what is Expressive Therapy all about?

Answer 1

This is a new label on an old practice that has been around for years. It used to be called "Psycho-drama." But what it is: the patient and therapist--and sometimes even a couple other patients or therapists--"act out" a situation which pertains to the emotional problem that is afflicting the patient. For example, in a situation where a female patient might be depressed over her husband's drinking, the therapist might play the role of the husband coming home drunk, and then the patient would get to "exprss" her feeling to him and say what she has been wanting to. After the "skit" they will go over the responses and the therapist might help revise her answers so as to make them more effective when she confronts her husband.