Drama Therapy Institute of Los Angeles

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Santa Monica, CA
Drama Therapy Institute of Los Angeles

At the forefront of drama therapy, narrative and creative arts, DTILA offers CE's and training for m

The Drama Therapy Institute of Los Angeles is accredited by the North American Drama Therapy Association as a training program for students and clinicians interested in the clinical applications of drama in therapy. The DTILA is a recognized and well-respected program at the forefront of drama, narrative and creative arts therapy training, and offers a certificate in drama therapy. On-going classes and day intensives are available for graduate-level students and professionals.

• At the forefront of drama, narrative and creative arts therapy training
• Certificate Program in Drama Therapy
• Required and elective classes in drama therapy and psychology
• Approved Alternative Training Option for NADT
• CEUs offered (CE Provider # PCE- 3906)

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT)
Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW)
Licensed Educational Psychologists (LEP)
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCC)
Associate Clinical Social Workers (ASW)
Marriage and Family Therapist Interns (IMF)

03/15/2026

DTILA Spring 2026 Courses Are Here!

Explore new ways to bring story, embodiment, and social justice into your drama therapy practice this spring.

Transformational Stories & Pivotal Moments
with Pam Dunne, PhD
April 4, 11, 18
Learn how to transform problem-saturated stories into hopeful narratives using Narradrama techniques.
$338 | 1 Unit

Sociodrama & Advanced Psychodramatic Techniques
with Pam Dunne, PhD
April 18 – June 6
Dive into powerful group methods including role reversal, living sculpture, mirrors, and sociometry.
$899 | 3 Units

Exploring the Enneagram through Drama Therapy & Authentic Movement
with Pam Paulson, MA, LMFT
April 19 & 26
Experience personality patterns through improvisation, movement, and embodied role work.
$169 | .5 Unit

Innovations in Narradrama Witnessing
with Ksenia Ilinskaya, MA
May 17 & 24
Explore new approaches to therapeutic witnessing that honor story, identity, and transformation.
$169 | .5 Unit

Abolitionism & Narradrama: Anti-Carceral Practice
with Kamran Afary, PhD & Lynn Baker-Nauman, LMFT, RDT
May 31 & June 7
Explore drama therapy through an abolitionist lens and imagine new pathways for justice and healing.
$169 | .5 Unit

Independent Study: Ethics & the Law
Student-led research projects with guidance from Pam Dunne, PhD
$338 | 1 Unit

Group Supervision for Professionals & Advanced Students
Facilitated by Pam Dunne, PhD
Ongoing supervision group for deeper clinical reflection and development.

Most classes are held online via Zoom
Many courses offer continuing education for LMFT, LCSW, and LPCC professionals
https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/spring-classes-2026/

01/29/2026

🚨 SPECIAL GUEST ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨

We’re thrilled to share that our upcoming class
Art Therapy & Multimodal Engagement with Neurodivergent Populations with Georgie Landy
will feature a very special 20-minute guest talk from Jen Stark

Jen Stark is a world-renowned artist whose work explores perception, repetition, color, and pattern- deeply resonant with neurodivergent processing and sensory experience. Her work is currently being projected on the Sphere in Las Vegas (yes, that Sphere 😮).

In this guest segment, Jen will speak to how her artistic process connects to neurodivergent ways of experiencing, organizing, and making meaning, offering a rare bridge between contemporary art practice and therapeutic understanding.

This adds a powerful real-world dimension to an already experiential workshop blending:
• Art therapy
• Drama therapy & embodiment
• Visual and sensory assessments
• Multimodal, neurodivergent-affirming approaches

February 1 & 8
9:00–12:30 PM PST
1 arranged hour

Spots are limited, and this guest appearance is truly one-of-a-kind.
Register now: https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/winter-2026-semester-schedule/

Photo by Ira Chernova

01/11/2026

Join Dr. Pam Dunne for a deep dive into the transformative power of creative arts therapies. Across nine immersive sessions, participants will explore movement, art, music, poetry, drama, and digital media as pathways for insight, expression, and change.

Together we’ll:
• Experience creative modalities from the inside out
• Integrate arts-based tools into clinical, educational, and community settings
• Learn through case examples, media, and guided exercises
• Develop practices that support both personal growth and client work

💫 Perfect for therapists, educators, clinicians, and creative professionals.

📅 Dates: Jan 17 – Mar 21, 2026 (9:30–2:30 PST)
💲 Cost: $899
📜 TBA Hours (5)

https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/winter-2026-semester-schedule/

01/06/2026

Ignite motivation, resilience, and confidence in learning

What if learning didn’t feel heavy, shame-filled, or stuck?
What if it felt playful, meaningful, and alive again?

