Poetic and therapeutic encounters in an adolescent drama group

Abstract

This article reports on a research project that explored the use of drama and movement in facilitating the transformation of narratives of adolescents. Narrative therapy and social constructionism were combined with concepts in drama and movement to create poetic moments. The focus was on transformative dialogue, responsive events, and poetic moments that suddenly open the eyes for a different way out of a problem or into a new way of thinking. A group of adolescents participated in a 10-week programme in which they explored different processes, stories, and relationships. The participants responded positively and spontaneously to constructing a movement drama with a social theme through a process of creative interaction and conversation. A review of the realities and knowledge constructed revealed how drama, movement, and narrative therapy may be used therapeutically with adolescents in a group context. Furthermore, the research showed how a social constructionistist approach, linked to languaging and movement, can create poetic moments that may benefit the creative therapeutic process. From a creative position, the author hopes that the construction process reflected on in this research project may lead to new discoveries in meaningful conversations.