by Sasha-Leigh Jefferies (Drama Therapy)
Once upon a time,
not that long ago, there was a young and eager Drama Therapist intern called Liminal. She wore colourful scrubs and had a cheery disposition. She was eager to begin her internship and meet the elusive character that she’d heard so much about, ‘Multidisciplinary Team’, for the first time.
The first day had arrived! Liminal walked into an office clad in orangey brown furniture and motivational quotes. She unpacked her bag. ‘How exciting,’ she muttered to herself. ‘Giving a presentation about Drama Therapy… What it is, what it can do – what I can do – it is just all so… grown-up!’
Just then, a figure came around the corner and began to address her, ‘Ah, the new drama teacher is here!’ She was dressed impeccably in a neon pink suit, with vibrant red lipstick. Liminal had a hint of disappointment in her voice when she said, ‘Yes, but I’m not a Drama Teacher…’
Liminal sighed. Sometimes it felt like countless years of training to be a Drama Therapist were all for naught. But she had a trick up her sleeve: a presentation showing how this therapy approach holds weight. She plucked up her courage: ‘Ah yes, there is always some confusion around the name, but it will all be explained shortly. I am Liminal, it’s lovely to meet you.’ Shaking her hand hesitantly, the bright pink woman introduced herself. ‘I am Social Worker. And this,’ pointing to the figures just entering the room, ‘is The Boss’.
The Boss welcomed them all, and Liminal took a deep breath as the room fell silent. She began her presentation: facts, statistics and evidence moved across the screen at an alarming rate. Faces of confusion were replaced with those of concentration and clarity. The Boss engaged in deep, reflective questioning. However, neon-pink Social Worker remained unsure.
Liminal left that meeting feeling so proud and in charge. ‘I can’t wait to get going, this will be a breeze,’ she thought. Oh, how wrong she was…
The next few months passed by in a blur. Liminal started to see real clients for the first time, with excitement, confusion and a sense of overwhelming self-doubt. Emails started pouring in. Social Worker and The Boss began asking for progress reports to send to The Psychiatrist. Liminal smelled fear in the air. ‘What if The Psychiatrist laughs at what I have to say?’, Liminal thought. She started panicking. Her heart was beating and sweat started to form around her temples. She did not know what the next steps were. Liminal’s hair began to look as ‘on-end’ as her internal world was feeling. She sat with journals, textbooks and scraps of paper scattered around her.
Just then, as if to the sound of violins, her Guardian Angel appeared. Wise and trustworthy, Guardian Angel reminded Liminal to relax and follow her gut: ‘You will know what to do,’ she whispered. Liminal thought, ‘If Guardian Angel has faith in me, maybe I can do this’. Word by word, she climbed the progress-report mountain. When she reached the summit, she thought ‘That sounds pretty legit to me!’. She had a real sense of accomplishment, and also baited breath. ‘What would they think? Do I make sense to other professions?’ she thought.
Liminal awoke to the sound of The Boss’s ‘ping!’: thanking her for the thorough report and commenting on its usefulness. Liminal inhales, and with her next exhale a screech flew out of her, followed by a mandatory little happy dance. ‘This isn’t so bad,’ Liminal thinks, ‘Working with other people can be great!’.
However, just as the dust settled, another storm seemed to be brewing for Liminal. The Boss urgently referred a child to her. Unsure of what to do, or if she should consult lipstick-clad Social Worker, Liminal saw the child. Soon after, the suspicious ‘ping’ of Social Worker appeared, requesting a meeting.
As soon as Liminal stepped into the office of Social Worker, her words darted sharply at her: ‘You saw a new referral without it coming from me? Only referrals I send can be seen. According to Part ?*£$, Section *)((! of the Children’s Act…’ The words blurred in Liminal’s mind. She felt small, bewildered and confused. With so many procedures and policies, she felt out of her depth.
Another crushing wave of self-doubt crashed over her. Once again, with a swelling of violins, her Guardian Angel appeared at her side. She sat quietly and listened, giving Liminal her full, powerful presence. ‘What if…’ she suggested, ‘You start looking at this like you are the expert of your field and they are the experts of theirs? Just trust that you have the knowledge that other people in the team – Social Worker, and The Boss – are all missing. You have put in all the work, now trust yourself. I believe in you!’.
Maybe it was the way Guardian Angel spoke with her soft and gentle tone, or maybe it was the conviction in her words. Whatever it was, it gave Liminal the support she needed. As the sun rose the following morning Liminal sent a ‘ping’ of her own: suggesting a team meeting to discuss policies and procedures. She received positive ‘pings’ back, and a few days later the elusive character, Multidisciplinary Team, finally made their appearance.
Multidisciplinary Team sat around the same table in the orangey-brown office with the motivational quotes on the walls. Discussions are long and challenging. Liminal learned that Multidisciplinary Team was a new force in all of their stories, and that work like this had never been done before in that organisation. As Liminal walked back to her office, it felt as though the clouds cleared and the sun began shining, brighter than it ever had before. With a final mandatory little happy dance, she skipped into the sunlight.
The End.
SASHA-LEIGH JEFFERIES
Sasha-Leigh Jefferies graduated with her Masters in Drama Therapy from Drama for Life at The University of the Witwaterstrand in 2023. She has a distinct passion for performance and integrating storytelling and play within her therapy interventions. She currently works with children and adolescents in a children’s home, and in residential dementia care. When Sasha-Leigh is not advocating for Drama Therapy in multi-disciplinary spaces, you can find her in front of the camera continuing her passion for acting, or spending time with friends and family.
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