ABSTRACT
The clinical research on the effectiveness of group therapy and psychodrama continues to evolve with compelling data to support group therapy as at least as effective as individual therapies in treating various mental health disorders. Group work in its various forms is regularly implemented in hospitals and treatment centers at all levels of care to address posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma. Psychodrama’s evidence base, though smaller, suggests it is a promising treatment for PTSD. Psychodrama practitioners and participants highlight its unique power in providing corrective emotional experiences, promoting safety and empowerment, and cultivating posttraumatic growth. This chapter presents classical psychodrama interventions as well as two trauma-focused psychodrama models – the Relational Trauma Repair model and the Therapeutic Spiral Model. Trauma-focused psychodrama is summarized with a clinical vignette.
*Subsections on Therapeutic Spiral Model and Relational Trauma Repair Model are reprinted from Giacomucci, 2021b with permission.
