Christine Mayor
University of Manitoba, Faculty of Social Work, Faculty Member
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Largely absent from the feminist qualitative social work research literature are practical discussions about the ethics of white researchers who “study up” people and institutions of power. This methodological article grapples with how to... more
Largely absent from the feminist qualitative social work research literature are practical discussions about the ethics of white researchers who “study up” people and institutions of power. This methodological article grapples with how to conduct data collection from an anti-racist framework. I explore my use of an arts-based self-reflexive memoing process of embodied tableaux to inform my experimentations of rejecting “neutrality” when interviewing participants. I provide examples of disrupting white, patriarchal, and colonial norms during qualitative interviewing, including directly naming my whiteness and anti-racist stance; intentionally challenging the racism of white participants and deepening critical reflection; and viewing myself through a lens of critical skepticism to recognize when I was protecting whiteness or failing to effectively intervene. I conclude with an invitation to others to experiment with an anti-racist research praxis—an iterative process of self-reflexivi...
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Recent scholarship into school-based drama therapy (SBDT) has largely explored individual interventions and programs. What remains less understood are broad practice trends across SBDT in North America. The current study is an... more
Recent scholarship into school-based drama therapy (SBDT) has largely explored individual interventions and programs. What remains less understood are broad practice trends across SBDT in North America. The current study is an investigation of descriptive intervention vignettes (N = 49), aggregated from a larger 2018 survey of North American drama therapists. It is the third exploration of this data set and specifically seeks to understand SBDT practice vignettes within the context of drama therapy core processes (Armstrong et al., 2016; Jones, 2007, 2016). In applying the core processes as an analytic instrument to examine SBDT, this research dually investigates how drama therapists are using core processes in their school-based work as well as the use of the core processes as a research tool. Core processes were identified in each of the vignettes and their unique presence and frequency distribution contributed to further understanding SBDT across the profession. Limitations in us...
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Despite widespread discussion in the United States, up until now there has not been a review of the demographic and contextual factors associated with Canadian academic achievement. Using Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) framework, a scoping... more
Despite widespread discussion in the United States, up until now there has not been a review of the demographic and contextual factors associated with Canadian academic achievement. Using Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) framework, a scoping review was conducted to answer two questions: What demographic and contextual factors are most commonly used in K–12 academic achievement studies in Canada? What, if any,research gaps exist? Fifty-four studies were identified for review. The results reveal 40 demographic or contextual factors, with socio-economic status (SES), gender, language factors, immigrant status, family structure, and Indigenous status being the most commonly studied. Race, religion, and LGBTQ+ identity were understudied factors. The authors recommend the adoption of “educational opportunity gap” as a consistentresearch term, identify understudied factors, and outline several research design considerations.
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This article is a performative exploration of Developmental Transformations’ (DvT) potential as a political practice of resistance and imagining the world in which we want to live. Following a review of the literature on DvT and social... more
This article is a performative exploration of Developmental Transformations’ (DvT) potential as a political practice of resistance and imagining the world in which we want to live. Following a review of the literature on DvT and social justice, this article employs a radical performative methodology, which attempts to embody in its form the principles of DvT practice and the carnivalesque. This writing style aims to disrupt and engage the reader, point to how knowledge is produced through the status quo of academic writing, and to spark the creative impulses that drive many to drama therapy in the first place. This article attempts to articulate ways in which DvT might allow us to engage with complexities of social justice, power, and inequities within an aesthetic, relational frame. It also points to the complexities and failings of attempting to deploy DvT, or any drama therapy practice, within political or social justice frameworks. The article does not attempt to resolve these tensions for the reader.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Due to the increased interest of social workers in arts-based research, there is a need for guidance in how to apply arts-based research methods to social work questions and research. The lack of detailed methodological procedures in the... more
Due to the increased interest of social workers in arts-based research, there is a need for guidance in how to apply arts-based research methods to social work questions and research. The lack of detailed methodological procedures in the existing literature potentially inhibits social work researchers’ ability to select and implement appropriate arts-based research methods. This article thus provides a step-by-step procedural guide for a drama-based arts-based research method called embodied tableaux. Adapted from Boal’s Image Theatre techniques and tableaux exercises common in drama therapy, this ABR method can serve as a rich source of embodied, aesthetic, imaginal, and relational data suitable for many of the populations and social issues that social work researchers typically focus on. This article also highlights ways to adapt this method for the various stages of the research process and explores important ethical issues. Illustrative examples of the embodied tableaux method a...
