TrainingFEPTO@gmail.com

Cair: Tamara Cavic,cavic.tamara@gmail.com

The TrainingCommitteeaims to define and describe FEPTO training standards for trainees, practitioners and psychodrama trainers, and to provide recommendations and examples of training programs in different application fields of psychodrama. The committee supports the professional development of the trainers and promotes the inspiring professional networks of member institutes.

The Annual Meeting 2014 and several committee meetings have produced a lot of material, which is a good basis for the work withcompetencies.

The goals of theTraining Committee for 2015–2016 are:

• To define the competencies of psychodrama trainee/practitioner working in therapy or psychotherapy – And to define specific competencies according to EAP.
• To define the competencies of psychodrama trainee/practitioner working in other fields of application: education, organisations, social work, etc.
• To define the competencies of a psychodrama trainer.
• To organize a week-end seminar for FEPTO members, the possible theme could be: “New Learning Technologies in Psychodrama Training” (Theme will be decided by the training committee).

We are a small group of trainers, which starts to work with competencies. You are more than welcome to join us:

• Come to support FEPTO to grow professionally stronger!

▪ Come to develop your professional competencies and – of course – those of your institute!

Training Committee report, December 2022

Dear Colleagues,

Six months have gone by since the institutes last meeting at the A.M. in Ohrid and preparations for the next one in Liege are already in progress. This year, like the previous one, seems to be a year of change and modernization for FEPTO.

As the anniversary for the foundation of FEPTO is drawing near, we are given the opportunity to reflect on the evolution and creativity designated to establish and recognize the Psychodrama Training program actions through time. During previous years, great work has been done to ensure the Training’s quality and promotion. It is important for all the members Institutes to preserve this position and contribute to the Training’s program need to adapt to the requirements and developments of Therapy, Practical Needs and “crises”, as these have consolidated in our everyday life, while maintaining the Training programs reputation.

We are living through a period with many suggestions, trials and experiments on Psychodrama (and Psychotherapy in general). This enrichment, however, requires time for scientific results, cooperation and just competition. Moreover, the specificity of Psychodrama Therapy have to remain clear.
It is necessary to realize the Institutes needs regarding Psychodrama Training. Therefore, the Chair of Training attempted to create a permanent work team in Ohrid, where the needs, the difficulties in Training and how to make it more qualitative and efficient could be discussed. How can a good functioning level of trainers and supervisors be ensured? Which countries show an increase/decrease in Trainings ? What’s happening? how we can help? We hope to prepare a good base for the small Training group in the next AM

Furthermore, I would like to invite the collaboration between institutes with the Research Committee and the Psychodrama World project regarding both trainers and students. This platform is significant not only for Psychodrama researchers and practitioners, but also trainers and students, as a Psychodrama Encyclopedia.

At this point, I would like to take this occasion to remind you about voting for the inclusion of the “20hours Research” in the minimum Standards of the Training. This decision is important since it will enable Thesis writing (which is essential for the final Certificate) and it will contribute to the scientific aspect of Psychodrama Training.

Dear colleagues, I’m always at your disposal. Please, do not hesitate to communicate with me through my email account.

I wish you all a smooth continuation of your work with inspiration and strength.

Kind regards,

Georgios Chaniotis
Chair of the Training Committee
.

Training committee report for FN 22.2

The 28th FEPTO Annual Meeting was important for the Training Committee. We participated with a Training team in “Small Groups”. I think it’s important that the Board Chairs communicate directly with the members, during the Annual Meetings, and open up channels of cooperation. The Small Group Training consisted of eight members from eight Institutes (7 countries).

At first, we thought it was important to find common grounds, as, beyond the FEPTO Standards, there are differences regarding national laws, cultural elements, education conditions. Both presentations and dialogue were particularly interesting due to the information and the subsequent exchanges.

The topics raised for discussion were: How to select trainees; What is the member content of the training groups; How is the Practice organised and assessed; Psychodrama online; Solidarity place for trainees enduring difficulties in periods of crisis; Final Examination; Needs of regulation for trainers and supervisors; Training in the Morenian technique (Psychodrama/Sociodrama).

Following our meetings as a “Small Group” we decided to continue our work as a group for thoughts and proposals, aiming to better construct a psychodrama training program. So, in our second meeting (25/6/22) we followed the same line and worked on: The usefulness of Specialization; The importance of keeping Morenian theory as a whole; How to train trainers, supervisors, auxiliaries; When apprentice Psychodramatists start coordinating a team; Postgraduate Thesis: support and supervision.

Our team now has twelve members from 10 countriesand the next meeting is scheduled for September 2023. It was suggested that online meetings be held throughout the year since working online has become somehow familiar and makes it easier to “meet”. The work of our group is to propose food for thought as well as possible solutions for a better-quality assurance of Psychodramatic Training.

I wish all FEPTO members a creative and rewarding Academic Year.

Best regards,
Georgios Chaniotis
Chair of the Training Committee

 FEPTO Institutes: Present situation and new possibility

The Training Committee in co-operation with the Membership Committee is organizing an online workshop let by The Workshop will be led by Georgios Chaniotis (Chair of Training Committee)
and Mirjana JovanovskaStojanovska (Chair of Membership and AM Committee).

The purpose of the workshop is:
– to meet the institutes and to get to know each other better,
– to improve the care of our FEPTO members,
– to get more information from the training institutes in order to get a rough picture of the functioning of the institutes and their needs
– to build a strategy how we can help each other,
– to build a strategy on how to improve the cooperation of the council and the institutes and institutes among themselves.

