Information for Trainees
PANZ Ōtautahi Christchurch Campus and Ōtepoti Dunedin Campus
The PANZ campuses in Ōtautahi and Ōtepoti offer training in psychodrama through year-long programmes, training and experiential workshops, reading, writing, peer practice group, social activities and supervision. Most courses are open to those who wish to develop their professional abilities without necessarily becoming certificated practitioners.
PANZ is an Aotearoa-registered Charitable Trust (NZBN 9429042614814) operated by a management committee in liaison with a Board of Trustees.
Psychodrama training was previously provided in Ōtautahi and Ōtepoti by the Christchurch Institute for Training in Psychodrama (CITP), established in 1986.
Training Plan
The following topics can be used as a guide:
- A review of the previous plan if this is not your first training plan.
- Your overall aim for the training, for example:
- to learn the basics,
- to see if this a method that is for me,
- to work towards certification,
- professional development.
- Employment plans related to the training.
- Application of the method. Groups you are conducting or are planning.
- Specialty areas: psychodrama, sociodrama, sociometry, role training.
- Your level of commitment and ability to progress.
- Challenges.
- Experiential or training workshops you plan to attend.
- Conferences.
- Reading.
- Short term and long term writing plan.
- Some psychodramatic skills or techniques you would like to develop.
- AANZPA membership.
- Non-psychodrama professional training.
- Peer relationships you have, and wish to develop to further your training.
- Stepping stones and milestones with dates.
Guidelines for Psychodrama Peer Practice Groups
Psychodrama Peer Practice Groups are a vital part of the training and integrated into the training program. The groups arrange their own venue and meeting times. It is envisaged the groups meet every two weeks, this may vary.
Purpose of the Groups
The purpose of the peer practice groups is for members to:
- practice forming a cohesive, active group
- practice directing psychodrama
- develop writing skills by reporting on the group
- foster collaborative learning
- gain confidence in using the psychodrama methods.
Forming the Groups
This happens in a training session at the start of the year. These guidelines are discussed. The groups are formed sociometrically based on criteria that may include frequency of meeting, location, time, and the training focus of members.
Meeting Procedure
The director for the evening will ensure the dates and venue is clear to all members and create a warm up to the event.
The director is responsible for the whole peer practice group session, including when others take turns at directing dramas or vignettes. Keep in mind the three stages of the group:
- Warm up
- Action
- Sharing
The warm up stage can be director directed or group centered. The action phase can be sociodrama, role training or psychodrama. Sometimes group work can be considered as the action phase of the group, it is then followed by a round of sharing of the experience of being in the session.
At the end of the session the director ensures the group plans who will be the director for the next session.
Each trainee will have at least one turn during the year as director of the group. Peer supervision or supervision with a trainer for the director before the group is recommended.
Relationship with the Training Group
Matters from the peer practice group can be brought back to the training group. The peer practice groups are part of the larger group and confidentiality is maintained within the training group as a whole.
From time to time the Peer Practice Group could be planned or processed in the training group to consolidate and practice specific learning.
Reporting
The director will write a report on the group and send to the online group. Please follow the format suggested for a report on p.28 of the 2020 Training & Standards Manual. The purpose is to inform and share learning with all group members and to develop writing ability that is enlivening, informative, and sensitive to the group participants.
End of year closure
The groups conclude at the end of the training year and members make a plan for the final session.
Updated Tuesday, 13 March 2020
Curriculum and Accreditation
The curriculum for each programme is based on the material set out in the AANZPA Training and Standards Manual and includes teaching, practice, coaching, and supervision.
The process of accreditation is described in the AANZPA training manual, and involves both written and practical assessments.
Assignments
It has been said that a person who writes clearly on a particular subject really knows it and is in a position to teach it to somebody else.
Completing these assignments enables the integration of theory and practice. You will develop a love of writing by wholeheartedly embracing this task. Your trainers will give a response to the work that you present.
From the AANZPA Standards and Training Manual. For an inspiring warm-up, read the whole section on Writing. Below are listed the requirements for each of the three stages of training; Core Curriculum, Intermediate and Advanced.
Core Curriculum
Trainees complete five short assignments, 500-1000 words. The purpose of completing these assignments is the integration of theory and practice. You will develop a love of writing by wholeheartedly embracing this task. Your trainers will give a response to the work that you present.
