Vicky Karkou

Dance movement therapy fro depression (protocol)

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: 1. To assess the effects of dance movement therapy (DMT) for depression compared with no treatment (waiting list) or to standard care in both child and adult populations 2. To compare DMT with other psychological interventions (e.g. psychodynamic psychotherapy or IPT, counselling or CBT) 3. To compare DMT with pharmacological interventions (e.g. anti-depressants, minor tranquillisers or mood stabilisers) 4. To compare DMT with other physical interventions (e.g. dance or exercise) 5. To compare different forms of DMT (e.g. Laban-based DMT, Chacian DMT or Authentic Movement) (see below for explanations of these)

Traditional Dance, Pedagogy and Technology: An Overview of the WebDANCE Project

With few exceptions, dance, and traditional dance in particular, has received little attention regarding the development of technological tools that can support teaching. The WebDANCE project was a pilot study with a European scope that aimed to experiment with the development of a web‐based learning environment for traditional dances. The final tool included teaching units and 3D animation for two dances, Karsilamas from Greece and Valentine Morris from England, and was evaluated before (front‐end), during (formative) and towards the end of the project (summative evaluation). Experience from the WebDANCE project has shown that (1) the same conceptualisation schema can potentially be used to document different European traditional dances, (2) web‐based tools can be used to create attractive and functional dance resources, and (3) these tools can support the teaching of traditional dances to young people. As the interest from teachers/trainers and traditional dance experts for such tools is growing, further work is required in order to increase the flexibility and functionality of these tools, and make them more easily accessible to teachers and students in school environments.

A comparative analysis of body psychotherapy and dance movement psychotherapy from a European perspective

Abstract The role of embodiment within contemporary psychotherapy practice and its discussion are gathering momentum, and are part of a paradigm shift in psychotherapy in which theory and practice are being reformulated. Body psychotherapy (BP) and dance movement psychotherapy (DMP) are playing a leading role in these deliberations. Although these two professions have separate professional bodies, distinct theoretical grounding and clinical methodology, they both place enormous value on the central role of the body and its movement as indicators of relational problems, and as agents of therapeutic change. There are few authors comparing and contrasting BP and DMP although they have much in common as they are both embodied, enactive psychotherapies. However, neither their overlaps in theory, methodology and some of their clinical practice nor their distinct character has been sufficiently delineated. This article elucidates some similarities and differences in fundamental assumptions, compares and contrasts definitions and terms and considers common and contrasting theoretical perspectives, techniques and methods. It is expected that this will contribute to the ongoing discussion of the articulation of core characteristics in both professions and will facilitate a better understanding and collaboration between them.

Evaluation of a brief art psychotherapy group for adults suffering from mild to moderate depression: Pilot pre, post and follow-up study

ABSTRACT Current therapies do not offer universal solutions for the ‘global burden’ of depression. By focusing on non-verbal communication and creativity, arts therapies might present a relevant treatment option but their effectiveness remains unclear. A pilot study was undertaken to evaluate a brief art therapy group for adults suffering from depression. Adults experiencing mild to moderate depression took part in art therapy and completed questionnaires at three points in time. The intensity of depression, levels of anxiety and general wellbeing were measured. Semi-structured interviews focused on participants’ expectations and experience of therapy. A decrease in depressive symptoms was observed immediately after the therapy and at the follow-up, and a trend for improvement of subjectively perceived wellbeing was recorded. Potential benefits of therapy recognised by participants included: acceptance of depression, readiness to express emotions, sense of self and awareness of others, readiness for meaningful relationships, sense of achievement, sense of balance and new insights, growth and meaning. The statistically significant results and participants’ experience indicate that art therapy may offer a valuable treatment option for depression, and further research is recommended. Future studies should explore ways of addressing both the outcomes and the process of therapy through creative methodological designs.

