psychodrama's future

[Adam Blatner]

Rebecca Walters, July 11: let's discuss something really meaty. What can we do as a community to rekindle a fascination with psychodrama in the age of managed care?

What can we do to help get the local chapters of the ASGPP revitalized.

Adam: Two different questions. I could go on at length, but for starters, here are a couple of points:
   1. Recognize that categories of health care really involve two levels: One involves sinking below normal (or basic coping) to dysfunction, falling into the sick role, so that people are willing to spend collective (insurance or medicare) money to help get back on the feet, however wobbly. 
    As national debt increases and money goes into the Iraq war, there is decreasing amounts available for health care, and anything non-essential gets cut.
     
  The second level is that of helping normal basic coping people to advance towards thriving, flourishing, resilience. This is an unending goal, there is no upper limit. It involves education and spirituality, motivation and social resources, and it is equally un-endingly expensive. One might well argue that this kind of activity must become voluntary, a life-style choice, just like continuing education. If people want to spend their money at amusements that keep them distracted from life's challenges, that's their choice. In our consumerist culture, that accounts for a significant portion of our priorities. 

    Interestingly, the healthier one is, the more one can benefit from the various psycho-technologies such as psychodrama. I see its future mainly as it is helped to be integrated into education, business, and other fields.

  2. Chapter formation.  As an organization or association, we need to think about what we can offer. Many people who use psychodrama are so caught up in the challenges of their lives--we must think economically here--and the economics also include non-monetary demands associated with changing roles in families, what we expect of parents, friends, and so forth, and other social forces-- that it's not clear what benefits accrue to professional associations. 
     One example: I see a powerful benefit neglected: recognition and awards. People who put out, who put in great amounts of effort and time, are, if not ignored, given fairly superficial or passing recognitions.
        Over the last 8 or more years I have encouraged the ASGPP executive council to publish on a website
  -- the names of those who have won awards   (this they began to do about 2 years ago or less-- though it's gone now that the website is in transition-- and has been supposedly being re-built, though it's taken ... well, how long has it been, then?)
    --  The REASONS why those people were awarded that recognition. This would require about 200-400 words on a separate webpage, easily achieved with hypertext links. It's already in the nominations. Maybe some re-typing. 
    -- a posted photo of the award winner. Not that hard to do.
     
   Even getting people to think about others and who has done a lot of work for the field is not easy. (By the way, begin to prepare your nominations. Check the website! 
       I've been trying to get them to allow us to send in nominations more easily.

    Well, that's one way. I'll stop for now and let the conversation build on this. Warmly, Adam

  
  -- 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/list_grouptalkweb.org/attachments/20060712/39c53ae7/attachment-0001.html