Research

May 2015, Vol. 7, No. 1  AJHPE         65

Correspondence

Storymaking: An inter-professional 
learning experience
To the Editor: In response to the Editorial in the May 2014 edition of 
AJHPE,[1] I would like to offer an example of medical students who were 
given an opportunity to engage in inter-professional learning.

In July 2014, I supervised a special study module (SSM) for second-year 
medical students at the University of Cape Town (UCT). Students could 
choose a particular field of interest to deepen their understanding of a 
subject, as well as develop their research and academic writing skills. As 
a pioneer in the field of medical humanities in Africa, and as a musician, 
Prof. Steve Reid, head of the Primary Health Care Directorate, had been 
encouraging the availability of various arts-related modules as part of the 
SSM curriculum.

As a dramatherapist, I supervised a module entitled ‘Theatres of the 
Psyche’. Students were invited to investigate the role of the dramatic 
arts within a biopsychosocial approach in treating mental illness. The 
SSM included a practical component in a psychiatric setting, where we 
presented two storymaking sessions at Valkenberg Hospital, Cape Town. 
Some reflections from a student are as follows: ‘We get taught a structured 
mainstream approach, seeing patients for their diseases. This experience 
helped me to understand a patient is more than their diagnosis, we have to 
see the person as a whole.’ 

Hougham[2] wrote that stories can act as containers for our inner lives. 
By enacting various parts of a story, we come in touch with different parts 
of ourselves. When we engage with each other in this process, we can also 
begin to experience each other as whole beings, who constitute more than 
our designated roles in certain settings – in this case, the role of student, 
patient and therapist. 

Another important outcome of this was a raised awareness of 
interdisciplinarity. At the start of this module, students were invited 

to attend a conference hosted by the South African Association of 
Dramatherapists (SAAD) and UCT’s Department of Occupational 
Therapy, entitled ‘Healing and social transformation in mental healthcare 
in South Africa’. This provided an opportunity to engage with a variety 
of professionals in the field of mental healthcare. Here are the thoughts 
of one of the students: ‘I had the best time. The whole environment was 
unique. There was an openness and people were welcoming, not just to 
each other but also to new ideas. I aim to someday be a part of this sharing 
of knowledge and skills in order to draw from each other and complement 
each other’s unique techniques.’ 

D’Alessandro and Frager[3] concluded in their recent study that theatre 
and story are effective tools in teaching undergraduate medical students. 
The dramatherapist believes that ‘Telling a tale enables each of us to know 
ourselves as someone who has a voice which is worth listening to, someone 
who can be heard and understood’.[4] It is my hope that the arts and medicine 
will continue to be partners in the training of knowledgeable, reflective and 
empathic healthcare professionals. 

With special thanks to Aisha Najjaar.

Marlize Swanepoel
Primary Health Care Directorate, Faculty of Health Sciences, 

University of Cape Town, South Africa

marlize@wezside.co.za

1. Editorial. Does simulation-based training have a future in Africa?Afr J Health Professions Educ 2014;6(2):117-118. 
[http://dx.doi.org/10.7196/AJHPE.534]

2. Hougham R. Numinosity, symbol and ritual in the Sesame approach. Dramatherapy 2006;28(2):3-8.
3. D’Alessandro P, Frager G. Theatre: An innovative teaching tool integrated into core undergraduate medical 

curriculum. Arts & Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice 2014;6(2):191-204.
4. Gersie A, King N. Storymaking in Education and Therapy. London: Jessica Kingsley, 1990.

Afr J Health Professions Educ 2015;7(1):65. DOI:10.7196/AJHPE.542