To become a psychodramatist there are many necessary goals one must meet to be certified from the American Board of Examiners (ABE). When I was first training under Drs. Mort and Dorothy Satten they had their own requirements in offer to be certified under the Westwood Institute, which is where I was a student of Psychodrama and Sociometry. At some point in training I had realized I had obtained the necessary 780 hours to become certified by the ABE as a Certified Psychodramatist (CP). So I took a big jump and made the decision to gain all of the necessary supervision and prepare for my exam. It was a bit grueling, as well as, a huge learning experience for me.

After obtaining my CP I then applied to be a Practitioner Applicant for Trainer (PAT). This was a bit more fun learning to teach about all of the concepts Moreno had brought to the field of Psychology. Such as: cannon of creativity, sociodrama, surplus reality, sociograms...etc. I had the wonderful opportunity to be supervised by Esly Carvahlo TEP and Dr. Jeanne Burger TEP. Both had different approach and wonderful spontaneity.

By the end of my three years as a PAT it was time to take the plunge and get ready for my exam's to become a Trainer Educator Practitioner (TEP). Since I had been practicing teaching so many of the terms and concepts this test was a bit more manageable. The TEP exam and the CP exam are similar there are 7 area's of interest and the question would be connected to that area and some random element of psychodrama, sociometry, or group psychotherapy. For the CP the essay questions were much more descriptive...such as Explain what Surplus Reality is and why it is important? The TEP exam was a bit different in that it would ask about teaching so the essay question might be... Describe how you would teach Surplus Reality and what you would want your students to understand about it? After taking the written exams the ABE would send someone out to witness and critique my skills as a Pscyhodramatist or a Teacher of Psychodrama.

While this may seem daunting at first it is amazing how much growth and learning this has offered me not to mention the wonderful support system from the ABE and the ASGPP. I feel quite proud to be a member of this society.

So to understand more about the certification standards you will be making as your goal click below to read up:

American Board of Examiners in Psychodrama, Sociometry and Group Psychotherapy

You will also find a wonderful list of Psychodramatist all around the US on the above website... this can be a great resource for others you may want to encourage to try using Pscyhodrama.