The process to obtain certification as a practitioner in psychodrama (CP) is a comprehensive process requiring 780 training hours, a year-long supervised practicum, a written exam, and an on-site exam. For full details on certification, visit the website of the American Board of Examiners in Sociometry, Psychodrama, and Group Psychotherapy.
The written exam is only offered once per year in October which creates extra pressure to prepare and pass the exam for applicants. Psychodrama training has traditionally emphasized the experiential components of the learning process over didactic teaching of psychodrama’s history, theory, philosophy, research, and ethics. Understandably, many applicants for the exam seek a refresher course or additional learning related to these areas before taking their written exam. Together with Actions Explorations, we have created a comprehensive pre-recorded video course which includes 7-parts (one for each section of the written exam) that you can digest at your own pace. The course includes teaching, examples, and discussion on all parts of the exam, as well as a review of nearly every question asked on past exams (which are published by the board as a exam study tool). The course can be purchased as a 7-part package for only $230; or as individual courses – Click Here to View the Course Purchasing Options
1. History 2. Philosophy 3. Methodology 4. Ethics 5. Sociometry 6. Research and Evaluation 7. Related fields
The course instructor, Dr. Scott Giacomucci, DSW, LCSW, BCD, CGP, FAAETS, TEP, has served as a grader for the ABE exam in the past while publishing and teaching extensively in each of the seven exam areas. Scott has published a popular textbook on psychodrama, co-edited the autobiography of Jacob Moreno, teaches psychodrama in multiple universities and ongoing training offerings in Media, Pennsylvania. He also is co-chair of the psychodrama research committee, co-chief-editor of the Journal of Sociometry, Psychodrama, and Group Psychotherapy, and serves on the Executive Council of the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama (ASGPP).
Dr. Scott Giacomucci, DSW, LCSW, BCD, CGP, FAAETS, TEP
“Trying to implement trauma specific practices without first implementing trauma informed organisational culture change is like throwing seeds on dry land” – Dr. Sandra Bloom
Trauma-Informed Care
There are many different aspects and nuances within a trauma-informed approach. SAMHSA (2014) describes four “R”s as key assumptions within a trauma-informed approach. A provider that operates from a trauma-informed framework, implements the following four “R”s:
Realizes that trauma has extensive impacts on individuals and understands that there are multiple paths to recovering from trauma.
Recognizes the unique symptoms and manifestations of trauma or traumatic stress for individuals, groups, families, communities, and staff members.
Responds by implementing policies, procedures, and practices which are guided by trauma-informed principles.
Resists Retraumatization in all aspects of the work
Six Trauma-Informed Principles
SAMHSA (2014) outlines six core principles of trauma-informed practice which guide practitioners and organizations in embodying a trauma-informed care that prevents retraumatization and supports healing. SAMHSA defines trauma-informed care through these key principles (2014):
Safety: Providers promote physical and emotional safety through the design of their facility, social interactions, and the provision of services. Providers seek to understand what safety means through the perspective and experience of those they serve.
Trustworthiness and Transparency: Decision-making at all levels is done with transparency for staff, clients, and the community in the spirit of establishing and maintaining trust.
Peer Support: Trauma survivors are incorporated as essential members of one’s recovery process using their lived experiences to promote healing.
Collaboration and Mutuality: Power dynamics between various staff members and with clients are managed in a way that values each person, emphasizes each role as important, and distributes power and decision-making.
Empowerment, Voice, and Choice: Providers emphasize the resilience and autonomy of clients, communities, and staff. Everyone is empowered in decision-making, goal-setting, and self-advocacy. “Staff are facilitators of recovery rather than controllers of recovery” (Brown, Baker, & Wilcox, 2012, as cited by SAMHSA, 2014, p. 11).
Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues: Providers actively address their own biases while developing practices/policies that are conducive to the needs and values related to the race, ethnicity, culture, religion, gender, sexuality, and age of those they serve and employ. The impact of historic/collective trauma or discrimination is acknowledged while mitigating the potential for reenactments of oppression and microaggressions. The healing potential of cultural and identity values are leveraged and emphasized for clients when appropriate.
Trauma-Informed Organization Areas
Building upon the work of others (Bloom & Farragher, 2011; Harris & Fallot, 2001), SAMHSA (2014) has also outlined ten organizational domains for consideration when developing a trauma-informed system. These ten domains are meant to help guide providers and practitioners implement trauma-informed principles into their work. The articulation of these ten domains also illuminates how trauma-informed practice informs not only the ways in which treatment is provided, but every aspect of organizational structure and operations.
