MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Drama Therapy Concentration)
Foster Change Through Movement, Story, and Role Play
Where creativity meets compassion, this innovative low-residency program invites you to bring your passion for drama into the counseling profession. Rooted in Antioch’s mission of social justice and community engagement, our Drama Therapy specialization prepares students to harness the transformative power of the arts to foster healing, resilience, and systemic change. Whether on stage or in session, you’ll develop the skills to provide compassionate care, empower voices, and impact change in the lives of individuals and communities.
This degree is offered in a low-residency delivery by Antioch University's New England campus.
Program Overview
Antioch’s Drama Therapy specialization within the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling prepares students to become both licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselors and Certified Drama Therapists. Accredited by CACREP and the North American Drama Therapy Association (NADTA), the program combines rigorous academic study with embodied, creative practice.
Flexible, Low-Residency Format
Designed for working adults, this low-residency program can be completed from any location. Students attend two in-person clinical intensives, one in their first year and one in their second year, while completing the remainder of their coursework online. Drama Therapy courses are offered with flexible scheduling, either synchronous or asynchronous, to accommodate professional and personal commitments. Students study through a cohort-based model, fostering deep connections with peers and faculty.
Experiential Curriculum
Students gain a foundation in both counseling and drama therapy, with coursework that integrates psychodrama, ethics and professional issues in drama therapy, research in drama therapy, and drama therapy with special populations. Training extends beyond the classroom into a practicum, internship, and a master’s project in drama therapy, ensuring students graduate with hands-on clinical and creative experience.
An Embodied Path to Healing
Drama therapy is an active, experiential approach that uses theatrical processes as a pathway to healing and transformation. Through role play, storytelling, improvisation, and performance, participants are able to explore identity, express emotion, solve problems, and achieve catharsis. This creative modality allows students and clients alike to strengthen relationships, build resilience, and discover new possibilities for growth.
Commitment to Social Justice
Grounded in Antioch’s mission, the program embeds social justice and liberatory practices throughout the curriculum. Students are prepared to serve diverse communities with compassion, creativity, and a commitment to equity, using drama therapy as a tool for healing and empowerment.
Licensure Information
This program is designed to lead to state licensure.
Additional Information
Drama therapy is one of several creative arts therapies used by counselors to help their clients achieve emotional and physical integration, personal growth, and symptom relief. Like art therapy, it is the application of a creative modality to clinical mental health counseling. Drama therapy allows you to develop your own way of working with clients using embodiment and theater processes. Antioch's MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Drama Therapy concentration is broad-based, providing students with experience with Improvisation, Psychodrama, Playback Theater, Narradrama, Developmental Transformations, Healing the Wounds of History, Masks, Puppets, Sociodrama, Theater of the Oppressed, Storytelling, and The Story Within. Students are also exposed to other creative arts therapies incorporating art, movement/dance, music, poetry, film, and geek therapies. Drama therapists work in numerous settings, including, but not limited to, hospitals, residential treatment programs, schools, shelters, community centers, prisons, and private practice. Antioch drama therapy students are highly sought after for internships and often receive offers to continue working after the internship. The master’s degree can be completed in three years. The Antioch program is unique in that it offers students training in drama therapy together with training in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.. This allows students to seek licensing in clinical mental health counseling after graduation. Students can also use their drama therapy education to become registered drama therapists with the North American Drama Therapy Association.
For the MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling (Drama Therapy Concentration), it is recommended that you consult with your state licensure requirements.
36-42 months
Drama therapists work in private practice and/or in clinical, educational, and rehabilitative settings such as:
mental health and social service agencies
hospitals and clinics
residential treatment centers
long-term care facilities
community centers
prisons
shelters
schools
Faculty Spotlights
Tiffany Polite Henderson, PhD, LPC-S, NCC
Teaching Faculty
Ernie Zullo, PhD
Assistant Professor
Beth Donahue, PhD, LMHC, ATR-BC
Co-Director and Clinical Director
Carol Pendleton, MA, LMFT, LMHC
Adjunct Faculty
Admissions
Admissions
How to apply
- Completed the online admissions application.
- A Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution is required. Submit official transcripts from ALL colleges/universities you have attended to the Admissions Office. Transcript evaluations are required for all coursework completed outside of the U.S. or Canada (except Quebec). See the Transcript Evaluation section on the International Students webpage for details.
- OPTIONAL: Two letters of recommendation from people who are in a position to evaluate your professional (e.g., supervisor, colleague) or academic (e.g., faculty) work. The person making the recommendation may not be related to you.
- Completion of 2 three-credit drama courses OR 270 hours of direct theatre experience. Courses or experience should include one or more of the following:
- Acting
- Directing
- Improvisation
- Playwriting
- Admission Essay: Submit a typewritten, double-spaced, one to two-page (between 250 and 500 words) response for each question, and clearly number your response for each question.
- We are curious about your previous experiences (e.g., personal, professional, and academic) and would like to know how these experiences have led you toward the choice to apply to the Drama Therapy Program at Antioch University Seattle. Please describe a few of those fundamental experiences.
- The Drama Therapy Program is both academically and emotionally rigorous. What challenges, if any, do you foresee encountering during your studies? What forms of support will you use to meet those challenges?
- Antioch University and the Drama Therapy Program are committed to preparing professional counselors to be culturally competent and become advocates for social, economic, and environmental justice. How does social justice and becoming culturally competent align with your interest in becoming a professional counselor?
- What are your professional goals in relation to the Drama Therapy Program, and how will this program specifically help you to reach those goals?
- International Students have additional admission requirements. See the International Students page for details.
- Select applicants may be invited to participate in a group interview with faculty.
All admission application supporting materials, transcripts, essays, etc., should be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to the following:
Office of Admissions
Antioch University New England
40 Avon Street
Keene, New Hampshire 03431-3516
Application Deadlines
| Quarter | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Fall | July 1 |
| * Complete applications received after the Deadline date may be considered if space is still available in that quarter or will be reviewed for the next available term. | |
| Please review the Academic Calendar for additional details. | |
Cost
| Drama Therapy | Cost |
|---|---|
| Cost per Credit | $840 |
| Full-Time Credits per Semester | 6-9 |
| Total Program Credits | 66 |
| View the Cost of Attendance Components | |
Financial Aid
Financial Aid is also available to most students.
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