1. SELF PRESENTATION
Write a letter to a significant other in which you let them know your motivation for entering training, what you are discovering and how you are beginning to apply what you are learning and developing in your life and/or work.
2. BEING AN AUXILIARY
"Taking up an auxiliary function for another person is a therapeutic act". Discuss this statement and describe, giving examples, the function of the auxiliary ego at different stages of dramatic enactment, in group work or in social life.
3. INTEGRATION OF ROLE THEORY
Describe the roles operative in a social and cultural atom you have investigated, using diagrams, discussing what changes are called for in the roles, and what interventions you recommend, together with a rationale for the interventions. Completion of this assignment meets the requirement in the AANZPA Training and Standards Manual: Integration of Role Theory
4. INTEGRATION OF SOCIOMETRY
Make a description as part of your work in a training group of the use of a sociometric measure in a group, setting out the nature of the group, how the sociometric measure was introduced and administered in the group, the criteria, the sociogram, the use made of the measure in the group, and the interventions made as a result of the sociometric investigation. Completion of this assignment meets the requirement in the AANZPA Training and Standards Manual: Integration of Sociometry.
5. ORGANISATIONS
Describe an organisation that to a large degree functions as an open system and one that to a large degree functions as a closed system. Completion of this assignment meets the requirement in the AANZPA Training and Standards Manual: Integration of Social Systems Theory.
Intermediate Trainees
Complete an 'Initial Paper'. The paper reflects the area of speciality that, at this stage, you think you are heading for. Refer to the AANZPA Training and Standards Manual, Initial Paper for guidance.
Role Trainer
A description and discussion of a role training session that you have conducted with a person in an individual or group session. The discussion includes a focus on the warm-up, an analysis of the role system of the protagonist, and interventions you have made, including the choice of techniques used. This paper will be 2000-3000 words in length and is passed by your PANZ Campus.
Sociometrist
A written paper in which you present your understanding and integration of the concepts of sociometry and your application of these in your work with an organisation or cultural group. This includes a description of what took place including your use of sociometry, discussion and analysis, diagrams and plans based on your analysis. This paper will be 2000-3000 words in length and is passed by your PANZ Campus.
Sociodramatist
A written paper in which you describe the role relationships and dynamics operating in a social system you have investigated. This includes a description of what took place including your application of sociodrama, discussion and analysis including diagrams, and plans based on your analysis. This paper will be 2000-3000 words in length and is passed by your PANZ Campus.
Psychodramatist
A written paper in which you present your understanding and integration of the concepts and theory of the Social and Cultural Atom and your application of this in your work with a person over a period of time. This includes a description of what took place over several sessions including your use of the psychodrama method, discussion and analysis of each session including diagrams, and clinical plans based on the analysis. This paper will be 2000-3000 words in length and is passed by your PANZ Campus.
Advanced Trainees
Complete a thesis. Refer to AANZPA Training and Standards Manual, Procedures for Assessment for guidance. – updated January 2022
Supervision
Supervision is an integral part of the training process. As trainees progress in their training, and apply the method in their life and work, supervision assists in the integration of new learning.
Individual and group supervision sessions are available from the Campus staff. A suitable supervisor is selected in consultation with the current trainer.
Training Records
PANZ maintains a training record for each trainee. In addition to this trainees are expected to keep a record of their attendance at training events. Trainees can request a summary of their training record for a fee of $25; please contact the PANZ Administrator <office@psychodrama.org.nz>.
Psychodrama Library
AANZPA Canterbury/Westland maintains an up-to-date library, with a range of articles, books, journals and theses. These may be borrowed by trainees.
Ethics
As mentioned in the Training Agreement, trainees are expected to be familiar with and abide by the AANZPA Code of Ethics. All PANZ staff members are AANZPA members and as such are bound by the AANZPA Code of Ethics. PANZ has a Complaints Procedure.
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PANZ Ōtautahi Christchurch Campus and Ōtepoti Dunedin Campus Staff
Sara Crane
Director of Training PANZ Ōtautahi and Ōtepoti Campuses
Sara Crane is a TEP and Psychodramatist. She is the Director of Training for PANZ Ōtepoti Dunedin and Ōtautahi Christchurch and works as a visiting trainer in Brisbane. Sara’s love of psychodrama is grounded in her belief in the transformative power of spontaneity and human connection.
