The Arts in Psychotherapy 80 (2022) 101940

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

The Arts in Psychotherapy

Care work and social justice in creative arts therapy: Putting queer
performance theory and disability justice in conversation with
drama therapy☆
Dana N. Sayre
Independent Scholar, 6503 Bluff Springs Rd Apt 915, Austin, TX 78744, USA

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased existing health disparities for the LGBTQIA2S+ community, reducing (or
Drama therapy eliminating) access to healthcare through traditional pathways and increasing the value and necessity of com­
Creative arts therapy munity care. Putting queer performance theory in conversation with disability justice frameworks allows for
Disability justice
exploration of how the creative arts therapies – and drama therapy specifically – can adapt to meet the emerging
Performance studies
Queer theory
needs of marginalized populations. Situating drama therapy within a queer disability justice lens can support
Utopian performativity drama therapists in reclaiming the most revolutionary aspects of drama therapy theory and principles. Con­
trasting clinical and community-based approaches to drama therapy via autoethnography, limitations of the
medical model of mental healthcare are interrogated while offering examples of alternative approaches to
providing care rooted in activism and community organizing.

I am a queer, trans non-binary, disabled theatre artist and perfor­ models of disease and mental illness (Hogan, 2019; Yi, 2020).
mance studies scholar who started alternative training in drama therapy Completing drama therapy training in Texas during the Trump
in the fall of 2015. Part of what originally drew me to study drama administration and beginning my career as a Registered Drama Thera­
therapy was my struggle as a queer person to find culturally competent pist during the COVID-19 pandemic has given me unique insights into
and trauma-informed mental healthcare. Disparities in access to mental both the potentiality and limitations of the field of drama therapy within
health services for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, the United States, especially for drama therapists who are not working
Asexual, and Two Spirit (LGBTQIA2S+) individuals are well- on either coast. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has increased dis­
documented (American Psychiatric Association, 2017). These dispar­ parities which were already present in what remains of the dwindling
ities are much more significant for trans individuals specifically, who social safety net in the United States. 2021, for example, saw more anti-
frequently delay or do not try to seek even preventative healthcare trans legislation in the United States than ever before and Texan advo­
services due to discrimination (National Center for Transgender cates alone defeated over thirty pieces of legislation (Krishnakumar,
Equality, 2016). Research within the field of drama therapy has likewise 2021; Equality TX, 2021). I have written previously about the potential
shown that the lack of consistent education and training in for drama therapy to increase our collective capacity for empathy across
LGBTQIA2S+ issues creates barriers to providing culturally competent differences, and the importance of shifting our concept of “care” to be
care (Beauregard et al., 2017). To my knowledge, no meaningful action active and tangible rather than an idealized abstract value (Sayre,
has been taken to address this disparity on a structural level. This article 2020). Throughout the pandemic, I have felt more agency to make a
explores the intersections of autoethnography, case studies, and relevant therapeutic impact within my communities from the roles of artist,
research on queer performance theory and disability justice in conver­ activist, and community organizer than anything I have experienced
sation with drama therapy. Drawing from Disability Studies research, I from the role of “therapist.” My commitment to community care has
argue that drama therapy (and the creative arts therapies broadly only deepened as I try to embody lessons from intersectional activist
speaking) have the potential to be a revolutionary force for healing and communities, including those highlighting disability justice principles
societal transformation when applied outside of pathologizing medical (Piepzna-Samarasinha, 2018; Sins Invalid, 2019).

☆
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors
E-mail address: [email protected].

