MARIO COSSA, MA, RDT/MT, TEP, CAWT
1450 1/2 Stannage Ave. – Berkeley, CA 94702 – USA
USA Cell: +1 603-203-4130 Bali Phone: +62 81238-445-792
cossa@att.net
Education & Certifications
2004 – Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training – Accredited Training Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
2003 – International Trainer Certification in Experiential Trauma Therapy Using the Therapeutic Spiral Model – Therapeutic Spiral International
2000 – Trainer, Educator, Practitioner (TEP) in Psychodrama – American Board of Examiners in Psychodrama, Sociometry and Group Psychotherapy.
1999 – Registered Drama Therapist/Master Teacher (RDT/MT) Certification – National Association of Drama Therapy.
1997 – 2001 – Trainer in the Following Prevention Curricula: Be Proud! Be Responsible!, Making a Difference!, Making Proud Choices!, Reducing the Risk! (HIV Prevention); Second Step (Violence Prevention); and Life Skills Training (Substance Abuse Prevention.)
1990 – MA in Counseling Psychology – Concentrations in Expressive Arts and Group Psychotherapies. Antioch/New England Graduate School, Keene, New Hampshire
1974 – MA in Secondary Education. Goddard College, Plainfield, Vermont
Recent Professional Experiences
2018 – present – Co-Director: Therapeutic Spiral International
2009 – present – Co-Founder: Bay Area Moreno Institute for Psychodrama and Action Methods
2006 – present – Trainer and Trainer of Trainers for Safe School Ambassadors Anti-Bullying, Youth Empowerment, in-school Program, Community Matters, Santa Rosa, CA
2003 – present – Freelance Trainer and Practitioner in Psychodrama, Drama Therapy, Theatre Education, and Prevention Education in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Malaysia.
1989 – 2003 – Creator/Director of ACTINGOUT, adolescent program offering expressive arts group therapy, theatre training and performance opportunities.
1993 – 1998 – Adjunct Faculty, Antioch/New England Graduate School – Dept. of Applied Psychology, Advanced Group Psychotherapy, Introduction to Psychodrama.
Community Service And Recognitions
2019 – Recipient – Innovator’s Award – American Society for Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama
2009 – Recipient – Neil Passariello Memorial Workshop Presenter – American Society for Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama: The H in HIV is for Human
1999 – 2003 – Member – Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Advisory Council, SAU 29, Keene, NH (USA)
1997 – Recipient – Granite State AIDS Consortium’s “Red Ribbon Award” for HIV Education.
1995 – Recipient – NH Chapter, Alliance for the Mentally Ill’s “Service To Children and Youth Award.”
1990 – Recipient – Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Monadnock Region’s “Service To Youth Award.”
1987 – Moderator – Monadnock Region Substance Abuse Task Force, City of Keene.
Professional Affiliations
2011 – present – Member, Board of Examiners in Psychodrama, Sociometry and Group Psychotherapy.
1998 – 2003 – Member of Executive Council, American Society for Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama.
1997 – Fellow – American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama.
1992 – present – Professional Member, National Association of Drama Therapy.
1991 – present – Lifetime Member, American Society for Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama (ASGPP)
Publications
2019 – Published Chapter – THE CIRCLE OF VALUES: A Classic Psychodrama Technique Re-Imagined for Educational Settings in Indonesia, in Blatner, A. (Ed.) Action Explorations: Using Psychodramatic Methods in Non-Therapeutic Settings. Parallax Productions. pp 167 – 179.
2010 – Published Chapter – HIV: Action Approaches to an On-Going, Global Crisis, in Leveton, E. (Ed.) Healing Collective Trauma Using Sociodrama and Drama Therapy. New York: Springer Publishing Company. pp. 81 – 101.
2007 – Published Chapter – Actingout: An Interactive Youth Drama Group, (with Kim Burden) in Blatner, A. (Ed.) Interactive and Improvisational Drama. New York: iUniverse, Inc. pp. 260-270.
2006 – Article – How Rude!: Using Sociodrama in the Investigation of Bullying and Harassing Behavior and in Teaching Civility in Educational Communities, in Journal of Group Psychotherapy Psychodrama & Sociometry. Vol. 58, No. 4, Winter 2006. pp 182-194.
2006 – Book – Rebels with a cause: Working with adolescents using action techniques. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
2003 – Chapter – Taming Puberty: Utilizing Psychodrama, Sociodrama, and Sociometry with Adolescent Groups, in Gershoni, J (Ed.) Psychodrama in the 21st Century. New York: Springer. pp. 135-150.
2002 – Chapter – Drago-Drama: Archetypal Sociodrama with Adolescents, in Bannister, A. & Huntington, A. (Eds.) Communicating with Children and Adolescents. London: Jessica Kingsley. pp 139-152.
1996 – Book – Acting Out: The Workbook – A guide to the development and presentation of Issue-oriented, audience-interactive, improvisational theatre. Washington, D.C.: Taylor & Francis. (w/ S. Ember, L. Glass & J. Hazelwood.)
Sample Of Conference Presentations
2019 – Cultivating Gratitude: A Sociometric Selection Workshop – American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama Annual Conference, Manchester, NH.
2018 – THE CIRCLE of VALUES: an Adaptation of the Social Cultural Atom – American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama Annual Conference, Dallas, TX.
2008 – THE WHOLE OF (HU)MANKIND: EXPLORING CULTURAL COMPETENCE – American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX.
2006 – Community Building Session Facilitator and Workshop Presenter – Transcending Boundaries& Northeast PFLAG Conference 2006: Celebrating the Spectrum of Sexuality, Gender & Sex – Worcester, MA
2006 – Reflective Theatre Facilitator for Plenary and Morning All-Conference Sessions – Higher Education: A Matter of Heart – International conference on Higher Education, Monash University – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2006 – Befriending Your Amygdala: Exploring the Neurobiology of Trauma and Issues of Self-Care for Professionals – Giving Life – The International Morenian Psychodrama Conference – Melbourne, Australia.
2005 – Resourcing Your Inner Adolescent – Conference of the Australia/New Zealand Psychodrama Association – Brisbane, Australia.