Societatea de Psihodrama “Jacob Levy Moreno” (SPJLM),

“Jacob Levy Moreno” Psychodrama Society,Romania

Address: 400090 Cluj-Napoca, 11 Avram Iancu Square, apt.2, Romania

Contact: president of SPJLM Horatiu Nil Albini, e-mail:

Tel +40 264 597 528, fax +40 264 596 107, mobile +40 723 331 007

History: a first contact occurred in October 1990, when a “therapeutic week-end” in Covasna included a psychodramatic work studio led by Emöke Bagdi and Ildikó Erdély from Hungary. The co-operation between Psychodrama Institut für Europa (PIfE) and the Association of Transylvanian Psychologists led to the organization in 1991 of the first two training groups in psychodrama, one in Romanian directed by Hilde Gött and another one in Hungarian directed by Klára Gallus and Kamilla Sarkady.

A Romanian group within the German Institute was set up after the PIfE International Conference held in 1993 in Bulgaria. The meeting held in February 1994 marked the constitution of “J.L. Moreno” Psychodrama Society.The29 founder members have registered the society as a non-profit professional association in July 1995.

The society is a national section of PIfE since May 2001, founder member of the Romanian Psychotherapy Federation (FRP) in 2001 and a FEPTOmember as training organization since 2002. Since 2007 SPJLM is accredited by the Psychologists’College of Romania (CPR).

At present, the association has 21 trainers who leaded or are still leading36 training groups in the 1st stage and 8training groups in the 2ndstage. The first training group for the superior level for the bibliodrama section started in July 2007 and concluded in February 2009. The second bibliodrama training group started in september 2009.

The main trainers: HoratiuNil Albini, Butyka Enikő,GabrielaFelezeu, Görög Ilona, Adriana Oachis, Rosca Zsuzsánna, Szilágyi Ilona, Albert Lörincz Enikő, Roth Maria and Varró Éva.

The Society is directed by an Executive Board elected for two years in the General Assembly. The work commissions are: The Professional Committee, the Program and Reunion Committee, the Ethics Committee, the Publication Committee, the Marketing Committee and the Auditing Committee.

During the KauniainenFEPTO meeting Horatiu Nil Albini was elected as FEPTO secretary, and in 2008, at the Glasgowmeeting, FEPTO co-president.

Supervisors: HoratiuNilAlbini, Butyka Enikő,GabrielaIrisFelezeu, Laura Cismas and Varró Éva.

Training curriculum: The 1st stage of the present training curriculum was finished in 1999, and the 2nd one in 2003, both being updated in 2008 and inside the FEPTO Minimal Training Standards, and in accordance with the training standards of PIfE, FRP and CPR.

1st stage (basic level): It contains a preliminary stage consisting of an initiation seminar (18 hours), an admission seminar (18 hours) and an individual interview with the trainers followed by the activities in the constant group: 240 hours of self-knowledge, 90 hours of theory and method (30 hours are performed in the constant group of self-knowledge and 60 hours in theoretical seminars), 36 hours of special seminars, one seminar of group dynamics (36 hours).

100 hours of individual study, 3 protocols and a theoretical report are obligatory.

The intermediate estimation is performed after the first 120 hours of activity. The trainers work in pairs under supervision. The activity ends with a final estimation.

After the 1st stage graduation, the candidates obtain the psychodrama assistantdiploma, which confers the right to conduct psychodrama groups together with a psychodrama leader/psychotherapist.

The 2nd stage (advanced level): It contains a constant group of 240 hours, divided into 120 hours of self-knowledge (the candidates lead the group under the trainers’ direct supervise) and 120 hours of theory and method.

The candidatespresent a theoretical report, 5 protocols from the work in this group and 10 protocols from the application of psychodrama in directing their own development group.

Attendance at 3 methodical seminars and 3 theoretical ones (each of 18 hours) is obligatory. Psychodrama techniques and sociometry are put into practice by the independent direction of a group of at least 160 hours with 90 hours of supervision (60 hours of group work, 30 hours individual supervision).

A paper is to be written at the end of the training. The trainee has to approach a theme from the psychodramatic theory and practice as well as its application in the independently directed group. The final colloquy consists of the presentation and the practical demonstration of the theme. The candidates’ trainers, the executive of the Professional Committee and the president of the association are the members of the examination board.