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2022.101940
Received 12 December 2021; Received in revised form 23 May 2022; Accepted 25 May 2022
Available online 30 May 2022
0197-4556/© 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
D.N. Sayre The Arts in Psychotherapy 80 (2022) 101940

My interdisciplinary background has been an asset, allowing me to have a deficit in their capacity to reverse roles with marginalized in­
synthesize a broad range of theories from across the humanities, social dividuals, which limits their ability to have an authentic encounter
sciences, and performing arts in a way that might support the future across identities and differences. This leads to many marginalized in­
evolution and application of creative arts therapies. For the purposes of dividuals being stuck in a role Moreno defined as the isolate that re­
this article, I will focus on drama therapy, since that is where the bulk of inforces tendencies for marginalized groups to only build community
my training and experience lie. At the same time, it is imperative for with those who share their experiences of marginalization. When drama
creative arts therapists across modalities to continue to situate our work therapists are taught sociometry, it is often without an emphasis on how
in conversation with larger activist movements and histories, if it is to unconscious bias relates to categories like race/ethnicity, gender and
remain relevant and valuable in helping to shape a more just and sexual orientation, and (dis)ability status impact a given group. Instead,
equitable future. Those interested in this larger project might benefit sociometry is frequently translated through psychological concepts such
from the research of therapists and scholars who have begun the work as object relations theory, transactional analysis, attachment theory,
already (Hogan, 2019; MacWilliam et al., 2019; Yi and Moon, 2020). psychodynamic theory, or family systems theory. Moreno created his
What follows is a way forward toward creating a more equitable and theoretical framework around the turn of the 20th century, long before
inclusive world where those most marginalized are able to access the identity politics was a common framework for political discourse. Using
care, connection, and healing needed for true liberation. an interdisciplinary lens, the training of drama therapists needs to
recognize how power and privilege impact sociometry that can support
1. Drama therapy’s social justice roots the field in finding new ways to build community across differences,
while reducing the negative impact of bias and prejudice in diverse
Drama therapy’s focus on group processes makes it best situated in groups.
the creative arts therapies to elicit a sense of belonging and collectivity,
which empowers us to not only imagine, but create the kinds of worlds 3. The canon of creativity and its impact on social change
we want to inhabit. Many of the core theories drama therapy has been
built upon were developed from the work of individuals focused on As drama therapists, it isn’t enough to only be aware of the soci­
social activism as theatre or psychology (Boal, 1985; Nolte, 2014). It is ometric dynamics within a particular group. Group members also need
imperative for drama therapy as a field to remain in conversation with to be empowered to understand how to consciously shift group dy­
its activist roots, as well as the work performing artists and social ac­ namics in a healthy way. Moreno called the status quo the cultural
tivists are continuing to do in the present moment. Here, I will outline conserve (Garcia et al., 2021), and his work explored the process in­
some of the principles and elements of drama therapy, which most easily dividuals and groups go through before they can create a change in
translate into a social justice framework. established behavior patterns. He argued that creativity is the ability to
As a part of my alternative training, I accrued 400 + training hours in use our imagination to take a risk in shifting a given cultural conserve.
psychodrama and sociodrama. Psychiatrist, artist, and social scientist J. The canon of creativity is a framework that describes the process of
L. Moreno created the theories of psychodrama, sociodrama, and group building energy towards action, which allows this shift to occur. Mor­
psychotherapy because he believed that the more aware individuals eno’s framework can be connected to another important aspect of
could become of roles and connections (or lack thereof) related to self, effective social justice organizing: the ability to generate the will or
family, and community, the resulting healing would have a positive desire to effect change. From a social justice lens, the cultural conserve is
ripple effect in society (Garcia et al., 2021). Moreno was willing to train that which most benefits those in positions of power and privilege.
anyone in his methods, sharing his theories with sociologists and other Therefore, it is individuals holding marginalized social roles and iden­
social scientists (Nolte, 2014, p. 147). To this day, not everyone who tities who are most strongly invested in staying connected to their cre­
applies psychodramatic theories and techniques in their work considers ative impulses.
