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About Norma Kay Lord

Norma Kay Lord is a Licensed Master Social Worker, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Nationally Certified Group Therapist in Texas and New Mexico. She is the founder of the Houston Psychodrama Institute and a trainer in psychodrama, sociodrama, and group psychotherapy. A continuing education provider, she is a Fellow of the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama (ASGPP), a lifetime member of the International Family Therapists Association (IFTA), and a member of TAMFT and NASW.

Counseling Associates of South Texas. (CAST) was started in 1989 by Norma Kay Lord and Ibolya Stipkovits. CAST was created as primarily a Psychodrama practice and every counselor at the time was either training in Psychodrama or certified as a Psychodrama Practitioner. In 1994, Ms. Stipkovits moved to Florida for personal reasons and the practice continued as a solo practice with Norma Kay Lord till 2005.

In 2005, Norma Kay Lord moved to a new location where she established a group practice under her guidance and training. At any given time, there were 6-8 therapists and 4-5 master’s level interns from the University of Houston, Sam Houston University and Our Lady of the Lake University. All therapists and interns were trained in Psychodrama and monthly Training workshops were held.

CAST became a community based on sociometric principles. There were Psychodrama groups monthly for Training, including staff and outside therapists. Psychodrama groups were held weekly or bi-weekly for men, women, children and adolescents. Free therapy was provided by interns, supervised by Norma Kay Lord and the Assistant Clinical Director, MS. Amy Lord under the Tumaini Foundation.

Through innovative teaching methods and deep commitment to social justice, Herb trained hundreds of practitioners who now carry this work into communities across India and beyond. His legacy continues to inspire new generations to use psychodrama as a tool for empathy, creativity, and meaningful change.

Herb’s legacy continues in the hearts of those he trained, inspired, and supported. Through them, his spirit of creativity, compassion, and wholehearted presence lives on.

Other groups include:

Free Spirit Eating Disorders Program

Changing Women Series

Strengthening Families Program

Patterns and Partners

Multi-Family Group

Court-Mandated Programs for MIP

Creative Parenting

Drug and Alcohol Education Classes

Ancient Pathways Program

Ancient Wisdom Circle

Martial Arts Therapeutic Training (MATT)

Facilitated Drumming

Cranial Sacral Therapy Instruction

Purpose Group

Therapeutic Yoga

In 2020-2022 Norma Kay came out of retirement to co-facilitate online groups with Dr Herbert Propper for his students from India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

kay

About Norma Kay Lord

Norma Kay Lord is a Licensed Master Social Worker, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Nationally Certified Group Therapist in Texas and New Mexico. She is the founder of the Houston Psychodrama Institute and a trainer in psychodrama, sociodrama, and group psychotherapy. A continuing education provider, she is a Fellow of the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama (ASGPP), a lifetime member of the International Family Therapists Association (IFTA), and a member of TAMFT and NASW.

Counseling Associates of South Texas. (CAST) was started in 1989 by Norma Kay Lord and Ibolya Stipkovits. CAST was created as primarily a Psychodrama practice and every counselor at the time was either training in Psychodrama or certified as a Psychodrama Practitioner. In 1994, Ms. Stipkovits moved to Florida for personal reasons and the practice continued as a solo practice with Norma Kay Lord till 2005.

In 2005, Norma Kay Lord moved to a new location where she established a group practice under her guidance and training. At any given time, there were 6-8 therapists and 4-5 master’s level interns from the University of Houston, Sam Houston University and Our Lady of the Lake University. All therapists and interns were trained in Psychodrama and monthly Training workshops were held.

CAST became a community based on sociometric principles. There were Psychodrama groups monthly for Training, including staff and outside therapists. Psychodrama groups were held weekly or bi-weekly for men, women, children and adolescents. Free therapy was provided by interns, supervised by Norma Kay Lord and the Assistant Clinical Director, MS. Amy Lord under the Tumaini Foundation.

Through innovative teaching methods and deep commitment to social justice, Herb trained hundreds of practitioners who now carry this work into communities across India and beyond. His legacy continues to inspire new generations to use psychodrama as a tool for empathy, creativity, and meaningful change.

Herb’s legacy continues in the hearts of those he trained, inspired, and supported. Through them, his spirit of creativity, compassion, and wholehearted presence lives on.

Other groups include:

Free Spirit Eating Disorders Program

Changing Women Series

Strengthening Families Program

Patterns and Partners

Multi-Family Group

Court-Mandated Programs for MIP

Creative Parenting

Drug and Alcohol Education Classes

Ancient Pathways Program

Ancient Wisdom Circle

Martial Arts Therapeutic Training (MATT)

Facilitated Drumming

Cranial Sacral Therapy Instruction

Purpose Group

Therapeutic Yoga

In 2020-2022 Norma Kay came out of retirement to co-facilitate online groups with Dr Herbert Propper for his students from India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

kay

About Norma Kay Lord

Norma Kay Lord is a Licensed Master Social Worker, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Nationally Certified Group Therapist in Texas and New Mexico. She is the founder of the Houston Psychodrama Institute and a trainer in psychodrama, sociodrama, and group psychotherapy. A continuing education provider, she is a Fellow of the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama (ASGPP), a lifetime member of the International Family Therapists Association (IFTA), and a member of TAMFT and NASW.