Governance and Leadership
Policy
Physical Environment
Engagement and Involvement
Cross Sector Collaboration
Screening, Assessment, Treatment Services
Training and Workforce Development
Progress Monitoring & Quality Assurance
Financing
Evaluation
Being trauma-informed requires critical examination and reflection by individuals and organizations. It isn’t simply a buzzword to be thrown around, but a comprehensive philosophy that guides and informs policy, organizational structure, work culture, community engagement, and how services are provided.
Trauma-Informed vs Trauma-Focused
In discussions about trauma-informed care, it is essential that we also differentiate “trauma-informed services” and “trauma-focused services”. Many mistakenly use the terms interchangeably but there is an important difference (Giacomucci, 2021). “Trauma-focused services” refer to practices that are directly provided for trauma survivors to address and/or treat post-traumatic stress disorder. The trauma-Informed philosophy describes the processes by which services are provided and the larger context in which they are offered. Whereas Trauma-focused services are dedicated to trauma-related content. One of the major differences then is that trauma-informed care highlights “process” while trauma-focused care centralizes trauma “content”.
Ideally, trauma-focused services are also offered within a trauma-informed framework. Unfortunately, this is not always the case as there are a multitude of examples of trauma treatment programs, practices, and providers that have been known to retraumatize participants without regard to the six trauma-informed principles. It should be emphasized that learning to integrate and offer trauma-informed and trauma-focused services requires education, training, self-awareness, and commitment. Most trauma-focused approaches or treatments for PTSD demand extensive training and should not be offered by professionals outside the scope of their competency. Practitioners who are not aware of the limits of their practice risk retraumatizing participants, especially when attempting to implement more complex interventions. This is one of the problems that has negatively impacted the reputation of psychodrama and other trauma treatments.
This video presents an introduction to the 4 ‘R’s of Trauma-Informed Care: -Realize -Recognize -Respond -Resist Retraumatization
Each of the 4 are described in detail by Dr. Scott Giacomucci, a Fellow of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress (FAAETS). These four ‘R’s are essential knowledge for all trauma-informed practitioners, providers, and organizational leaders. The four ‘R’s provide a simplified framework for applying trauma-informed principles from the SAMHSA. See other videos on this channel for additional context including:
SAMHSA’s 6 trauma-informed principles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4Js6VTu9yw&t= What is PTSD? – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbpdG2tiX8c&t= Post-Traumatic Growth – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFGJI1o-ciQ&t=
We are excited to share the newly released on-demand video training by Dr. Scott Giacomucci, Addiction & Trauma: A Psychodramatic Approach, hosted by the new Action Explorations Education online education platform.
This course involves a lecture on the intersection of addiction and trauma as they related to the basics of psychodrama psychotherapy. A 1-1 individual psychodrama session is demonstrated via telehealth with a focus of strength-based roles for recovery. After the psychodrama demonstration, the demo is processed and analyzed with additional insights.
Post traumatic growth (PTG) is the phenomenon of growing after trauma or hardship.
This idea is depicted throughout literature, history, religion, legends, and philosophy. It is certainly not a new idea, though the term “post traumatic growth” and the study of it are new. The fact that growth often occurs as a direct result of difficulties, losses, traumas, and changes is evidenced throughout time. One might even argue that all of our personal strengths are a result of surviving and finding our way through difficulties, struggles, and hardships.
A traumatic experience is one that overwhelms our ability to cope and process. One event may be traumatic for one person and not traumatic for another person – it is a subjective experience. An inclusive definition of trauma includes violence, abuse, death/loss, neglect, abandonment, collective trauma, discrimination based on identity, and witnessing trauma. Post-traumatic stress (and PTSD) is characterized by avoidance, numbing, hyperarousal, hypervigilance, dissociation, reexperiencing (flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive images, etc), and negative thoughts, beliefs, and emotions. Many trauma survivors experience aspects of post-traumatic growth and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder at the same time.
About 25% of adults that experience a traumatic event will develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, because of the increased vulnerability of children, childhood trauma is even more impactful resulting in 50% of children developing PTSD symptoms after a traumatic experience. At the same time, Post-Traumatic Growth research found that over 65% of trauma survivors report some type of growth after trauma.
After surviving a traumatic event, you are significantly more likely to experience post-traumatic growth than post-traumatic stress disorder.
Five Common Areas of Post-Traumatic Growth
The literature on post traumatic growth demonstrates five distinct areas that trauma survivors identify as common domains of growth. The five domains of post traumatic growth are:
A new sense of opportunities after trauma
Trauma and loss shake us to our core and challenge us in ways that we might not have imagined as possible. As a result, many survivors begin to see new possibilities in life and the opening of new doors of opportunity.
New value in relationships
The process of coping with trauma requires relationships – friends, family, therapists, support groups, etc. As humans, we are neurobiologically wired to regulate our emotions through relationships. The experience of utilizing support after trauma increases these connections and helps us remember how important they are.