Join Nadine Bernard for a creative, experiential two-part Narradrama workshop exploring how story, role, and play can help people:
- move past academic obstacles
- rewrite old learning narratives
- reconnect with curiosity, confidence, and purpose

🗓 January 11 & 18
⏰ 9:00 AM–12:30 PM PST
➕ 1 arranged integration hour

This workshop is a beautiful fit for:
• Therapists
• Educators
• Coaches & facilitators
• Anyone supporting lifelong learners (including themselves 💛)

Come experience learning in a new way—embodied, relational, and deeply human.

https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/winter-2026-semester-schedule/

12/02/2025

This workshop starts this week, and it’s one you don’t want to miss.

When life feels unsteady, when our clients face fear, loss, or upheaval, how do we stay rooted? Embodying Ethics: Navigating Uncertainty Through Drama Therapy offers a powerful, creative space to explore exactly that.

Across two sessions (Dec 6 & 13), you’ll dive into embodied practices, narrative exploration, and drama therapy tools that help us show up ethically and wholeheartedly—even when the world feels unpredictable. Facilitators Kamran Afary and Lynn Baker-Nauman bring decades of wisdom, grounding, and artistry to this work.

If you’re a drama therapist, student, or helping professional wanting to deepen your practice and reconnect with your ethical center, we would love to have you.
Spots are limited & class begins soon, join us!

https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/winter-2026-semester-schedule/

11/16/2025

The world feels unsteady for so many of us, and this upcoming workshop invites us to meet that uncertainty with presence, imagination, and embodied courage.

Embodying Ethics: Navigating Uncertainty Through Drama Therapy
December 6 & 13
12–3:30 pm PST
$169
Facilitators: Kamran Afary, PhD, RDT/BCT, NT & Lynn Baker-Nauman, MA, LMFT, RDT
Plus 1 class hour arranged

This workshop explores ethics not as a rulebook, but as something lived in real time especially when life gets messy. Through experiential drama therapy practices, we’ll work with moral dilemmas, power, privilege, loss, and the moments where our values and our survival instincts collide.

If you’re craving creative tools to stay grounded, responsive, and ethically awake, this space is for you.

Open to drama therapists, students, teaching artists, and all helping professionals.

https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/winter-2026-semester-schedule/

09/23/2025

Big news is on the horizon! Our Summer Abroad Program continues, and we’ll soon be announcing the next destination along with details on how to join us. Stay tuned for your chance to learn, grow, and explore in community this summer!

09/13/2025

✨ Narradrama Training Program ✨
The Drama Therapy Institute of Los Angeles, proudly founded by Dr. Pamela Dunne, the originator of Narradrama, offers an in-depth pathway into this powerful approach.

Our 11-unit comprehensive training program, led by Dr. Dunne and a team of esteemed faculty and certified Narradrama Trainers, provides an immersive learning experience that bridges theory and practice.

-Upon successful completion of the units and internship hours, participants earn the designation of Narradrama Facilitator, a recognition of both training and applied skill.

If you’re ready to explore a therapeutic process that combines narrative, drama, and creativity to deepen healing and connection, we invite you to learn more: https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/narradrama-training-program/

08/26/2025

Unlock the Power of Groups in Therapy

Are you ready to deepen your understanding of group psychotherapy and transform the way you work with clients?

Join us for our Group Psychotherapy course - a comprehensive introduction to the theory and practice of facilitating groups, grounded in Yalom’s interpersonal and integrative approach.

Dates: Sept. 14, 21, 28; Oct. 12, 19, 26; Nov. 2, 9, 16; Dec. 7, 14
Time: 9 AM – 12:30 PM PDT (PST after Nov. 2)
Additional Hours: 8–11 TBA Film Hours
Instructor: Terhi Korkiakangas, Ph.D, CI. Hyp
Cost: $899

You’ll explore:
- Core principles & therapeutic factors in group therapy
- Group development stages & dynamics
- Leadership & facilitation styles
- Creative interventions for diverse populations
- Ethical issues & diversity awareness
- The power of the group as an agent of change

Through readings, experiential activities, video observations, and films, you’ll gain the tools to design, lead, and evaluate therapeutic groups that truly make a difference.

Learn more & register here: https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/fall-2025-semester-schedule/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMbEn1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFaTmdMNUJFNnRmWHN6WFhoAR6t6TUeUT9blfQeU4W__ENwR-Cj98EPIc1H5kAUgxrjfrfGMjVtL9kMFn2n6g_aem_Z_QHdDvjWlZq0EELK2qmKQ

08/24/2025

Transform problems into possibilities, one step at a time.

Clinical Uses of Narradrama: Narradrama Steps
***Required for the Narradrama Concentration***
Dates: September 7 • October 5 • November 23
Time: 9:00 AM – 1:45 PM (PDT until Nov. 2, then PST)
Cost: $338
Additional Learning: 2 hours Film/Article + 1 hour TBA

Facilitator: Ksenia Ilinskaya, MA, NF, NT

What if your clients could step into their own story and rewrite it?
This experiential training will immerse participants in the 9 Narradrama Steps, integrating creative arts and narrative approaches to help clients:
- Externalize problems and gain perspective
- Explore personal agency and build resilience
- Recognize and amplify strengths
Through specialized techniques such as multi-level narratives, double listening, and sensory-rich environments, attendees will learn how to adapt Narradrama for different clinical populations and settings.