themselves a therapist. With explicit acknowledgment of this history, The canon of creativity framework is most often used to help par­
the American Board of Examiners has created alternative training re­ ticipants track their individual warm-up to engage in a psychodrama
quirements for non-mental health professionals who want to become from the role of protagonist. But the cultural conserves of individuals,
Certified Practitioners of Psychodrama (American Board of Examiners in families, and other groups are influenced by the cultural conserve of the
Psychodrama, Sociometry & Group Psychotherapy, 2019). For the pur­ society or culture they inhabit. By helping group members understand
poses of this article, Moreno’s theories of sociometry, the canon of crea­ how their individual warm-up is connected to and influenced by social
tivity, and sociatry are the most salient to translate into a social justice and cultural systems and messages, drama therapists could increase the
framework. capacity of group members to tap into the personal and collective
agency to effect systemic change. Used in this way, the canon of crea­
2. Sociometry and unconscious bias tivity could be a tool to empower social activist movements and to gain
insight into one’s capacity for change and growth as an individual.
Sociometry is the process of helping group members become more
consciously aware of group dynamics and strengthening skills related to 4. Sociatry as a mechanism for social change
empathy and compassion within diverse groups. Sociometry provides a
framework for identifying and describing the relationships and As noted in decolonial theory, the pressures enacted by the medical
connectedness between the members of any given group (including so­ model and the history of psychology in the West mean much clinical
ciety as a whole). These connections can be conscious or unconscious work in the mental health field is focused on individual growth and
but impact the emergence of group dynamics and outcomes. Moreno transformation (Decolonial Psychology Editorial Collective, 2021).
was interested in what motivates individuals to build or strengthen Meanwhile, part of Moreno’s legacy was the creation of the framework
connections with some individuals, while avoiding relationships with of group therapy itself! (Garcia et al., 2021). I believe drama therapy’s
others (Garcia et al., 2021). He believed that consciously molding the true strength comes from its application within groups. But even then, it
sociometry within groups to be more equitable, would make these matters how a drama therapist conceives of a group. By which I mean, is
groups healthier by reducing conflict and isolation. a group merely an amalgamation of individuals? Or does it become
Significantly, as pointed out by Garcia et.al (2021), Moreno argued something more? When a drama therapist prioritizes the growth and
that for an encounter between group members to be successful, both transformation of the group as a whole, rather than the individuals
parties must be equally able to empathize and reverse roles with one themselves, the process can shift in significant ways.
another. From a social justice lens, those with more power and privilege Sociatry is the term Moreno created to describe efforts to heal the

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wider culture by shifting social and cultural norms, as opposed to in­ synthesizing lessons learned from ethnography and autobiographical
dividual or family norms (Blatner, 2000). Here, we can recognize a performance in my master’s thesis. It was my own experience of healing
divide in the way Moreno’s theories and methods have been applied from participating in and creating art within marginalized communities
within the field of drama therapy. Certainly, many drama therapists use that ultimately led me to pursue training in drama therapy. Many col­
sociodrama as a method to explore a theme or issue relevant to an entire leagues shared anecdotal stories of similar projects and processes which
group. But many practitioners focus solely on psychodrama as a method informed their trajectory into the field of drama therapy. It is important
to explore moments within an individual’s history and relationships and to not dismiss these legacies or minimize the value of therapeutic pro­
individual changes in behavior. Fully embracing sociatry would jects led by theatre artists.
encourage drama therapists to maintain awareness of the social and I want to highlight the role a variety of autobiographical perfor­
cultural dynamics influencing their groups. This could empower drama mance modalities have played in helping individuals holding margin­
therapists to situate their work as a means of creating change within the alized identities to heal through storytelling. Because identity labels are
healthcare system itself. social roles and therefore shared, marginalized individuals grapple with
The diagnostic frameworks which are currently used within the the connotations and definitions those in positions of power and privi­
medical-industrial complex have the impact of othering (most often lege project onto them. Creating autobiographical narratives can be an
marginalized) individuals in need of care. The Diagnostic Statical important and essential part of undoing internalized oppression.
