Drama Therapy Resources
Professional organizations, publications, continuing education, assessment tools, and community resources for practicing drama therapists.
across NA, UK, EU, Asia-Pacific
at the core of the field
per NADTA cycle
is vetted for practitioners
A reference page for working drama therapists. Covers the main professional bodies (NADTA, BADTh, HCPC), peer-reviewed journals, continuing education providers (NADTA conference, PESI, specialist trainers), assessment tools (Therapeutic Spiral Model, GAD-7, PHQ-9, PCL-5), online communities, and supervision resources. Use this page to find the external links you'll come back to throughout your career.
Professional Organizations
North American Drama Therapy Association (NADTA)
NADTA is the primary professional organization for drama therapists in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1979, NADTA:
- Administers the RDT and BCT credentials
- Maintains the National Register of Registered Drama Therapists
- Publishes Drama Therapy Review
- Hosts the annual national conference
- Advocates for the profession with legislators, insurers, and healthcare institutions
- Maintains ethical guidelines and a code of ethics for the profession
Website: nadta.org | Membership: Open to professionals and students
British Association of Dramatherapists (BADTh)
The primary professional body for drama therapists in the United Kingdom, BADTh accredits training programs, publishes the journal Dramatherapy, maintains a professional register, and advocates for the profession within the NHS and UK mental health system.
Website: badth.org.uk
European Federation of Dramatherapy (EFD)
The EFD connects drama therapy associations across Europe and advocates for standardized training and credentialing within the European Union. Member organizations include associations in Germany, the Netherlands, Israel, Greece, and other countries.
Website: efdramatherapy.com
National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapies Associations (NCCATA)
NCCATA is the umbrella organization for all five creative arts therapy associations in the US, including NADTA. It advocates collectively for creative arts therapies in mental health policy, insurance reimbursement, and public awareness.
Website: nccata.org
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
NADTA Annual Conference
Held each autumn, the NADTA annual conference is the largest gathering of drama therapists in North America. It features pre-conference training intensives, paper presentations, performances, and networking opportunities. Sessions count toward NADTA continuing education requirements.
NADTA Regional Chapters
NADTA has active regional chapters across the US and Canada that organize local workshops, peer consultation groups, and networking events. Regional chapters are an excellent way to connect with local drama therapy colleagues and access affordable CPD.
PESI Continuing Education
PESI is one of the largest CPD providers for mental health professionals in the US. They regularly offer training in expressive arts, trauma-informed approaches, and creative interventions that are relevant to drama therapy practice. Many trainings qualify for licensure renewal credits.
Psychwire
Psychwire offers online courses and training from leading figures in psychotherapy, including expressive and body-based approaches relevant to drama therapy. A good source for deepening clinical skills between formal supervision and training.
Assessment Tools
Drama therapists use a range of assessment approaches alongside standard clinical tools:
- Dramatic Role Play Test: assesses client's role flexibility and dramatic play capacity; developed at NYU
- Drama Therapy Assessment Framework (DTAF): a structured framework for assessing progress in drama therapy; tracks changes in embodiment, projection, role, and dramatic play capacity
- Therapeutic Spiral Model (TSM) Safety Assessment: used specifically in trauma-focused drama therapy to assess client readiness and safety for dramatic enactment
- Standard clinical tools: the PHQ-9 (depression), GAD-7 (anxiety), PCL-5 (PTSD), and other validated scales are routinely used alongside drama therapy-specific assessment
Key Publishers
The major publishers of drama therapy books and resources include:
- Routledge/Taylor & Francis: the largest publisher of drama therapy and creative arts therapy texts internationally
- Jessica Kingsley Publishers (JKP): specializes in arts therapies, mental health, and disability; publishes many accessible clinical guides
- Charles C. Thomas: American publisher of foundational drama therapy texts including Emunah's Acting for Real
- Intellect Books: publishes Drama Therapy Review and related academic journals
Online Communities
- NADTA Members Forum: private online community for NADTA members; peer consultation, job postings, discussion
- Drama Therapy Facebook Groups: several active Facebook groups for drama therapists including "Drama Therapy Practitioners" and student-focused groups
- LinkedIn Drama Therapy Groups: professional networking and discussion; useful for job searching and professional visibility
- Reddit r/dramatherapy: small but active community; useful for public education and reaching prospective clients and students
Supervision Resources
See our dedicated supervision guide for information on finding supervisors, understanding supervision requirements, and accessing peer consultation groups.
Recommended Books for Practitioners
See our curated drama therapy book list for the core clinical reading for practicing drama therapists, and the full bibliography for books, films, articles, and theses organized by topic.
External bibliographies
For academic reading in adjacent fields, NADTA hosts a set of detailed bibliographies (last updated 2016). These cover related literatures that go beyond the scope of our on-site bibliography:
- Articles and book chapters on drama therapy, the largest list NADTA maintains, with hundreds of journal articles and book chapters
- Theses and dissertations, graduate-level drama therapy research, with ProQuest IDs
- Books on psychodrama and sociodrama, the parallel Moreno-derived literature; see also pdbib.org
- Books on creative arts therapy, art, music, dance, drama, poetry therapies
- Creative drama, improvisation, theater & theater games, for educators and applied theatre practitioners
- Puppetry articles and books, focused puppetry-in-therapy literature
- Cultural competency, diversity & stigma, extensive social-justice and intercultural reading
- Brain & neuroscience, including mirror neuron research relevant to embodied therapy
- Research methods & assessment in psychology and the arts
- Supervision & training
These PDFs are hosted by NADTA. We link out rather than re-host because the lists are large, periodically maintained by the association, and live at stable URLs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is NADTA?
NADTA (North American Drama Therapy Association) is the professional organization for drama therapists in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1979, NADTA maintains the RDT (Registered Drama Therapist) and BCT (Board Certified Trainer) credentials, approves graduate training programs, publishes the Drama Therapy Review journal, and hosts the annual drama therapy conference. Website: nadta.org
What is BADTh?
BADTh (British Association of Dramatherapists) is the professional organization for drama therapists in the United Kingdom. BADTh approves training programs, maintains the register of qualified dramatherapists, publishes the Dramatherapy journal, and advocates for the profession. In the UK, dramatherapy is regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Website: badth.org.uk
What journal publishes drama therapy research?
The primary journals for drama therapy research are: Drama Therapy Review (NADTA's official peer-reviewed journal, published by Intellect Books), Dramatherapy (BADTh journal for UK and international research), and The Arts in Psychotherapy (Elsevier, covering all five creative arts therapies including drama therapy, the most widely indexed journal in the field).
What CPD is available for drama therapists?
Continuing professional development (CPD) for drama therapists is available through: NADTA's annual conference and regional events, PESI (continuing education provider offering arts therapy webinars and courses), Psychwire, specialist drama therapy trainers offering workshops in Narradrama, Role Theory, DvT, and other approaches, and graduate university programs that offer individual courses for post-credential practitioners. RDTs must complete 40 hours of CPD per renewal cycle.