When Words Aren't Enough
Have you ever felt like talking about your problems isn't reaching the heart of what you're experiencing? Do you feel stuck in your head, disconnected from your body, or unable to express what you truly feel? Have you experienced trauma that feels impossible to put into words?
Drama therapy offers a powerful alternative to traditional talk therapy. As an active, experiential approach, it uses theatre techniques, role-play, storytelling, and embodied movement to facilitate healing and growth. Instead of just talking about your experiences, you explore them through action, metaphor, and creative expression.
With an MA in Drama Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and an MFA in Theatre, I bring both artistic depth and clinical expertise to help you heal through creative exploration. Drama therapy is especially powerful for trauma, identity exploration, creative blocks, and performance anxiety.
What is Drama Therapy?
Drama therapy is the intentional and systematic use of drama and theatre processes to achieve therapeutic goals. It's not about putting on a show or becoming an actor—it's about using the transformative power of dramatic action to explore emotions, process experiences, and create new possibilities for your life.
Unlike traditional talk therapy which relies primarily on verbal processing, drama therapy engages your whole person—body, mind, emotions, and imagination. By working through metaphor, role, and embodied action, we can access and heal experiences that live beyond words, particularly trauma stored in the body.
Core Drama Therapy Techniques
- Role Work: Explore different aspects of yourself through characters and perspectives
- Storytelling & Narrative: Re-author your life story with new meanings and possibilities
- Embodiment & Movement: Connect with emotions and trauma stored in your body
- Improvisation: Practice new responses and behaviors in a safe, playful space
- Metaphor & Symbol: Use imagery and symbolism to process difficult experiences
- Ritual & Ceremony: Mark transitions and create meaning through symbolic action
Who Benefits from Drama Therapy?
Trauma & PTSD
- Complex developmental trauma
- Body-based trauma symptoms
- Dissociation and disconnection
- Trauma beyond words
- Attachment wounds
- Shame and self-concept issues
Performers & Artists
- Stage fright & performance anxiety
- Audition anxiety
- Creative blocks
- Loss of artistic joy
- Imposter syndrome
- Performance-related trauma
Identity Exploration
- LGBTQ+ identity development
- Cultural identity conflicts
- Life transitions and role changes
- Authenticity and self-expression
- Multiple parts of self
- Finding your voice
Emotional Expression
- Difficulty expressing emotions
- Feeling "stuck" in talk therapy
- Depression and numbness
- Anxiety and panic
- Grief and loss
- Anger and rage
Highly Sensitive People & Empaths
Drama therapy is particularly effective for HSPs and empaths who:
- Absorb others' emotions easily
- Need strong boundaries
- Feel overwhelmed by stimulation
- Struggle to separate self from others
- Process deeply and intensely
- Need embodied, not just verbal, healing
What Happens in a Drama Therapy Session?
No acting experience necessary. Drama therapy is not about performance—it's about personal exploration and healing through creative expression adapted to your comfort level.
Sessions Might Include:
Embodiment & Movement
Gentle movement exercises to help you connect with your body, release tension, and access emotions stored physically. This isn't dance—it's about sensing and expressing what your body holds.
Role & Character Work
Explore different aspects of yourself through characters or roles. You might dialogue between parts of yourself, try on a more confident version of you, or give voice to feelings you've suppressed. The "distance" of role provides safety to explore difficult material.
Storytelling & Narrative
Tell your story in new ways—through metaphor, myth, fairy tales, or reimagining. By externalizing your experience through story, you can see it from new perspectives and author alternative endings. You're the playwright of your own life.
Improvisation & Spontaneity
Practice new responses and behaviors in a playful, safe space. Improvisation helps you move beyond habitual patterns, access creativity, and build confidence in handling uncertainty. It's powerful for anxiety, creative blocks, and rigidity.
Ritual & Symbolic Action
Create meaningful rituals to mark transitions, release what no longer serves you, or honor what's important. Ritual gives form to the formless and provides closure where verbal processing falls short.
Your Comfort Always Comes First
Every technique is adapted to your needs, pace, and comfort level. You're never asked to do anything that feels unsafe or too vulnerable. Drama therapy provides "aesthetic distance"—the ability to work on difficult material through metaphor and role, which paradoxically allows deeper healing than direct confrontation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is drama therapy?
