Drama Therapy Institute of Los Angeles

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Santa Monica, CA
Drama Therapy Institute of Los Angeles

At the forefront of drama therapy, narrative and creative arts, DTILA offers CE's and training for m

The Drama Therapy Institute of Los Angeles is accredited by the North American Drama Therapy Association as a training program for students and clinicians interested in the clinical applications of drama in therapy. The DTILA is a recognized and well-respected program at the forefront of drama, narrative and creative arts therapy training, and offers a certificate in drama therapy. On-going classe

s and day intensives are available for graduate-level students and professionals.

• At the forefront of drama, narrative and creative arts therapy training
• Certificate Program in Drama Therapy
• Required and elective classes in drama therapy and psychology
• Approved Alternative Training Option for NADT
• CEUs offered (CE Provider # PCE- 3906)

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)
Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW)
Licensed Educational Psychologists (LEP)
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC)
Associate Clinical Social Workers (ASW)
Marriage and Family Therapist Interns (IMF)

09/08/2026

Principles of Drama Therapy begins on Saturday (Sept 12)!

Join Pam Dunne, Ph.D., RCT-BCT, NT and Nadine Bernard, MA, MFA, RDT, NF for an immersive exploration of foundational drama therapy theories, methods, and creative practices.

Through hands-on learning, participants will explore key approaches including Role Theory, Narradrama, the Integrative 5 Phase Model, Transpersonal approaches, DVT, Ethnodramatherapy, and Insight Improvisation.

You’ll also gain practical experience with creative and psychodramatic tools, including masks, puppets, life-size dolls, objects, role reversal, doubling, interviewing, and mirroring.

The course offers opportunities to apply these methods across different populations and settings, helping you expand your therapeutic toolkit and develop greater confidence in experiential practice.

Course Details
September 12 – November 21
Saturdays | 9:30 AM–2:30 PM PST
3 Units | $899

*Principles of Drama Therapy is a required class for students pursuing the Registered Drama Therapist (RDT) credential.
**Potential APA or CAMFT CE opportunity - CE coordination and approval must be arranged with Pam Dunne

https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/winter-2026-semester-schedule/

08/23/2026

FALL 2026 CLASSES ARE HERE!

The Drama Therapy Institute of Los Angeles (DTILA) is excited to announce our Fall 2026 semester!

Whether you’re a drama therapy student, practicing professional, helping professional, educator, or creative practitioner, our courses offer opportunities to deepen your skills through experiential learning, drama therapy, Narradrama, creative practice, and community-based approaches.

https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/winter-2026-semester-schedule/

Fall 2026 offerings include:
Principles of Drama Therapy
Explore foundational drama therapy methods, Role Theory, Narradrama, DVT, Ethnodramatherapy, psychodramatic techniques, and creative tools.

Personality Theory
Explore major personality theories and discover how different theoretical perspectives can inform drama therapy practice and personal growth.

LGBTQI+ Affirming Drama Therapy
Develop practical, embodied tools for creating affirming clinical and community spaces.

Narradrama as a Three Act/One Act Play
Re-story experiences, explore preferred roles, and create new possibilities through playwriting and performance.

Authentic Movement: Embodied Presence, Witnessing & Self-Care
Slow down, listen inwardly, and explore movement, witnessing, reflection, and embodied self-care for drama therapists.

Embodied Ethics and Inclusive Practice in Drama Therapy
Explore ethical practice, power, privilege, systemic injustice, uncertainty, and real-world rupture through embodied and narrative approaches.

Independent Study: Ethics and Law
A student-led opportunity for research, exploration, and individualized learning.

Group Supervision for Professionals & Advanced Students
Ongoing professional supervision with Pam Dunne.

At DTILA, we believe creative and experiential practices can help change the therapeutic story, promote holistic well-being, and create meaningful connection.

Most classes are held virtually via Zoom unless otherwise noted.

Questions about courses, registration, or continuing education requirements?
Email: [email protected]

Explore the Fall 2026 catalog and find the course that’s right for you!

04/16/2026

Ready to deepen your work with groups and experiential methods?

Sociodrama & Advanced Psychodramatic Techniques begins this Sunday with facilitator Pam Dunne, Ph.D., RCT-BCT, NT.

Dates: April 18, 25 • May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 • June 6
Times:
• April 18: 12:30–3:30pm (PST)
• All other sessions: 9:30am–2:30pm (PST)
3 Units (TBA arranged hours 7+)
$899
Includes a 30-minute lunch break each session

This course dives into Sociodrama and advanced psychodramatic techniques rooted in the work of Jacob Moreno and expanded by international leaders in the field. You’ll explore:

• Empty chair sociodrama
• Pre-rehearsed dramaturgy & dramatic multiplication
• Living newspaper & re-plotting
• Living sculpture, role reversal, mirrors, and psychodramatic interviewing
• Sociometric tools like spectrograms and locograms

Through video, practice, and targeted assignments, you’ll build skills to facilitate powerful experiential processes across clinical, community, educational, and organizational settings.

Spots are limited, join us this Saturday!

https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/spring-classes-2026/

03/15/2026

DTILA Spring 2026 Courses Are Here!

Explore new ways to bring story, embodiment, and social justice into your drama therapy practice this spring.

