Laura Notes

Drama Therapy Questions:
What percentage of drama therapy graduates go on to work in the field?
Pretty high. Laura doesn't have a hard statistical number, but very few don't go on to do it. If they want to do it, almost everybody does, unless they've had some negative internship experiences (like an ethical issue, or something that made it very clear that this wouldn't be the right profession). This is especially true for Lesley because they also give you a master's in clinical mental health counseling with a specialization in drama therapy. This is unlike the NYU program. NYU gives you "licensed clinical art therapist" (LCAT) credential, which is difficult to transfer to other states. Lesley gives you the licensed medical health counselor (LMHC) credential, which is recognized in 42 states. It also gives you all the requirements for an RDT. If I knew I wanted to go back to Minnesota, folks at the program would sit me down in my first semester of my first year and figure out if they needed to modify my coursework to make that happen. States they don't qualify for include Florida. California requires 5 extra courses. But in general they work with a lot of different licensing board. 15 years ago when she came into the program, Laura didn't really understand licensure, and she moved from NY to IL and suddenly couldn't work, which sparked her interest in licensure. If you look at your state licensure board, the first thing they look at is if you have a degree in counseling. If your degree isn't in counseling, regardless of whether the coursework matches, they might throw your application out, which is why Lesley made the degree in mental health counseling with a specialization in drama therapy. They have one additional internship to fulfill this.

MN requires a degree in counseling specifically. Laura literally went down the list of class requirements with me, and the program covers all of them. It looks like I would need to take one additional elective to have everything I need for MN.

Does the program have relationships with theaters/performing arts organizations in Massachusetts?
They had been developing relationships with the Harvard and American Reparatory Theaters, but then COVID hit. The program has worked with a small theater company called The Liars and Believers. The Huntington at the U just made a connection with them. ART is the strongest connection right now. Lesley is working on building a new black box theater that drama therapy students will be able to use. They have an ongoing relationship with MA High School Thespian Group and talk to high schoolers about drama therapy.

What are some examples of internship/field opportunities?
Really broad range of places from group private practice to hospitals. They are well connected in the internship scene. You name a population, they have a field opportunity for it. There's a really good internship working with LGBT youth. She's going to send the name of it after. One works with LGBT youth as an after school program and one works with homeless LGBT youth. They have a field training office that supports students in getting placements.

In what states will I be licensed to work as a drama therapist? Will I be able to get licensure for non-MA states through this program? Is there anything additional I will have to do to get licensed in other states?
She kind of answered this earlier.

Does my Human Development SWK class work to satisfy the Developmental Psych requirement?
Yes!

Requirements for portfolio part of application? The website says there are different portfolio requirements but doesn't specify what they are.
It's pretty general. There's a portfolio program that gives you the option to upload anything you think would be valuable. If you have written up a dramaturgical note, or if you directed something and want to put a clip of that, or you want to put in an acting reel, these are all options. Anything you feel is useful to the process.

What format does the improvisational interview take? Will it have improv theater aspects to it?
It's similar to NYU's. They'll be doing one on campus and one on Zoom. They do drama therapy warm-ups and engage students with drama therapy exercises. It's usually 3-4 hours long, and then half hour long one-on-one interviews follow.

My background is in social work and theater. How common is a social work background vs. a psychology background coming into the program? Should I supplement with any additional psychology courses (besides those that are required)?
On occasion they get folks who have done social work at the undergrad level. If I've got the prereqs then I'm good. The strongest thing I can do right now is just read articles by drama therapy folks about my interests. Mark Beauregard is one. Christina Dennis is another one. She sent me a few theses to check out.

Other Notes:

Laura works with clients with eating disorders and has a lot of awareness around how drama therapy helps trans people and people with eating disorders reclaim their bodies.

The upcoming drama therapy conference is virtual! I should consider attending.

I should read some articles by drama therapists. Laura knows of a book about drama therapy and working in LGBT community. Mark Beauregard worked on it. The admissions folks like to know that folks are well read going into the program. Laura says that I'm already pretty set up in this regard since I've been methodically planning for drama therapy instead of stumbling into it.