This paper focuses on doctoral research which explored relationships and interpersonal learning through group dramatherapy and creative interviewing with adolescents in special education. A constructivist grounded theory study, positioning adolescents with intellectual/developmental disabilities as experts of their own relational experiences, revealed a tendency to “copy others.” The final grounded theory presented “copying” as a tool which participants consciously employed “to play with,” “learn from,” and “join in with” others. Commonly experiencing social ostracism, participants reflected awareness of their tendency to “copy others” being underpinned by a need to belong. Belonging was therefore expressed as the ultimate therapeutic experience participants wished to have. Participant responses which link dramatic imitation to a self-identified tendency “to copy,” are discussed with regard to how imitation provides an accessible point of dramatic entry from which adolescents in special education begin to explore new ways of being and inter-relating. Recommendations for how dramatherapists might centralize imitative aspects of the dramatic process to achieve therapeutic intent when working alongside adolescents in special education are discussed with specific focus on creating a space of belonging.Note on type: Participant quotes extracted from the data are included throughout this article. In order to highlight participant’s contributions quotes are italicized and presented within speech marks.

Undertaking research in the field of Creative Arts Therapies involves a continual search to find new ways to utilise our creative tools to engage participants in research processes which are both accessible and meaningful. One of the key ethical considerations in designing a research project is the notion of informed consent. This article discusses an innovative approach to exploring assent with adolescents in a special education setting through creative workshops. This approach was aimed at enabling potential participants to make a more informed decision about their own willingness to engage with the research project. An argument for the role of creative arts therapists to embed their creative practices into research designs which represent more inclusive practice for populations whose contributions and accessibility are limited by traditional research methods is discussed.in an attempt to make research practices more accessible and meaningful to young people with intellectual disability/special needs.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract