Voices expressed : development of Maltese mental health practitioners’ narratives of injustice through theatre of the oppressed techniques

Abstract

This narrative qualitative study looks at how Maltese mental health practitioners make sense of injustices encountered in their work and how such narratives develop through the use of Theatre of the Oppressed techniques and group processing. Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven Maltese mental health practitioners. Seven of the interviews were conducted before the group experience and another seven after the experience was over. The participants attended a six session program over a period of eight weeks. The two hour long sessions were inspired by Theatre of the Oppressed Techniques. During the program the participants had the opportunity to share and process the issues of injustice which they encounter through their work with their clients. A devised theatre piece was created and performed in the group. Participants were encouraged to keep a journal. The epistemological assumptions that informed this research were narrative inquiry, social constructionism and postmodernism. The data was analysed using Narrative Thematic Analysis. The findings are presented in a narrative form. A script with the participants’ presentation and development of their narratives was created capturing the creativity and the essence of the group narrative development. The participants’ words and the spirit of the whole group process were used in the formulation of the script. Findings indicate that Theatre of the Oppressed techniques and group processing helped in the creation of ‘transformative’ narratives. ‘Helplessness’ narratives of injustice developed into ‘empowerment’ narratives as participants engaged in the co-construction. The group experiential learning process enhanced MHPs’ welfare and self-care and offered a sense of belonging to the participants.