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This article examines the impact of the neoliberal school reform climate on the practice and potential of drama therapy in schools. Based on focus group discussions and arts-based research using embodied tableaux (n = 18), this article... more
This article examines the impact of the neoliberal school reform climate on the practice and potential of drama therapy in schools. Based on focus group discussions and arts-based research using embodied tableaux (n = 18), this article highlights how school-based drama therapists navigate precarious presence and isolation, pressure to perform as efficient magicians and having to ‘sell’ drama therapy. The article also considers the possibilities of creative resistance using drama therapy methods.
Research Interests:
Although a growing body of literature describes drama therapy intervention models and case examples of school-based work, there has yet to be a comprehensive study that details the prevalence and practice of drama therapy in North... more
Although a growing body of literature describes drama therapy intervention models and case examples of school-based work, there has yet to be a comprehensive study that details the prevalence and practice of drama therapy in North American schools. Members of the North American Drama Therapy Association received an online survey designed to gather quantitative descriptive data and qualitative experiences of drama therapists currently practicing in schools. This article presents findings related to the former, reporting data focused on relevant training and experience, organizational information, scope of practice, clinical engagement and obstacles to the introduction and implementation of services. Interpretation of reported descriptive data is provided and future research directions are considered regarding school-based, drama therapy practice.
Research Interests:
In this study, the authors used collaborative discourse analysis (CDA) to analyse textual descriptions of three approaches to trauma-informed drama therapy in schools. Findings reflected a shared commitment to the use of metaphor and... more
In this study, the authors used collaborative discourse analysis (CDA) to analyse textual descriptions of three approaches to trauma-informed drama therapy in schools. Findings reflected a shared commitment to the use of metaphor and dramatic media in managing trauma-related symptoms and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration. Each approach differed with regard to the role of aesthetics and ‘safety’, embodiment, the format and recipients of intervention, and the degree to which traumatic events should be directly addressed. Agreement concerning indicators and approaches to evaluation would strengthen future comparative research on the impact of drama therapy in schools.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
A short-form of Developmental Transformations (DvT) is presented as a method of stress reduction for elementary school students. DvT short-form is compared with other stress reduction approaches such as recess, mindful meditation, yoga,... more
A short-form of Developmental Transformations (DvT) is presented as a method of stress reduction for elementary school students. DvT short-form is compared with other stress reduction approaches such as recess, mindful meditation, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation and release therapy. A case example illustrates the phases and specific techniques used, which include placing a demand on the student through the play, identifying an important relational theme, varielating the theme, and then working through the moment of recognition where the real stressor is differentiated from the play situation. This case study highlights the likelihood that DvT short form serves as an effective stress reduction technique. FORMATO REDUCIDO DE TRANSFORMACIONES DEL DESARROLLO COMO MÉTODO PARA AMINORAR EL ESTRÉS EN NIÑOS Un formato reducido de Transformaciones del Desarrollo es presentado como método para aminorar el estrés en estudiantes de escuelas elementarias. Transformaciones del Desarrollo (DvT) en su formato reducido es comparado con otros enfoques para aminorar el estrés como los recreos, meditación consciente, yoga, relajación muscular
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Creative writing during the COVID-19 pandemic can serve as a decolonizing intersectional feminist method for critical self-reflexivity. We share responses to the prompt: “If my therapeutic practice came with a warning label in COVID-19,... more
Creative writing during the COVID-19 pandemic can serve as a decolonizing intersectional feminist method for critical self-reflexivity. We share responses to the prompt: “If my therapeutic practice came with a warning label in COVID-19, what would it say?” and provide an analysis of the neoliberalism, whiteness, and colonialism embedded in our creative writing and practice. Engaging in critical self-reflexivity through metaphor carries potential for revealing hidden gendered, racialized, colonial, and neoliberal biases and norms related to social work practice, particularly when done in a collaborative, dialogic manner. We conclude by providing possible creative writing prompts that might be used in social work practice, supervision, and teaching to advance existing practices of self-reflexivity in social work both during and beyond the pandemic.
