Other Practitioners

This page lists
1) practitioners who have developed other ways of using small figures, and
2) psychotherapists and counsellors who use Small Figures


Practitioners who have developed ways of using Small Figures


Carlos Raimundo www.playoflife.com
Dr Carlos A Raimundo is the developer of the Play of Life® method of working with small figures. Play of Life® is a way of working using Playmobil® figures on a cardboard stage. Much of the work taught by John Barton was developed by Carlos and taught to John. Carlos is based in Sydney and has a six day training in Play of Life®. He also runs workshops in other places on request.

Carlos has written extensively about his work and many of his articles are available on his website. These articles are worth reading and describe clearly how he uses the figures He is currently involved in a project using brain scanning techniques to look at the neurological events that occur while people are working with Play of Life®.

Carlos is the author of “Relationship Capital” a book about using Play of Life®. This book can now be obtained as a pdf file by contacting Carlos at his website, www.playoflife.com.

Carlos is the convener of the first Play of Life® Conference to be held in Sydney in November 2009.

Annie Rosenthal
Annie Rosenthal is a psychologist and psychotherapist in Melbourne who has developed the “Rosenthal Stage”. This is a miniature version of the classical psychodrama stage designed by J L Moreno. Annie’s stage is unfolded from a wooden box approximately 50cm by 25cm by 25cm and she uses small toys and wooden shapes to create psychodramas with her clients. She has written about this work and produced a manual and has stages for sale. To contact Annie please email John Barton

Steven Balmbra www.balmbra.no
Steven is a psychotherapist and psychodramatist in Norway who has developed a way of using Playmobil® figures on a board. He has a narrative approach, and his website has a lovely paper on it in which Steven has an imaginary conversation with J L Moreno about using this method.

Julie Thorsheim www.HealthyHumanSystems.com
This website shows how semi-abstract hardwood figures are used to represent family systems or other networks such as classroom or work group. The figures have less human detail than Playmobil, allowing for more projection onto the figures. This method, the Kvebaek Sculpture Technique (KST or KFST) developed in the late 1960’s by Norwegian family therapist, David Kvebæk, is used internationally in research on the effect of cohesion and distance in relationship in family dynamics.

Julie Thorsheim, American clinical social worker, studied with Kvebæk, has worked with the KST since 1992, and wrote an instruction manual on the KST for application in assessment, therapy, teaching and supervision and research. KST ASSOCIATES is a resource for the hardwood figures, auxiliary resources such as sociogram grid and asset map, and English-language user’s guide. Both introductory and intensive training in the KST is offered to qualified mental health professionals. The KST is currently used in practice sites in Australia as well as in Europe, North America and in research in Hong Kong.

The Communicube, John Casson www.communicube.co.uk
John Casson is a drama therapist and psychodrama psychotherapist in England. He uses a five level transparent structure (made of polycarbonate) on which the client places small objects. The five levels can have different meanings for different clients. John has written about this method, runs training workshops and sells the communicube.


Counsellors and Psychotherapists who use Small Figures


Marianne Shapiro, Mt Vernon, WA, USA. Phone 360 336 3491

Anna Schaum, Portland OR, USA. Phone 503-740-6653 www.DramaticChanges.com

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