> Training > Events and CPD > Daisy Chains: The roots of Dramatherapy in Sensory and Dramatic Play

Daisy Chains: The roots of Dramatherapy in Sensory and Dramatic Play

Friday 2nd October 2026
Timings: 18:00 - 21:00
Location: Online
Price: Full/International Members £70 | Student/Concession Members £60 | Non Members £110 (plus Humanitix fee)
Think drama starts at age 7? Dr Sue Jennings shows it begins at birth. Explore chaos & order in this workshop & gain practical skills for work.
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Full Description

'We don't do drama at our clinic, we do enactment!'

 

This presentation and workshop will focus on the emergent 'drama self' of the growing child - when do we think the drama actually starts?  There is usually a rather vague assumption that it develops round about seven years old.  So maybe younger children should have play therapy!

We shall discover that it all begins during pregnancy and continues from birth onwards; the first year being crucial for establishing 'let's pretend'. Having established the inherent messy play within the drama, and dramatic play as a means of structuring the drama, we will discover that play therapy training needs more drama, and dramatherapy training needs more play!

We shall recall that although theatre was central to civilisation for a period of Greek culture, in England actors were classed alongside tramps and vagabonds!

The practical workshop explores our personal 'drama self' which includes our response to mess and form, and to chaos and order.  This will give us the courage to feel more confident in our drama identity!

There will be time for questions and discussion and there are take-away skills we can apply in our work-place

Facilitator(s)

Dr Sue Jennings

Dr. Sue Jennings is a pioneer of Dramatherapy and Neuro-Dramatic-Play (NDP), having introduced and developed these fields across the UK, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

A prolific author, storyteller, and children's author, she currently serves as a Senior Research Fellow at The Shakespeare Institute (University of Birmingham) and holds numerous international academic titles.

Originally trained as a dancer and actor, Dr. Jennings holds a PhD from SOAS, University of London, following extensive doctoral fieldwork with the Temiar people in Malaysia. She has authored and edited over 30 foundational books on creative arts therapies, attachment, and trauma.

As a practitioner and consultant, she continues to train storytellers and therapists worldwide through her online and live diplomas, bridging the worlds of academic research, clinical supervision, and creative performance.