The process of practice: Using drama to improve student mental health

‘May you live in interesting times.’ A phrase I'm sure we could all happily live without for the foreseeable future. It is important though that we as practitioners take on board the potential effects of these times on our students; they are growing up in a world which by all accounts might be an uninhabitable wasteland before the end of their lifetimes, ravaged by drought, rising sea levels and temperatures, skies choked with pollution and wildlands full of plastic.

Every day of their lives so far, they will likely have heard some form of doomsaying about climate change, reinforcing this inevitable truth. Now they have spent great swathes of the last 18 months isolated and alone, absorbing ever more anxiety about the future possibilities. The looming spectre of Covid casts a shadow over all aspects of their existence. It is impossible that these factors will not have left some imprint upon their developing psyches, which we must recognise, understand, and handle.

Moving on from uncertainty

Anecdotal evidence and early research is showing a concerning uptick in the number of social, emotional and mental health issues reported in schools and colleges, and with demonstrable links to these global influences. Where we come in is in our roles as teachers, wardens and caretakers, to allow the students in our charge the ability to explore the problems that are facing the world and give them a chance to formulate healthy responses and coping mechanisms.

Using the dramatic arts in particular, and other creative forums as well, students and teachers alike can move from uncertainty; inhabiting a ‘practice space’ where difficult scenarios can be broached and explored has always been the province of process drama, and now we really have a chance to drive forward to provide SEMH support through our sessions as minds focus on this topic in the wake of the pandemic.

In your classrooms and drama studios your students can take on the mantle of the expert and have the agency to confront social problems and questions. They can explore their opinions and understand the worldviews of themselves and others, the importance of which should not be understated in healthy and happy members of a healthy and happy society.

Process drama in action

Lisa Stephenson (MA Creative Learning course leader at Leeds Beckett and director/founder of Story Makers Company) is taking these issues directly to task through the application of process drama story weaving schemes; the flagship one of these being the Reimagining Home Project which calls the students to action as time travellers in a tale of rescuing a lost adventurer.

They don the mantle of these explorers and travel through three different ‘lands' in search of a lost comrade, uncovering the story and shaping it as they go. The fascinating and unique part of this scheme to my mind is their use of technology. During lockdown, with social distancing in place, drama became nigh on impossible to actualise in a classroom, and so cleverly the Story Makers Company included a forum-based online aspect.

Stephenson explained to me how the children, known as ‘Story Rebels' in the scheme, were able to interact through a messaging board, exploring resources provided online and sharing their input with each other in comments left on the resources. Practitioners exemplified the use of ‘home grown’ props and costume (for example building and exploring a cave made from sheets and cushions in a bedroom), recording their work and encouraging the Story Rebels to contribute in a safe, anonymous way. In this fashion, even those in tech-poor environments could be part of the narrative. Anything could be a vital part of the narrative, a spoon, some bits of cloth, a poem or a painting, the cupboard under the stairs or even simply a collection of the Story Rebel's thoughts.

This scheme tackled the issues of climate change and isolation in a gentle and controlled manner, giving the students the freedom to think through the issues they were faced with and discuss them in a safe environment. Perhaps even more importantly it gave them an avenue of playful interaction in a time when that sort of thing was very thin on the ground. I highly recommend looking at their work and thinking of ways in which your practice provides that kind of support.

Embrace, explore, empathise

Whether our current situation becomes the new normal, or we are destined for other dynamic changes to society, I think we can all take inspiration and guidance from this format. Embrace technology, encourage critical thinking, explore uncomfortable topics, enlighten your classroom or your computer screen and empathise with each other.

Our skills as teachers of the arts will be of an importance in the area of mental health that cannot be overstated. Drama is not only educationally important, but healthy, invigorating social development. I will be using process drama to support and nurture the mental health of the students in my care, and I urge you to do the same. Give them the space to ask the questions they can't ask in other lessons, allow them the freedom to stretch their understanding, and practise how to deal with the world before it deals with them.

www.storymakersco.com