Manual (DSM) helps maintain the cultural conserves of neoliberal cap­ Certainly, there are threads of autobiographical work in both Moreno
italism by shifting the blame for systemic deficits onto individuals who and Boal’s approaches. But drama therapy can also pull from related
can be ’cured’ of their ’illness’ and returned to the toxic system (Ben-­ approaches such as solo autobiographical performance, self-revelatory
Moshe, 2020; Gipson, Williams, & Norris, 2020; Kostareva, 2020; performance, autoethnography, and other forms which have been
Piepzna-Samarasinha, 2018). By embracing sociatry, drama therapy as a grouped under the label of autobiographical therapeutic performance
field could position itself as an alternative. Within the roots of drama (Pendzik, 2021; Pendzik et al., 2016). Narradrama, a combination of
therapy is the means for actively decolonizing the harm caused by White narrative and drama therapy approach, can also be seen as a form of
supremacy culture’s focus on individualism, if we would only use it as autobiographical performance within the field of drama therapy (Dunne
such. This would require a shift to seeing Western culture itself as the et al., 2021).
“patient” in question, and what is most in need of healing. It is beyond the scope of this paper to explore all the intersections and
differences between these and other similar approaches. Suffice to say, it
5. Theatre of the oppressed, solidarity, and revolutionary praxis is well-established that feeling empowered to author (or re-author) one’s
own life story is empowering and therapeutic for individuals holding
Moreno is certainly not alone in making these kinds of connections. I roles and identities that are marginalized and stigmatized by the sur­
also draw inspiration from Augusto Boal and Theatre of the Oppressed rounding culture. Continuing to stay connected to the full diversity of
techniques. Boal (1985) saw theatre’s potential as “a rehearsal for the theatrical forms being used by performance artists can support the field
revolution” (p. 122) and specifically applied theatrical techniques to of drama therapy in continuing to uncover the therapeutic potential of
that end. Like Moreno, Boal used role-play to help participants better autobiographical storytelling. As a contribution to this larger process, I
understand social relationships and dynamics. What most differentiates will now explore how putting queer performance theory in conversation
Theatre of the Oppressed from psychodrama/sociodrama, however, is with drama therapy allows deeper exploration of these therapeutic
that it is inherently and explicitly focused on undoing systems of effects.
oppression. Boal wanted to help communities develop critical con­
sciousness around systems of power and oppression. Theatre of the 7. Queer performance theory and queer utopian world-making
Oppressed techniques were devised to empower and incite participants
to go into the world and use their awareness to create disruptions and There has been an increasing amount of research on LGBTQIA2S+
make change within oppressive systems (Sajnani, Mayor, & Boal, 2021). issues within the field of drama therapy, but much is still rooted in a
While it is certainly possible for a drama therapist to use Moreno’s clinical framework (Beauregard et al., 2017; Hogan, 2019; Huerta,
theories and methods for this end, it is equally possible for participants 2018; Lisman, 2018; Lunardi, 2019; MacWilliam et al., 2019; Tomczyk,
(in psychodrama especially) to not be empowered to make connections 2015; Truax, 2020; Wilson, 2011). I believe a more focused interdisci­
between their current situation and the larger cultural context. (I do plinary approach can deepen and enrich this work as the field moves
want to honor that Moreno’s more revolutionary ideals may have been forward. My master’s thesis focused on the creation of queer utopian
lost in the way his methods have been passed down since the time since counterpublics on the Texas A&M University campus (Sayre, 2012). In
his death.) I want to highlight here the importance of solidarity within this work, I approached queerness as a concept simultaneously repre­
Boal’s framework; this means all who participate in a Theatre of the senting LGBTQIA2S+ identity, as well as a broader perspective of
Oppressed process are equally at risk of experiencing negative conse­ anti-normativity and celebration of difference. This allows for a deeper
quences from systems of oppression as a byproduct of their participation analysis of normative impulses within LGBT spaces, as well as an
(Sajnani et al., 2021). Without true solidarity, Theatre of the Oppressed exploration of how even a community or organization not specifically
loses its ability to mobilize communities towards change and can focused on gender or sexuality could embody the spirit of queer activist
become purely a thought exercise for privileged participants. The call principles (Warner, 2000). As a part of this research, I drew heavily from
toward social transformation is urgent within the Theatre of the the work of José Esteban Muñoz, a queer Latinx performance studies
Oppressed framework, and essential to its use. scholar. Muñoz (2009) asserts in Cruising Utopia that the hope and desire
for a different and better world is an inherently queer impulse in its
6. Autobiographical therapeutic performance in marginalized rejection of the status quo and call for a more equitable and inclusive
communities world in the here and now. This vision of a world where marginalized
communities can thrive and freely express and embrace diversity feels
As a theatre and performance studies scholar, I want to honor the more salient than ever in the current socio-cultural, political, and eco­
long history of theatre and drama being used in revolutionary ways to nomic context.