Counseling Associates of South Texas. (CAST) was started in 1989 by Norma Kay Lord and Ibolya Stipkovits. CAST was created as primarily a Psychodrama practice and every counselor at the time was either training in Psychodrama or certified as a Psychodrama Practitioner. In 1994, Ms. Stipkovits moved to Florida for personal reasons and the practice continued as a solo practice with Norma Kay Lord till 2005.

In 2005, Norma Kay Lord moved to a new location where she established a group practice under her guidance and training. At any given time, there were 6-8 therapists and 4-5 master’s level interns from the University of Houston, Sam Houston University and Our Lady of the Lake University. All therapists and interns were trained in Psychodrama and monthly Training workshops were held.

CAST became a community based on sociometric principles. There were Psychodrama groups monthly for Training, including staff and outside therapists. Psychodrama groups were held weekly or bi-weekly for men, women, children and adolescents. Free therapy was provided by interns, supervised by Norma Kay Lord and the Assistant Clinical Director, MS. Amy Lord under the Tumaini Foundation.

Through innovative teaching methods and deep commitment to social justice, Herb trained hundreds of practitioners who now carry this work into communities across India and beyond. His legacy continues to inspire new generations to use psychodrama as a tool for empathy, creativity, and meaningful change.

Herb’s legacy continues in the hearts of those he trained, inspired, and supported. Through them, his spirit of creativity, compassion, and wholehearted presence lives on.

Other groups include:

Free Spirit Eating Disorders Program

Changing Women Series

Strengthening Families Program

Patterns and Partners

Multi-Family Group

Court-Mandated Programs for MIP

Creative Parenting

Drug and Alcohol Education Classes

Ancient Pathways Program

Ancient Wisdom Circle

Martial Arts Therapeutic Training (MATT)

Facilitated Drumming

Cranial Sacral Therapy Instruction

Purpose Group

Therapeutic Yoga

In 2020-2022 Norma Kay came out of retirement to co-facilitate online groups with Dr Herbert Propper for his students from India, Bangladesh and Nepal.

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© 2025 HOPE – House of Psychodrama Education. All rights reserved.

Rashmi Sundaram

Rashmi Sundaram is a dedicated Supervised Practitioner with the American Board of Examiners in Psychodrama, Sociometry and Group Psychotherapy, committed to supporting individuals on their journey toward emotional well-being.

She began her Psychodrama training with Dr. Herbert Propper, and her primary trainer is Norma Kay Lord. She holds an MA in Psychology (Counselling) and is also pursuing advanced-level training in Transactional Analysis. In addition, Rashmi is a Certified QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper and a Dot Listener. She is committed to continuous learning, ensuring that each individual she works with receives thoughtful, grounded, and informed guidance.

As the creator and host of the mental well-being podcast “Let’s Talk”, she brings meaningful conversations on healing, resilience, and self-understanding to a wider community. Her vision is to create safe community spaces where people can form genuine human connections.

She also serves as a Board Member in the India Board of Psychodrama, currently in its formation stage.

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Ulka Shenoy

Ulka Shenoy is a passionate Special Educator with over a decade of experience supporting learners with diverse needs and empowering them to thrive in academic and emotional spaces. With a deep commitment to inclusive education, she has spent years working closely with students, families, and educators to foster environments where every child feels seen, understood, and capable.

Ulka is also on an enriching Psychodrama journey under the guidance of her primary trainer, Norma Kay Lord. Her expanding work in psychodrama allows her to bring creative, experiential, and compassionate approaches into her practice—helping individuals and groups explore emotional well-being through expressive and action-based methods.

Dedicated to bridging the worlds of mental health and education, Ulka envisions introducing mental wellness awareness more meaningfully into schools and colleges. Her mission is to help young people develop emotional literacy, resilience, and healthier relationships—with themselves and with others.

With her combined expertise in special education and psychodrama, Ulka strives to build supportive, empathetic, and inclusive communities where both students and educators can simultaneously grow and flourish.

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Mukta Awasthi

Mukta Awasthi is a Social Worker, Counsellor, and Mental Health Practitioner with over 15 years of experience supporting individuals through emotional and psychological challenges. A committed learner and practitioner, she began her Psychodrama journey in 2022 with Dr. Herbert Propper and continued her advanced training under her primary trainer, Norm Kay Lord.

Mukta’s professional background includes extensive training in facilitation, public speaking, and impactful communication, which laid the foundation for her passion in counselling. She holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology.

She is a certified practitioner of Metaphor Therapy, Family Constellation, Reiki, and NLP (Master Level). Her therapeutic approach integrates Cognitive Therapy, Metaphor Therapy, Drawing Analysis, and other expressive modalities that access the subconscious mind through imagery, colour, and imagination—often enabling clients to experience transformative breakthroughs in just a few sessions.