Drama therapy is an active, experiential approach that uses theatre techniques, role-play, storytelling, and embodied movement to facilitate healing and growth. Unlike traditional talk therapy, drama therapy engages the whole person—body, mind, emotions, and imagination—to process trauma, explore identity, and create new narratives for your life.
Do I need acting experience for drama therapy?
No acting experience is necessary. Drama therapy is not about performing for others—it's about personal exploration and healing through creative expression. You don't need to be an "actor" or "performer." The techniques are adapted to your comfort level and therapeutic goals, making it accessible to anyone regardless of experience.
How is drama therapy different from traditional talk therapy?
Traditional talk therapy relies primarily on verbal processing and cognitive insight. Drama therapy adds embodied, action-based techniques that access emotional and somatic experiences often beyond words. By engaging the body, imagination, and metaphor, drama therapy can reach trauma and emotions stored non-verbally, making it especially powerful for complex trauma, creative blocks, and identity exploration.
What happens in a drama therapy session?
Sessions might include guided imagery, role-play, character exploration, storytelling, movement, improvisation, or creative rituals—all tailored to your needs and comfort level. We might explore different parts of yourself through characters, re-enact and reshape difficult experiences, or use metaphor and symbol to process emotions. The focus is always on therapeutic goals, not performance.
Who benefits from drama therapy?
Drama therapy is especially effective for trauma survivors, highly sensitive people, performers/artists with creative blocks or stage fright, individuals exploring identity, people struggling with depression or anxiety, and anyone who finds traditional talk therapy limiting. It's powerful for clients who are "stuck" verbally or who need body-based processing alongside verbal therapy.
Can drama therapy help with performance anxiety?
Absolutely. With an MFA in Theatre and deep understanding of performance psychology, Megan specializes in helping actors, musicians, and performers overcome stage fright, audition anxiety, and creative blocks. Drama therapy techniques help you embody confidence, work through performance-related trauma, and reconnect with the joy of your craft.
What is Megan's drama therapy training?
Megan holds an MA in Drama Therapy from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), one of the premier drama therapy programs in the country. Combined with her MFA in Theatre and LMFT license, she brings both artistic depth and clinical expertise to the therapeutic process. She has 9+ years of clinical experience integrating drama therapy with other evidence-based approaches.
Is drama therapy covered by insurance in California?
When provided by a licensed therapist like an LMFT, drama therapy falls under psychotherapy services and may be covered by insurance. Megan is an in-network provider with several insurance companies. Contact your insurance to verify mental health benefits, or Megan can provide a superbill for out-of-network reimbursement.
Why Choose Megan for Drama Therapy in Oakland?
With an MA in Drama Therapy from CIIS and an MFA in Theatre, I bring both clinical expertise and artistic depth to the therapeutic process. As a performer and theatre artist myself, I understand the unique challenges faced by creative professionals, as well as the transformative power of embodied, creative expression for all types of healing.
My integration of drama therapy with Brainspotting and the Grief Recovery Method provides a comprehensive, body-based approach to trauma and loss. Whether you're a performer struggling with stage fright, a trauma survivor seeking embodied healing, or someone exploring your authentic identity, I create a safe, creative space for your journey.
Unique Training
- MA in Drama Therapy (CIIS)
- MFA in Theatre
- Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
- Certified Brainspotting Practitioner
- 9+ years clinical experience
Specialized Expertise
- Performers & artists
- Performance anxiety & stage fright
- Complex trauma & PTSD
- Highly sensitive people (HSP)
- Identity exploration (LGBTQ+)
Integrated Approach
- Drama therapy + Brainspotting
- Body-based trauma processing
- Creative & embodied techniques
- Evidence-based foundations
- Trauma-informed care
Oakland & Bay Area
- In-person sessions in Oakland
- Telehealth across California
- LGBTQ+ affirming practice
- Culturally sensitive care
- Safe, creative therapeutic space
Ready to Explore Drama Therapy?
Begin your journey of creative healing and embodied transformation.
Schedule Your ConsultationServing Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, and the greater Bay Area