enact social change; from the Epic Theatre of Bertolt Brecht to the Muñoz’s (2009) work highlights the aesthetic value of queer art
Guerilla Theatre of the 1960 s, including activist movements like ACT forms and how the development of queer aesthetics creates a sense of
UP! who utilized theatrical tactics to achieve their goals (Afary, 2009; belonging within queer spaces and communities. Queer art (drag, for
Anderson, 2020: Cohen-Cruz, 1998). Part of my work involved example) is designed to make those outside the community

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uncomfortable, which increases the belonging and connection that those theoretical work would have eventually found a home within disability
who participate in queer communities find in embracing topics the justice. His premature death also helps illustrate how White supremacy
normative culture considers taboo. It has been asked whether a queer culture intentionally disables racialized communities by way of the
drama therapy exists (Tomczyk, 2015). I believe that potentiality exists impact of health disparities and increased minority stress (American
most clearly when drama therapy becomes, like queerness itself, Psychological Association, 2012; Weinstein et al., 2017). Throughout
performative: “not simply a being but a doing for and toward the future” Care Work, Piepzna-Samarasinha (2018) repeatedly frames collective
(Muñoz, 2009, p. 1). There remains incredible potential for drama access as an example of love in action. This love is necessary for the
therapy to help us both envision and enact ways of caring for and with survival of marginalized communities that are denied access to social
each other. Queer performance artists (especially queer people of color) systems as a means of receiving care (including the healthcare system
have been actively doing this work for decades. The White supremacist itself). This resonates with Muñoz’s (2009) assertion that utopian drives
cisheteropatriarchial capitalist system we live in would have us believe are rooted in collective struggles, and as such, can serve as an important
that new, different, or better worlds are impossible. That the current form of critical resistance. My participation in queer communities has
version of reality is the result of the inevitable march of progress and always included some form of mutual aid; queer communities often lack
evolution. Muñoz’s work instead calls for us to reconnect to our utopian access to biological family, and therefore the queer community itself is
impulses and leverage the power of performance to bring the future we the primary safety net as well as a vehicle for social connection and
envision into the present moment. I believe positioning drama therapy belonging.
within the framework of utopian performativity will increase our ca­ While it is important not to overly romanticize the affective registers
pacity to isolate and analyze moments where transformation and heal­ of care at the expense of exploring underlying power dynamics or sys­
ing occur through performance, even in dramatic processes that are not temic inequality, this vision of healing could highlight a path towards
explicitly framed as drama therapy. more equitable and reciprocal ways of imagining what care might look
like within the current cultural and sociopolitical context. Piepzna-Sa­
8. Disability justice, community care, and utopian marasinha (2018) argues that disabled care webs operate “from a model
performativity of solidarity not charity” ( p. 41). This encourages drama therapists to
again consider our roles within the larger medical-industrial complex,
To better illustrate what this might look like in practice, I will put what lessons from Boal we are putting forward into our work, and how
Sins Invalid, a disability justice-based performance project, forward as we might more actively participate in dismantling the oppressive sys­
one powerful example of performance creating community and enacting tems which render our work necessary in the first place. Returning to our
broader social changes. What is now Sins Invalid coalesced around roots as theatre artists could help destabilize the hierarchy between
2005, simultaneous with the evolution of the disability justice move­ “therapist” and “client,” creating a space where artists and performers
ment (Sins Invalid, 2019). Both were made possible through conversa­ care WITH each other, instead of perpetuating systems where a therapist
tions between disabled queers and activists of color who were frustrated cares FOR a client.