In times when isolation leads to alienation, the need to get closer to survive is obvious. Online connection is possible without traveling and additional costs of time and material resources and we should use it to get closer to each other.
FEPTO is all of us together. And for FEPTO to exist we need to be together and maintain that community by caring for all members.

When training institutes share ideas, plans and problems with other training institutes, they will come to a new awareness of their own functioning. It will help TI in their further growth and development. And that will lead to the growth and development of FEPTO.

The topic of the meeting will be:

 The Psychodramatist training and its different branches

Time: Mar 12, 2022 11:00 AM Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna

Join Zoom Meeting:Mor

GeorgiosChaniotis
Chair of the Training Committee
.

Committee report in December 2021

Dear Colleagues,I wish everyone strength and health in the difficult period we are going through. A period that requires a lot of patience; clear and stable reference points for each of us. I know how versatile, inventive and patient we must be in the current conditions, both as directors of our Institutes and as trainers. Perhaps we can learn a lot from this particular situation.

Meanwhile, FEPTO as an organisation remains active and present for all of us. In this active position it is important for the Chair to be informed and updated, in order to be more effective in the current conditions and needs of the FEPTO members. In this process, the Chair of the Training Committee has sent an email to all Institutes with three questions regarding the Trainers in Psychodrama and Sociodrama. (If you haven’t received it, please write back to us, so it can be resent, since some emails seem to be inactive or outdated). The purpose of the questions is to help us better understand the developments of our Institute’s members.

Questions:
1) In your Institute, what are the Standards to become a “Trainer” in Psychodrama Education?
2) In your Institute, do you have independent training for Sociodrama? ** If yes what are its Standards?
3) If you have Sociodrama Training in your institute, what are the Standards to become a Trainer?

Waiting for your replies here: yorgoschaniotis@gmail.com

Furthermore, I am pleased to mention the collaboration with the Chair of Membership committee at the meeting that took place on November 21st, 2020 on the topic: FEPTO Institutes-Present Situation and New Possibilities. It was a meeting based on topics deriving from the answers of the Questionnaire, which you had received previously from the Chair of the Training Committee. It was an important and dynamic collaboration meeting of the two Chairs and the members of FEPTO who attended this meeting. Our goal is to continue this collaboration.

Dear Members, I am available for any further information or questions.
With best regards.

Georgios Chaniotis
Chair of the Training Committee
.

Training Committee Questionnaire follow-up

Following the questionnaire sent to you by the Training Committee and your own requests and recommendations, we consider it important to update, clarify, shape and adopt (if don’t exist) Standars for Psychodrama Trainers in accordance with our experiences and the new circumstances.

Over the years, experience and knowledge have formed new specialisations in Psychodrama therapy, for example Psychodrama with children that did not exist autonomously before.

Please reply to the questions below. We absolutely need your participation. Only with provided information we will be able to get a realistic picture and better understand the functioning of educational Psychodrama therapy, so that it continues to maintain its scientific strength, effectiveness and coherence.

Questions:
1) In your Institute, what are the Standards to become a “Trainer” in Psychodrama Education?
2) In your Institute, do you have independent training for Sociodrama?
**If yes what are its Standards?
3) If in your Institute you have Sociodrama Training what are the Standards to become a Trainer?

For our better communication we would like to update/create an e-contact list with valid e-mail addresses. Please send us the e-mail of your Institute as well as of one (or more) representatives or trainers that we can get in contact when needed.

Awaiting for your replies here: yorgoschaniotis@gmail.com

Best regards, stay safe,

Georgios Chaniotis
Chair of the Training Committee
.

FEPTO Institutes – Present and New Possibilities

We cordially invite you on November 21st, 11:00 -14:00 (Paris time) to the online meeting/workshop on: “Present situation and new possibilities”. See the attached program and relevant info.

Please do not hesitate to contact us by email

geo.chan@yahoo.gr and mstojanovska2002@yahoo.com for any further information or question you may have.

Georgios Chaniotis is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: FEPTO Institutes- Present and New Possibilities.
Time: Nov 21, 2020 11:00 AM Paris

Join Zoom Meeting     
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82384766977?pwd=S0w5M1M4UXJIdWNEaTJkUkxEaFNsQT09

Meeting ID: 823 8476 6977
Passcode: 549240

Program > download

Mirjana JovanovskaStojanovska (Chair of the Membership and AM Committee) and
Georgios Chaniotis (Chair of the Training Committee).

Important message from the Committee chair

Dear members of FEPTO,
I am at your disposal, contact me via the email of the Training Committee, either via Skype, messenger, Viber, or my personal email: geo.chan@yahoo.gr
My predecessors have laid solid foundations, that we can exploit drastically now.

Training Committee Questionnaire

I believe that the Chair of Committee is a point of reference for us to be able to converse and develop our work. It is a collective action. That’s why I have already written that opinions, ideas, suggestions from the institutes are very important.

Georgios Chaniotis


Meeting of the Committee

Athens, 22nd – 23rd of March 2020

I would like to cordially invite you to Athens for a two-day meeting of the Training Committee to discuss and exchange opinions, ideas, suggestions, and so on.

Purpose of the Meeting:
Collaboration between FEPTO Institute members in the field of training. Committee’s optimal response to its obligations and consequently the improvement of the Chair. The active participation of members on the side of the Federation.

To whom the invitation is addressed:
Old and new members of the Training Committee, as well as representatives from all FEPTO Institutes. Key objectives: Strengthening the Relations between the Training and the other FEPTO Committees. Continuation of the work of the Training Committee. Develop the dialogue and contact among the members of the Educational Institutes.

