About myself

My background is in education. For 10 years I taught in special schools for children and young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It quickly became clear that the use of drama was an effective tool with which to communicate with children and young people who had challenging and often self-destructive behaviour. Alison Kelly Having worked therapeutically with drama as a teacher, I discovered ‘dramatherapy’. I knew that was the path that I wanted to follow and have continued to passionately champion dramatherapy within education ever since.

In 1989 I qualified as a drama and movement therapist at the Central School of Speech and Drama on the full-time Sesame/Central training course.

Initially, after training, I worked in a variety of settings with different client groups including older people with dementia, adults with mental health difficulties, adults with multiple and profound disabilities, and children with autism. For the majority of my therapy work I have always worked within the education system.

In 1992 I started work in the pupil referral unit offering individual and group dramatherapy. In 1994, inspired and supported by Phil Edwards, the innovative Chief Educational Psychologist, I established dramatherapy departments in both the pupil referral unit and in the local Special School for children and young people with emotional, social and behavioural difficulties for the borough.

From 2003 - 2009 I worked as a dramatherapist within a multi-disciplinary team for Greenwich Education as part of a Behaviour in Education Support Team (BEST). I worked in both Primary and Secondary schools, providing individual and group dramatherapy.

In 2004 I co-founded Willow, a children's bereavement service within the NHS. Willow offers dramatherapy to children with life limiting conditions, as well as their siblings.

I also have a private supervision, consultation and dramatherapy practice, both individual and group.

Work History

1978-1988: Full time teaching in secondary mainstream education, E.B.D. and Delicate special schools
1989 -1994: Dramatherapy with: Older people, older people with dementia, Staff training for nurses, care staff working with older people with dementia, Children with Autism, Maudsely and Royal Bethlem junior and adolescent psychiatric units, London
1990-1994: Myth Tutor on Dramatherapy Training at Central School of Speech and Drama, London
1990-1995: Arts Council – Drama Advisor
1992-2004: Dramatherapy for Croydon Educational Psychology Service, Victoria House
1992-2004: Dramatherapy Department at Beckmead EBD School, London
2004-2017: Joint course co-ordinator C.A.S.T.(Creative Arts Supervision Training) London
1993-ongoing: Supervision and dramatherapy private practice
2003-2009: Dramatherapist working in multi disciplinary BEST team (Behaviour in Education Support Team) Greenwich Education
2004-2017: Dramatherapy and bereavement, with dramatherapist Alyson Coleman jointly set up ‘Willow; Children's bereavement service for children with life limiting conditions and their siblings, Croydon NHS
2007 Introduction to dramatherapy training course for dance movement therapy trainees in Warsaw, Poland
2008 Bereavement training for creative arts therapists, Drill Hall, London
2016 Keynote: Myth Enactment, Greek Dramatherapy Association, Athens
2016 Introduction to breavement training course for professionals, Malta
2017-ongoing Tutor, CAST training at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London
2018 3 day bereavement training for psychologists with the Karl Vella Foundation, Malta

Qualifications and Training

1975-1978 teacher training B.Ed. Brighton
1988-1989 drama and movement therapy training, Central School of Speech and Drama, London
1992 short course; playtherapy for dramatherapists run by Ann Cattanach at St. Alban’s College
1992-1993 One year foundation course in humanistic and integrative psychotherapy, Spectrum London
1994 On BADth and Sesame supervisor’s register
1994-1996 MA in Playtherapy at Roehampton University
2001 Foundation course in systemic family therapy at Prudence Skinner Family therapy Clinic, Sutton Hospital
2004-2005 Post graduate certificate in childhood bereavement St. Christopher’s Hospice/Middlesex university, London

Publications / Papers

Kelly A & Daniel CJ (1996) ‘Beginning to Work with the Elderly’ in 'Discovering the Self through Drama and Movement', Pearson. J (ed) London JKP

Kelly A (2002) 'In the Wake of the Monster: When Trauma Strikes' in 'The Story so Far', Cattanach. A (ed) London JKP

Coleman A & Kelly A (2012) 'Beginning, Middle, End: Dramatherapy with Children who have Life Limiting Conditions and with their Siblings' in 'Dramatherapy with Children, Young People and Schools' (ed) Leigh. L, Gersch. I, Dix. A, Haythorne. D, (pub) Routledge

Coleman A & Kelly A (2017) 'Two to One' in 'Dramatherapy, Reflections and Praxis' (ed) Hougham. R, Jones. B, (pub) Palgrave. London