Rate My Professor Drew Bird

Associate Professor Drew Bird, Ph.D., serves as Head of the Creative Arts Therapies Program and Drama Therapy lead within the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music at the University of Melbourne's Victorian College of the Arts. A HCPC-registered Dramatherapist, he brings over twenty years of clinical experience across diverse settings, including child and adolescent mental health, adult mental health, palliative care, learning disabilities, and schools. Prior to his appointment in January 2023, Bird was a senior lecturer on the MA Dramatherapy programme at the University of Derby, where he also completed his Ph.D. in 2019 with a thesis titled 'A Living Inquiry: Activating and Integrating the Multiple Identities of Dramatherapist.' His academic trajectory reflects a commitment to advancing drama therapy education and practice through leadership roles and pedagogical innovation.

Bird's research specializations include heuristic inquiry, arts-based research, a/r/tography, and the application of dramatic improvisation and performance to explore therapeutic and teaching practices. He maintains an active practice in Playback Theatre as an actor, trainer, and director. In scholarly contributions, he has authored 14 publications in international books, articles, and editorials. Notable works encompass 'Playback Theatre, Autoethnography and Generosity' (2017) and various editorials in the Dramatherapy journal, such as the 2020 issue. Bird joined the Dramatherapy journal editorial board in 2019, assuming the editorship from 2021 to 2023. He currently serves on the editorial board of the Creative Arts in Education and Therapy (CAET) journal and is co-editing a book on drama therapy, spirituality, and religion. He presents regularly at international conferences, fostering dialogue in the field of creative arts therapies. Through these endeavors, Bird influences drama therapy's integration into educational and clinical frameworks.