by the ways the disability rights movement centers on White disabled Piepzna-Samarasinha (2018) names the stage as a place where pre­
experiences. Disability justice explores connections between White su­ figurative politics can occur. This ties disability justice to Dolan’s (2010)
premacy culture and ableism, especially within the historical context of work on utopian performativity. Creating accessible performance spaces
colonialism and slavery within the United States. Sins Invalid has since prove accessibility is possible, flying in the face of organizations that
created 10 principles to serve as a framework to understand and explore claim accessibility is too expensive or difficult to prioritize or achieve.
disability justice (see Sins Invalid, 2015). Piepzna-Samarasinha (2018) also explores how the performances of Sins
The members of the Sins Invalid collective are committed to making Invalid break down distinctions between performer and audience
their performances accessible not only to disabled actors and performers member, which is the same realization that caused Boal to coin spec­
but to audience members as well. In Care Work, Leah Piepzna-Samar­ t-actor and start bringing audience members into active participation in
asinha (2018) speaks to the importance and vitality of accessible and Forum Theatre. These connections highlight the importance of the field
intersectional performance spaces like those Sins Invalid creates, and of drama therapy staying connected to intersectional performance art­
how these spaces are doubly important when considering the systemic ists and performance spaces, especially those led by marginalized and
isolation and exclusion of disabled people from public life (including oppressed groups. Theatrical performances create unique opportunities
traditional theatrical performance spaces). Participation in spaces where to create and mobilize communities into action. The inherently thera­
the most marginalized are centered, and the hope it engenders, is part of peutic nature of the arts can help strengthen and sustain these connec­
what can create the emotional space necessary to make social justice tions over time, especially when the same individuals return, and
work sustainable in the long term. continue to learn and grow together.
Putting disability justice in conversation with queer utopian drives
can deepen its commitment to the principles of intersectionality and 9. Limitations of the “therapist” role for marginalized drama
cross-movement solidarity, bringing the potentiality of utopia one step therapists
closer to the present moment. Muñoz’s (2009) work highlighted the
importance of understanding queerness as a collective experience, and There is a deep well of ableism within the mental healthcare system,
this truth is mirrored in the disability justice principles of collective upheld by the pathologizing nature of the medical model itself. The goal
access and collective liberation. There is something very queer about of therapy is often framed as “treatment” or “cure” of an illness or dis­
being loud and proud about disability and madness when these identi­ ease, when in reality “healing and growth take place on a continuum,
ties are still so heavily stigmatized and pathologized by the larger cul­ with innumerable points between utter brokenness and total health”
ture. And, when LGBTQ spaces do not consider accessibility, then queer (Menakem, 2017, p. 12). Even when I’m not operating within the
disabled individuals are rendered invisible. In fact, queer disabled framework of the medical model or offering diagnosis, clients who seek
people are perhaps so strongly invested in creating spaces free from me out as a drama therapist seem to want to be “fixed” in some way. This
shame because of the ways our bodyminds have been doubly stigma­ dissonance continually causes me to fall out of alignment with my desire
tized by and exiled from participation in the larger normative culture to integrate a disability justice framework more fully into my work. I
(Clare, 2017; Piepzna-Samarasinha, 2018; Price, 2015). I believe this have been facilitating a queer drama therapy working group since before
makes disability justice both an inherently queer and utopian project. the early days of the pandemic, and I am still struggling to find a posi­
Since the principles of disability justice stem from the work of tionality that feels truly revolutionary from within the “therapist” role. It
disabled queer of color analyses, I believe that had Muñoz lived, his is clear there is a gap preventing healthcare practitioners from providing

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a type of care that feels healing to marginalized clients, rather than which means everyone has more space to contribute and receive based
being received as paternalistic or rooted in saviorism. But is this gap due on their needs in the moment.
