Session: Learning a New Language to Speak to Your Body: Utilizing Psychodrama to Treat Eating Disorders (2009 Symposium: Reclaiming the Body: Attachment, Somatics, and Image (March 4-8, 2009))

Sunday, March 8, 2009: 11:00 AM-12:30 PM

Melbourne (Westin Long Beach)

Eating disorders typically lead to a disconnect between mind and body. Psychodrama is one therapeutic technique that can be utilized to reconnect mind and body together. Here is a unique opportunity to gain experience in understanding psychodrama, its history, and philosophy. This experiential workshop will provide you with specific interventions that you can use with your clients in your own practice.

I. Overview of presentation
II. History of Psychodrama and Relevance to ED Treatment
   A. Definition of Psychodrama
   B. History of Psychodrama
   C. Philosophy of Psychodrama and how it applies to ED Treatment
       1. Role Theory
       2. Sociometry
       3. Theory of Spontaneity
   D. Psychodramatic Process
       1. Vocabulary
       2. Goals of Psychodrama with the ED Patient
       3. Primary Techniques
III. Experiential Activities
   A. Goal Setting
   B. Roles in Life
   C. Body Image
IV. Wrap-Up

Eating Disorders stem from and lead to a desire to disconnect between mind and body, culminating in a loss of self. As the recovering Eating Disordered individual works to create a sense of wholeness, he/she often struggles to even identify, let alone understand, internal experiences. Psychodrama was designed to help an individual “. . . express unexpressed feelings, gain new insights and understandings, and practice new and more satisfying behaviors” (Moreno). Psychodrama is therefore a fantastic tool that can be used to help individuals access their thoughts and feelings as well as experience themselves in a new way. Through the acting techniques that are a cornerstone of psychodrama, eating disordered individuals can learn how to move and be in their bodies, be present with their internal sensations, and be connected with others in a safe way. This presentation will combine lecture and participation to teach the basics of psychodrama and provide 3 experiential activities that can be utilized in either a group or individual setting.

Primary Presenter:

Angelica Gonzalez, LMHC

Angelica has been working in the field of trauma therapy for 4 years and has been receiving training in psychodrama for 6 years. She has recently joined the team at the Oliver-Pyatt Centers as a Primary and Group Therapist where she implemented her psychodrama training and trauma work within the field of eating disorder therapy. Additionally, Angelica provides individual, group and family treatment for children, adolescents, non-offending caregivers, and adult survivors of sexual abuse/violence. Angelica brings with her much enthusiasm, creativity, and multi-cultural awareness in the work that she does.

Co-Presenter:

Karen Trevithick, Psy.D.

Dr. Trevithick received her doctorate from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Her clinical training centered around the treatment of survivors of torture, complex trauma, and eating disorders. She is currently the Clinical Director for the Comprehensive Program at the Oliver-Pyatt Centers in Miami. For the previous 8 years, she was the coordinator of an Eating Disorder Partial Hospitalization Program in Illinois. Additionally, she provides individual and group psychotherapy for individuals who struggle with eating disorders and/or have a history of chronic childhood abuse.

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