about being a teacher:
I often worry that I do not know enough to be able to teach. I watch my professors and they have such knowledge and insight on their subjects, and I worry that I will not beable to do the same. How do I get to that point? I know it is experience, but I want to help so many students, and I do not quite know how I am going to beable to give them what they need.

 Something that was extremely hard for me to learn:
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have always struggled with comprehending mathematical concepts and math memorization. I had such a hard time with math facts when I was in school that it made me feel stupid and worthless in the subject. I tried so hard to memorize multiplication, btu even by the time I was in 8th grade, I was still struggling with it. Once I got to High school and college I could use a calculator, but to this day I struggle immensely with math. This lingering experience in my schooling has made me more empathetic and patien twith students who take a bit longer to learn a concept than their peers. I feel more sensitive to students who do have a more difficult time, and I do not mind repeating myslef over and over until comprehnsion is achieved.

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> What I want ot gain from this course:
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am enthralled to be in this class, as it is my first class focuding on integration of students with different learning needs. I do not have much prior instrucstion on the topics that will be covered int eh course except for whta I have experience in classrooms, so I am lookin foward to have basic knowledge and skills of the integration process by the end of this class = Introduction to Drama Therapy: = //"Under the guise of play and pretend, we can - for once - act in new ways. The bit of distance from real life afforded by drama enables us to gain perspective on our real-life roles and patterns and actions, and to experiment actively with alternatives."// -- Renee Emunah, PhD, RDT/BCTDirector, Drama Therapy Program, California Institute of Integral Studies

Drama Therapy is the use of creative theatre arts practices to promote a meaningful existence through favorable mental health tactics. Drama tactics such as improvisation, role playing, storytelling and performance enhance in the individual a sense of self efficacy, positive communication skills, the ability to problem solve, ability to achieve a catharsis, and promotes favorable behavioral changes. Drama therapy has the potential to benefit any individual or group, but is most often used in mental health centers, hospitals and schools. In the educational setting, referrals for drama therapy may include and be beneficial to: ([])
 * Children and youth who are presenting challenging behavior
 * Children and youth who seem particularly anxious or withdrawn
 * Children and youth who have suffered a loss or difficult experience
 * Refugee and Asylum seeking children and young people
 * Children and youth with difficult family or home situations
 * Children and youth with exceptionalities (ie. Learning disabilities, physical impairments, autism, emotional disturbances)

Drama Therapy is beneficial in the educational setting as the sessions are highly structured, yet they are individualized and client-led. This allows the student to feel that they are in control, which gives the student a sense of empowerment in ways that they might not normally feel in daily life in the educational setting or at home. Drama Therapy provides a safe, nurturing space for students to use play and performance creatively in order to come into contact with the essence of their own individual realities.

