SW 565 Applied Theater
Words and talk don't always work with clients and colleagues. How do you listen in creative ways that enable your clients to feel deeply understood? How do you use creative methods to build trust and interaction in a group? This course takes powerful tools from the field of theatre and applies it to social work. You do not need to be an actor-- you just have to be eager to learn how to be a superb listener! Learn a set of skills you are unlikely to find elsewhere at Simmons, to use with your social work clients, with individuals and with groups, as well as perhaps in your personal life. You will learn profoundly effective listening techniques from Playback Theatre (a form derived from Drama Therapy), problem-solving skills from Theatre of the Oppressed, and conflict-resolution skills from Nonviolent Communication. You will receive coaching in using these skills and in how to present them clearly, and then experiment with taking one or more of the skills into the field. Near the end of the course we will present our learning to members of the wider community. This course meets the requirement for a clinical practice elective. The course will run for 4 Saturdays, with sessions running 9:30-4:30pm.