Meet Bill Woodburn: Healing Inner Stories with Psychodrama Workshop
“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” — Anthony J. D’Angelo
Learning. It’s something inherent to the human journey, and I’ve found to be one of my most exciting endeavors. I’m always learning.
This spring in the spirit of learning, Healing Reins will be hosting a workshop entitled, “Healing Inner Stories with Psychodrama.” We are thrilled to welcome Bill Woodburn as a guest clinician - I look forward to all of the professional growth and learning to be encapsulated in the these two days!
Here are a few words from Bill, describing his journey into the realms of psychodrama…
Bill Woodburn, MEd, LPC-S, LMFT-S
When I first started out as a counselor, clients came in, I gave advice, and... it rarely changed anything. I was frustrated and felt powerless. There seemed to be more, just below the surface, but I couldn't reach it. With the help of Dorothy Satten of Westwood Institute, I discovered Psychodrama. It was a learnable way to bring out the stories behind the actions, decisions, and beliefs of my clients.
Once psychodrama brought their stories out into the sacred space of therapy, changes that had seemed out of reach became regular and powerful.
I began to spend less time sitting there studying my clients and more time on my feet helping them explore their stories through movement, gesture, position, and space. Doing counseling became exciting again because it was less about trivial things and more about what really moved people. Thirty years later, I still get excited doing psychodrama in my officeand teach it to as many of my colleagues as I can.
I'm a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with a private practice in Austin, Texas. Since 1988, I've enjoyed helping people explore the difficult art of being human with traditional and experiential therapy, stories, and psychodrama.
These days I've expanded my work to share what I've learned with the next generation of counselors as we all explore how to stay engaged and caring under the pressure of everyday life and practice. Over the years, I've led a regular psychodrama training group, taught at St Edwards University's counseling program, and spoken to groups and organizations all over America about how important stories are to healing and life.
It's what I love to do and I'm very lucky I get to do it everyday. My greatest joy is still to tell a good story, whether that be in the energy of a crowded auditorium or around the kitchen table.
For those interested in experiencing Bill’s expertise firsthand, he will be facilitating an in-person training titled “Healing Inner Stories with Psychodrama” on May 2-3, 2025, at Healing Reins. This workshop aims to teach participants how to harness the transformative power of psychodrama to help individuals heal, grow, and thrive.