only to the lack of healthcare providers holding marginalized identities I want to be able to show up fully in all my intersectional identities in
themselves? My experiences thus far in private practice would argue no. ways that feel impossible when I am bound to policies and ethical
Honesty about my positionality as a queer and trans non-binary guidelines that are rooted in White supremacisist cisheteropatriarchial
drama therapist has meant that clients who seek me out have almost social norms. As a queer trans non-binary Texan whose existence has
universally held one – if not both – of those identities themselves. What been continually threatened throughout the pandemic, I crave a level of
seems most consistently therapeutic for my clients is having their ex­ vulnerability and reciprocity with my community that my role as a
periences with discrimination and stigmatization mirrored and having a drama therapist can’t seem to provide. More fully accepting myself as
role model to provide hope that a different future could still be possible. disabled has been one silver lining of the pandemic in my personal
What most strongly supports whatever growth or healing occurs within healing journey. Creating more space for self-compassion, acceptance of
my clients is their ability to build a queer community outside of our my limitations, and learning to love the parts of myself that ableism
sessions. If Muñoz is correct that queerness is found in collectivity, then would have me try to bury, hide, or deny has been truly liberatory. It
what queer people need is “a public world of belonging and trans­ also means I am less willing to join clients in a perpetual process of self-
formation,” (Berlant & Warner, 2002, p. 199), something that remains improvement that seems more tied to capitalism and productivity than
inaccessible within the private, dyadic framework of individual therapy. true growth or healing.
Piepzna-Samarasinha (2018) argues that mainstream views about
10. Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic “healing” are inherently ableist because they assume disabled people
want or need to be different than we are. That to heal, we must leave our
My experience as a drama therapist has been balanced throughout disability behind. I have been embodying this tension in my work. To
the pandemic by ongoing experiences as a theatre artist and activist. I accept myself as disabled means to reject the healthcare systems’
hope that exploration of these latter roles will provide an example of the promise of a healing cure. The roles of “disabled person” and “therapist”
ways drama therapy might be able to offer care and healing when cannot be integrated or enacted simultaneously within the medical
divested from the medical model and the healthcare system itself. In model. In contrast, disability justice provides a framework for recog­
March of 2020, I began volunteering with Chronically Queer – Austin, a nizing both our own wholeness and that of others, without demanding
grassroots community organization led by and for queer disabled in­ health or ability. This framework is flexible enough to create room for
dividuals in Central Texas. Starting with recognition of the inaccessi­ more reciprocal or collaborative approaches to care. Approaches that
bility of local queer events and organizing spaces, the group offered peer might allow me to hold the complexity of being a disabled queer Texan
support and social events to build community and solidarity. The in a way that doesn’t lead to perpetual burnout and exhaustion.
group’s in-person events had not been accessible to me when I was The question remains: can the concept of “therapy” be decolonized
working evenings and weekends to complete my internship and pro­ enough to include a perpetual process of discovery, un-internalizing
fessional hours prior to accreditation as a drama therapist. The transi­ oppression, and learning to celebrate and value the very traits the
tion to a virtual format, along with my own shift to remote work, meant mental health field pathologizes? I’m not sure it can. The work psy­
that I could finally participate. chology has done to destigmatize therapy also means that they control
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, I hosted a vir­ the narrative of what therapy looks like and who can do it, including
tual open mic night event with Chronically Queer that drew a handful of collusion and collaboration with the criminal justice system via pro­
regular performers. Some participants shared poetry or stories about fessionalization. Is it possible for creative arts therapists to be in soli­
their lived experiences with an audience for the first time at these darity with the groups and communities where we do our own care
events, and many performances were examples of working through work? Would creative arts therapies look different if divested from the
traumatic material via expressive writing. I have a long personal history medical-industrial complex and its push towards professionalism and
of processing traumatic experiences via writing and performance, which evidence-based practices? I say yes on both counts. I believe creative arts
is part of what eventually drew me to study drama therapy. Initially, I therapies can play a crucial role in shifting society towards a more
positioned myself solely as the host of the event without bringing a piece equitable and caring future if we choose to answer the call to align with
to perform myself. My drama therapy training had conditioned me to queer utopian and disability justice frameworks, centering our work as a
separate myself within spaces that I facilitate and to not use them for my prefigurative politics and exercise in queer world-making (Berlant &
own personal work. The other participants, however, encouraged me to Warner, 2002; Dolan, 2010; Piepzna-Samarasinha, 2018).