Mukta is the creator of “Baat Bindaas!”, a workshop designed to help adolescents navigate the emotional, physical, and psychological complexities of their teenage years. She also facilitates an intensive Stress Management Workshop, guiding individuals to cultivate deep and lasting inner calm using practical, holistic tools.

She is the Founder of "Sparsh Centre for Understanding & Counselling", where her mission is to transform lives with compassion, clarity, and conscious connection—one person at a time.

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Clark Baim

Clark Baim, PhD, is a Senior Trainer in Psychodrama Psychotherapy (UKCP, BPA) and Director of the Birmingham Institute for Psychodrama in the UK. He is also on the faculty of the Family Relations Institute, based in Reggio Emilia, Italy and Miami, USA.

He was recently the Honorary President of the British Psychodrama Association and is a recipient of the BPA’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2018) and the ASGPP’s David Kipper Scholar’s Award. Clark has more than thirty years of experience in groupwork, group psychotherapy and staff training, focusing on work in prisons, probation centres and forensic hospitals.

He has run psychodrama groups in prisons and has travelled to more than 33 countries to deliver training in psychodrama, attachment theory, forensic psychotherapy, supervision, and experiential methods in groupwork.

Clark has published widely in the fields of attachment, forensic treatment, psychodrama, co-working and applied theatre. A native of Chicago, USA, he has lived in the UK since 1987.

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Dr. Scott Giacomucci

Dr. Scott Giacomucci, DSW, LCSW, BCD, CGP, FAAETS, TEP, is the Director/Founder of the Phoenix Center for Experiential Trauma Therapy in Media, Pennsylvania. He teaches trauma-focused psychodrama as an Adjunct Professor & Research Associate at Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and frequently offers training workshops around the world.

He is the author of Trauma-Focused Psychodrama: Experiential Therapy for Complex PTSD (Forthcoming, 2026) Social Work, Sociometry, & Psychodrama (2021, 500,000+ downloads), Trauma-Informed Principles in Group Therapy, Psychodrama, and Organizations (2023), along with multiple research studies, articles, and book chapters.

His YouTube channel reaches a few thousand people each day, providing free education for professionals and community members.

He is Co-Chief-Editor of the Journal of Psychodrama, Sociometry, and Group Psychotherapy, co-chair of the research committee of the American Society of Group Psychotherapy & Psychodrama, board member of Philadelphia Area Group Psychotherapy Society, and a member of the Social & Collective Trauma Committee of the International Association of Group Psychotherapy.

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Jennie Krystal

Jennie Kristel, MA, REAT, APTT, received her degree in expressive therapies from Lesley University in 1986 and her REAT credential in 2014. She is a visiting instructor at Lesley University and has worked in a wide variety of clinical and non-clinical settings and populations, including inpatient and outpatient hospitals, around issues of grief, loss, trauma, and anxiety.

She is in private practice, working with survivors of human trafficking, domestic and sexual violence, anxiety disorders, disability, and depression. She is an adjunct instructor at Lesley University and offers workshops and training in expressive arts therapy, Playback Theatre, and "The Listening Hour" internationally, particularly in Southeast Asia.

Her background in theatre also informs her work. Currently, she is focusing her work on transgenerational and ancestral trauma and the forces that shaped the persons and their relationships: personally, spiritually, and collectively, using Sociometry, Playback Theatre and expressive art therapy.She is a professional artist focusing on mixed media and has trained extensively in printmaking.

She has long been a member of the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association and is the co-coordinator of the Northeast IEATA chapter and sits on the Board of IEATA as Co-Chair of the Governance committee.

She has supervised individuals in expressive arts therapy for over 7 years and thoroughly enjoys the process of supporting people in this field. She has written on using the arts in therapy, including co-writing Using Art Therapy in Diverse Populations: Crossing Cultures and Abilities, and published chapters and articles about using the arts in the community, postpartum care, and grief.

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Cissy Rock

Cissy Rock studied Psychodrama with the Australian Aotearoa New Zealand Psychodrama Association (AANZPA) and is an accredited Sociodramatist. Through her collective Community Think, she engages in campaigns, place-based community development, large-scale community facilitation processes, workshops, and supervision. Cissy’s approach is collaborative, dedicated, and passionate. Using Morenian methods, Cissy addresses symptoms of inclusion, exclusion, and patronisation, working within the dynamics of systems in ways that develop and build social cohesion.

Cissy leads sessions at Wellington’s Theatre of Spontaneity that are open to the general public and runs Sociodrama groups in Wellington and Auckland. Cissy has also taken sociodrama to the Fringe Festival, using the Living Newspaper in a show called We Are the Drama. You can watch a video clip here. Cissy is the President of AANZPA and a Trustee for the International Association of Community Development.

Cissy has presented Sociodrama workshops at World Community Development Conferences in Scotland 2019 and Darwin 2023, at the International Facilitation Conference in Canberra 2023, at One Day Wonder Conference in Melbourne 2022, 2023, 2024, the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama Los Angeles Conference 2024, and the 8th International Sociodrama Conference in Budapest 2024.

Cissy lives in Petone in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, and enjoys drinking coffee, eating cinnamon brioche, traveling, and building connections wherever she goes.

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