Case Cameo
‘Jammo held a powerful ‘cool’, albeit anti-authoritative, place within his class group of adolescents excluded from mainstream school. He bore a hooded jumper at all times with hood firmly covering the majority of his head. Jammo was threatened by the prospect of dramatherapy.
Jammo was however interested in the circus arts. They were ‘cool’, especially the Diablo. During informal circus play at break-times, Jammo developed skills which he demonstrated to the group. He thereby re-validated his social status and interpersonal intelligence based upon pro-social rather than anti-social actions. Inadvertently, Jammo built self-esteem and a positive relationship with the facilitator.
Jammo began to attend individual dramatherapy sessions when he realised he could play rather than talk. In time, as trust developed, so did Jammo’s sharing of personal process. Every-time Jammo subsequently entered the room he uncloaked his hooded top and with it his false, albeit survival, self. Jammo then began to explore and transform repressed trauma.’