ABSTRACT
Role play is the relevant term, but how does one approach this in the therapeutic setting? This is where therapy meets with drama, so before we can answer this question we need to look at roles in dramatic terms. Role play gives us the opportunity to experience that kind of situation and behave in a manner very different from the one in which we did in reality. There is often confusion between role play and simulation. Where role play takes attitudes and feelings, simulation brings the whole thing nearer reality by reproducing as carefully as possible the physical conditions of the situation. Role play is always working towards reality. Role play can be a learning experience in therapy. Vulnerability in the act of role play and the personal risk involved are discounted and students frequently come away feeling conspicuous and embarrassed. Simulations are frequently used in staff training and considered to be the total use of role play.
