As a student in the Drama Therapy MA Program, you are preparing to meet the requirements of the North American Drama Therapy Association (NADTA). The Master of Arts in Drama Therapy program is approved by the NADTA. To meet these requirements, you will complete 800 internship hours in at least two different clinical settings, and earn 4 internship credits.
First Year Clinical Observation and Field Training
During your first semester, you will register for MPADT-GE 2114: Introduction to Drama Therapy (3 credits) where you will be oriented to the core processes involved in drama therapy, and undertake field training. In your second semester, you will take MPADT-GE 2109: Clinical Populations in Drama Therapy (3 credits) and continue your field training. Each section of this course is limited to 10 students. The combination of theory, in-class training, and fieldwork will prepare you for your internship in your second year.
Clinical Internships
During the summer of your first year, and throughout your second year, you will work on completing your clinical internship requirement. You will choose from a list of pre-approved sites, and interview for internship positions. You can expect to work in hospitals, outpatient centers, rehabilitation facilities, community organizations, schools, and private mental health clinics. Our site placements include such sites as:
- AHRC-NYC
- Association to Benefit Children
- Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center
- Counseling in Schools
- Cooke School and Institute
- Dream Charter School
- Fire Department of New York Counseling Services Unit
- Goodwill Industries of Greater New York
- Hamilton Madison House
- Hebrew Home at Riverdale
- Hetrick-Martin Institute
- Interfaith Medical Center
- Kings County Hospital Center
- Lenox Hill Hospital
- Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders
- The Animation Project
- Penn South Program for Seniors
- Girl Be Heard
In conjunction with your clinical internships, you will register for MPADT-GE 2303, Internship and Seminar in Drama Therapy. Each section of this course is limited to 10 students, and is run by a faculty member who is in contact with your site supervisor. In your clinical internships, you will increasingly take on the therapeutic leadership – running groups and individual sessions, becoming part of the clinical team, writing progress notes, and generally functioning as a therapist under the guidance of your on-site supervisors.
You are also eligible to apply for a global internship program which, beginning in 2022, will offer an intensive 3-week internship abroad over June. You may work at a wide range of settings including community mental health facilities, orphanages, academic settings, hospices, senior residences, prisons, and with people managing chronic illness.
To help you get started with your internship and for more information, contact:
Maria Hodermarska, M.A., RDT, LCAT
Drama Therapy Internship Coordinator
mh51@nyu.edu
Or call the Drama Therapy Program at 212-992-9756