At the intersection: Role Theory and the schizophrenia spectrum

Clients with severe and persistent mental illnesses are often subject to biased definitions of health and wellness in western psychiatry. Therefore, the playspace becomes a site of potential for the client and the therapist to engage in a collaborative process of understanding and responsiveness. The following commentary outlines an individual drama therapy process that uses a flexible version of the role profile assessment; this intervention supports a client’s nuanced self-exploration. It also provides a shared language for the drama therapist to better understand their client’s inner reality in contrast to the repetitive, reductive narrative of the chronically mentally ill patient.