All students commence their placement, and prepare for the second of their two major writing assignments, the Case Study of 8,000 to 10,000 words. Its purpose is to examine and communicate a student’s work on placements in depth and can concern one or more individuals, or a group. It will be in a similar format to Project Research and addresses some of the same issues, in this instance the case study as a genre of writing spanning the ‘scientific paper’, biography, narrative and story telling. An understanding of this, familiarity with such literature, and ability to use it both as a reflection on their own work and communicating it in the public domain, is vital for art psychotherapists and their profession. As in psychotherapy the case study is one of the primary research methods of drama therapy. In its completed form the Case Study, like the Project, will be assessed against the criteria for published work.

For their placement, individual students are placed in an institution, agency or other setting where, with on-site supervision, they may work with clients one-to-one and in groups. As far as possible students' preferences to work with particular kinds of clients are taken into account.  Placements involve contact between the student, the on-site supervisor and course staff.  Art therapists, psychodramatists, occupational therapists, social workers, psychologists and counsellors will supervise students on site. While students are on placement they must attend a specific university based drama therapy supervision group. This group provides students with the opportunity to pay close attention to the development of their therapeutic understanding and skills in practice. Placements must be completed to the satisfaction of course staff concerned and the on-site supervisor, each of whom will write an assessment of the placement.  At the end of placements, students are required to write a placement report.