Expressive Arts Therapy promotes mind-body integration through creative modalities such as music, dance, drama, and visual arts, providing nonverbal channels of expression within the context of psychotherapy. This course was conducted in the form of a three-day workshop, focusing specifically on methods for assessing nonverbal movement-based communication. By examining the developmental stages of physical movement, students were guided to understand the meaning of gestures and body language—beginning with the movement vocabulary of infants—in order to better interpret the nonverbal cues of older adults. The aim was to equip students with practical skills relevant to working in a super-aged society, particularly using developmental frameworks to assess nonverbal emotional expression among the elderly. In collaboration with the Center for Behavioral Health Education and Research, the course invited retired Professor Yukari Sakiyama from Mukogawa Women’s University in Japan to introduce the foundational concepts of the Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP). Through the three-day intensive, students learned to understand the subtle messages conveyed in movement rhythms and pre-efforts in daily expressions, along with basic methods of recording such observations as a preliminary approach to assessment. The course objectives included developing a foundational understanding of the KMP framework and theory, sharpening students’ sensitivity to observing and describing body movements, cultivating kinesthetic empathy, recognizing the emotional and relational meanings embedded in movement, and applying KMP principles to support self-awareness and emotional expression in work with older adults.

Implemented by Department of Psychology and Counseling
Date: 2025/06/27-2025/06/29