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Despite the growing interest in creating trauma-informed schools, including for trauma-affected refugee students, little research has focused on the perspectives of teachers supporting these youths. This qualitative study focused on one... more
Despite the growing interest in creating trauma-informed schools, including for trauma-affected refugee students, little research has focused on the perspectives of teachers supporting these youths. This qualitative study focused on one school district in southwestern Ontario, Canada; it examined 11 narratives from seven teachers that centered on Syrian refugee student trauma disclosures in the classroom. Two full narratives are provided to illustrate the key thematic findings: teachers feel unsettled by unexpected disclosures, teachers are disturbed by students’ lack of affect, tension exists between emotional expression and containment, and teachers engage in meaning making when hearing the stories students want to tell. These findings are discussed within the wider research context of emotional labor, vicarious trauma, and burnout, and indicate that additional support is needed for teachers given the reported professional and personal strain that trauma disclosures can cause. Thi...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
There is a growing interest in the provision of trauma interventions in schools, including support for refugees being educated in Canada. Very little research, however, has explored trauma training for those working in schools,... more
There is a growing interest in the provision of trauma interventions in schools, including support for refugees being educated in Canada. Very little research, however, has explored trauma training for those working in schools, particularly from the perspective of teachers. This qualitative case study focused on one school district in a mid-sized city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, examining perspectives on existing trauma training held for teachers who work with Syrian refugee students. Results from seven teacher interviews suggest that social workers must be careful not to slot teachers into pre-existing general trauma training, but must design specific trainings that consider the setting, developmental needs, and forms of trauma unique to war, displacement, and resettlement stressors in order for the trainings to be most helpful to teachers. Further research from the perspective of teachers, as well as Syrian students, is needed in order to create more equitable educational env...
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Middle-school-age children are faced with a variety of developmental tasks, including the beginning phases of individuation from the family, building peer groups, social and emotional transitions, and cognitive shifts associated with the... more
Middle-school-age children are faced with a variety of developmental tasks, including the beginning phases of individuation from the family, building peer groups, social and emotional transitions, and cognitive shifts associated with the maturation process. This article summarizes how traumatic events impair and complicate these developmental tasks, which can lead to disruptive behaviors in the school setting. Following the call by Walkley and Cox for more attention to be given to trauma-informed schools, this article provides detailed information about the Animating Learning by Integrating and Validating Experience program: a school-based, trauma-informed intervention for middle school students. This public health model uses psychoeducation, cognitive differentiation, and brief stress reduction counseling sessions to facilitate socioemotional development and academic progress. Case examples from the authors’ clinical work in the New Haven, Connecticut, urban public school system are provided.
Research Interests:
Although a growing body of literature describes drama therapy intervention models and case examples of school-based work, there has yet to be a comprehensive study that details the prevalence and practice of drama therapy in North... more
Although a growing body of literature describes drama therapy intervention models and case examples of school-based work, there has yet to be a comprehensive study that details the prevalence and practice of drama therapy in North American schools. Members of the North American Drama Therapy Association received an online survey designed to gather quantitative descriptive data and qualitative experiences of drama therapists currently practicing in schools. This article presents findings related to the former, reporting data focused on relevant training and experience, organizational information, scope of practice, clinical engagement and obstacles to the introduction and implementation of services. Interpretation of reported descriptive data is provided and future research directions are considered regarding school-based, drama therapy practice.
Research Interests:
This article examines the impact of the neoliberal school reform climate on the practice and potential of drama therapy in schools. Based on focus group discussions and arts-based research using embodied tableaux (n = 18), this article... more
This article examines the impact of the neoliberal school reform climate on the practice and potential of drama therapy in schools. Based on focus group discussions and arts-based research using embodied tableaux (n = 18), this article highlights how school-based drama therapists navigate precarious presence and isolation, pressure to perform as efficient magicians and having to ‘sell’ drama therapy. The article also considers the possibilities of creative resistance using drama therapy methods.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
In this study, the authors used collaborative discourse analysis (CDA) to analyse textual descriptions of three approaches to trauma-informed drama therapy in schools. Findings reflected a shared commitment to the use of metaphor and... more
In this study, the authors used collaborative discourse analysis (CDA) to analyse textual descriptions of three approaches to trauma-informed drama therapy in schools. Findings reflected a shared commitment to the use of metaphor and dramatic media in managing trauma-related symptoms and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration. Each approach differed with regard to the role of aesthetics and ‘safety’, embodiment, the format and recipients of intervention, and the degree to which traumatic events should be directly addressed. Agreement concerning indicators and approaches to evaluation would strengthen future comparative research on the impact of drama therapy in schools.
