Students’ Perceptions of Crisis-Mode Tele-Drama Therapy Training with Older Adults

Abstract

This study describes a crisis-mode field training response project for drama therapy (DT) students in Israel who delivered tele-DT sessions for community-dwelling older adults during the first lockdown. We analyzed interviews with nine students and three field training coordinators thematically to better understand their experiences. This yielded three main themes that point to three trajectories: changes in students’ perceptions of DT for older adults, changes in students’ perceptions of the use of tele-DT over the telephone for older adults, and the value of training during an emergency. Overall, this project may serve as a model for future projects in which therapeutic training frameworks are called upon to address a community’s ongoing needs in times of crisis.

Arts Therapies and Arts-Based Interventions for Older Adults

“…The findings highlight the opportunity provided by the emergency project to familiarize students with working with the older population, and constituted a way to address the reluctance of young professionals to engage with older patients. This project could thus serve as a model for addressing community needs during crises (Kronenberg et al, 2024).…”