Topics:
The meaning of “Psychodrama Education”. The issue of Training. The Psychodrama Training among other established psychotherapies. EAP. Divergences in the Psychodrama Education. The “Trainer”.
You can suggest topics for discussion at: training@fepto.com Topics may be suggested by members who will not attend the meeting as well.

When?
The meeting will begin on 2020,Saturday March 21st at10 am and conclude on 2020, Sunday March 22nd at 8 pm.

Where?
The seminar will take place: 8, Glafkoustreet,NeoPsychiko, Athens. H.A.G.A.P. offers us a room.

Accommodation:
There are many options between hotel and Airbnb places in Athens. The sooner you make the reservation, the better.

Thanks and waiting for you in Athens,
Georgios Chaniotis
training@fepto.com

Training Committee report in December 2019

It is an honour for me to be on the FEPTO board, a responsibility and at the same time a challenge for me to serve the Chair of the Training Committee.

As I assumed my present position in the Training Committee, I reviewed the work of my predecessors and I was amazed with all the work they had accomplished, and their ideas which have contributed a great deal to the Training domain. I noticed that certain themes were repeated and were in search of a better perspective taking into account complex and diverse contexts. There seems to be a continuing dialogue regarding the meaning of Psychodrama Education, the term of Educator/Trainer, and how might Psychodrama find its position, on equal terms, among other more established or “recognized” psychotherapies. In addition, there has been discussion regarding the issue of Training-Education. I will try to give a brief overview.

FEPTO recognizes Psychodrama Institutes, promotes their networking, and supports the development of the trainers. Its purpose is to describe that which is “necessary” and “essential “and to converge on similar educational “images”. FEPTO also helps promote Psychodrama. This means helping not only to understand Psychodrama but ultimately  what psychodrama skills/abilities student trainers and therapists possess. Recognition based on FEPTO standards constitutes the basis, but the education of trainers and practitioners, methods, and the overall training is multioloured. So far there has been a great deal of debate regarding the training duration, the theory, the practice, the different government requirements. The purpose of the discussions was to record, understand the programs, strive for knowledge, useful ideas, and to eliminate differences that create distance or are problematic.

The big and persistent question has been how do we recognize a trainer’s abilities and what are they? Opinions are many and varied, often with wide-ranging divergence in addition, what are the educational standards for adult and child therapy, as well as other areas of application of Psychodrama.

Theoretical and practical knowledge has been regularly highlighted by the need for good knowledge of the terms psychodrama, sociodrama, sociometry, group dynamics, group therapies, as well as basic psychoanalytic knowledge. The reports show that there is a great deal of difference regarding the knowledge of trainers, which raises concerns about the ‘equivalence’ of the profession of Psychodramatist with other psychotherapists and what would benefit and lead to international recognition. Another issue is that depending on whether the psychotherapist is more concerned with art, or psychotherapy, he or she recognizes as necessary different types of knowledge and abilities. Moreover, let us not forget what a country/state, or a university can recognize on its part. In this case the `differences are enormous and often not coordinated with the local institutes.

Dear colleagues, all these issues, my predecessors and the Training Committee teams tried to put in discussion. Reijo Kauppila has already worked in a considerable manner to write about them in the newsletter. It is my wish for us to work upon this basis which has been handed down to us. Your thoughts, ideas and suggestions are welcome.

A lot of work still needs to be done to bring about a greater educational convergence. The stories of the Institutes, the national positions on psychotherapy and training, the cultural differences and therefore the perceptions, the personal paths of the educators are elements which tend to mitigate divergence. But if properly valued and used, always keeping in mind the local specificity and respecting the personalities of the trainers, we can help promote a better and at the same time more unified Psychodrama training. A training worthy of the fight for recognition of Psycho-therapeutic Education and Psychotherapy.

I have come to the conclusion that the Training Committee team, and as I guess of other Committees, is like an accordion. It is therefore difficult to assess who the active or stable members are. This is not a serious issue; even though it points to the possibility of a think tank, in fact, it is difficult for us to communicate. In the first phase, I would like to invite anyone who wishes to participate to send an e-mail to the e-mail address of the Training Committee (training@fepto.com).In this way, we will have a better picture which will serve as a basis; it will be especially useful if the team gets together in Spring, before Ohrid.

Best Wishes for a constructive and creative academic year!

Georgios Chaniotis
training@fepto.com

Psychodrama trainer’s competencies and AM 2018 Pravets

In the Tallinn meeting, we focused on the psychodrama trainer’s core competencies, and the 2019 AM in Pravets. 3 psychodrama trainers from 3 different countries and institutes attended. More specifically:

Peter Wertz-Schönhagen, Moreno Institute Stuttgart, Germany
PilleIsat, Tallinn Psychodrama Institute, Estonia
Reijo Kauppila, Helsinki Psychodrama Institute, Finland

We continued with the first ideas of a psychodrama trainer’s competencies, which were created in Stuttgart.

Each competence domain is described from the perspective of knowledge, skills, responsibility and values. We managed to make a first account of knowledge and skills. Also, we made a preliminary version with respect to responsibility and values – what are the basic values of psychodrama? And what would they mean in action and practice, especially in teaching and learning.

We discussed the Morenian theory of learning, and the 5 level model of learning according to Reifarth. Furthermore, we also focused on self-experience and cognitive elements in the learning process. These will form the basis of the PD trainer’s competences.

I will send in short the outcomes of the Tallinn meeting to all members in the Training Committee. If you are not a member (yet), please send me your email, and you will get the information, too.

