MIT International Puppet Museum in Catalonia
A psychosocial model for working with Refugees and People traumatized by violence and harassment
The week before the opening of the museum we enjoyed a course with a psychosocial model based on puppets and offered by the prestigious teacher Karim Dakroub.
This specialized training was aimed at monitors, social workers, psychologists, art therapists, artists or puppeteers interested in working in refugee camps or in immigrant populations with problems or trauma related to violence and harassment.
The program consisted of five days of training using different methods of art therapy and creative media such as theatre, puppetry, drawing, story writing and storytelling, focusing on puppets.
There was sequencing in the transition from one artistic medium to another to ensure the best expression in a safe environment.
The students they were able to build their own puppet and practice the therapeutic methods proposed by the teacher, providing the participants with an indispensable personal experience in practicing the different techniques with the final benefits.
The method focused on self-healing and improving body image, as well as strengthening individual and collective resilience in the face of different challenges and traumas (especially those related to displacement environments).
Each participant was aware of the psychological power of puppets in children and adults through a personal experience and a theoretical basis.
They all made their own marionette using different materials and were able to run a puppet making workshop as a projection tool. This puppet will be a good psychological aid even after the workshop is over. It will provide symbolic and metaphorical support as a "transitional object". (Prior psychological knowledge and experience of the participants is important to improve this skill).
Each participant elaborated a short story and participated in the creation of small scenes with marionettes, using indirect means to express everyday frustrations, anxieties and worries. And to be able to apply them to others.
