Episode 65: Theater-based Initiatives in Education and Clinical Care

Narrative medicine is an approach that used in clinical practice, research, and education to promote growth, learning, and/or healing through the use of story (or narrative). That story may be communicated in a variety of ways, including through the use of theater, and that's what the guest on this episode has done in her work as an occupational therapist and an occupational therapy educator.
 
Sally Wasmuth, PhD, OTR, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences at Indiana University, Indianapolis. She has a background in African-American Studies, Philosophical Studies of Biology, and Occupational Therapy. Her research focuses on translational and implementation science, particularly in the areas of occupation-based intervention for addictive disorders and dual-diagnosis. Sally is involved in several arts-based recovery initiatives, including the use of theatre as both a therapeutic intervention and a means of stimulating community conversations on critical topics including the opioid crisis and healthcare inequities related to race and gender.

Recommendations & resources from this episode:

• Episode of the Hidden Brain podcast entitled "Alan Alda Wants Us To Have Better Conversations" that talks about the use of improv as a way to improve communication in everyday situations 
  
• Rita Charon's book on narrative medicine: Narrative Medicine - Honoring the Stories of Illness
• Sally's research articles
  

Tools for OT faculty to help students explore their own bias, as developed by Sally and others:

• Traveling tour - can put on performances in other areas - on topics like opioid and transgender
• Healthcare inequities experienced by black women - just developed a play on that
• Columbia University's Narrative Medicine certificate training program

Contact Sally via email
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