Marianne Marcote, MA
I graduated as a Dramatherapist with an MA [Hons 1.1] from Maynooth University, where I also worked as a lecturer and Interim Director of the Dramatherapy programme. My approach to dramatherapy is directly informed by my 20 years background in performance practice and research that focused on the connection between body-mind, impulse and action; theatre as a vehicle for the exploration and expression of the self. I began my career in Spain, where I was born, and in 1998 I moved to Ireland and co-founded the theatre laboratory nervousystem. As a performer theatre has enabled me to get in touch with something beyond the limitations of everyday life, with something closer to the essence of being — to the inside flame that keeps us alive but that at times gets shadowed by the business and responsibilities placed upon us by ourselves and others. Theatre became the mirror where I could see myself for what I am; a way to process life, to heal wounds, to be vulnerable and grow stronger. It is this personal experience of the power of theatre as a healing medium that brought me to train as a Dramatherapist so that I could facilitate others through these powerful tools in a safe and contained environment. As a Dramatherapist I am passionate about providing this space to others, a space where is safe to explore the direct link between our creative self (body, mind and imagination) and our mental health, including the different roles we play and how these roles can, at times, take us further away from ourselves. I have experience in working with adults suffering from depression and anxiety, people with dementia and Alzheimer’s and children with special needs and emotional difficulties.
As a Dramatherapist I abide by the code of ethics of the Irish Association of Creative Art Therapists IACAT, which is the Irish regulating body for all officially qualified creative arts therapists in the country. As a professional reference body, it promotes, regulates and upholds the work of creative arts therapists, including Art Therapy, Dance-Movement Therapy, Dramatherapy and Music Therapy. As best practice states, I work under clinical supervision and I always act in the best interests of the client by providing a humanistic client-centred approach; respecting and upholding their confidentiality. I am a former member of the IACAT Executive Council and an ocassional lecturer at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.
