Weaving the threads of interconnectedness through myth, ritual and symbols

An 8-week Drama Therapy Journey for
Mental Health Professionals and Group Facilitators

Live Online

Facilitated by
Dimitra Stavrou, DT, MSc & Ornela Kapetani, RDT, CCC 

WHEN:
January 25th – March 15th, 2024
Thursday mornings, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm PST
8 Sessions

WHERE:
Live Online via Zoom

FEE:
$800 Full Course Fee

Payment Plans Available!

Course Description

Step into a transformative journey of self-discovery and connection. You will be guided by the wisdom that emerges from the creation of rituals. Myths and symbolic processes will be utilized to deepen the experience. Through this you will discover your healing life metaphor. We will work with creative tools  and  transform the images that emerge into helpful guides.

Through movement, storytelling, psychodrama, role-playing and symbolic processes, you will discover how the individual and collective coalesce. You are invited to delve into the tapestry of your individual and collective stories.

Themes Explored

• Individual and collective story: Weave together the threads of individual and collective history through the transformative power of ritual and myth.
• Intergenerational reconnection: Navigate the kaleidoscopic process of connecting the threads of your ancestral stories that continue to evolve.
• Work through life’s stages: Experience the interplay between developmental life stages.
• Symbolic exploration of Time and Space: Explore the DRI Model* and  the “here and now”, and cross the divide between circular and linear time.

Training for mental health professionals

• Experience the developmental impact of working with the Interconnectedness model in Drama Therapy.
• Design your own sessions that will enable you to work with different groups and individuals.
• The facilitators will demonstrate how practitioners can use the DMRI model which combines indoor and outdoor symbolic activities.
• Learn how to work with both short and long term healing objectives such as  trauma recovery, or personal growth.
• Empower you to work creatively with trauma, grief and loss.
• Experientially redefine the importance of space and time and bring your discoveries into the ‘here and now’.
• Learn the application of  the clinical and societal dialectic in your practice .

Participants will learn  

• Recognize the kaleidoscopic complexity of their  individual micro/macro cosmos, embracing the intricate and diverse facets of their being.
• Experience the restoration of new connections, weaving a tapestry of renewed bonds  and a deeper sense of self awareness.
• Reaffirm faith in their  cultural identity, fostering an appreciation for their uniqueness and heritage, empowering both themselves and others.
• Feel inspired to create their own healing rituals, becoming the architects of their personal growth and transformation.

The Method Explained

The Developmental Ritualistic Model of Interconnectedness
This model draws inspiration from developmental theories, archetypal psychology, and anthropological research and the wisdom that comes from it.  The framework also integrates symbolic narratives, blending time and space into the fabric of the process to restore ‘good enough’ connections.

In order to support you in achieving a sense of  interconnectedness, heal and renew your sense of purpose, the facilitators incorporate a wide range of powerful techniques.  These include sensory stimulation, projective actions, role-playing, myth, storytelling, symbolization of time and space as well as the creation of mandalas and other symbolic narratives

This eight week workshop is for anyone interested in exploring their experience through metaphor, embodiment and myth such as creative arts therapists, social workers, wellness and life coaches, group facilitators, actors, theatre workers and activists.

Want to learn more about the process? Read Dimitra Stavrou and Fofi Trigazi’s article on Developmental Ritualistic model, With myth as a passport

https://www.academia.edu/43189644/With_Myth_as_Passport_The_Example_for_a_New_Drama_Therapy_Model?auto=download&email_work_card=download-paper

About the Facilitators

Dimitra Stavrou, MSc
Is a Licensed Psychologist, Social Anthropologist (MSc.) and Drama Therapist and author. Dimitra is a trained practitioner of the Theatre for the Oppressed for social inclusion and Performance Studies.

She is a Honorary member of the French Association of Dramatherapists for her support to implement Drama Therapy in France and its development in the country.  She lives in Athens-Greece, she’s an avid traveller combining work and her passion for Ethnography.

She has a rich clinical experience  and has collaborations with universities in Greece, Europe and U.S.A., big companies with drama training, prisons, schools, programs for drug-addicted people, artists, diverse working groups, refugees, hospitals,  programs for high-risk teens etc.

She teaches Drama Therapy in the Greek-British College of Athens and the ‘Theatre of Changes’ in Athens. She has worked with individuals and groups in her private studio since 1995. In 2012 she co-founder of “Psypoint”, an Arts-Therapies Center in Athens.

Since 2013, Dimitra has been working with ethnodrama as part of the Drama Therapy process, or as part of performance art or activism.  Dimitra is the creator of the performance art collectivity “Liminals” directing ethnodramatic performances in the city of Athens. Alongside her colleague Drama Therapist Fofi Trigazi, in 2016 they introduced the Drama Therapy model, the “Developmental ritualistic model of interconnectedness” or in abbreviation “Interconnected Drama Therapy” .   Dimitra co-edited the French book: Dramatherapie: Applications Cliniques” 2021 Paris: L’ Harmattan, and authored many professional articles.

Contact:   dimitrastavrou@gmail.com, dimitrastav@yahoo.com

Ornela Kapetani, MA, RDT, CCC
Is a drama therapist and a professional theatre and film actress. She is a registered drama therapist with the North American Drama Therapy Association and with the HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council) in the UK. She’s a Transpersonal Regression Therapist registered with EARTH association.

Since 2009  Ornela has been working as a drama therapist for the National Health System (NHS,UK), within mental health facilities, mainstream education settings, NGOs and with individuals, from diverse cultural backgrounds, who experienced trauma. She has extensive training in Jungian psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, humanistic and person-centred approaches to psychotherapy. She has an established private practice and works with people from all walks of life.

In addition, Ornela has extensive training in various theatrical disciplines such as the Stanislavsky method, the physical theatre of Jerzy Grotowski, Jaques Lecoq and the silent theatre of Marcel Marceau.  From 2008-2015 Ornela was a performer with the multidisciplinary theatrical group PartSuspended, an art collective that aimed to bring together artists from various disciplines to address social issues through performance.

Ornela combines her experience as a clinician and professional actress, in a way where both the psychological needs and the artistic potential of the person are intertwined to create a transforming experience.

Contact: +1 (438) 821-3239 | ornelakapetani@gmail.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
 Ornela Kapetani, MA, RDT, CCC
ornelakapetani@gmail.com
1 (438) 821-3239