In the competence-domain “Contents and learning process” is where the expertise in psychodrama lies. The contents are in the core competencies of a psychodramatist and / or specific competencies of a psychodrama psychotherapist. All three lists of competencies will be presented and discussed in the small group at the AM in Pravets.

Thank you very much, Pille and Peter, for your commitment and expertise, not only in psychodrama, but in adult learning. We will continue this work and the work with the Psychodramatist’s and psychodrama psychotherapist’s competencies in Pravets.

Reijo Kauppila
training@fepto.com

Psychodramatists’ core and specific competencies III

FEPTO Training Committee meeting January 27th -29th, 2017, in Arnhem, The Netherlands.

We were four psychodrama trainers from three countries working with psychodramatist’s and pychodrama psychotherapist’s core competencies:

Hannah Salomè, Academy for Psychodrama and Group Processes, The Netherlands; Nita Wissink, NBES, The Netherlands; Svetlana Nikolkova, Chiron Institute, Bulgaria; Reijo Kauppila, Helsinki Psychodrama Institute, Finland; Maika, a very interested dog.

In our fourth meeting, we continued the work started in Helsinki meeting last year. We worked productively for 2 days, and managed to make a new version of psychodramatist’s core competencies. This version will be sendall members for comments. And the next version of competencies will be presented in FEPTO AM in Sigtuna in June 2017.

Descriptions of good practice

Lists of competencies can be used as descriptions of good practice in member institutes. Psychodrama psychotherapist’s specific competencies will be sent to EAP after annual meeting.

Invitation to all members!You – all members of FEPTO -have possibility to give comments on competencies in April. You will receive your copy by email. Please, send us any comments – they are very useful.

Thank you very much, Hanna, Nita and Svetlana, for your commitment and focused, efficient work! And thank you Hannah for inviting us to your institute in Arnhem. Download > report

Reijo Kauppila

Chair of Training Committee

Psychodramatists’ core and specific competencies II

This was the third training committee meeting this year, and we continued to work with psychodramatist’s core and specific competencies, which was started last March in Helsinki. In Tallinn, we were 10 participants from 7 member institutes of FEPTO from 5 different countries (about 10% of membership was represented).

We continued to work with the first version of core competencies together, and started to specify characteristics, which are specific to psychodrama in different application fields. In this work we used version made last March, and competency profiles and lists of member institutes, which participants brought with them. We utilized core competencies of psychotherapist by EAP, and specific competencies of Gestalt psychotherapist by EAGT. We worked intensively in four small groups on tasks, and managed to recognized and describe specifics for all 13 domains of core competencies.

Before next meeting in January, we will continue to process descriptions in small groups so that the first refined version is ready for comments from FEPTO membership in November, 2016, after council meeting in Dave. Refined version will include core competencies of psychodramatist, specific competencies of psychodrama psychotherapist for EAP, and possibly some sketches for other fields of application. Our goal is to present a ready version of these to FEPTO membership in AM next June 2017 in Sigtuna, Sweden.

We warmly welcome psychodrama trainers to join our team, especially you from countries and institutes, which are not yet represented in our group. You are welcome to our next meeting in January 27th-29th, 2017, in Arnhem, The Netherlands. You can join our virtual work, too. We need commenters and critical other perspectives, so, please, contact Reijo Kauppila (chair of training committee) training@fepto.com , and join this inspiring and energetic development of your own professional competencies, too!

Reijo Kauppila
Chair of Training Committee

Psychodramatists’ core and specific competencies

In this meeting, our task was to define competencies of psychodrama therapist. We decided to start from psychodramastist’s competencies, and from these to specify and broaden competencies needed in psychotherapy. This will be done in accordance to specific competencies of psychotherapy by EAP (European Association for Psychotherapy).
The profile of competencies is descriptive not normative: it is not a catalogue about what a psychodramatist must do, but more a description of what s/he can do and (ideally) knows how to do, what is apt or necessary.
Before starting to describe and list competencies, we need to have similar enough image, what we mean with competence. For this purpose we formulated our definition for competencies:

”Competency is a state of being adequately qualified to act as professional psychodramatist and develop the quality of the profession.”

• this definition is especially from perspectives of learning and training

”Competency means to have the ability to interpret the situation in the context, have right repertoire of actions, and capabilities to take these actions to adequate outcomes.”

• this definition is especially from perspectives of agency and professional activity

Competencies include and consist of:

• knowledge: cognitive, emotional, social and intra- and interpersonal,
• skills,
• values and attitudes,

and combination and concretization of these three in action (and behaviour) in specific context and relations in that context.

We started to create a list of competencies for psychodramatist. This list of competencies is based on psychodrama training, which takes about 6 years. We used mainly as material existing competency profiles from the participating institutes. These institutes use competencies, which are based on the same level degree requirements by Nordic Board of Examiners (NBE) and Nederlandse and Belgische Examen Stichting (NBES).

We managed to create the first version during this weekend.  Our work continues virtually, and we have a google drive in use. We shall have a short lunch meeting in Marathon during AM. The next Training Committee meeting will be on September 16-18, 2016 in Tallinn, Estonia.

I want to thank you very much, Pille, Hannah, Nita, Liis, Aivar and Endel, for your very professional contribution in TC meeting in Helsinki.
And all, who are interested in developing your competencies as psychodrama trainers, you are very welcome to join us!

