Virg Augoustatos ’23 (Seattle, MA) and Sarah Olbrantz ’23 (Seattle, MA) presented their Master’s Project research study at the 44th Annual North American Drama Therapy Conference in Niagara Falls, NY. Their research project, “The Embodiment of Grief: An Ethnodramatherapy on Grief, Loss, and Bereavement” collected qualitative and quantitative data on the efficacy of in-person drama therapy as a treatment modality for associated grief symptoms and the ability of ethnodrama to elicit perceptual change in applicable audiences.
The results of this study support further research on the efficacy of drama therapy for grief processing and ethnodrama as a vehicle for perceptual change in favor of effective care for those experiencing grief, loss, and/or bereavement. The ethnodramatherapy techniques allowed for a comprehensive exploration of the participants’ experiences. The insights gained from this research study contribute to the understanding of grief, loss, and bereavement and add to the foundation for future studies in this field.
The researchers hope to move forward with conducting future ethnodramas focused on grief, loss, and bereavement to collect more robust data and further support understanding of ethnodramatherapy as a powerful modality for grief processing and social activism.
