A Comparison of Psychodrama, Transactional Analysis, and Gestalt Therapy Groups

With the rising cost of health care, mental health professionals and institutions have turned more heavily toward more efficient and money-saving methods of psychotherapy. One way in which psychotherapy can be employed in a time and monetarily efficient manner, is through the use of group therapy. This alone presents a number of different methods by which to implement group therapy; within this text three different methods will be examined. It is important to also remember that other methods are used and available.

The first of the methods to be discussed is called psychodrama, and actually has a lot more to do with the name than the nature of the therapy would suggest. Psychodrama actually is a form of drama used as a means of encouraging patients to be more expressive and develop better and more effective social skills. In order to do this, patients act roles that are designated to them by the director (the therapist). Generally, these roles are based on real life situations the patient has encountered, or situations that the patient is going to encounter soon. In these situation, the patient plays either their own role within the drama, or the role of another individual; both are meant to lead the patient to a deeper understanding of their situation and catharsis (emotional relief). As previously mentioned, the therapist acts as the director, while other members of the group therapy session act as other individuals, alternative egos, or the audience. Each of these allows for a different viewpoint on the situation. Unfortunately, psychodrama has received only minimal attention in psychology studies. However, in those few studies the technique did well. Trull (2005) noted that these studies suggested it was an "efficacious treatment" (pg 414).