New sense of personal strength
Surviving trauma and asking for help to cope with its aftermath requires incredible strength. Trauma survivors demonstrate extraordinary courage, resilience, vulnerability, trust, hope, and compassion, among other strengths. When an overwhelming event forces us to utilize all the strengths we have (and often develop new ones), we are much more aware of them going forward. “If I survived that trauma, I can survive anything”
Greater appreciation for life
Trauma, by its nature, threatens our safety, security, and often our lives. Trauma and loss remind us how precious life is and how fragile it can be. It has the ability to help us see the big picture and reconsider our priorities in life.
Deepening of spiritual/religious views
Because trauma is so often experienced through relationships and involving other human beings, many trauma survivors turn to spirituality or religion for strength, hope, and inspiration. Trauma is an existential crisis that challenges us to make sense of it, often through spiritual, religious, or existential belief systems.
These five domains of post-traumatic growth are sometimes simplified further into three categories: 1) Quality of Life, 2) Perception of self, & 3) Experience of relationships and others
Examples of Post Traumatic Growth
Examples of post traumatic growth exist all around you – and in your own life story. Chances are that you have grown in some way after a difficult experience in your life. Some common examples of post traumatic growth include: valuing relationships more after death; appreciating life more after working through a hardship; helping others that are experiencing something you went through previously; positively changing your perception of yourself after getting through a difficult time; creating change and new possibilities in your life after trauma; starting your own support group; creating changes in your community after a painful experience; advocating for policy changes and social change; etc.
Examples and metaphors of post traumatic growth even exist in nature: the extraordinary pressure that creates diamonds; an irritant in an oyster creates a pearl; volcanos that create new islands; forest fires that give way to new growth; stars in the darkness; sunrise after the dark night; and even plants growing from manure and dirt!
Post-traumatic growth is also something that professionals experience as a direct result of vicarious trauma and working with trauma survivors. For more info an vicarious post-traumatic growth, visit this link – https://www.phoenixtraumacenter.com/vicarious-post-traumatic-growth/
“Recent findings have challenged trauma therapists to consider alternative and adjunctive approaches to talk therapy and cognitive approaches. At the same time, these new findings serve to validate experiential philosophy, theories, and approaches that Jacob Moreno proposed decades prior.”
This video offers an introduction to trauma-informed principles and why they are important for all organizations. The difference between “trauma-informed” and “trauma-focused” is outlined while commenting on trends in the mental health treatment field. Leaders, supervisors, professionals, students, and others interested in learning about trauma will find this video helpful.
Don’t forget to explore our other videos on this channel which include educational content on trauma, ptsd, addiction, and experiential trauma therapy.
This video offers a basic introduction to trauma and traumatic experiences. Trauma is defined and explained including the different types of trauma. Professionals, students, and others interested in learning about trauma will find this video helpful.
Don’t forget to explore our other videos on this channel which include educational content on trauma, ptsd, addiction, and experiential trauma therapy.
This open access book outlines the intersections between social work and the methods of sociometry and psychodrama. Different sections offer essential practice wisdom for both trauma-focused and trauma-informed experiential work for individuals, groups, organizations, and communities. This text enriches the understanding of various action-based approaches and highlights how to enliven social work practice. The chapters include clinical vignettes and examples of structured sociometric prompts with diverse populations, topics, and social work settings to enhance the understanding of group practice, individual practice, and community practice. It provides social workers and other professionals with dynamic tools to improve assessment, intervention, activism, and leadership. Strength-based practical tools are offered to readers, along with guidance for theoretical conceptualizations. This integrative book is an essential read for students, practitioners, leaders, and scholars within the fields of social work, psychodrama, the creative art therapies, group therapy, community organizing, and social activism.
The book content also includes vignettes and examples from drawn from Scott’s work at the Phoenix Center providing clinical services, supervision, and training. In its first week of publication, the book reached the #1 New Release spot on Amazon in the category of Medical Psychology Research and the free eBook was downloaded over 21,000 times!
Published as the first book in a new international book series: Psychodrama in Counselling, Coaching, and Education
This video depicts the use of the Circle of Strengths which is an experiential group work tool adaptable for any group setting, any population, and any topic. The Circle of Strengths was developed by Kate Hudgins & Francesca Toscani as part of the Therapeutic Spiral Model. It is particularly useful as a strengths-based group-as-a-whole process for establishing safety and is frequently used by psychodramatists, community organizers, and other group workers. The Circle of Strengths is an action-based group tool that accesses the power of the group and cultivates mutual aid – the ability for each participant to be a therapeutic agent for each other.
Group workers are encouraged to pursue more training in experiential therapy, sociometry, and psychodrama. For upcoming trainings offered by Scott, visit http://www.PhoenixTraumaCenter.com/training
