He was awarded Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Berkeley during his Junior year,[1] and then graduated in 1959 with honors in the field of cultural aspects of religion.
After internship in Los Angeles, Dr. Blatner did specialty training in the psychiatric residency program at the Stanford University Medical Center.
While there he discovered the therapeutic role playing approach called Psychodrama, which became one of his sub-specialty interests, integrated with a general exploration of other types of psychotherapy.
While serving for three years in the U.S. Air Forces at a base in England[2] as a child and adult psychiatrist, Blatner began writing Acting-In: Practical Applications of Psychodramatic Methods.
co-authored with Allee Blatner (1988), Foundations of Psychodrama: History, Theory, and Practice (1988), Interactive and Improvisational Drama: Varieties of Applied Theatre and Performance.