Transformational Stories & Pivotal Moments
with Pam Dunne, PhD
April 4, 11, 18
Learn how to transform problem-saturated stories into hopeful narratives using Narradrama techniques.
$338 | 1 Unit

Sociodrama & Advanced Psychodramatic Techniques
with Pam Dunne, PhD
April 18 – June 6
Dive into powerful group methods including role reversal, living sculpture, mirrors, and sociometry.
$899 | 3 Units

Exploring the Enneagram through Drama Therapy & Authentic Movement
with Pam Paulson, MA, LMFT
April 19 & 26
Experience personality patterns through improvisation, movement, and embodied role work.
$169 | .5 Unit

Innovations in Narradrama Witnessing
with Ksenia Ilinskaya, MA
May 17 & 24
Explore new approaches to therapeutic witnessing that honor story, identity, and transformation.
$169 | .5 Unit

Abolitionism & Narradrama: Anti-Carceral Practice
with Kamran Afary, PhD & Lynn Baker-Nauman, LMFT, RDT
May 31 & June 7
Explore drama therapy through an abolitionist lens and imagine new pathways for justice and healing.
$169 | .5 Unit

Independent Study: Ethics & the Law
Student-led research projects with guidance from Pam Dunne, PhD
$338 | 1 Unit

Group Supervision for Professionals & Advanced Students
Facilitated by Pam Dunne, PhD
Ongoing supervision group for deeper clinical reflection and development.

Most classes are held online via Zoom
Many courses offer continuing education for LMFT, LCSW, and LPCC professionals
https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/spring-classes-2026/

01/29/2026

🚨 SPECIAL GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨

We’re thrilled to share that our upcoming class
Art Therapy & Multimodal Engagement with Neurodivergent Populations with Georgie Landy
will feature a very special 20-minute guest talk from Jen Stark

Jen Stark is a world-renowned artist whose work explores perception, repetition, color, and pattern- deeply resonant with neurodivergent processing and sensory experience. Her work is currently being projected on the Sphere in Las Vegas (yes, that Sphere 😮).

In this guest segment, Jen will speak to how her artistic process connects to neurodivergent ways of experiencing, organizing, and making meaning, offering a rare bridge between contemporary art practice and therapeutic understanding.

This adds a powerful real-world dimension to an already experiential workshop blending:
• Art therapy
• Drama therapy & embodiment
• Visual and sensory assessments
• Multimodal, neurodivergent-affirming approaches

February 1 & 8
9:00–12:30 PM PST
1 arranged hour

Spots are limited, and this guest appearance is truly one-of-a-kind.
Register now: https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/winter-2026-semester-schedule/

Photo by Ira Chernova

01/11/2026

Join Dr. Pam Dunne for a deep dive into the transformative power of creative arts therapies. Across nine immersive sessions, participants will explore movement, art, music, poetry, drama, and digital media as pathways for insight, expression, and change.

Together we’ll:
• Experience creative modalities from the inside out
• Integrate arts-based tools into clinical, educational, and community settings
• Learn through case examples, media, and guided exercises
• Develop practices that support both personal growth and client work

💫 Perfect for therapists, educators, clinicians, and creative professionals.

📅 Dates: Jan 17 – Mar 21, 2026 (9:30–2:30 PST)
💲 Cost: $899
📜 TBA Hours (5)

https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/winter-2026-semester-schedule/

01/06/2026

Ignite motivation, resilience, and confidence in learning

What if learning didn’t feel heavy, shame-filled, or stuck?
What if it felt playful, meaningful, and alive again?

Join Nadine Bernard for a creative, experiential two-part Narradrama workshop exploring how story, role, and play can help people:
- move past academic obstacles
- rewrite old learning narratives
- reconnect with curiosity, confidence, and purpose

🗓 January 11 & 18
⏰ 9:00 AM–12:30 PM PST
➕ 1 arranged integration hour

This workshop is a beautiful fit for:
• Therapists
• Educators
• Coaches & facilitators
• Anyone supporting lifelong learners (including themselves 💛)

Come experience learning in a new way—embodied, relational, and deeply human.

https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/winter-2026-semester-schedule/

12/02/2025

This workshop starts this week, and it’s one you don’t want to miss.

When life feels unsteady, when our clients face fear, loss, or upheaval, how do we stay rooted? Embodying Ethics: Navigating Uncertainty Through Drama Therapy offers a powerful, creative space to explore exactly that.

Across two sessions (Dec 6 & 13), you’ll dive into embodied practices, narrative exploration, and drama therapy tools that help us show up ethically and wholeheartedly—even when the world feels unpredictable. Facilitators Kamran Afary and Lynn Baker-Nauman bring decades of wisdom, grounding, and artistry to this work.

If you’re a drama therapist, student, or helping professional wanting to deepen your practice and reconnect with your ethical center, we would love to have you.
Spots are limited & class begins soon, join us!

https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/winter-2026-semester-schedule/

11/16/2025

The world feels unsteady for so many of us, and this upcoming workshop invites us to meet that uncertainty with presence, imagination, and embodied courage.

Embodying Ethics: Navigating Uncertainty Through Drama Therapy
December 6 & 13
12–3:30 pm PST
$169
Facilitators: Kamran Afary, PhD, RDT/BCT, NT & Lynn Baker-Nauman, MA, LMFT, RDT
Plus 1 class hour arranged

This workshop explores ethics not as a rulebook, but as something lived in real time especially when life gets messy. Through experiential drama therapy practices, we’ll work with moral dilemmas, power, privilege, loss, and the moments where our values and our survival instincts collide.

If you’re craving creative tools to stay grounded, responsive, and ethically awake, this space is for you.

Open to drama therapists, students, teaching artists, and all helping professionals.

https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/winter-2026-semester-schedule/

09/23/2025

Big news is on the horizon! Our Summer Abroad Program continues, and we’ll soon be announcing the next destination along with details on how to join us. Stay tuned for your chance to learn, grow, and explore in community this summer!

Address

3205 Ocean Park Boulevard Suite 240
Santa Monica, CA
90405

Telephone

+13102262865

Website

http://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/

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