Boundaries or chaos: an outpatient psychodrama group for adolescents

This paper, through the description of one afternoon's psychodrama session with adolescents in an outpatient setting, explores some of the issues of "containment" and "boundaries" raised by the running of such a group. It will be suggested that the methods of psychodrama offer techniques to contain certain anxieties within the therapeutic setting, but that also, as in any adolescent group, awareness must be maintained of a whole hierarchy of boundaries. If these are ignored, chaos may follow, resulting in the collapse of the group, and thus the failure of its therapeutic function.