Chicago Center for Psychodrama presents at the 2025 Illinois Psychological Association Convention!

The Power of the Empty Chair: Building Community through Psychodrama!

Brittany Lakin-Starr, PhD, TEP, & Mallory Primm, PsyD, PAT, Chicago Center for Growth and Change; Kate Merkle, MPH, RDN, LCSW, PAT, Nourishment Works

Psychodrama, an expressive arts therapy developed by Dr. Jacob Moreno, uses guided dramatic action to create meaningful change. This experiential approach allows clients to examine past or present challenges through therapeutic role play in the here and now. Through these action techniques, clients gain deeper insight into their problems, explore new perspectives, identify solutions, and experience behavioral change. At its core, psychodrama is not only a therapeutic modality but also a powerful community-building process.  Psychodrama was developed as both a clinical intervention and a form of social healing and is often practiced in group where people join together to explore personal and collective experiences. 

This experiential workshop will introduce participants to the psychodramatic technique of the empty chair and will demonstrate how this dynamic tool can help create a space for self-reflection, emotional expression, problem-solving while being witnessed in a group.

Through demonstrations and experiential exercises, attendees will learn how the core principles and practical applications of psychodrama encourage insight, healing, and personal growth. Participants will learn how this technique aids clients in letting go of unhelpful roles and adopting more fulfilling ways of interacting with themselves and others. In addition, participants will learn the three phases to a psychodrama session: warm-up, action, and sharing. Presenters will also provide a concise overview of psychodrama’s historical and theoretical foundations.