Assessment and evaluation

In therapy at some point the counselor will engage in an assessment/evaluation  process that generally involves examining how the therapy sessions are going and hopefullyincludes feed back from the client/patient. If the counselor is trained as a
dance movement therapist the evaluation/assessment may include many areas such
as verbal sharing, drawings and movement. Movement assessment can include
observing ( which can be considered seeing someone move objectively) and
witnessing (which can be considered seeing someone move subjectively) a person
move. I look at:

  • Space, how does the person
    move in the environment, up/down, do they use space or stay small.
  • Time, do they move fast/slow.
  • Force, what is their muscle
    tension like, are they contracting/expanding, hard/soft, light/heavy.
  • Flow, is the movement
    continuous, unrestrained, restricted.
  • Sound, do they talk, use
    vocal sound, create sound with their body.
  • Congruent, how are the
    movements related to the intention.
  • What do I feel while
    witnessing, what and how do I feel like moving when witnessing .
  • How does this compare to
    other people I have observed, the same/different.

emotion

I first learned and applied these techniques while studying the movement based

group creative arts modalities know as the Halprin Method and Motional Process
in the 80’s and early 90’s. If you would like more info I recommend 4 books I found useful:

Dance/Movement Therapists in Action: A Working Guide to Research Options

Artistic Inquiry in Dance/Movement Therapy: Creative Research Alternatives

Meaning of Movement

Dance Therapy and Depth Psychology: The Moving Imagination.

These books helped me to strengthen my assessment techniques and to discover new
methods.

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About RichardB

I am trained and work as a Creative Arts Therapist specializing in group therapy. I have passionately studied, worked, and taught as a hands-on practitioner of the Creative/Expressive and Healing Arts since 1983 integrating various modalities working in a variety of clinical and non-clinical settings. I currently provide Creative Arts and Counseling services to nonprofit agencies as well as occasionally teaching classes and workshops in communities of faith. I use compassion and acceptance to create an environment that is safe and nurturing for all individuals and groups. In my spare time I engage in research and write articles on a variety of subjects, create: poems, music, abstract artwork, and photograph nature.
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