Heal through action,

not just words.

Vermont Psychodrama offers workshops, consultation, and individual therapy intensives grounded in the transformative power of psychodramatic methods — embodied, relational, and trauma-informed.

You don't need to perform.
You just need to show up.

UPCOMING EVENTS →
UPCOMING EVENTS →

Psychodrama is an embodied group process that uses spontaneity games, guided role playing, and creative methods to investigate and gain insight into one’s life. 

It allows individuals to safely externalize and express inner conflicts, past trauma, or future anxieties in the present time. It is not about performance, it is about showing up exactly as you are in the moment. It is the unique opportunity where all that is required is to be yourself.

Psychodrama means soul in action and was developed by JL Moreno as a method that synthesizes science and religion in service to the evolution of humanity. It is the extraverted equivalent to Jung’s introverted active imagination which I like to refer to as action imagination.  Through enactment and its “show don’t tell” philosophy, psychodrama helps make the invisible visible, the unconscious conscious, and the Self known.  

What is psychodrama?

learn more here →

Benefits of this work…

Emotional Release

Act out feelings that are difficult to reach through words alone.

Deeper Empathy

Step into another's perspective and transform how you relate.

New Insight

See old patterns from the outside — and find a way through.

Trauma Healing

Reenact painful moments with care, making room for new responses.

How we work together

Three ways to begin your journey…

Group Workshops

Shared Healing In Community

Structured, trauma-informed group experiences using psychodramatic techniques. 

Find out more →

Consultation

for clinicians & organizations

Professional consultation for therapists, clinical teams, and organizations looking to integrate psychodramatic methods into their practice. 

Receive more info →

Therapy Intensives

One-one-one, in depth

Personalized one-on-one intensives using psychodramatic methods for individuals who want to go deep.

Learn more →

Hi, I am Sue

I am excited to share with you my love for psychodrama and the legacy of JL Moreno! 

I am  a Certified Practitioner (CP) through the American Board of Examiners in Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy. My psychodrama journey began in 1999 at Southwestern College, a consciousness-centered graduate school in Santa Fe, NM, where I was first introduced to the method by Kate Cook, TEP.

From my very first experience, I sensed something deep and indescribable occurring. While I could not articulate it then, I have since come to understand it as a depth psychological process.

To me, there is a riveting, initiatory moment in psychodrama when a person realizes the method truly transcends time and space.

Since 2002, I have run a private psychotherapy practice specializing in body-centered trauma therapy. Motivated by my own process and experience, I founded Vermont Psychodrama to share the profound, transformative impact of this work.

read my story here →

  • "Sue brings a warm, welcoming, and playful presence to their psychodrama workshops. I absolutely loved and benefited from the time I spent exploring psychodrama in a group setting with Sue. I was able to work through a situation that I was holding in my mind/body in a way that was freeing, and allowed for a natural letting go. As a clinician, the psychodrama skills I learned have assisted my practice, finding new ways to help clients explore their unresolved or stuck issues through a more embodied felt experience than the traditional mentalizing that often happens in therapy." 

    Ginger, workshop participant

  • “Sue Shaffer is a wonderful psychodramatist and all around fantastic person. Through her compassionate and grounded presence, profound and meaningful work unfolds. Sue offers deep wisdom from her decades in psychodrama, as a Jungian, a supervisor, and trauma informed practitioner. She is highly skilled, approachable, and relational. Don't miss an opportunity to work with her!”

    Diana Zumas, LPC, LPCC, CP in process

  • “Vermont Psychodrama helped me connect with myself as well as new acquaintances in a gentle and welcoming way. Dr. Shaffer fosters an open-minded, compassionately curious atmosphere with flexibility and support to be one's self. In an age where loneliness, despair, and disconnection feel insurmountable, Vermont Psychodrama is an intersectional experience of self-exploration, self-nurturing, and collective care demonstrating the validity of lived experiences, dynamic therapeutic methods, and healing as a journey.”

    Lara, workshop participant

Examples of techniques:

Always remember — These techniques are used in structured, trauma-informed ways. They're never about re-traumatization — they're about finding a safe path through pain, toward strength and resolution.

The Empty Chair

Speak to someone you need closure with — saying what has gone unsaid,  and expressing the feelings that have stayed locked inside.

Role Reversal

Step into the perspective of another person to see a situation through their eyes. Builds empathy and often leads to powerful emotional shifts.

Soliloquy

Speak your internal thoughts aloud while acting out a scene — revealing feelings and fears you didn't realize were still present.

Doubling

Another group member stands beside you and voices what they imagine you're feeling. You respond, correct, or clarify — and often discover something new about yourself.

Mirroring

Watch someone else act out your story as you told it. Observing your experience from the outside can unlock clarity that's hard to find from within.

Ready to take the first step?

Whether you're curious about a workshop, looking for individual support, or seeking professional consultation — reach out. We'll find the right fit together.

Get in touch