While Lexi Kay ’25, psychology, may have a flair for the dramatics when she’s acting, she’s taking her talents offstage and implementing them into what will become her life’s work as a therapist. She has dual passions in psychology and theatre, so finding a master’s program that allows her to combine both seems like a dream come true. Just weeks after graduating, this Universities at Shady Grove (USG) student will begin coursework at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to pursue a master’s in clinical health, specializing in drama therapy.
Q: What exactly is drama therapy and how is it utilized within your field?
A: There are several different aspects to it, and the one I’m most interested in is called psychodrama. The idea behind psychodrama (when acting in a group setting) is that there’s an individual who is the focus of that session. The drama therapist would work with that individual to have them come up with a specific time period in their lives that they want to focus on and then decide whatever the big event is for them to work through in the therapeutic space.
Using members of the group, the therapist would assign roles—for this example, let’s say it’s a family event. Someone would stand in as their mom, someone would stand in as their dad, and they would stand in as themselves. They’d give each person a line that describes their character in this situation. They’d play out the scene and then the drama therapist would ask if there’s anything they’d want to change or add. Once they were satisfied, they’d have them step out of the scene and watch it from the outside. It’s another way to use words that can be extremely beneficial and healing.
Q: How did you even know that this ultra-focused area of study existed?
A: I always knew I wanted to go into clinical mental health counseling for graduate school, but when I discovered drama therapy and realized it was a career where I combine two things I really love, I knew I’d found the right fit. There are only six accredited programs in the United States, so that really narrowed down my search. The program at Lesley University is a low-residency program, which allows me to take classes online throughout the year from Maryland and then go to Cambridge for a week each summer to do intensives. This will also allow me to do my clinicals and eventually get licensed in Maryland.
Q: As a non-traditional student, your path has been a little different than your peers. Did that worry you when you started at USG?
A: I was in my late twenties when I started at Shady Grove, so I definitely had the fear that I was going to be the oldest person in the room. I went to my first class and realized that wasn’t the case. Some of my peers were already parents with children, some were working on their second career—it was a really comfortable mix of types of students. Right away, I felt like I fit in.
Q: You’ve taken on a number of leadership roles during your time. What does being a leader mean to you?
A: I see being a leader as being a role model, and I like being a role model to others. Thinking about my future career as a therapist, I’ve been through my own struggles and I want to show people that it can get better and being in these leadership roles was just another way to be a role model in an academic setting. Being involved in things like the Peer Advisory Team (PAT) has forced me to be more extroverted, even when it may not be in my nature. These positions have allowed me to come out of my shell a little bit more and to show myself that I could do it. I think for so long, I was under the impression that, “Oh, I’m not a leader; I’m a follower.” But it’s shown me that I can be one and people respond when that happens.
Q: As you finish up your academic journey here, what’s the one thing that you’re going to take with you from this experience?
A: The faculty and staff at UMBC-Shady Grove have been so incredibly helpful. I’ve had similar experiences at other schools, but I’ve never been somewhere that I genuinely felt like every faculty or professor truly cares about the students, regardless of the time they’ve spent with them or the relationship they had. I’ll run into professors that I haven’t seen in a while and they’ll stop to ask how I am and really do remember who I am. That’s been really meaningful to me.
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Tags: Psychology, shady grove, USG