Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexis Maron.
Alexis, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always loved theatre and anything that had to do with communication styles and emotions. I was bitten by the “theatre bug,” as they say, when I was five and sang and danced my way through elementary school, eventually landing at the Orange County High School of the Arts. After receiving a stellar education in Musical Theatre at OCSA, I knew I wanted to continue to pursue that career and went to UCLA for that purpose. I stayed working in the industry after college, yet at that point, I knew I wanted more than the instability that the actor’s life had to offer.
One day, while working as a stage manager for an LA theatre production, one of the actors asked me to come view the acting class he was teaching. When I got there, I fell in love. This was no typical acting class. This man, who became my mentor, was using drama and theatre games to teach social skills to adults with Down Syndrome. He told me how he was studying Drama Therapy and working towards his licensure. Finally, I had found what I was looking for: a perfect blend of theatre and therapy. From there, it was a very quick decision-making process. I looked into all of the programs that offered degrees in Drama Therapy and found that the selection was limited. So, with an abundance of hope and faith, I applied to only one school for the Master’s program in Drama Therapy. Six months later, I was flying to NY to audition for the 2005 class of NYU’s Steinhardt School of Education. A month later, without yet knowing the verdict, I moved to Brooklyn and worked multiple jobs in anticipation to start my grad school training. In April. I got the good news that within a few months that education would begin!
After a two-year grad school program, internships, a thesis and hours upon hours of training and my own therapy sessions, I graduated and started working in the health care industry as a Drama Therapist. I knew I had found my Zone of Genius, and wanted to return home to start my own practice and continue to work in the field. Which brings us to today, seven years later and I have a private practice in Orange County, and work with many treatment centers using Drama Therapy and Psychodrama to help those suffering from addictions.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The first part of my journey felt smooth: the applying to NYU and getting accepted and moving to NY. After graduating though, there were many challenges. I graduated in 2008 and the subsequent year, most people were affected by the economy. Living in NY, alone, at that time was a struggle. My family back in California was losing their business and our home, and I needed to make a choice as to when to return. It wasn’t until 2010 that I finally decided to come home, and when I arrived, everything was in disarray. I had no job, no house, and a degree that no one knew what to do with.
I moved in with my family in their new place, landed a job as a business assistant, and worked as Drama Therapy assistant to my mentor. So even though things looked acceptable on the outside, on the inside, I was depressed. I left the independence and excitement of NY to come home and feel like a loser, wondering if I had made the right choice.
After very rocky few years, I was hired by Promises Treatment Center in Malibu, and my world opened up from there. I was able to see where Drama Therapy was a viable career and truly pursue my licensure, and start to market myself as such.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Drama Therapy – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I have my own private practice in Orange County, where I work with couples, individuals and families using both talk therapy and Drama therapy techniques to enhance communication and help treat depression, anxiety, and other common mental health stressors and disorders. In addition, I lead a weekly Drama Therapy group for Adults with Down Syndrome, which though at times can be draining, truly is the highlight of my week.
I also have the pleasure of working as an outside facilitator, bringing my Drama Therapy skills to group work for those suffering from addictions: both drug/alcohol and sex/love addictions. The bulk of my time is spent working with people with addictions, assisting them in reclaiming their identities outside of solely being an “addict.”
Drama Therapy is a modality that has been in existence since the beginning of Greek Theatre, where they used to purposefully erect hospitals and theatres next to each other, as they understood the integral healing properties of both. In Western society, DT received a re-birth and some notice in the 197o’s when a group of pioneers began to solidify some of the teachings and make it accessible to others.
By definition. DT is using dramatic principles for therapeutic purposes. Anything that you might see in an acting class is fair game to use in a Drama therapy session to help clients get out of their heads and into their bodies. Sessions often center around role play. or re-enacting real-life scenarios so that clients can focus on items such as tone, intent and how to best express the way they are feeling.
Due to Drama Therapy’s infancy in the timeline of psychological practices, it has been a struggle advocating for its efficacy. But, I am proud to continue to fight for its acceptance as a viable form of treatment. I believe that the more people are exposed to the effects of DT, the more both medical institutions and insurance companies will understand that classic forms of therapy do not work consistently on each patient, and that having creative arts therapy options is crucial to each individual’s recovery. I will continue to promote Drama Therapy and attempt to bring this highly beneficial modality to the forefront of the psychology community.
As a Drama Therapist, I have what one might consider the “standard” form of therapy/counseling training and education, and in addition, I have mastered specialized DT techniques to assist a client in experiencing something in a more kinetic way. Group DT sessions can be incredibly cathartic due to the “theatre-like” experience it creates, allowing both the witnesses and the active participants to walk away having learned a new therapeutic tool.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
As my practice continues to expand, and I have more and more years of expertise under my belt, I am looking forward to contributing more articles and blogs to professional websites and other informational platforms. I am slowly but surely putting together experiences to create a book about Drama Therapy sessions and what to expect.
I also will continue to advocate for Drama Therapy as a form of practice that should be supported by the medical community and increase awareness as to its efficacy.
I am already creating partnerships and alliances with wellness-focused companies and creating lectures and workshops that are both experiential and educational. It is my ultimate goal to create my own brand and be as revered and respected as such personalities as Dr. Drew, Tony Robbins and Oprah!
Pricing:
- $210 per session
- Packages available: 3 Sessions for $205 each; 5 Sessions for $200 each- payable in installments
Contact Info:
- Address: Drama Therapy with Alexis Maron
1901 Newport Blvd #165
Costa Mesa, CA 92627 - Website: www.alexismaron.com
- Phone: (323) 813-7893
- Email: alexis@loveyourdrama.com
- Instagram: @lexilovesdrama
- Facebook: @loveyourdrama
- Twitter: @lexilovesdrama
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/drama-therapy-with-alexis-maron-ma-rdt-costa-mesa?uid=TxWpgnVtCQ3ZSjEbDPHioA&utm_source=ashare&ref=yelp-android
Image Credit:
D’Avello Photography
Muse Media
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