Research Interests:
This article is a performative exploration of Developmental Transformations’ (DvT) potential as a political practice of resistance and imagining the world in which we want to live. Following a review of the literature on DvT and social... more
This article is a performative exploration of Developmental Transformations’ (DvT)
potential as a political practice of resistance and imagining the world in which we
want to live. Following a review of the literature on DvT and social justice, this article
employs a radical performative methodology, which attempts to embody in its
form the principles of DvT practice and the carnivalesque. This writing style aims
to disrupt and engage the reader, point to how knowledge is produced through the
status quo of academic writing, and to spark the creative impulses that drive many
to drama therapy in the first place. This article attempts to articulate ways in which
DvT might allow us to engage with complexities of social justice, power, and inequities
within an aesthetic, relational frame. It also points to the complexities and failings
of attempting to deploy DvT, or any drama therapy practice, within political or
social justice frameworks. The article does not attempt to resolve these tensions for
the reader.
potential as a political practice of resistance and imagining the world in which we
want to live. Following a review of the literature on DvT and social justice, this article
employs a radical performative methodology, which attempts to embody in its
form the principles of DvT practice and the carnivalesque. This writing style aims
to disrupt and engage the reader, point to how knowledge is produced through the
status quo of academic writing, and to spark the creative impulses that drive many
to drama therapy in the first place. This article attempts to articulate ways in which
DvT might allow us to engage with complexities of social justice, power, and inequities
within an aesthetic, relational frame. It also points to the complexities and failings
of attempting to deploy DvT, or any drama therapy practice, within political or
social justice frameworks. The article does not attempt to resolve these tensions for
the reader.
Research Interests:
Discussions about trauma-informed schools have rapidly increased in North America, yet there is a dearth of literature on the role of the teacher in these interventions. Studies largely fail to address the needs of racialized and lower... more
Discussions about trauma-informed schools have rapidly increased in North America, yet there is a dearth of literature on the role of the teacher in these interventions. Studies largely fail to address the needs of racialized and lower SES students who are disproportionately more likely to experience single event and chronic trauma events, but are regularly punished or ignored by the school system. This article suggests the existing literature gaps are symptomatic of the forces of whiteness, neoliberalism and governmentality on teachers and schools. This article examines how these forces determine: how trauma is defined, the construction of the competent teacher, the surveillance of the home through teacher mandated reporting, the impact of ‘no excuses’ pedagogy and zero tolerance discipline practices, and the problematic impact of ‘resilience’ and ‘grit’ talk. The article ends with implications for further research, training, and practices that might better support students who have experienced trauma .
Research Interests:
A short-form of Developmental Transformations (DvT) is presented as a method of stress reduction for elementary school students. DvT short-form is compared with other stress reduction approaches such as recess, mindful meditation, yoga,... more
A short-form of Developmental Transformations (DvT) is presented as a method of stress reduction for elementary school students. DvT short-form is compared with other stress reduction approaches such as recess, mindful meditation, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation and release therapy. A case example illustrates the phases and specific techniques used, which include placing a demand on the student through the play, identifying an important relational theme, varielating the theme, and then working through the moment of recognition where the real stressor is differentiated from the play situation. This case study highlights the likelihood that DvT short form serves as an effective stress reduction technique. FORMATO REDUCIDO DE TRANSFORMACIONES DEL DESARROLLO COMO MÉTODO PARA AMINORAR EL ESTRÉS EN NIÑOS Un formato reducido de Transformaciones del Desarrollo es presentado como método para aminorar el estrés en estudiantes de escuelas elementarias. Transformaciones del Desarrollo (DvT) en su formato reducido es comparado con otros enfoques para aminorar el estrés como los recreos, meditación consciente, yoga, relajación muscular
Research Interests:
Introduction (not abstract) “[Let] yourself be destabilized by the radical alterity of the other, in seeing his or her difference not as a threat but as a resource to question your own position in the world.” (Saldanha, 2007, p. 118)... more
Introduction (not abstract)
“[Let] yourself be destabilized by the radical alterity of the other, in seeing his or her difference not as a threat but as a resource to question your own position in the world.”
(Saldanha, 2007, p. 118)
Present in every therapist-client relationship is an unequal power dynamic and the process of “other-ing.” Drama therapist Nisha Sajnani (2009) draws attention to these gaps that are created from different experiences, social status and power. She argues that when we do not “mind the gap,” both the teller and their stories may be lost and the differences become more entrenched. Therapists often talk about understanding, empathizing and connecting with clients, and shy away from discussing the implications of the role of the expert, the gaze and “otherness.” As creative arts therapists, we too often believe we are not implicated in these issues, espousing the potential of art to transcend differences. In this avoidance, we not only reify particular patterns of power and oppression, but we may also miss our clients and the chance to build a therapeutic alliance in the process. This paper challenges creative arts therapists to place these differences, power and “other-ing” at the centre of our art making, play and dialogue, suggesting that in this way a different kind of encounter may occur.
