Marvin G. Knittel Ed.D.
I have discovered after writing two books and numerous articles that sooner or later the manuscript becomes what the Greek mythologists referred to as a siren. It called to me to ignore everything else in my life except to sit at the computer and write! You understand. It’s the obsession that worms its way through your mind to the front of the line. Some of you call it golf. Some of you call it painting. Others call it wood working. It doesn’t matter what it is. An obsession is an obsession. The problem we face is that we seem never to finish! Just like golf. Most of us are never satisfied. Next time our swing will be better, etc.
Finally one day I looked at this book and said, “This is it. I need to stop changing things otherwise it will go on forever!” So here it is. Counseling and Drama: Psychodrama A Deux gives you a peek into my soul. You learn a little of whom I am. And since you know this much you may as well learn more.
I am a retired teacher. I began as a high school teacher in 1955 and retired in 1999. During those 44 years I taught high school students in social sciences, served as a speech pathologist, public school counselor, university professor of counseling and school psychology, department chairperson, academic vice president, and an interim president. In my spare time I had a private practice in psychotherapy and contracted with local schools as a school psychologist. Everything was exciting and fulfilling but becoming competent in psychodrama in the early 1980s surfaced as a passion that fit like a tailored suit. I had no choice but to share my enthusiasm with graduate students and finally with you through this book.
So how did I arrive here writing books and articles in my senior years? All of us reflect the sum total of our life experiences—with a few genes thrown in. The trick is to understand what experiences had the most influence. Some events may be dramatic but for most of us the main influential events go practically unnoticed. The life that surrounds us for years and years mold us into what we are. A fish discovers water last just as we discover our surroundings last. We are inside of our life bubble. We seldom can see it from a distance. Our objectivity is flawed so we don’t always understand how we became who we are.
My passion to teach and counsel people searching for balance in their lives grew from my experience on a South Dakota farm and a small community where everyone was there for one another. I think my introspective focus evolved from the life saving amputation of my left arm at the age of five. I began speculating about the nature of life very early which quite naturally lead me to a career that brings me into the personal space of others searching for answers.
Of course I can not ignore my drive to “play it forward.” Hosts of people were there for me throughout my life. Someone was always there as a guide when I needed it. Sometimes guidance came from a higher power but often from caring and sensitive people in my life. Life has been so good it is impossible not to share it with others.
So here I am in my senior years with this passion to share something of my good fortune. Fortunately I have discovered that I can do this through the written word.