Download > Report

Reijo Kauppila
Chair of Training Committee

October 2015 report

The aim of Training Committee is to define and describe FEPTO training standards of trainees, practitioners and psychodrama trainers, and to provide recommendations and examples of training programs in different application fields of psychodrama. The Committee supports trainers’ professional development, and fosters inspiring professional networking of member institutes, too.

There is a lot to do. First we will continue the work with competencies. FEPTO AM 2014 and several committee meetings have produced a lot of material, which is a good basis for further work.

The goals of Training Committee for 2015–2016 are:

• To define the competencies of psychodrama trainee/practitioner working in therapy or psychotherapy – and to define specific competencies according to EAP.
• To define the competencies of psychodrama trainee/practitioner working in other fields of application: education, organizations, social work, etc.
• To define competencies of psychodrama trainer.
• To organize a week-end seminar for FEPTO members, possible theme could be: “New Learning Technologies in Psychodrama Training” (Theme will be decided by training committee).

There is a small group of 8 trainers, which starts to work with competencies. You are more than welcome to join us:

• Come to support FEPTO to grow professionally stronger
• Come to develop your own professional competencies and – of course – your institute’s

Please, contact by email: training@fepto.com
Reijo Kauppila
Chair of Training Committee

Training Committee meeting in Bonn, 2015

Present: Anett Richer-Nowak (Germany), InaraErdmanis (Latvia), PilleIsat (Estonia), Svetlana Nikolkova (Bulgaria), Endel Hango (Estonia), and Reijo Kauppila (Finland, chair). Two members were not present, but they want to join training committee: Hannah Salomé and Nita Wissink (The Netherlands).

We had a short presentation of participants and their institutes. And heard some wishes and expectations of training committee and its work. The main goals for the coming year were presented and discussed: to define competencies of psychodrama trainees / practitioners and trainers, and especially the need to define specific competencies of psychodrama psychotherapist for EAP.

We decided to start working virtually after Bonn, and organize a face-to-face meeting later this year.
If you want to join us, please, send an email to Reijo Kauppila training@fepto.com

4. Training Committee, Development Committee and European Affairs Committee meeting in Obidos

Present: InaraErdmanis (Latvia/Sweden), Svetlana Nikolkova (Bulgaria), Mai Antonsen (Norway), Ina Ilieva (Bulgaria), Zoran Đurić (Serbia), Karin Hango (Estonia), Rosa Shemesh (Israel), Norbert Apter (Switzerland, Chair of Development Committee), Celia Scanlan (Scotland, Chair of European Affairs Committee), and Reijo Kauppila (Finland, Chair of Training Committee).

Reijo and Norbert opened the meeting. Development committee organizes Thinktanks. Norbert suggested the next one could be joint with the training committee.

The results of the AM-work in small groups were presented. It is clear that core competencies of psychodrama trainers connected to Research and Promotion are the activities, which the FEPTO community marked as most in need of attention.

Below is a list of some shared thinking:

• What competencies does a trainer need in different application fields of psychodrama? How to balance competencies in psychodrama psychotherapy and competencies in the special field?
• There could / should be a training to become a psychodrama trainer.
• What would employers / organizations benefit or gain from sending their employees to psychodrama training?
• What competencies do students gain in psychodrama training?
• A traditional way to support psychodrama is to experience psychodrama. How to promote psychodrama in other and new ways?
• What kind of competencies in promotion does the trainer need to be able to teach students to practice psychodrama in a way that promotes psychodrama? And to train students to promote psychodrama in other ways, too?
• How to support trainers to deepen their theoretical understanding of psychodrama?

These formed the starting point to explore in practice with the group themes of trainer’s competencies, students competencies, and organizations in a systemic way. The group used chairs, and used relatiometrics to make visible these themes. Here is a picture of relatiogram, which was done in 15 minutes:

The outcomes will be used and further explored and developed in committees (processes), which maybe will continue in next AM (if the council so decides). We ended the meeting by agreeing to meet twice before the next AM:

• Thinktank (organized by Development Committee) in September / early October, 2014 (in Helensburgh (Scotland or Estonia)
• Training Committee meeting in January, 2015 (perhaps in Estonia).

In both meetings the themes of trainer’s core competencies (especially Promotion and Research) will be connected to trainee’s competences and the benefits and gains psychodrama training provides to organizations and the whole society.
Norbert will doodle dates for Thinktank, after that Reijo will doodle dates to Training Committee meeting. Paola and Marco couldn’t be present in this training committee meeting, but they are preparing a survey about theory and basic psychodrama concepts.

Celia had news: EAP is defining the specific competencies of a psychodrama psychotherapist. She would ask all institutes to define the specific competencies for example with their students. Material and help is available from Celia. (We could make this on project in Training Committee?)

We found the outcomes of this meeting inspiring and energizing, and they give us hope, too. And what we are doing just now with competencies, is what institutes need. We warmly thank the participants of this meeting for ideas and taking part in this process – and for energy and joy!

Reijo and Norbert and Celia

More > Obidos report

Training Committee report for Lisbon, March 2014

The Training committee has been preparing the program for the next AM ”The Core Competences of a Psychodrama Trainer: Similarities and Differences in Europe”. The theme has been explored in Sofia, Bulgaria, in the ThinkTank organized by Development Committee (see the report of the Development Committee) in February, 2014. There were 10 trainers from 7 countries exploring competences and roles of trainers. In February, too, in Budapest, Hungary, the research competences of trainers were focused as a part of the Research Committee Meeting. Thank you very much for your input and work!
The AM in Óbidos will be an excellent opportunity to share, explore and develop training in member institutes and in FEPTO. If you have any suggestions and ideas concerning training and its development, please send me an email.