= Resources: = 1. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//**National Association for Drama Therapy (NADT)**// - [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The NADT is a nonprofit organization that was created for the alliance of those with careers in Drama Therapy or related fields, such as general educators, theatre teachers or therapists. This website offers a great resource as it defines Drama Therapy, gives additional educational information those interested in the field, offers updates, events and articles on the topic. It is not the best place for a teacher seeking information on how to use Drama Therapy in the classroom, but is a great place to start collecting information and gain perspective on the practice. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rating: 4/5 stars (Awesome resource, gives additional resources as well)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">2. //**Drama Therapy: Drama Therapy in Education**//- [] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The information given on this page is a broad spectrum overview of how and who Drama Therapy can benefit in the educational setting. It describes how the practice is done in schools, or in private practices for students. It is helpful for those seeking information on the topic, as it offers definitions, descriptions and the processes taken in a Drama Therapy session. Due to its brevity, it is merely an overview and lacks significant detail. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rating: 3/5 stars ( Basically an introduction, lacks detail)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">3. //**Drama Therapy: Drama Therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorders**//-http://www.dramatherapist.net/dramatherapy-for-autism-spectrum-disorders <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For those who are interested in how Drama Therapy benefits individuals with autism, this is a great starting place. This page offers several strategies used in Drama Therapy with individuals with autism, in addition to several approaches that are beneficial but not overpowering. It describes activities and practices that allow the individual to become familiar with the practice and enjoy it so that they may reap the full benefits of the practice. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rating: 3/5 stars (Broad overview, not enough information. Basically an introduction)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4. //**Brigham Young University’s Theatre Education Database: Theatre Fundamentals for Special Needs Students**//-http://tedb.byu.edu/unit/show?id=33 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What an amazing resource for general and special education teachers! Not only does this cite offer an overview and additional resources on Drama Therapy and Drama Education, it also offers standards, units and modified theatre lesson plans for teachers that have students with special needs in their classroom. There are a multitude of lesson plans, which include the specific objective, subject, class level, main concept, national description and author. Though this source is not explicitly focused towards Drama Therapy, it has the components of a drama education that may benefit the student in a classroom setting. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rating: 4/5 stars (Great lesson plans)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5.//**Wings to Fly: Bringing Theatre Arts to Students with Special Needs**// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> This book offers various drama tools and techniques that are used to help children and students with disabilities through creativity, self-expression and improvisation. It helps students gain a sense of self-esteem and improve their social skills as they work on delving deep within themselves, but experiencing it in a group. Bailey gives examples from her experiences working primarily with students with special needs at Bethesda Academy of Performign Arts, discussing what seemed to work for her students and the miracles that theatre brought to these children’s lives. Rating: 4/5 stars (Love it! But gives mostly her own experience rather than broad range) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">6.//**Barrier-Free Theatre: Including Everyone in Theatre Arts—In Schools, Recreation, and Arts Programs—Regardless of (Dis)Ability**// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This book describes how drama can be an educational tool used in therapy or in schools to assist students in overcoming a wide array of barriers. Barrier-free theatre is an amazing resource for teachers, special education teachers and drama therapists as it includes recommended reading lists, explores activities, references and a checklist for building accessibility. What is so beautiful about this source, is that the author provides adaptations and modifications for lessons. She offers detailed lesson plans that suggest how to go about using improvisation, how to develop authentic scripts, and how to perform the rehearsal process. Bailey discusses various disabilities, both physical and cognitive, as she provides advice for those who are unfamiliar with them and how they would be able to adapt their lesson for specific students with disabilities. Rating: 5/5 (Creative! Amazing! Accessible!)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By Sally Bailey **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By Sally Bailey **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">7.//**Drama therapy for Children and Adolescents**// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This source is a step by step guide book that offers great ways for troubled students to use drama as a form of healthy communication and development in their lives. It is compiled of findings from twelve different contributors, as it gives the perspectives and stories that each of them have to tell on the matter. They all have similar outcomes for the effectiveness of drama therapy, and how it is a strategy that works to bring about change through creativity. This book is a good resource for those seeking more information on the practical use of drama as therapy, including teachers, play therapists, drama therapists, social workers and probation officers. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rating: 3/5 (Good source, slightly boring)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">By Sue Jennings **

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">8. //**Drama as Therapy, Theatre as Living**// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This is a practical, sequenced source that gives information in great detail of the efficacy of drama in the developmental stages as well as for a healthy lifestyle. The book is separated into four detailed sections. The first section gives an overview of what drama therapy is, the definition and describes its basic factors. The second section describes the history of drama therapy, the third section describes the process and efficacy while the fourth section explores the theory and practice. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rating: 3/5 (fantastic information, but dry)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> By Phil Jones **

= Top Resource: = The best resource I found was the book //Barrier-Free Theatre: Including Everyone in Theatre Arts—In Schools, Recreation, and Arts Programs—Regardless of (Dis)Ability// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">by Sally Bailey. I appreciated it the most as I do beleive many other teachers would, as it gives not only the overall beneftis of drama in the classroom and as therapy, but also give the practical steps on how to do so. With the lesson plans, activities, improvisational games, acomodations and modifications, it is an absolutley amazing resource for any teacher willing to use theatre in the classroom, drama therepist or special education teacher.

= Top 5 Things I learned: =

1. The prevelence of Drama Therapy in counseling, social work, prisons and schools for studetns with difficulties adjusting to social situations, or studetns with exceptionalities
===2. There are not many books on the topic, but the ones that are available should be utilized. There are however, a myriad of resources on drama therapy that flows over into classroom work as well as in stand alone therapy.=== ===3. The benefits of Drama and Theatre in the classroom, as it established s sense of self efficacy, confidence, creativity as well as social and self awareness (Already knew this of course, the reasearch just solidified it!)===

4. The development of healthy communication through theatre is used for children and individuals with Autism.
===5. There are various programs around the country and the world that offer specialized traing, masters and doctorate programs for those interested in obtainging edcuation in drama therapy, or becoming a drama teacher, including teaching theatre to students with exceptionalities. (NYU program is incredible! Perhaps I may even try something of this nature myself!)===