Drama Therapy with Mirella Bradshaw

Welcome. Have a seat.

As you are, who you are. The messy parts, the wonderful parts. The light, the dark. The parts you love, and the parts you would rather hide away from the world. And maybe even the parts that you might not have names for yet.

Settle in → online · from anywhere in the world · slippers welcome
Painted armchair
hang on...

What in the world
is drama therapy?

Pick one. We dare you.
A. Therapy for actors
B. Therapy for artsy fartsy people
C. Role playing
D. As wonderful / terrifying / exciting / uncomfortable / life-changing / completely-up-your-alley / way-out-of-your-comfort-zone as it sounds
E. All of the above
F. None of the above
The answer? E & F.

All of the above, and none of the above. Scroll down to find out more.

what is drama therapy?

Therapy — done a bit
differently...

Drama therapy is a form of psychotherapy — much like going to see your psychologist, but also completely different from going to see your psychologist. It is the intentional and specialised use of drama tools and techniques in order to facilitate psychological insight, growth and healing. Dating far back, humans have always naturally gravitated to the arts as a way to process, make meaning, and explore our big questions.

Drama therapy’s goals are psycho-therapeutic, while its methods draw on various creative tools — allowing us to tap into the imagination to find more creative solutions to old, or new, problems. In other words, we want to get you to your ideal destination or therapeutic goals; we’re just going to use a bit of a different vehicle and route to get there.

Armchair painting
so what actually happens in a session?

A typical session
might include...

A typical session could include elements such as storytelling, creative writing, embodiment, art-making, and role playing, among other methods. In a session, we may travel to other worlds and explore other stories to make better sense of our own — all from the comfort of your own armchair.

storytelling creative writing embodiment art-making role-play metaphor voice
every chair holds a story
the chair where you finally said it
the chair where it started to make sense
the chair where something shifted
the chair where you became the author
is this for me?

For anyone who has ever felt stuck inside their own story.

i.

Stuck in your head

Maybe you already have the answers and can articulate exactly what’s wrong. But somehow that understanding doesn’t land or settle on an emotional level.

ii.

Stuck in talk-based therapy

Sometimes words alone can feel limiting and leave us talking in circles. And maybe there are experiences we don’t even have the words for.

iii.

Stuck with your feelings

Your emotions often feel loud or all over the place. Or perhaps don’t even feel like they’re in the same room as you.

who would my therapist be? Mirella Bradshaw

Meet Mirella.

HPCSA Registered Drama Therapist · AT0002020 · Cape Town

Hello! I’m Mirella. I’m a drama therapist practising from Cape Town. I work both online in private practice and at a private addiction clinic in Somerset West. I work with all kinds of clients, yet my areas of special interest include adults with trauma, emotional dysregulation or disconnection, addiction and personality disorders.

My counselling style can be described as real, human, supportive, challenging, intuitive and present.
MA Drama Therapy cum laude (Wits)
BA Hons Drama Therapy cum laude (Wits)
BA Hons Applied Theatre cum laude (Stellenbosch)
BA Drama & Theatre Studies with Psychology cum laude (Stellenbosch)
trauma emotional dysregulation disconnection addiction personality disorders
Work with Mirella →
let's talk

Ready to
take a seat?

Should you like to find out more, book a session, or enquire about rates, please get in touch. Sessions take place online, via video call, from anywhere in the world.

@beyondthearmchairtherapy Cape Town, South Africa