Arts Therapies in the Treatment of Depression

The book is a comprehensive compilation of expert knowledge on arts therapies’ potential in addressing depression. It gathers examples of current research practice, both qualitative and quantitative, from Europe and beyond. The three sections correspond to particular life stages (children, adults, older people) and individual chapters represent all four arts therapies disciplines (music therapy, art therapy, dance movement therapy and dramatherapy). Since depression is an extremely common condition among clients and patients of arts therapists, identifying best possible ways of addressing the condition in therapy sessions, sharing experience of tools which seem to work best and discussing particularly relevant aspects of depression will inevitably lead to a conscious and confident evidence-based practice. By presenting high profile research in the field, this book aims to improve existing arts therapies practice, empower practitioners to successfully work with depression and to share current research evidence with other professionals working in health, education and arts sectors. The book will include contributions from experts in the field of arts therapies and depression in particular, presenting research projects undertaken recently, either in the form of clinical trials, surveys or case studies. Since the editors believe that arts therapies research should reflect the essentially creative character of the field, the book will become a compilation of examples of diverse research designs and methods, while it will invite discussions and relevant critique of both existing practice but also of relevant research methodologies suited to the research questions asked and the subject matter dealt with. We are aware that high-quality research on arts therapies and depression is emerging from research teams around the world. We would like this research to be more visible, accessible and inspirational for arts therapists, trainees, other health practitioners, researchers and those shaping health provision. We are offering this compilation with hope for research in the field to develop even further.

Conclusions to the Oxford Handbook of Dance and Wellbeing

Movement therapy, as a body-mind intervention, aims to enable emotional and social changes in children and adults. It is built on the premise that physical and behavioural changes will also facilitate psychological changes and that ultimately further integration is achieved which is the basis of one’s wellbeing. However, there is limited empirical research evidence that explores whether movement therapy does indeed enable the development and integration of physical and emotional/social skills. The existence of co-morbid difficulties in conjunction with cognitive delays in children with learning difficulties heighten the need to investigate whether movement therapy can indeed enable physical and emotional integration as relevant literature suggests. This chapter reports on findings associated with the hypothesis that this intervention will enable further integration (and thus relationship) between emotional wellbeing and perceptual-motor ability of children with mild learning difficulties in primary schools in Saudi Arabia. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Saudi Arabia with a sample of sixty (N=60) primary school male pupils aged between 6-9 years. The sample was identified as having mild learning disabilities and was randomly allocated; with equal number of participants, to a movement therapy (8 weeks of three sessions a week) intervention group and a control group that engaged in the same number of regular Physical Education sessions. The Goodman SDQ and the Purdue Motor Survey were used to measure outcomes of wellbeing and perceptual-motor ability respectively. The Spearman’s correlation coefficient test indicated a stronger relationships between the emotional wellbeing and perceptual-motor ability after the intervention in the movement therapy group. Although findings from this study need to be treated with caution due to the small sample, they do suggest that group movement therapy may be a useful intervention in enabling integration between observed emotion/social and physical/behavioural markers in children with mild learning difficulties.

Cultural adaptations of Dance Movement Psychotherapy experiences: from a UK higher education context to working with communities in southern Africa facing water related inequality

Movement therapy, as a body-mind intervention, aims to enable emotional and social changes in children and adults. It is built on the premise that physical and behavioural changes will also facilitate psychological changes and that ultimately further integration is achieved which is the basis of one’s wellbeing. However, there is limited empirical research evidence that explores whether movement therapy does indeed enable the development and integration of physical and emotional/social skills. The existence of co-morbid difficulties in conjunction with cognitive delays in children with learning difficulties heighten the need to investigate whether movement therapy can indeed enable physical and emotional integration as relevant literature suggests. This chapter reports on findings associated with the hypothesis that this intervention will enable further integration (and thus relationship) between emotional wellbeing and perceptual-motor ability of children with mild learning difficulties in primary schools in Saudi Arabia. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Saudi Arabia with a sample of sixty (N=60) primary school male pupils aged between 6-9 years. The sample was identified as having mild learning disabilities and was randomly allocated; with equal number of participants, to a movement therapy (8 weeks of three sessions a week) intervention group and a control group that engaged in the same number of regular Physical Education sessions. The Goodman SDQ and the Purdue Motor Survey were used to measure outcomes of wellbeing and perceptual-motor ability respectively. The Spearman’s correlation coefficient test indicated a stronger relationships between the emotional wellbeing and perceptual-motor ability after the intervention in the movement therapy group. Although findings from this study need to be treated with caution due to the small sample, they do suggest that group movement therapy may be a useful intervention in enabling integration between observed emotion/social and physical/behavioural markers in children with mild learning difficulties.