“[Let] yourself be destabilized by the radical alterity of the other, in seeing his or her difference not as a threat but as a resource to question your own position in the world.”
(Saldanha, 2007, p. 118)
Present in every therapist-client relationship is an unequal power dynamic and the process of “other-ing.” Drama therapist Nisha Sajnani (2009) draws attention to these gaps that are created from different experiences, social status and power. She argues that when we do not “mind the gap,” both the teller and their stories may be lost and the differences become more entrenched. Therapists often talk about understanding, empathizing and connecting with clients, and shy away from discussing the implications of the role of the expert, the gaze and “otherness.” As creative arts therapists, we too often believe we are not implicated in these issues, espousing the potential of art to transcend differences. In this avoidance, we not only reify particular patterns of power and oppression, but we may also miss our clients and the chance to build a therapeutic alliance in the process. This paper challenges creative arts therapists to place these differences, power and “other-ing” at the centre of our art making, play and dialogue, suggesting that in this way a different kind of encounter may occur.
"Abstract Our assumptions about race and the process of othering are crucial in the therapeutic relationship, with power, privilege, and personal and collective trauma impacting the encounter. In spite of this, race is seldom formally... more
"Abstract
Our assumptions about race and the process of othering are crucial in the therapeutic relationship, with power, privilege, and personal and collective trauma impacting the encounter. In spite of this, race is seldom formally discussed in the creative arts therapies. This literature review suggests that the existing writing often problematically includes essentialist discourse, color-blind statements, unqualified suggestions that the arts transcend difference, or “how to” instructions for working with particular racialized groups. Drawing on critical race theory and performance studies, this article offers theory for understanding race as roles that are produced and performed, embodied and created in the encounter. By engaging with these roles, we may disrupt rigid notions of race, provide an ethical component of the therapeutic relationship, and work towards social change. Analysis of the “Developmental Transformations” (DvT) section of the Three Approaches to Drama Therapy () video is included as illustration of the potential, complexity, and limitations of playing with race."
Our assumptions about race and the process of othering are crucial in the therapeutic relationship, with power, privilege, and personal and collective trauma impacting the encounter. In spite of this, race is seldom formally discussed in the creative arts therapies. This literature review suggests that the existing writing often problematically includes essentialist discourse, color-blind statements, unqualified suggestions that the arts transcend difference, or “how to” instructions for working with particular racialized groups. Drawing on critical race theory and performance studies, this article offers theory for understanding race as roles that are produced and performed, embodied and created in the encounter. By engaging with these roles, we may disrupt rigid notions of race, provide an ethical component of the therapeutic relationship, and work towards social change. Analysis of the “Developmental Transformations” (DvT) section of the Three Approaches to Drama Therapy () video is included as illustration of the potential, complexity, and limitations of playing with race."
ABSTRACT This study explores how understanding “race” as roles that are produced and performed offers potential for racial formations to be played with and disrupted in an embodied encounter in the playspace. Beginning with a... more
ABSTRACT
This study explores how understanding “race” as roles that are produced and performed offers potential for racial formations to be played with and disrupted in an embodied encounter in the playspace. Beginning with a metasynthesis of discussions about race in the drama therapy field, this thesis argues there is a significant lack in the quantity and nuance of writing on the subject. This paper then examines how critical race theory and performance studies might expand current limited discourse and provide a new language for discussing and defining race within drama therapy. This thesis concludes that performance and play in Developmental Transformations, a particular approach of drama therapy, may disrupt encrusted notions of race, provide an essential, ethical component of the therapeutic relationship, and lay the groundwork for social change.
This study explores how understanding “race” as roles that are produced and performed offers potential for racial formations to be played with and disrupted in an embodied encounter in the playspace. Beginning with a metasynthesis of discussions about race in the drama therapy field, this thesis argues there is a significant lack in the quantity and nuance of writing on the subject. This paper then examines how critical race theory and performance studies might expand current limited discourse and provide a new language for discussing and defining race within drama therapy. This thesis concludes that performance and play in Developmental Transformations, a particular approach of drama therapy, may disrupt encrusted notions of race, provide an essential, ethical component of the therapeutic relationship, and lay the groundwork for social change.
Performance review of Ms B's 4th Grade Classroom: A Performance of ALIVE