perform and benefitted more from the space when everyone on the Drama therapy, and the creative arts therapies, are at a cultural
Zoom call had something to share. This reciprocity between the roles of tipping point. We can continue to shrink and diminish the scope of our
performer and audience witness is reminiscent of Sajnani’s (2012) work to gain acceptance and fit neatly into definitions of “psychother­
concept of relational aesthetics in drama therapy. apy” more easily. Or we can embrace the fullness, messiness,
The COVID-19 pandemic has shaped my social consciousness in complexity, and queerness of the creative process. We can use our tools
many profound ways and deepened my commitment to activism and and skills to create better futures in solidarity with the communities that
community organizing. I see this open mic night as a potential example are the most marginalized and oppressed. This might ultimately require
of how queer performance theory, disability justice, and drama therapy that we de-role as “therapists” and explore other, more flexible and
could be combined to create an offering centering accessibility, reci­ revolutionary roles (including reclaiming the role of the artist). If
procity, and healing through community-building. Just existing in a COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that the present is not enough. We
space that was intentionally centering queer disabled voices, created a need new and better worlds. As the number of COVID-19 infections
fluid and dynamic container where all parts of my experience were able decreases and the world begins to open up more and more, I will not
to be held, and I didn’t have to compartmentalize any aspect of myself. leave my disabled community behind. I will not “go back to normal,”
Watching how other disabled people were moving through the world because I never have been normal to begin with. Continuing to learn
created more permission for me to advocate for myself or set different from the most marginalized communities can help creative arts thera­
boundaries. Participating in this peer support space has created more pists to recognize the moments where a queer potentiality emerges,
room for transformation and healing in me than any official therapy which inspires us to “dream and enact new and better pleasures, other
process. This is influenced heavily by its inherently non-hierarchical ways of being the world, and ultimately new worlds” (Muñoz, 2009, p.
structure, where any group member can make an offering or host an 1). The work of creative arts therapies moving forward is to learn to
event. No one is rigidly stuck in the roles of “facilitator” or “participant,” listen to our own queer desires for a different way to care for ourselves

5
D.N. Sayre The Arts in Psychotherapy 80 (2022) 101940

and each other. Using educated hope, we can imagine together what the [Expressive Therapies Capstone Thesis, Lesley University]. Digital Commons.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/250/Boal in-text citation was
world might look like, stay committed to not leaving anyone behind, and
updated to 1985 (typographical error).
boldly and unapologetically bring to life the worlds that exist within our Krishnakumar, P. (2021) This record-breaking year for anti-transgender legislation would
collective imaginations. affect minors the most. CNN. Retrieved July 4, 2021 from 〈https://www.cnn.com/
2021/04/15/politics/anti-transgender-legislation-2021/index.html〉.
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Declarations of interest Capstone Thesis, Lesley University]. Digital Commons. 〈https://digitalcommons.lesl
ey.edu/expressive_theses/10〉.
None. Lunardi, E. (2019). Drama therapy with queer adults: Identity reflection and expression.
[Expressive Therapies Capstone Thesis, Lesley University]. Digital Commons.
〈https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/133〉.
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