Büyükşahin, G., & İlter, P. (2025). Enhancing Parent–child Relationships through Tele’Drama: Building Connection and Trust.

APA Reference: Büyükşahin, G., & İlter, P. (2025). Enhancing parent–child relationships through Tele’Drama: Building connection and trust. Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Tele’Drama Community Festival (pp. 45–51). Tele’Drama Press. URL HERE


Enhancing Parent-Child Relationships Through Tele’Drama: Building Connection and Trust
Authors: Gülşen Büyükşahin (United States), Pembegül İlter (Türkiye)

Date: March 2025

Authors:

Gülşen Büyükşahin, MA; Certified Tele’Drama Practitioner – Level 3
Co-Director, Tele'Drama Türkiye Regional Institute
Chair, Tele'Drama Marketing & Publicity Team
Gülşen Büyükşahin is a psychological counselor with a master’s degree in developmental psychology and over 15 years of experience working with children and adolescents in schools and psychology centers across Türkiye. A graduate of the Istanbul Zerka Moreno Institute, she has advanced training in individual and child psychodrama and has led psychodrama groups for children, adults, and parents. Since relocating to the United States in 2019, she has continued her education in academic English and is pursuing certification with the American Board of Examiners in Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy. She currently serves as chair of the Tele'Drama Marketing & Publicity Team and is an active contributor to international psychodrama and Tele’Drama initiatives.


Pembegül İlter, MA, =11ptCertified Tele’Drama Practitioner – Level 3
Co-Director, Tele'Drama Türkiye Regional Institute
Project Manager, Tele'Drama International 70+ Support Initiative
Pembegül İlter is a psychologist and assistant psychodramatist trained at the Istanbul Psychodrama Institute (IPI). Since 2008, she has provided psychological support to individuals, families, and children, with a focus on family and relationship counseling, child and adolescent behavior, learning disabilities, and ADHD. She conducts both individual therapy and group sessions centered on personal development, self-expression, creativity, and social skills. Following the pandemic, Pembegül expanded her work to online platforms, leading support groups and workshops that promote psychological well-being. She integrates psychodrama, Tele’Drama, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in her practice. In addition to her therapeutic work, she is a musician with the Istanbul Playback Theater and a Certified Listening Hour Guide.



This article is one of the research-based reports presented by the authors at the 2nd Annual Tele'Drama Community Festival, held on February 22–23, 2025, under the theme Effective Virtual & Hybrid Action Applications in Working with Children and Adolescents.

Abstract
This article presents a research-based demonstration of how Tele'Drama and psychodrama can be effectively integrated using Tele'Drama Fusional InterReality™, a hybrid format that merges physical and virtual spaces to strengthen parent–child relationships. Featured during the 2nd Annual Tele'Drama Community Festival, the session showcased a live interaction between a mother and her teenage daughter. Utilizing tools such as role reversal, doubling, symbolic expression, and interactive technology, the facilitators modeled how action methods can cultivate empathy, trust, and emotional insight—even when participants are geographically dispersed.

The demonstration was grounded in Tele'Drama Fusional InterReality™, a concept developed by Simmons (2025), which bridges time, space, and human connection through integrated hybrid action methods. This approach transforms technological constraints into opportunities for therapeutic engagement across distance.

The session’s central aim was to demonstrate that meaningful therapeutic encounters are not only possible but powerful in virtual and hybrid settings. Rooted in Moreno’s (1953) emphasis on spontaneity and relational action, the facilitators aimed to show how even across screens, participants can co-create emotionally resonant experiences. In line with attachment-based (Bowlby, 1969) and narrative approaches (White & Epston, 1990), the hybrid space became a stage for reenactment, witnessing, and the restructuring of relational patterns—affirming the potential for deep connection and transformation regardless of physical distance. Technology served not as a barrier but as a conduit for authentic connection. Designed for therapists, educators, and counselors, this model offers a replicable and emotionally resonant framework for engaging families in today’s digitally blended clinical landscape.

Keywords
Tele'Drama, parent–child relationship, psychodrama, hybrid therapy, Fusional InterReality™, role reversal, doubling, family dynamics, sociometry

Theoretical Framework
The session was grounded in the theoretical foundations of psychodrama and the Tele'Drama method, both of which emerge from the action-based philosophy of Moreno (1953). Moreno emphasized that psychological healing occurs through spontaneity, relational role exploration, and enacted experience. Psychodrama techniques—such as role reversal, doubling, mirroring, and future projection—externalize internal processes and facilitate emotional transformation within a structured yet flexible environment.

Theoretical underpinnings also draw from attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969), which posits that secure parent–child bonds are essential for healthy emotional development. In this light, the therapeutic encounter becomes a space to reconstruct or reinforce these bonds through symbolic interaction and safe emotional exchange. The hybrid setting, enhanced through Tele'Drama tools, allows participants to co-create emotionally corrective experiences that align with internal working models shaped by past attachment relationships.

The Tele'Drama method, developed by Simmons (2025), adapts these principles for virtual and hybrid formats. By employing tools such as spotlighting, symbolic props, virtual whiteboards, and chat-based interaction, Tele'Drama preserves the emotional depth of in-person psychodrama while enhancing accessibility and inclusion. This multimodal approach engages both affective and cognitive processes, helping participants gain clarity, shift narratives, and experience relational empathy—even across digital platforms.

Why This Topic?
The inspiration for this session arose from repeated clinical encounters where parent–child relationships showed signs of strain—not because of a lack of love, but because of a lack of tools to express and connect. In many cases, caregivers felt emotionally disconnected, overwhelmed by the fast pace of change in their children's lives. One co-presenter recalled a moment during a group therapy session when a father said quietly of his teenage son, “I don’t know how to talk to him anymore.” This single sentence captured a common struggle: when words fail, relationships suffer.