Ideal for:
- Drama Therapists & Creative Arts Therapists
- Counselors, Psychotherapists, & Social Workers
- Psychologists & Mental Health Practitioners
- Educators, Coaches, & Group Facilitators
- Students in mental health or expressive arts therapy programs

This course blends theory, embodiment, and practical tools, equipping you to bring fresh, creative methods into your work with individuals and groups.

Register here: https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/fall-2025-semester-schedule/

08/20/2025

What if one story could change everything?

In Transformational Stories & Pivotal Moments, you’ll learn to guide clients from problem-saturated narratives to stories of power, possibility, and hope using Narradrama.

Sept. 6, 13 & 20 | 9:30 AM – 2:30 PM PDT
With Pam Dunne, Ph.D, RDT, BCT, NT
$338

Perfect for:
- Therapists, coaches, expressive arts practitioners, NADTA alternative track students
- Educators, facilitators, and youth workers
- Anyone working in trauma-informed care or with diverse communities
- Storytellers who want to inspire transformation

Through hands-on exercises, you’ll learn to:
✨ Spot pivotal moments that spark change
✨ Facilitate re-storying for lasting transformation
✨ Help clients reclaim agency and identity

Spots are limited- secure yours now!
https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/fall-2025-semester-schedule/

08/13/2025

Fall 2025 Semester - Drama Therapy Institute of Los Angeles
This fall, deepen your skills, expand your creative toolkit, and learn from leading experts in drama therapy, Narradrama, and group work. Whether you’re a mental health professional, educator, or creative arts therapist in training, our courses offer experiential, research-informed learning you can apply immediately.

Core Classes (3 Units)
🎭 Principles of Drama Therapy
Sept. 27–Nov. (includes one TBA date) | 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM PDT/PST
Instructor: Pam Dunne, Ph.D., RDT/BCT, NT
Explore fundamental drama therapy approaches including Role Theory, Narradrama, Integrative 5 Phase, Transpersonal, DVT, Ethnodramatherapy, and Insight Improvisation—plus psychodramatic techniques, masks, puppets, and more.

🤝 Group Psychotherapy
Sept. 14- Dec. 14 | 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM PDT/PST
Instructor: Terhi Korkiakangas, Ph.D., CI. Hyp
A comprehensive introduction to Yalom’s interpersonal and integrative group psychotherapy approach, with an emphasis on group dynamics, cohesion, and creative interventions.

15-Hour Classes (1 Unit)
📖 Transformational Stories & Pivotal Moments
Sept. 6–20 | 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM PDT
Instructor: Pam Dunne, Ph.D., RDT/BCT, NT
Learn to identify and expand transformational client stories through Narradrama, moving from problem-saturated narratives to preferred ones.

🎨 Clinical Uses of Narradrama: Narradrama Steps
Sept. 7–Nov. 23 | 9:00 AM - 1:45 PM PDT/PST
Instructor: Ksenia Ilinskaya, MA, NF, NT
Experience and apply the 9 Narradrama steps to help clients externalize problems, discover agency, and access strengths.

8-Hour Classes (.5 Unit)
🎭 Therapeutic Improvisation: Knowing What to Play
Aug. 24 & 31 | 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM PDT
Instructor: Rachel Brousseau, LMFT, RDT, BCT, NT
Adapt improv games and scenes for therapeutic goals across clinical and educational settings.

🛡 Narradrama Approaches to Addiction, Accountability, & the Protector Within
Sept. 19 | 10:30 AM - 6:00 PM PDT
Instructors: Kamran Afary, Ph.D., RDT/BCT, NT & Cassandra Ambe, MA, NF
Use Narradrama to engage clients in transformation, exploring identity, accountability, and resilience.

⚖ Embodying Ethics: Navigating Uncertainty Through Drama Therapy
Dec. 6 & 13 | 12:00 PM - 3:30 PM PST
Instructors: Kamran Afary, Ph.D., RDT/BCT, NT & Lynn Baker-Nauman, MA, LMFT, RDT
An embodied, creative approach to navigating moral dilemmas, power, and care in uncertain times.

Why DTILA?
Learn from renowned leaders in the field
Apply drama therapy techniques across diverse populations
Engage in experiential, hands-on training
Connect with a creative professional community

Registration is now open - spaces are limited.
Visit https://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/fall-2025-semester-schedule/ to view the full course details and secure your spot.

Address

3205 Ocean Park Boulevard Suite 240
Santa Monica, CA
90405

Telephone

+13102262865

Website

http://www.dramatherapyinstitutela.com/

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