The Spring Dragon

Back at work after a busy spring break. Total immersion in home and family stuff for two weeks. Easter Sunday was a highlight - a family Eater egg hunt, presided over by the Spring Dragon (originally a sea monster from a street theatre project many years back!) - involving cryptic clues for six adults following individual trails around our three storey house and garden to find their chocolate eggs.

I've been appreciating the routine of Monday morning, the familiarity of my study back to its designated use. We had a major leak from the header tank in the loft, resulting in water pouring through ceilings on two floors. The study got the worst of it, with all the computer stuff sitting in a deepening puddle, carpet soaking. However, three weeks on, it's drying out, with just the stains on the ceilings to show what happened. And the computer, printer etc. still function. Re-evaluating my working life as I get this year's accounts in order to do my tax return.

The Trust has no money to fund my work with psychiatric nurses in the new financial year. Ironic, having gone through an audit of last year's training programme which recommended running it again. The supervision group has been a success, and participants wanted it to continue, but it can't go on without funding. This makes me feel that maybe that part of my career is at an end. I've had to fight hard over the years to get dramatherapy funded within the NHS on a contract basis. I think I'm beyond fighting now.

I've definitely slowed down and enjoy the more leisured pace of my life now. I have my small practice where I see clients and supervisees two days a week, and I feel it's enough. My family responsibilities are heavier - looking after the welfare of relatives who need me to manage their support takes up a lot of my time. And my adult children are at a stage now where they actively seek my company - I'm delighted that my older daughter is coming back to Scotland after 8 years.

I've rediscovered the joys of gardening. I never got on top of the weeding last year and it was a source of guilt that I didn't make proper use of the greenhouse. But the sunshine of the past few weeks has enticed me out there, and I've really enjoyed planting climbing roses, hauling out masses of couch grass and assisting in potato planting.

So maybe, it's not so important for me to BE a Dramatherapist, more to be my own person, contributing to dramatherapy in my own way. I'm looking forward to doing a presentation in London on 30th May at an Introduction to Dramatherapy day run by BADTh, where I'm talking about working with individuals.

As always, I enjoy hearing from you, so do post a comment or email me at
theatreandtherapy@gmail.com