Psychodrama workshops are getting severely beaten by various evidence-based workshops. A flyer arrived recently highlighting evidence-based trauma treatments and interventions; a two-day, 14 hour, workshop for $400. At the end of the two days the “seminar meets the education requirement when applying to become a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.”

The workshop is advertised by www.pesi.com and given by the International Association of Trauma Professionals (www.traumapro.net) It has a board of directors consisting of three people: and Ed.D, LMHC; a Ph.D, LMHC; and a public board member with an MBA. These very few “experts” can advertise as “evidence-based.” ASGPP has many, better qualified people with much greater experience.

Psychodrama desperately needs evidence-based research and I’m at a loss as to what to do. Also I do not have the research skills nor a research group required for the task(s).

This need has been talked about for many years in the psychodrama community, yet nothing has been done. Our community will experience continued deterioration unless we do something.

What can be done? I’m willing to help in any way that I can.

Bill Wysong, MA, LPC, EMDR II, TEP
Aspen Counseling Center
611 N. Nevada
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
(719) 632-0771

www.AspenCounseling.com
iqwysong@gmail.com
www.PsychodramaCompanion.blogspot.com

http://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10539/15807/Research%20Report%20%28PDF%29.pdf?sequence=2

a research project from the University of Witwatersrand in S Africa regarding use of role play to facilitate disclosures in sexual, sensitive stories

http://www.ted.com/talks/kare_anderson_be_an_opportunity_maker?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2014-11-07&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_content=talk_of_the_week_button

This TED talk is lovely and its author has a book called Son of a Terrorist.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197455610001358

http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/gpr/16/1/70/

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019745561400032X

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11620-014-0225-1

These are abstracts. If you are keen to see the articles in full, email me. ericahollander@comcast.net

If the link does not function, copy and paste address into your browser.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/18/why-doctors-need-stories/?_php=true&_type=blogs&src=me&ref=general&_r=0an article on the necessary relationship between standard evidence based practice and narratives such as the kind of work Psychodramatists do ordinarily.

Here’s a link to a very short article on epi-mapping: Epistemic mapping. Meaning/knowledge mapping. http://bigthink.com/big-think-mentor/how-to-create-maps-of-human-interaction-with-mihnea-moldoveanu This is to a chap who has a good idea and is trying to build it up. Peter Howie

Science shows that expressive writing improves us. Imagine what Psychodrama can do. http://mic.com/articles/98348/science-shows-writers-have-a-serious-advantage-over-the-rest-of-us

A TED talk on the science of social connection is to be found at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlXJnlmAXt0&feature=c4-overview&list=UUzno-z2lWDjrjU9J3Xd-L3Q

The peer reviewed article  on which the
TED talk above is based can be found at http://ccare.stanford.edu/article/social-connection-and-compassion-important-predictors-of-health-and-well-being/

and the references on which the article is based are atwwww.newschool.edu/cps/socres-802-Sepalla-Rossomando-Doty.

In addition, the website for the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism Research has a number of other peer reviewed papers online that may be of interest to Psychodrama practitioners and trainers and students.

June Hare’s article on this topic is at http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/probing-the-boundaries/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/harestorypaper.pdf