Reijo Kauppila

Report of Training Committee meeting in Santander Spain, April 2013

We started the committee meeting with short presentations of the participating institutes and their training (there were seven of us). After a while the trainer’s training and competences were found as a common topic. So the work started earlier in training committee is continued.

Participants agreed that the field of training psychodrama is huge – and that perhaps we could start with some very practical things. It would be interesting to present together with other trainers, what is our training in practice, how do we do it, what kind of methods and processes we use in training, etc. And what kind of competences and qualitative standards are needed from trainers and supervisors so that the students can enough learn psychodrama both qualitatively and quantitatively. And what enough means in different training programs and institutes? And all this according to the fields of application of psychodrama!

In the short face-to-face time in Santander we came up with some practical ideas. In FEPTO meetings (perhaps in conferences, too), we could e.g. organize workshops:

• Where training institutes could present their training processes, methods and principles,
• With special themes like how to train special issues in different application fields of psychodrama,
• On how to combine modern learning and teaching methods and technology in enhancing and supporting the learning process.

The work in training committee between face-to-face meetings is supported in moodle.

The practice of meeting together with research committee has been fruitful and this is going to be continued.Last February in meeting in Padua, Italy, there were three or four research interests connected directly with training.Next research committee meeting is in Sibiu, Romania, October 10th-13th, 2013.

Reijo Kauppila

Training Committee in September 2012: The Wild duck and the Training Committee

At the Annual Meeting in Oslo in June 2012 our Norwegian colleagues have introduced Ibsen’s play: The Wild Duck. It gave background for our work in small groups and the large group. Working on how to deal with secrets and what kind of skills and elaborated structure it takes to deal with a difficult truth, was an excellent warm up and background to the questions, FEPTO as a growing organisation and specially the Training Committee has, that need to be answered.

The goal of FEPTO is, to make psychodrama flourish in Europe and help each other if country, institute or organsation to develop the training of psychodrama and the quality of application. This was the motive to begin with the definition of minimal training standards (MTS), which was done years ago with a setting of hours. Since 2009 in Gent there was also the attempt, to develop standards not only as countable quantity but to try to define qualifying criteria. This is no easy task, as the problems with the checking and electing procedure of new institutes have shown.

We have to find creative solutions, which is a concern of all members and a task for the membership, ethic, development and training committees.

In Oslo during the General assembly we started a first attempt to involve all members by putting the questions, we publish now in the FN:

1) What are your ideas for Training standards in quantity and quality for the training of PD?
a) Psychotherapists
b) Directors

2) How shall we handle the question of fulfillment of standards, scrutinizing hours according to the actual MTS vs. trust?

3) What are the necessary contents of training for psychotherapists (a) and directors (b)?
– self experience
– teaching of methods and techniques
– training of methods and techniques
– basic and advanced theoretical approach
– supervision
– evaluation
– ?
4) What is the basic and obligatory necessity in psychodrama theory, what else is necessary?

Some small groups in Oslo already started to answer these questions, the suggestions:

to 1) Make a differentiation in the training of psychotherapists (a) and directors in other fields of application (b), leading to less expectations for the second (b) and a shorter time of training hours and years.
to 2) Have an open, learning platform, a vivid discussion, what kind of control makes sense and can be handled, without bringing more damage than helpful ideas.
to 3) There is already a frame of hours by the MTS, which needs qualifying. It has to be considered, that there are different governmental requirements in our member countries for psychotherapy, in some cases also for counseling. It would be good to bring them together and make them open for all.
to 4) Also in theory we need a differentiation between the fields of application. Basics are Morenian theory, psycho- and sociodrama praxeology, sociometry, principles of groups and group dynamics; psychotherapists also need knowledge in other clinical theories for example psychoanalysis, object relations, bondage e.a..
The suggestion is, to name books as common ground or have a book written by authors from different countries, that contains the basic psychodrama theory.

We invite you, to discuss these questions with your colleagues and send us your ideas. Please
mail to agnes@dudler.org.

A further decision was made to support and enhance the work of the Training Committee: it will be part of the Research Committee and meet in between the annual meetings together with the other research groups.

The next meetings are:
1. In Porto (Portugal) from October 13th – 15th 2012
2. In Padova (Italy) from February 21st to 24th 2013.

Zoran Djuric and Peter John Schouten will go to Porto; to Padova I can go.

Agnes Dudler, chair of thew Training Committee

New Chair of the Training Committee, September 2011


With being elected to the council at Neve Shalom I will follow Zoran Djuric as chair of the training committee for the next two years. I am happy that Zoran will stay in the committee and I intend to work closely together with him. We have been working together very well in the council for the last three years, when I was chair of the annual meeting committee. Therefore I am quite confident, that we can cooperate with benefit. As I will not be able to come to the next Council meeting in Oslo in 2012, Zoran will take my place and can thus continue his work in the council too.

Together with the other very engaged members of the training committee I intend to go on with the topics and projects already started. To intensify our work, two subgroups of the committee will meet this year, and in spring 2012 we are going to meet for a weekend at my home in Bonn, which is easy to reach by train and by plain.

Being myself a trainer for almost 30 years I participated many years in developing standards, curricula and qualities in Germany as member of the training committee of the DFP (Deutscher Fachverband für Psychodrama, in engl: German Professional Organization for Psychodrama, accrediting organization for training institutes in Germany). During my time in the council of the DFP I also participated in a governmental committee and a national professional organization of different psychotherapeutic schools to prepare the law for psychotherapy in Germany, which we have since 1999. I also bring the experience of 20 years as founder and director of the institute SZENEN, where we always put a high emphasis on training new psychodramatists in the most qualified way possible and had a lot of discussions about it among many different trainer colleagues. To do this kind of work now on the European level of FEPTO with so many different ways of training and creative solutions is a challenge I appreciate to meet.

