The World Alliance of Dramatherapy: History, purpose and the work of global professional belonging

The World Alliance of Dramatherapy (WADth) was established in 2017 as a global alliance of professional, membership-based drama therapy associations and currently comprises 17 associations representing 34 countries, with approximately 4223 documented members. Rather than functioning as a regulatory or accrediting body, WADth was conceived as a federated platform to support international exchange, collaboration and collective visibility for the field. This article traces the historical conditions giving rise to the Alliance, examines its mission and organizational form and situates WADth within broader debates on professionalization, cultural plurality and global mental health. It also reflects on the tensions and challenges that accompany efforts to build global professional belonging across uneven sociopolitical, regulatory and economic contexts. Drawing on WADth’s official mission documentation and established drama therapy scholarship, the article argues that WADth represents a distinctive model of global professional organization, one grounded in relationality, plurality and reflexivity rather than standardization alone, and concludes by considering implications for the future development of drama therapy as WADth enters its second decade.