Implications for drama therapy in working single-mother households in the South African context

Black women in South Africa are disproportionately represented in low-paying, insecure occupations, with a significant proportion being single mothers raising children in the absence of fathers (Sonubi, 2010). Despite the prevalence of single-mother-headed households, there is limited research exploring the developmental effects of father absence on children in this context, particularly regarding accessible therapeutic interventions. This study investigates the potential of drama therapy as a psychosocial intervention for children affected by paternal absence, focusing on the capacity of drama therapy to support identity formation, emotional regulation, and social development. Drawing on Western developmental psychoanalytic theory, attachment frameworks, and relational perspectives, the research integrates literature on child development with clinical applications of drama therapy, including role play, storytelling, and projective play techniques. Through illustrative case vignettes of children aged 10–17 years from a Johannesburg school, the study demonstrates how drama therapy facilitates the expression of unconscious and conscious experiences, enhances agency, and provides corrective relational experiences. Findings suggest that drama therapy is a culturally adaptable and developmentally appropriate intervention for mitigating psychological, behavioural, cognitive, and relational challenges associated with father absence in single-mother households.