We recently connected with Krista Verrastro and have shared our conversation below.
Krista, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
This is an easy question to answer after having explored this theme a lot in a recent book chapter I wrote! The book is about creative arts therapy entrepreneurs and is scheduled to be released by next spring.
I often think about the various roles I play since role exploration is a large part of what I do as a drama therapist. My professional drama therapist role is one aspect of a more general role that I play, which is that of a connector.
Lack of connection led me to my work. I was driven to help others feel less alone after having spent much of my youth feeling alone. My work as a relational trauma-oriented drama therapist has helped me understand how much we thrive in connection and hurt without it. It is from this lens that my various work activities aim to help people connect with both themselves and others. Helping people do this also helps me feel most connected to myself and others.
While there are many ways to be a helping professional in this world, I love that I chose to be a drama therapist because of its unique benefits.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I primarily provide individual therapy sessions as a drama therapist. I help people who feel used, abused, neglected, or rejected. I work best with people who’ve experienced relational trauma (such as abuse or bullying), people who feel different, people pleasers, and people looking to find or strengthen their voice in this world. Being a drama therapist means that I blend creative techniques with talk therapy, such as role play, storytelling, use of props, creative writing, etc. I am also trained in EMDR therapy so blend that in my work.
Over the years, I’ve expanded into other services. I started leading vision board workshops in 2017 to help people actively work on their goals. In 2019, I started leading self-care workshops. Both of these workshops use drama therapy techniques for an experiential approach instead of just talking about goals and self-care.
I’ve been giving presentations and trainings about drama therapy, trauma, and other mental health issues for several years and in various settings.
I most recently expanded into professional consultation (for clinical issues and for private practice building) and supervision (for people becoming drama therapists and newly credentialed drama therapists). I am working on expanding into coaching to use a more goal-oriented approach with people like that which I use in my vision board workshops. That way, people who are unable to attend the group workshops or who would prefer to go through the process individually can do so.
I’ve also been in the process of creating a workbook based on the process I take people through in the vision board workshops. I recently wrote my first book chapter for a book about creative arts therapy entrepreneurs.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
One quality that has always been helpful on my journey has been my independence. I had my first experience with doing individualized study in high school after having decided that I wanted to learn more about theater when I was told there was only a beginner class. Then I got my bachelor’s degree from NYU’s Gallatin School for Individualized Study, where I created my own concentration in theater and psychology. I’ve always had to be creative with getting hired for jobs and now with marketing as a private practice drama therapist since drama therapy is still relatively unknown and misunderstood. I’ve never been afraid to do this thing that I love so much and know helps other people, even despite many obstacles.
Related to my independence is my creativity. To tackle the aforementioned issues, I had to be creative every step of the way.
Lastly, my commitment to learning and growing has helped me succeed. My curiosity makes me constantly learn. I love to research things in order to feel best prepared and to be able to make the best possible decisions. Part of what makes me a good therapist is that I constantly learn about psychology-related matters through reading, podcasts, etc. I find that it not only makes me the best therapist I can be but also helps me be the best version of myself for me and my loved ones! An example of how committed I am to learning is the fact that I created and maintain my own website. I don’t consider myself a tech savvy person but was able to do so by doing much research. I’m proud of my site and get a lot of compliments on it!
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
One challenge I have experienced since finishing my master’s program in 2005 is that of feeling like I have to prove myself as a legitimate therapist since people often don’t know about drama therapy or think it is not as legitimate as more known types of therapy, especially talk-based therapies. The independence and creativity I mentioned before help me deal with this, as I tend to be pretty good about being comfortable being different while simultaneously being able to find common ground with people. Taking a stance of advocating and educating has also helped with this, which I do through things like writing and networking.
I try to use the shame I have often felt about this to motivate me all the more to help others who feel different and alone.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kristaverrastro.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/kristaverrastrotherapy
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/kristaverrastrotherapy
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@kristaverrastrotherapy
Image Credits
I took all pictures submitted except for the picture of me, which was done by Balance Photography