The questions the committee is working on are about realization and improvement of a comparable quality of the psychodrama training in Europe. At the moment we have great differences in the amount of hours and the way , training groups are organized. Zoran has started to evaluate, what it takes to become a trainer in our member institutes. It was already Pierre Fontaine’s concern to realize a training of trainers, which is being favored by more and more members, while some do not think it necessary. In Gent the colleagues of the LOC started to find qualities needed in a good training, to compare not only numbers of hours, a difficult but very interesting task, which I would love to go on with.

Last but not least I am organizing another training, which surely be very joyful: We will have a training weekend for FEPTO singers from February 10th to 12th 2012 in Bonn, where Jesse Webb, a trained singing teacher, will help us to learn some of the songs, I could already collect for a FEPTO songbook. Everybody who wants to participate is welcome. It will be fine, if we have different singing voices to be able to sing some songs in several voices.

Agnes Dudler, Bonn 23.7.2011

Training Committee in November 2010

We have sent a short questionnaire to FEPTO members with seven questions:

What are the qualities of a trainer?
What are the requirements for becoming the trainer in your organization?
What are the competencies and abilities of trainers?
How do we achieve these competencies?
What are the requirements for training of trainers?
Do you have a system of external examiner?

We have received answers from 23 institutes and individuals. As this is a work in progress, we in this occasion give this short comment on received answers. The answers show the diversity of FEPTO statements on becoming trainer.

On one side, we have institutes which have not prescriptions on becoming trainer.

Some of them do not train their members for trainers.
They say, for example, that trainer is one who is recognized by training stuff as a trainer. Or, some of candidates for trainers spend years as co-therapists (therapeutic auxiliary egos) before they go on to do some training and begin to conduct training groups.
Or, they take guest trainers who are all recognized/accredited trainers in their own countries of origin with more than 10 years experience in training and supervision of psychodrama.

Or, they say trainer needs to have a good practical knowledge of the usage of psychodrama and sociodrama. This is to most important criterion and as the usage of psychodrama is in broad spectrum of activities there are special skills needed for psychotherapy, teaching, sociodrama etc. This means that there is a need of trainers with different fields of practice.

A pedagogical skill is also needed, proven by good teaching. An understanding of the practice of research is becoming more important.

On the other side, there are institutes who have their own regulations on becoming a trainer.

For example:
In Hungarian Psychodrama Association (Hungary), leading two completed training groups with a qualified trainer, and recommendations from a supervisor ( one self-awareness group of 250 hours and one self-awareness group of 250 hours + assistant group of 160 hours; minimum 5 years of intensive and documented psychodrama group leading experience after acquiring the psychodrama psychotherapist title.

In BPA (U.K.) the formal mentoring process will normally begin only after the candidate has been qualified as a practitioner for at least two years. Minimum 12 months candidates have to work with their mentor before they apply for status of trainer.

In PIfE (Germany) 10 years of professional experience is needed before conducting a group on the first level and having finishing 2 groups on the first level and then to start for second level trainer. Also supervision, writing and work in the organization are needed.

In Mediterranean Association of Psychodrama (Italy) candidate must have 4 years of self experience and 8 years leading psychodrama group under supervision.

In GAJAP (Italy), an individual have to have 3 years of experience as conductor of the group and after that to become 1st level psychodrama trainer. After 5 years of experience in conducting and supervision one can become trainer supervisor – this is the fourth qualification GAJAP Training. 5th qualification or second level psychodrama trainer needs 7 years of experience in conducting groups with concomitant experience in supervision.

In Szenen Institute (Germany) trainer must be 35years old and to have min 3 years of experience as psychodramatist. Next 2 years have to work in an ongoing group with experienced psychodrama trainer.

There are countries that have TEP system, built upon the TEP model in USA. In Kivunim Institute (Israel) USA TEP system is accepted.

TEP-NBES training request minimum 3 years of professional development as practitioner. In the PAT status a candidate has to have a total of 825 hours of experience and 550 reflection hours. Experience hours include practical experience within a training program of the institute, practical experience developed autonomously, experience in supervision, portfolio of meetings, reports, processing tasks, writing a theoretical/methodological research,, writing a training curriculum. Reflection hours include diagnosis and supervision. At the end, TEP is psychodrama educator who has given evidence of being able to develop a 4-7 years curriculum and to run his own institute.

From these examples it becomes clear that becoming trainer means that individual have to work through the process of 3 to 10 years. It includes training as a co- trainer and responsible trainer, experience with different trainers, knowledge of theory and methodology, reading, conferences and publications, own psychodrama practice, supervision and ability to construct a program, capacity to conceptualize and communicate, working in team and handle nearness and distance.

Training Committee report, June 2010

In Ghent seven of us started the work on qualitative aspects of training in FEPTO.

After Ghent Meeting, Committee has lost his enthusiasm. Only a few mails and our correspondence have stopped. Because of that, with support of FEPTO Council, Training Committee have sent to FEPTO community the short questionnaire on the topic “How to become a trainer in FEPTO”. We got 21 answers and still expecting others.

In Kovacica near Belgrade, Serbia, the Island volcano partly stooped us to discuss the data about becoming trainer in FEPTO. The half of expected participants could not come. Training Committee has had a meeting with 3 participants. We have reviewed the answers we got from different institutes.
This is important to say that there are big differences in FEPTO in the way of becoming trainer.

