Social Work, Sociometry, and Psychodrama

This open access book outlines the intersections between social work and the methods of sociometry and psychodrama. Different sections offer essential practice wisdom for both trauma-focused and trauma-informed experiential work for individuals, groups, organizations, and communities. This text enriches the understanding of various action-based approaches and highlights how to enliven social work practice. The chapters include clinical vignettes and examples of structured sociometric prompts with diverse populations, topics, and social work settings to enhance the understanding of group practice, individual practice, and community practice. It provides social workers and other professionals with dynamic tools to improve assessment, intervention, activism, and leadership. Strength-based practical tools are offered to readers, along with guidance for theoretical conceptualizations. This integrative book is an essential read for students, practitioners, leaders, and scholars within the fields of social work, psychodrama, the creative art therapies, group therapy, community organizing, and social activism.

Scott Giacomucci is a Doctor of Clinical Social Work, board-certified psychodramatist, and an award-winning specialist in group work. He is Director of the Phoenix Center for Experiential Trauma Therapy, Director of Trauma Services at Mirmont Treatment Center, and Adjunct Social Work Professor at Bryn Mawr College. He was the inaugural recipient of NASW’s Emerging Social Work Leader Award and served as a co-editor of Autobiography of a Genius, by the founder of psychodrama – Jacob Moreno. 

Scott Giacomucci has written an excellent and very important book locating psychodrama, sociometry and sociatry alongside social work. This book lays out the history, philosophy, and practice of Moreno’s triadic system clearly for the reader offering a more complete understanding of not only the methods but the mission behind them. This is truly an important contribution to the literature that firmly establishes the connection between Moreno’s triadic system and the social work field today.

-Tian Dayton, PhD, TEP, Senior Fellow at The Meadows, Director of The New York Psychodrama Training Institute, Developer of the Relational Trauma Repair Model (RTR), & author of fifteen books including, Neuropsychodrama (2015) and The Living Stage (2005).

This wonderful book brings Moreno vividly back to life in front of us! I got hooked and could not put it down until the very last page. It presents a panoramic view on the broad and unlimited possibilities of psychodrama, while placing it within cultural and systemic perspectives.

-Nien-Hwa Lai, PhD, TEP, Professor, Department of Psychology and Counseling, National Taipei University of Education

This book is aptly dedicated to the future generations of psychodramatists and social workers. It is the most comprehensive book to recount in meticulous details the history, philosophy and underlying theories of both psychodrama and social work. This scholarly work should be required reading for both faculty and students of these disciplines, and will be the best resource for psychodrama trainees studying for their certification exam. The book is well-written, its style is accessible, making it a page-turner, which not a common phenomenon in academic writing.

-Jacob Gershoni, LCSW, CGP, TEP, Co-Director of the Psychodrama Training Institute at The Sociometric Institute, New York, NY; Editor of Psychodrama in the 21st Century (2003)

Dr. Scott Giacomucci’s book takes a much-needed new look at the intersection between psychodrama, sociometry, and social work that will be of great interest to practitioners, students, trainers, and researchers. He presents the theory and practice of psychodrama in depth and provides a comprehensive account of contemporary applications in individual, group, and community settings. State of the art research findings are discussed clearly and insightfully throughout. This innovative book will certainly be a timely and invaluable resource for readers in many human service fields.

-Hod Orkibi, PhD, Tenured Senior Lecturer & Researcher, Psychodrama and Dramatherapy Graduate Program, School of Creative Arts Therapies, University of Haifa, Israel

This book takes psychodrama beyond the therapeutic consultation room, to the crossroads where it meets social work and community practice. It explores and integrates the theory and philosophy underpinning these disciplines, and offers an experiential perspective of using action methods, psychodrama and sociometry within these settings, with particular focus on trauma work. A great addition to the library of all professionals working in any of these areas!

-Zoli Figusch, British psychodrama psychotherapist/trainer, Series Editor at North-West Psychodrama Association, Editor of two texts on Brazilian psychodrama - Sambadrama (2005) and From One-to-One Psychodrama to Large Group Socio-psychodrama (2009/2019)

When Bruce Springsteen's album, "Born to Run" was released, critics wrote that Springsteen was the 'future of rock and roll.'  Dr. Giacomucci's text will be required reading for generations of group therapists to come.  This book conveys to the reader - experienced or novice, the fundamentals that are elusive to capture, but can clearly be understood and utilized by everyone.  Scott Giacomucci is this generation of group therapists' Bruce Springsteen.

-Richard Beck, LCSW, BCD, CGP, FAGPA, President, International Association of Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes; Lecturer, Columbia University School of Social Work; Lecturer of Social Work in Psychiatry (Voluntary), Weill Cornell Medicine

Dr. Scott Giacomucci has taken the task of integrating the essentials of the history, practices, and complex theories of Dr. J.L. Moreno - incorporated with a similarly complex set of ideas, theories, practices of Social Work.  Through extensive research, diligence, and skill Scott has succeeded in offering a new view of Moreno's work within the context of Social Work.  This book serves to advance both fields in a scholarly and remarkable way.  I intend to use this book as a core text for the Psychodrama class I teach at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.

-Edward Schreiber, DD, Ed.M, MSW, TEP, Director of the Zerka Moreno Foundation; Co-Editor of the Autobiography of a Genius by Jacob Moreno, The Quintessential Zerka & To Dream Again by Zerka Moreno; Adjunct Professor, Lesley University Drama Therapy Program

Dr. Scott Giacomucci is a real pioneer and revolutionary with great creativity and productivity. This is a brilliant and quite interesting book that provides innovative resources for social work, sociometry and psychodrama. His creativity for experiential approaches cultivates an important culture of therapy and leadership which gives courage to trainees, practitioners, and educators in the field to go forward for a better world.

-Caner Bingöl, MD, PhD, TEP, LCFT, LCTP, Founding member of Dr. Ali Babaoğlu Psychodrama Institute; Istanbul, Turkey; Interim Chair of Trauma/Disaster Task Force, International Association of Group Psychotherapy

This scientific book is comprehensive, easy to read, and depicts the state of the art of social work and psychodrama. Chapters include practical content for direct use in social work, psychodrama, and beyond. This book is an essential read and is valuable for a variety of fields.

-Jochen Becker-Ebel, PhD, Owner PIB Germany and Adj. Prof. f. Psychodrama, Medical Faculty, Yenepoya University, India

 Dr. Giacomucci has been committed to integrating psychodrama into social work. This well-written book is not only grounded in theory, but also very practical. The book content is excellent, insightful, and surely a milestone in the process of the integration of psychodrama and social work. With the rapid development of social work in China, sociometry and psychodrama have great potential application in competence-based social work education.

-Xiaohui Wang, PhD, Associate Professor, China University of Labor Relations