√ Fantastic!
√ I am so inspired! Thank you for a wonderful creative and professional workshop.
√ Everything I learnt will be very helpful for me in working with children.
√ The session was full of insightful information
√ This was an excellent workshop!
“Dramatherapy is the intentional and systematic use of drama/theatre processes to achieve psychological growth and change. The tools are derived from theatre, the goals are rooted in psychotherapy.”
(Emunah 1994:3)
Course overview:
This interactive, online, live-only 3-hour workshop offers a practical introduction to drama therapy, with a specific focus on working with children and young people who have experienced trauma.
Using a trauma-informed and developmentally sensitive lens, participants will explore how drama, play, story and role can be used as therapeutic tools to support emotional regulation, meaning-making and recovery. The workshop introduces Lahad’s 6-part story-making structure as a flexible framework for safely engaging imagination, building symbolic distance, and supporting children and young people to express experiences that may be difficult to put into words.
Participants will explore ways to take stories off the page and into gentle role work and enactment, with careful attention to safety, choice, pacing and containment when working with trauma-impacted clients.
Drama therapy is used internationally across a range of child and youth settings and offers a powerful, embodied approach to supporting healing, connection and resilience. This workshop will combine experiential learning with clinical reflection and case examples drawn from work with trauma-affected children and adolescents.
You will have the opportunity to:
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Consider how drama and play are used therapeutically with trauma-impacted children and young people
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Participate in experiential, trauma-informed drama therapy activities
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Learn and apply Lahad’s 6-part story-making structure within trauma-focused clinical contexts
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Explore how dramatherapy supports emotional regulation, expression and meaning-making
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Reflect on the role of dramatherapy using case examples from child and youth settings
Please note, this is a LIVE and INTERACTIVE training event. We don't record this.
Who should attend?
Psychologists, social workers, counsellors, psychotherapists, pastoral workers, teachers, allied health professionals and students who are interested in incorporating drama into therapeutic work. No previous drama or creative experience is required.
Workshop Facilitator
 | | Natalie Mackenzie Masters in Dramatherapy, Registered Dramatherapist Natalie is a registered dramatherapist with over 15 years’ experience working with children, young people and families impacted by trauma and complex mental health needs. She holds a Master’s degree in Dramatherapy from Roehampton University, London (UK), and is registered with PACFA and ANZACATA. Natalie's private practice, Playful Minds provides individual dramatherapy for children and families, as well as clinical supervision for practitioners. Alongside her private practice, she heads the clinical division of a children’s mental health service, providing clinical leadership, oversight and practice guidance across multidisciplinary teams. She also offers consultation and clinical supervision to an adolescent mental health service. Her previous clinical experience includes work in early intervention psychosis services and supporting children whose parents are in recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction. Natalie’s practice is grounded in trauma-informed, developmentally attuned and creative approaches, using drama, story and play to support emotional regulation, resilience and meaningful therapeutic change. |
Live Online Workshop Date
Thursday 23rd April 2026, 9:30am-12:30pm AEST (Sydney Time)
or
Thursday 10th September 2026, 9:30am-12:30pm AEST (Sydney Time)
Attending from interstate or internationally?
You can use this time converter to check the exact day and time of this training for your location.
Workshop Details
Included in the workshop price:
- 3 CPD hours
- Access to slides and link to create Certificate of Attendance emailed to you
- GST
Workshop Cost
Special Price $200
Work Paying?
Lucky you!
Send us an email requesting an invoice via the contact page with your name, the dates and name of course/courses you'd like to do and the name of your organisation who you want us to invoice and we will send you an organisational invoice and a registration form.
More Course Feedback
- I loved the small group and found the presenter was very engaging, knowledgeable and practical. I liked the mix of theory and experiential learning.
- Everything I learnt will be very helpful for me in working with children. It leaves me wanting to learn more about drama therapy, which is a good outcome!
- Thank you Natalie for an amazing workshop on Drama Therapy. I am so inspired.
- Natalie was warm and engaging in her style and clearly knows her stuff!
- Fantastic… definitely some practical ideas to start to use with children. Thank you for a very engaging morning… well done.
- Thank you Jacki and Natalie, wonderful morning. Really evoked my curiosity to learn more.