On one side, there are institutes who propose master or doctoral degree for trainer and on the other side there are conditions like “being recognized” as one who is in charge or “authority” in his community for becoming trainer.
There are institutes who tend to develop creativity and art- they request less number of hours for becoming psychodramatist and trainer. And there are institutes who tend to develop psychodrama as scientific approach and psychotherapy- they request much more hours for becoming psychodramatist and trainer. Many institutes request clinical experience for learning and teaching psychodrama, many of them not.

In some countries there are clear ideas that psychodrama have to become a profession together with other forms of psychotherapy.
In many answers this topic of psychodrama as a profession or psychotherapy is not mentioned or recognized. I can conclude that psychodrama is like Siren: half a (beautiful) fish, half a (beautiful) girl. In fact: beautiful.

I want to be serious for the end: I expect fruitful talks in Israel on this topic.
Personally, I should like the better defined identity of psychodrama.
Think about it and send mails before we meet in Israel.

Training Committee report, March 2010

Training Committee started the work on qualitative aspects of training in Ghent. We divided our task in:

• Content of training
• Trainer qualities and qualifications
• Didactic (including attention paid to individual, group and systems levels in training group)

In Ghent we have talked about content and decided to continue our work by e mails. Instead of content, in our mails appeared trainer’s competencies as an important subject of interest. We are introduced with. BPA’s “Competencies for Registration as a Psychodrama Trainer”. Clinical practice is the first on the list. The others are Educational practice, Supervision of others, written work and Research work. This document treats psychodramatists as independent professionals.
The “Competencies” could be discussed as milestones of education of trainers or, as we say in FEPTO, “Training the trainers”.

In Serbia, it is about to start master and doctoral program on Psychodrama. This moment there are some questions which need answers. For example, University authorities say that anyone may start master studies which are planned to last one year. It means that someone can become Master in psychodrama without any psychodrama experience. The same is for 3 years doctoral studies. Possible solving this problem is to have complete psychodrama education included in master and doctoral studies.

As we know, many of us use psychodrama as helpful and fruitful method in our professions in humanistic field and are not psychodramatists as professionals per se.
Master and doctoral studies promote new profession. In Serbia psychotherapy is not recognized as an independent field and psychotherapists as independent professionals. Maybe psychodrama and psychodramatists should be pioneers in promoting psychotherapy as a new profession.

Also , the life got us back to think about MTS. Our delegate in EAP Celia Scanlan had to make FEPTO reapplication for the membership in EAP. We together call FEPTO community to send us up dated versions of their MTS forms.
After collecting MTS forms, one may conclude that all FEPTO institutes who sent MTS forms meet criteria from MTS , but small number meet EAP criteria for number of hours.
It again signalizes that EAP criteria for being psychotherapist and FEPTO criteria for psychodramatist are different.

Further, scrutinizing MTS forms we find that clinical experience is not described in most of them. We can observe that all institutes who meet EAP criteria have clinical experience in their training.

We expect from FEPTO community to think about these questions and give fresh ideas on psychodrama-new profession, psychotherapy, both?
I think the title of our meeting ”Living on the Borderline” clearly reflects the part of the reality hidden in these questions.

Training Committee meeting report, 5th of April 2009

There were some misunderstandings and questions on GA in Deinze about the work of Training Committee of FEPTO. On the meeting of this Committee in Deinze the members of the Committee started to clear up some of the questions and misunderstandings.

The important issue is that this work is not perceived as an individual than the group one. The idea is to develop our thoughts on training and trainers through sharing and dialog. We are open for contributions of all who are interested in this topic.

Some people who were interested in work of this Committee joined the work in Deinze, some others did not.

The meeting took place in Deinze/Ghent on April 5th 2009 with Zoran Duric (chair), EinyaArtzi, Anna Chesner, Chantal Neve-Hanquet, Jana Segula and SirkkuAitolehti (secretary).

Here are the minutes recorded by SirkkuAitolehti:

1. Zoran opened the meeting and stated that FEPTO’s concern in relation to training is moving from minimal quantitative training standards to quality of training.
2. Participants told the reason for attending the training committee meeting. The reasons were: to acquaint with training of other institutes and FEPTO standards, to work on standards of trainers, to share expertise and learn from each other, re asking basic questions of training.
3. The frames of discussing quality were talked about. It was thought that quality of training can be viewed at least from following angles:

• Content of training
• Trainer qualities and qualifications
• Didactics (including attention paid to individual, group and systems levels in training group)

4. We decided to start with discussion on the content and beginning from theory.
5. We agreed that

• The student needs to learn the basic concepts of Morenian philosophy and theories and she/he needs to show evidence that he has started critically to engage with them and to relate them to the psychodrama method.
• In the philosophy we included at least the concepts of the universals, Godhead, tele, encounter and action.
• The theories include at least the theory on spontaneity and creativity, role theory and sociometry.

6. We started to discuss sociometric skills. We agreed that sociometry needs to be introduced in training both in theory and in practice. We did not yet agree at what level students need to learn to use sociometric tecniques.
7. We decided of the near future work of the committee:

• The communication of the committee takes place via email.
• There might be one committee meeting before next FEPTO meeting.
• We continue to communicate with each other via mail on, what needs to be learned about other theoretical frameworks and about the method.

To add that we are in email communication with others in FEPTO interested in training. The results of this exchanging the information will be included in some future report.

Zoran Djuric

ЗоранЂурић
(Serbian Cyrillic)