Dramatherapy as a Multidisciplinary Approach to Advancing Human Values in Education and Mental Health: A Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals

Dramatherapy offers an innovative approach to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3s (Good Health), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 16 (Peace and Justice). This interdisciplinary practice, blending psychology, theatre, and pedagogy, uniquely instills values like empathy, resilience, and ethical responsibility in educational and mental health settings. Its explicit links to multiple SDGs position it as a strategic intervention for global challenges, bridging mental health and peacebuilding. This paper explores dramatherapy’s application in schools and mental health, showing how embodied practices like role-play and storytelling enhance emotional literacy and social connectedness. Drawing on experiences from Sri Lanka’s post-conflict and marginalized communities, it highlights dramatherapy’s role in empowering participants to engage with personal narratives and social ethics, significantly promoting social cohesion and non-violence (SDG 16). Integrating dramatherapy into curricula and psychosocial programs can bolster efforts toward holistic education, mental well-being, and social inclusion—essential for sustainable development and advancing the global agenda for just, peaceful, and inclusive societies.