The Importance Of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy And Social Actions

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The task of the participants then is to find openings and possibilities that can become a stepping stone onto different ways of thinking and acting. Within aesthetic spaces we dramatize our fears, give shape to our thoughts/perceptions and rehearse our actions
THEATRE OF THE OPPRESSED FOR SOCIAL ANXIETY 4

for the future in a safe space, as well as engage in empathy and perspective-taking. (p.5) One of the primary components of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is cognitive restructuring, or questioning thoughts, looking for more realistic assessment of situations
(Davidson, Blankstein, Flett & Neale, 2010). Forum theatre can be used to test …show more content…

Based on a literature review, several studies have examined the use of drama therapy for improving social skills in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Corbett, Swain, Coke, Simon,,
Newsom & Houchins-Juarez, 2014; Guli, Semrud-Clikeman, Lerner & Britton, 2013;
Wilmer- Barbrook,2013; ), while only one has researched the efficacy of using drama therapy to alleviate symptoms of social anxiety disorder in children in Iran (Dadsetan, Anari.,& Sedghpour,
2008) and only one study specifically explores the efficacy of Theatre of the Oppressed to improve the symptoms of adults in Brazil with a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder (Pendido,
Giglio, Lessa, Regine, Carvelho, Wanderson & Range, 2014). No research has been done to investigate the effectiveness of Theatre of the Oppressed to relieve symptoms of social anxiety disorder in Candian adolescents living with this diagnosis.
Aim of Study This study will endeavour to probe the potential of Theatre of the Oppressed within a cognitive framework, to improve the symptoms of adolescents with a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder living in Canada. This study will invite participants to engage in group treatment using …show more content…

Each of the therapy groups will take part in two hour weekly sessions for twelve weeks facilitated by two therapist who have been trained in Theatre of the Oppressed techniques.
Example of therapy session:
Warm up activity: drama games (low stress games to learn each other’s names)
Psycho education: discussion about the cognitive theory of social anxiety
Image Theatre: In Image Theater, participants are given a cue and asked to create an image in space using their bodies as if they were clay (Boal, 2003).
Forum Theatre: The facilitators will discuss potentially difficult or feared social experiences with the participants. A scenario will be chosen and several participants will get up to act out the scene. When it is completed without a satisfactory outcome, members of the audience are invited to decide if any of the characters could have themselves in a way that would improved the outcome. Then they will get up and take over that role. The scene is acted out again. This is repeated

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