Attending to the heart beat in Dance Movement Psychotherapy: improvements in mood and quality of life for patients with Coronary Heart Disease

Movement therapy, as a body-mind intervention, aims to enable emotional and social changes in children and adults. It is built on the premise that physical and behavioural changes will also facilitate psychological changes and that ultimately further integration is achieved which is the basis of one’s wellbeing. However, there is limited empirical research evidence that explores whether movement therapy does indeed enable the development and integration of physical and emotional/social skills. The existence of co-morbid difficulties in conjunction with cognitive delays in children with learning difficulties heighten the need to investigate whether movement therapy can indeed enable physical and emotional integration as relevant literature suggests. This chapter reports on findings associated with the hypothesis that this intervention will enable further integration (and thus relationship) between emotional wellbeing and perceptual-motor ability of children with mild learning difficulties in primary schools in Saudi Arabia. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Saudi Arabia with a sample of sixty (N=60) primary school male pupils aged between 6-9 years. The sample was identified as having mild learning disabilities and was randomly allocated; with equal number of participants, to a movement therapy (8 weeks of three sessions a week) intervention group and a control group that engaged in the same number of regular Physical Education sessions. The Goodman SDQ and the Purdue Motor Survey were used to measure outcomes of wellbeing and perceptual-motor ability respectively. The Spearman’s correlation coefficient test indicated a stronger relationships between the emotional wellbeing and perceptual-motor ability after the intervention in the movement therapy group. Although findings from this study need to be treated with caution due to the small sample, they do suggest that group movement therapy may be a useful intervention in enabling integration between observed emotion/social and physical/behavioural markers in children with mild learning difficulties.

Special issue on research, autumn, 2014

Dear Readers, Welcome to this special issue with an exclusive focus on current research articles. The special issue also provides us with an opportunity for some reflections on current research perspectives. We regard research as an indispensable aspect for advancing our collective knowledge. However, the marriage between research and clinical practice has not been an easy one. Research has been seen as an add-on, an external requirement, a practice imposed upon practitioners and, as a result, many cannot see its value for daily clinical practice. The article ‘Somatic psychotherapy and research: Walking the common ground’ in the previous issue raised a very relevant point for reflection and discussion. In his article, Johnson (2014) points to a number of common elements shared by a therapy session and a research study and similarities between the roles of therapists and researchers, for example the strategic curiosity cultivated intentionally by both researchers and psychotherapists. Johnson’s (2014) reflections challenge the traditional polarisation between research and clinical practice which arguably does little to advance our collective knowledge. This journal, and this special issue in particular, attempts to bridge that divide in that it offers examples of ways in which research and clinical practice can meet. In order to bring these two equally crucial aspects of our fields together, an understanding of the nature of research becomes relevant. In the experience of one of the editors for this special issue, the understanding, and often demystifying, of research is half of the battle. Once one realises that good clinical practice involves curiosity about human nature, a willingness to offer the best possible treatment and a commitment to improve practice, the overlaps with research are obvious. The next step is very much about learning the particular language that is used in research and, if one wants to delve deeper, the philosophical underpinnings of this type of work/ research-based practice. The first article of this issue, ‘Becoming visible as a profession in a climate of competitiveness: The role of research’ by Bonnie Meekums, does exactly this: it offers an overview of research paradigms available and potentially useful for the field, inviting practitioners to engage with the language of research and the philosophical premises it is built upon. Drawing upon widely ranging research methodologies used in dance movement psychotherapy (DMP) research, this paper sets out with perceptions and projections that contextualise contemporary research before discussing research approaches such as post-positivist mixed methods systematic reviews, constructivist research or ways to evaluate quality in nonpositivist research. Meekums also explores service-user contributions and the challenges posed by ethical considerations in research projects, concluding with an