Amanda is an Australian born, UK trained dramatherapist. She completed her Masters at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London in 2004 and has been practicing as a dramatherapist in Australia since 2005. Amanda has worked in both special and mainstream educational services, community mental health, in the justice system, in adult mental health and drug and alcohol rehabilitation, as well as with children in domestic violence support services. Amanda has a passion for working with neurodivergent youth and their families and spent 17 years as a dramatherapist in special education where she conducted her PhD research exploring dramatic imitation as a point of play, learning and connection in group dramatherapy for youth with intellectual disabilities. Amanda is passionate about supporting the diversification of the mental health system in Australia to include and recognise the role of dramatherapy in supporting participants to find accessible and meaningful pathways for personal growth and healing.  Her current research is focused on centralising the experience of dramatherapy participants through co creative practice and research tools which employ creative processes. She currently runs a private practice Chrysalis dramatherapy where she supports individuals across the life spectrum and delivers her Rehearsal for Real Life program in schools. She teaches emerging creative arts therapists and counsellors in tertiary education at the IKON institute and ACAP and supervises experienced and newly graduated creative arts therapists.  

·       Current institutional affiliation and position

Currently sessional Lecturer at IKON Institute in Creative Arts Therapies

Currently sessional Lecturer at ACAP in Counselling

·       Key research interests

Practitioner Research

 Creative and accessible research tools and measures which centralize participants perspectives in outcomes

Use of school-based group dramatherapy to support socio-emotional wellbeing

Co-creativity in dramatherapy practice and research

·       Major publications

Musicka-Williams, A., & Cook, A. (2024). Making connections across countries between creative approaches in qualitative interviewing with dis/abled communities. Disability & Society, 39(4), 850-871.

Musicka-Williams, A. (2023). “We are lots of things”: Exploring Dramatic Imitation with Adolescents in Special Education. In Dramatherapy and Learning Disabilities (pp. 93-106). Routledge.

Musicka-Williams, A. (2023). Essential Factors Both Practical and Imaginal for Defining the Dramatherapy Play Space in Special Education. In Space, Place and Dramatherapy (pp. 104-119). Routledge.

McFerran, K. S., Song, J. E., Musicka-Williams, A., Dumaresq, E., & Bibb, J. (2021). Creative arts therapies as social inclusion promotion. In Handbook of Social Inclusion: Research and Practices in Health and Social Sciences (pp. 1-20). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Musicka-Williams, A. (2020). “We copy to join in, to not be lonely”: Adolescents in special education reflect on using dramatic imitation in group dramatherapy to enhance relational connection and belonging. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 588650.

Musicka-Williams, A. (2018). Offering space for choice and voice: participant assent as a creative workshop informed by dramatherapy practice. Creative Arts in Education and Therapy (CAET), 206-213.

·       Professional memberships

Currently registered as a Professional Member and Supervisor with ANZACATA

阿曼达出生于澳大利亚，在英国接受培训，是一位戏剧治疗师。她于2004年在伦敦中央演讲与戏剧学院获得硕士学位，并自2005年起在澳大利亚从事戏剧治疗师工作。阿曼达曾在特殊教育和主流教育服务机构、社区心理健康机构、司法系统、成人心理健康和戒毒戒酒康复机构以及家庭暴力儿童支持服务机构工作。阿曼达热衷于与神经多样性青少年及其家人合作，并在特殊教育领域担任了17年的戏剧治疗师，期间她完成了博士研究，探索戏剧模仿作为智力障碍青少年团体戏剧治疗中游戏、学习和联系的切入点。阿曼达热衷于支持澳大利亚心理健康体系的多元化发展，以纳入并认可戏剧治疗在帮助参与者找到可行且有意义的个人成长和康复途径方面的作用。她目前的研究重点是通过共同创造实践和运用创造性过程的研究工具来集中戏剧治疗参与者的体验。她目前经营着一家名为“Chrysalis”的私人戏剧治疗诊所，为不同年龄段的人士提供支持，并在学校开展“真实生活排练”项目。她在IKON学院和ACAP为高等教育领域的新兴创意艺术治疗师和咨询师授课，并指导经验丰富的和新毕业的创意艺术治疗师。