TheFEPTO minimal training standards are respected, all hours of training are the same or higher.

Admittance: The pre-conditions of participation are: the candidate must be at least 24 years of age, possessor of a diploma in psychology, medicine, pedagogy, psycho-pedagogy, social assistance, theology, or other diplomas in fields that are relevant for psychodrama.

The admittance seminar is of 18 hours and is led by two trainers others than those who will further direct the group. An estimation of the candidates’ skills in working with psychodramatically methods is performed at the end of the seminar.

The basic level graduation is certified by the psychodrama assistant diploma that confers the right to direct - under the guidance of a psychotherapist or psychodrama leader - psychodrama groups for clients and patients.

The qualification after the advanced level graduation is that of psychodrama leader for those with superior studies in medicine, pedagogy, special psycho-pedagogy, social assistance, theology, philosophy, sociology and other social-human sciences and psychodrama psychotherapist for those with superior studies of psychology and for psychiatrists.

Activities of SPJLM:The training groups were organized in Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest, Brasov, Tg. Mures, Oradea, Baia-Mare, Sf. Gheorghe,Miercurea-Ciuc and Constanta, and include at present time more than 200 trainees. The training is directed in Romanian and Hungarian language. Two of our trainees are preparing their PhD thesis on a psychodrama topic. 43 psychodrama psychotherapists are accredited by the Romanian Federation of Psychotherapy and 49 are psychotherapists under supervision. More than 100 have finished the courses of the basic level, being recognized as psychodrama assistants.

The Bibliodrama section started the courses in the spring of 2005. Its training curriculum is based on those provided by PIfE and the Hungarian Psychodrama Association, with trainers Sarkady Kamilla and Nyáry Péter from Hungary. First generation of bibliodramatists finished their training in February 2009.

The Artemis program (prevention of violence and sexual abuse against women) was carried on between 1995 and 2001. Until 2004 the association had a Positive Psychotherapy program.

The International Conference - Conflicts. Solving Drama Through Psychodrama was organized in 1998, in 2002 the Summer Academy The Way to One’s Self, and in 2003 the 7th PIfE International Conference Life is a Stage.

In April 2006 SPJLM organizedin Cluj-Napocathe FEPTO meeting Appolon with Dionisos, Theories in Action and the post conferenceTheory in Practice of Different Approaches in Psychodrama.

In July 2007, together with the Romanian Association of Classical Psychodrama (ARPsiC), we have organized in Sibiu the international conference Celebrating J.L. Moreno Personality.

In 2008 the first National Psychodrama Conference was held in Cluj, with the topic From Spring to Spring, followed by the second one, in Brasov, 2009: From Conflict to Encounter,and the third one:Action and Passion;you can visit the site of the conference at .

New projects arise from these last events, including the preparation of a common psychodrama journal, the building of a National Accrediting Psychodrama Organization (NAPO), exchange of work-shops and lectures.

In 2008 started the POTENS project. The EU Grundtvig project called “POTENS - Psychodrama on the Educational Stage”constitutes a distinct phase in a long term plan to establish closer cooperation between psychodrama and adult education trainers with the purpose to improve the acquisition of key competences in lifelong learning, creative expression and social skills.

This pilot initiative is led by Bielskie Teatr Grodzki (Poland), and involves partners from: Poland - Plakówka Ksztalcenia Ustawicznego EST, Portugal - Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovacao, and Cyprus – Cyprus Adult Education Association.

The “J. L. Moreno” Psychodrama Society is the Romanian partner of the consortium, responsible for the psychodrama expertise: training methodology and guidelines development for the psychodrama use in adult education. The methodology is tested in pilot workshops running till end of 2009 in 4 countries (90 hours in each country).

For 2009 we plan a co-operation with FEPTO in the scientific and research fields, to collect in a volume the colloquy papers presented so far, to translate basic psychodrama books required for the training. We are in the preparation of an organizational psychodrama department and a course of coaching. We have in view the implementation of development strategies, focused on the fields where psychodrama could be applied, so that the organization could diversify its activities.

A discussion group was created at

A bilingual (Romanian/English) site on Internet was opened in 2002. You can visit us at

Dr. Horatiu Nil Albini

President of “J. L. Moreno” Psychodrama Society