Setting the stage

“Leelah – a play for Itself”
I am a drama therapist and researcher in the field of Psychoanalysis and Hermeneutics at Bar Ilan University. For the last six years, I have been researching treatment involving play. Both the theory and the model I would like to present are the result of this research.
The model “Leelah – a play for Itself” is an application of the theory called "The Play Paradigm". I have observed over the years that most of the Drama Therapy methods are based on psychological and psychoanalytical theories. The Play Paradigm is a unique theory, which relies on art-based research, that supports the field of Art Therapy and treatments which use play.
Leelah doesn’t speak the current language of therapeutic intervention and change. It is a non-directive model. The therapeutic work is done by using:(1) a long-term frame story, (2) staying with one role during the whole saga, which can last for a year.
The group structure simulates the Greek Polis. The Polis was an autonomous community which provided the community’s needs by itself. The Polis was encircled by a wall and included a castle (Acropolis) and a market (Agora) - a business and political center. Polis management was done by the gathering of all classes. The Polis is used as a form for free play group therapy. The actors create a play space that is filled with playfulness, different characters and situations that occur simultaneously. The therapeutic process happens with the assistance of supporting characters who are the therapists.
Another principle of this model is Self-Organization. This is a quality that emphasizes the natural, independent ability of the Self-therapy group process. The underlying assumption is that slight changes in the relationships between the group members, may lead to a significant change in the wider circle of the group dynamics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyKgk6FHj40&t=415s