Sara has worked across multiple regions and sectors, giving her a rich understanding of the varied applications of psychodrama. She supports individuals and groups in navigating complex relational issues including a focus on family dynamics and extensive work with children in the context of their Whanau. She was involved in setting up START which was formed to provide clinical services to people who had survived sexual trauma. She has worked at a systemic organisational level including supervising teams within the NZ Ministry of Justice and attending to children and families in the legal system. She enjoys working with complex family systems supporting them to mediate conflicts and achieve healthier, more supportive relationships.
Sara is deeply concerned about the state of our changing world and the pressure and challenges for our communities. As a trainer, she seeks to support trainees to strengthen their abilities and develop their professional capacities to make a difference.
As a member of AANZPA, she has taken on several roles (President, Journal Editor) and appreciates the opportunities to participate in conferences and the ongoing life of the association.
Sara is a Registered Psychotherapist (PBANZ) and Advanced Clinical Practice Certificate (NZAP).
For her solace, Sara loves to write flash fiction, finding joy in the brevity and emotional depth of the form. Her dogs, cats and llamas continue to be beloved companions in both her outdoor adventures and some of her professional work. Psychodrama has enabled her to bring the threads of her life together and pass on the complexities and wisdom of the method.
Simon Gurnsey
PANZ Ōtautahi Christchurch
Simon Gurnsey is an AANZPA Sociometrist and Trainer Educator Practitioner in training (TEPit). He provides training in PANZ Dunedin and Christchurch Campuses. He has held various leadership roles within the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Psychodrama Association, including Treasurer on the executive committee and was the AANZPA Membership Administrator for many years. Psychodrama has been his passion and delight since he first experienced it in the late 1980s.
Simon is deeply committed to helping groups and individuals grow and develop in a way that produces thriving organisations. He combines his love for psychodrama with playback theatre to create a unique approach to personal and professional development, leading workshops and programs that empower people to tap into their spontaneity, creativity and relational potential.
In his work with NGO organisations, he works to enable a systemic orientation that integrates a focus on the community, the developmental and the political spheres enabling effective organisations ready to take action. His current focus is exploring how psychodrama can foster inclusion and equity in professional settings. He has been published in AANZPA's journal, where he shares his insights on sociometry and leadership within the NFP sector.
Simon holds qualifications in the management of Not for Profits. His experience in NFPs complements his psychodrama work. This enables him to integrate broader theories of human development, organisational dynamics and interpersonal communication into his practice, helping them to navigate complexity with greater clarity and spontaneity.
Simon is a creative person with a passion for woodworking and sculpture. He brings authenticity, curiosity, and warmth to all aspects of his life. He shares his Whāngarei Heads home with Sara Crane, their dogs, cats, chickens and a small herd of llamas.
Judith McDonald
PANZ Ōtepoti Dunedin Campus
Judith works in private practice as a Registered Psychotherapist. Her pathway to attaining her interim psychotherapy registration was by qualifying as a Psychodramatist. She enjoys walking, reading, semi-occasional gardening and getting away for weekends and holidays with her family and dog in their house bus.
Maria Snegirev
PANZ Ōtepoti Dunedin Campus
Maria is a Psychodramatist, Registered Psychotherapist and experienced group facilitator. She has been a member of AANZPA since about 2010 and has held various roles on the committee of the Otago branch.
Maria studied at Otago and has a B.A. in Russian Language and Literature, and a Diploma in Teaching. She has 20 years experience in leading Non-Violence programmes and has completed level 1 of Imago training.
Maria’s training journey began with her experiences in teaching children. This grew into a commitment to social justice which has been most strongly expressed in her work at Stopping Violence Dunedin. Her current focus is on expanding the range of her clinical experience by building up her private practice.
Maria’s interesting surname comes from her Russian parentage. She is the daughter of refugees who settled in Southland in the 1960s. This experience has created a life long interest in the transmission of language and culture. An interest in language is shared by her husband Andrew. They both thought very carefully when choosing the names of their two children, who occasionally forgive them.
Maria is passionate about gardening, even the weeds fascinate her! Other outlets for her creativity are; creating with fabrics, mosaics and more recently, macrame. She is currently obsessed with transforming a steep wasteland into a garden with veggies, flowers, native plants, and maybe even a hive of bees
Contact
PANZ Ōtautahi Christchurch Campus and Ōtepoti Dunedin Campus
General Inquiries
Phone: +64 27 329 9116
eMail: christchurch@psychodrama.org.nz
Director Sara Crane
Phone: +64 27 329 9116
eMail: sara@psychodrama.org.nz