Traditional therapeutic models often focus primarily on the child, treating symptoms rather than relationships. However, the presenters observed that real breakthroughs often occurred when the parent–child bond itself became the focus of the intervention. It was this realization that prompted them to reimagine a model where both members of the dyad could engage in a shared, active process

Narrative therapy (White & Epston, 1990) significantly informed the session’s structure. By allowing both parent and child to become co-authors of a new story, the session provided a space to reconstruct identities and meanings shaped by conflict or distance. The use of psychodramatic action methods transformed those narratives from static stories into dynamic experiences. Each enactment served as an emotional bridge, giving voice to feelings long held in silence.

Backed by extensive fieldwork in schools, clinics, and community organizations, the presenters designed this session to challenge the individual-focused norm. Their goal was to model how hybrid and virtual tools—when paired with experiential methods—could create a relational container strong enough to hold both vulnerability and healing. The result was a demonstration that did more than educate; it moved people. With the continued rise of digital and hybrid modalities, the need for such integrated, relational, and accessible interventions has never been more urgent.

Preparation Process
The session was the result of intentional planning and reflective collaboration. The presenters reviewed previous group work and co-developed a theme designed to resonate meaningfully within a brief time frame. The structure allowed for both methodical intervention and spontaneous participant expression.

A mother and her teenage daughter consented to participate in a live demonstration, fully briefed on the scope, limitations, and educational purpose of the session. It was presented as a one-time, surface-level interaction rather than a deep therapeutic process.

The session included:

• A sociometric warm-up to foster group cohesion and safety
• A live vignette using psychodrama and Tele'Drama Fusional InterReality™ tools
• A symbolic whiteboard activity illustrating an ideal parent–child relationship
• Facilitated group reflection to deepen insight and emotional integration

Session Objectives
The session aimed to provide a shared emotional learning moment for parent and child, with specific objectives to:

• Facilitate perspective-taking between parent and child
• Externalize emotional dynamics through psychodramatic enactment
• Foster empathy and trust using role reversal and symbolic representation
•  Demonstrate a replicable hybrid model for relational work with families

Delivery & Methodology
The demonstration was conducted in a hybrid format: the mother and daughter were physically present in the same room, while all other participants attended virtually. Classic psychodrama techniques were adapted using Tele'Drama’s digital tools to amplify engagement.

Role reversal enabled the mother and daughter to embody each other’s emotional realities. Doubling allowed the expression of underlying, unspoken thoughts. Symbolic props and the collaborative whiteboard visualized internal shifts and relational growth. Far from diluting the emotional impact, technology became an active medium for therapeutic depth.

In the final segment, participants were invited to contribute their own depictions of ideal parent–child bonds via a shared whiteboard. This symbolic, co-creative exercise reinforced the session’s themes and provided a reflective closure.

Outcomes & Reflections
The session yielded significant emotional resonance. During a doubling exercise, the mother recalled a childhood memory that visibly moved her daughter. “I didn’t know she remembered that,” the daughter said. The silence that followed carried emotional weight and mutual recognition.

Participant feedback emphasized the session’s impact. A school counselor reflected, “This reminded me of something I never addressed with my own child.” A clinician noted that the demonstration broadened her understanding of how hybrid tools could be integrated into family therapy.

Crucially, the hybrid format did not compromise the experience; it enhanced it. The integration of digital tools with psychodramatic technique showcased the depth and versatility of Fusional InterReality™ for meaningful relational engagement.

Future Directions
Given additional time and resources, the facilitators suggest future sessions could include:

• Multiple relational vignettes exploring diverse family dynamics
• Future projection scenes envisioning relational transformation
• Engagement of auxiliary participants to deepen enactments
• Co-created scenes with families to explore shared narratives

These enhancements would allow for richer therapeutic exploration. Nevertheless, even within its brief format, the demonstration succeeded in planting seeds of insight, empathy, and connection.

Conclusion
This article has presented a research-based, experiential demonstration of how Tele'Drama and psychodrama—when fused through the method of Fusional InterReality™—can effectively support and enhance parent–child relationships. Grounded in the theories of Moreno (1953), Bowlby (1969), and White & Epston (1990), the session brought together action methods and narrative co-construction in a hybrid therapeutic space.
The demonstration illustrated not only the adaptability of psychodramatic tools like role reversal, doubling, and symbolic representation to virtual formats, but also the emotional potency such methods retain—even across digital platforms. Drawing on real-time interaction between a mother and daughter, the session showed how shared experiences can restore trust, build empathy, and illuminate family dynamics.

Through careful planning, the inclusion of symbolic and interactive components, and the use of hybrid technology, the presenters created a structured yet spontaneous environment for relational repair. Participants’ responses confirmed the value and impact of the model. The hybrid format did not reduce the emotional depth—it enhanced access and resonance.
As families and professionals continue to navigate digital spaces, this approach offers a replicable, flexible, and emotionally effective tool for therapists, counselors, and educators. It affirms that even across screens, transformation is possible when relationships are made central and action becomes the language of connection.


References

Moreno, J. L. (1953). Who shall survive? Foundations of sociometry, group psychotherapy and sociodrama (2nd ed.). Beacon House.

Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment and loss: Vol. 1. Attachment. Basic Books.

White, M., & Epston, D. (1990). Narrative means to therapeutic ends. Norton.

Simmons, D. (2025, March). Tele'Drama Fusional InterReality™: Bridging time, space, and human connection through hybrid action methods. Tele'Drama Press.


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