A Space of Their Own: A case study advocating appropriation of the domestic interior for well-being

This chapter discusses how scenographic (Hann, 2019; 2021) and design practices coupled with narrative concepts offered a means of ‘voyaging’ beyond the confines of living-spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic. It does so through a French case study, which is conceptualised using the Embodiment-Projection-Role (EPR) model of dramatherapy (Jennings, 1998), and draws parallels with literary precedents. Employed in a programme of telehealth workshops, EPR was used to reconceive the domestic interior, supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children in precarious socio-economic circumstances. Telehealth refers to all uses of telecommunications technologies to increase equality of access to healthcare (Collie & Čubranić, 1999). Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, use of tele-therapy has become commonplace as doctors and therapists turned to digital spaces to support patients and clients during periods of legally imposed ‘stay-at-home’ orders and curfews. Online interactions change the relational dynamics between therapist and client. Participants engage differently with the digital format and the content of the session or workshop; for example, asynchronous (pre-recorded) content enables them to progress at their own pace and convenience.