Healing and Liberation of Children through Brief Drama Therapy

Onoe introduces a new approach in brief drama therapy for children called Improvisational Drama of Acceptance and Mirroring (IDAM). Developed in Japan, it can be used with children in large groups, making it a time and cost effective therapy tool for therapists to add to their toolkit.

IDAM is effective for practice in schools and communities where many children gather together, and a strength of the approach is the use of play acting a scene between the Mother played by the therapist, and a child. The most significant functions of the therapist are acceptance and mirroring. When a child is deeply accepted by the Mother figure in a drama even for a few minutes, they absorb this meaningful experience instantly, being liberated from oppression or prohibition and empowered with great joy. The book shows how effectively and profoundly this brief therapy helps children touch on their hidden issues, grow, and heal themselves creatively in a short time. Additionally, the book expounds how this approach can be effectively applied to adults who have attachment trauma from childhood.

This book is the first to present a brief drama therapy approach developed in Asia and though it focuses on mother-child relations in Japan, it is connected to all cultures in principle, and will help increase readers' cultural competency and humility. The content includes practical applications of IDAM and is a great tool for training therapists.