Abstract

The past two years the pandemic has forced us to move many of our activities online. Dramatherapy was one of them and even though we began without any knowledge or with poor technological skills, most of us who were determined to make it work, have discovered a new way to connect to clients and boost creativity through the technological medium.

This was an interesting quest, where we had to fight with malware, the fear of loosing anonymity and having one’s personal data spread online, physical distance, the growing feeling of loneliness and the lack of body use. In this quest though our helpers were also the creative potentials given by the internet: online music, online films and paintings, the use of ones one surroundings as scenery, the safety provided -most of the times- by an familiar and safe enough environment, the lack of time loosing because of traffic, the possibility to reach therapy no matter where one might be.

So, if digital dramatherapy was a quest, it would be interesting to look into the boundaries and helpers each hero would meet, and to see what would happen in this journey.

About:

Maria Schubert, Theatrologist- Dramatherapist, PhD candidate NKUA.

Works as a Dramatherapist since 2012 and has collaborated with 'Thisseas' Drug Treatment Programme, EKEA (National Blood-donating Organization) and the German School of Athens. Currently she is collaborating with Aeon Dramatherapy Institute and Spell, speach, language and learn Center.

She applies online Dramatherapy for the past two years and explores the ways creativity can be applied online.

Her currently PhD research is on Dramatherapy Performance in Body Image Issues and Eating Disorders for the Theatre Studies Department of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

She is head of the board of the Hellenic Association of Dramatherapists and Playtherapists.

Published work: "Once upon a time, Dramatherapy and Storytelling' (in greek), Parisianou Editions.