pat's final

Thereputic Twists on Old Ideas
by Pat Devine

Have you ever related an experience or emotion by comparing it to a movie? Have had an uncomfortable silence is broken and, in turn, a conversation started by the introduction of music? Have you ever seen someone seem to enjoy petting a dog, or ever noticed that your pet was something of a conversation starter?

All these situations and their outside stimuli have roots in the human psyche, roots that, when triggered properly, could have healing and calming effects.

Different types of therapy incorporating the use of art, cinema, music and even animals, at first, may sound new-aged and even unscientific, are becoming widely accepted and popular tools in the field of counseling.

“Whatever helps you to get to a better place is therapy,” said High Point University counselor Lynda Noffsinger LPC.

And whatever gets you to that place, without too much sacrifice, is probably worth doing.

“Some people have their thoughts ready [when they come to see me]… Some people are so depressed that they can’t access their words,” says Noffsinger. “They counselor is like the key master she [or he] should be able to unlock doors.”

This metaphor is quite true. The therapist/counselor must find a way to make the patient comfortable enough to express his or her thoughts and let themselves be helped.

Dr. Noffsinger went on to tell a story about a girl she had counseled a number of years back, in her private practice who had tremendous difficulties expressing herself.

The girl attended an Ivy League university and was very smart. She was bi-polar, however.

The student came in with nine big poster sized paintings and sprawled them out on the floor in Noffsinger’s office. The paintings helped show what was going through the girls mind, “they were filled with vibrant and intense colors”.

The paintings themselves, and the fact that she had stayed up 3 nights in a row painting them, helped the doctor to see what was really going on with her.

“It helped her be understood better than any words could have told.”

She diagnosed her bi-polar almost on the spot.

Another door key Noffsinger uses is cinema.

She says that she is familiar with many movies herself, and that because it is easier to relate to someone through something that your comfortable talking about, talking to patient through relating to movies is very helpful.

“If I’m talking and trying to get a point across, I reference the movie [that I recommended the patient watch].” It’s pretty commonsensical.

Another counselor at the University, Dr. Kim Soban, is very familiar with a different type of therapy probably not considered common by the average American.

Kim Soban works with patients similar to any college counselor. She is also concerned with getting to the root of each patient’s issue and considers the comfort of the patient essential in achieving this goal.

Dr. Soban uses a different device in the attainment of patient comfort… her dogs.

The title of her dissertation was Relevancy and utilization of canine in animal-assisted therapy: A phenomenological study of client-patient attitudes and experiences.

What initially sparked her interest in the subject? While working at High Point University she encountered a male student who was so depressed he couldn’t talk. On their 6th meeting, however, she noticed him staring at a picture on a shelf behind her.

“He said, ‘Are those your dogs?’ He looked at them and he had tears in his eyes,” recalled Soban.
He then opened up to her, telling her that his dog died recently and that it was much like one of hers.

She continued to work with the student afterward, but she brought the terrier into the office with them.

“I was shocked by the difference it made.”

The dogs act as a distraction which helps to break down the barriers between doctor and subject. “It gives the patient a feeling of home,” said Dr. Soban. Also, “if a patient has control issues, when you have a dog, they can be in control of it… Dogs are unconditional creatures.”

They not only provide a means to break barriers, they are also very intuitive.

“It amazes me. Dogs are all so sensitive and in tune.”

She had one patient who started crying during a session. Immediately, her dog Sydney jumped up onto the couch next to her and put his head in her lap.

According to Soban there are no drawbacks to dog-therapy and it seems to work for everyone except people who have past negative issues concerning dogs.

Also, according to Dr. Soban (and common sense), laid-back dogs work the best. Golden retrievers and labs are the most commonly used world-wide for this reason.

One last area of therapy that has been gaining powerful recognition in recent decades is done through the use of music.

Music also functions as a metaphorical door key when bypassing walls between doctor and patient.

“[Reactions to music therapy and instrumnents] depend on the age of the [patients]”, says one psychologist practiced in music therapy, Michael Kirch PHD. “Young kids want to touch the instruments…teens are more standoffish but capable of learning new rhythms… But [playing and listening to the music] eventually helps them express themselves with more confidence.”

It also has been shown to help develop assertiveness.

Dr. Christine Allred, a special education professor at High Point majored in music therapy at Eastern Carolina University when the program was in its infancy.

She did much of her research with Down syndrome patients in institutions (at that time, a common place to send a child with the debilitating chromosomal abnormality. She also worked closely with patients with cerebral palsy and spina bifida.

“Some kids smiled more, some blinked more, some just twitched more,” recalled Allred. “Even in these severe cases there was a reaction”.

However…“If someone’s not ready for it, it won’t work”, said Kirch.

Dr. Noffsinger is also in accordance with this widely applicable thought. “If you want to use music therapy and the person’s not into music it won’t work. It’s the same thing with art or cinema.”

In order to be of any help the counselor must be able to communicate with the patient, and in order to communicate with the counselor the patient must first have some sort of comfort level.

Therapeutic devices such as the use of music, animals, art and cinema act directly to help the patient reach this comfort level, and thereby aid in his or her therapy.



Also visit these websites www.gdforum.com/chats/MH-WOMAD.html
www.healingsounds.com/articles/nexus.asp
www.gimmidatlantic.com/case-study.html
www.runet.edu/~arts/music/faculty/borling/borling.htm


Local Therapist Gives Life Rhythm
by Pat Devine

You may have been in a drum circle. And you may have practiced meditation. But you likely haven't been in a circle with drums that you have personally fashioned out of 55-gallon barrels. Therapist and behavioral counselor, Dr. Michael Kirch, has.

He is a board certified psychologist, who practices for Conerstone Behavioral Medicine on North Elm St. in High Point.

He has also led a life very much influenced by music.

He took up alto sax in the 4th grade. The New York school system taught music very well according to Kirch. By 9th grade he took up the bassoon and tuba and started participating in the marching band. Soon after he picked up the guitar, and fell in love with it. And he became quite interested in playing classical music as well as the blues.

After high school he got an associate’s degree in business administration, but this was not his passion. He liked helping people and the idea of making a difference, he was also very curious about human behavior, psychology promised to fulfill these ambitions and also let him use his creativity and help him grow as a person.

He now uses art, music and rhythm in his daily practice.

“In a few cases I’ve seen it really improve someone’s quality of life… Especially in panic attack cases and those involving anxiety disorders.”

Also, according to Kirch, it has been shown that music therapy is very helpful for those dealing with sexual abuse.

"Kids show an enhanced sense of confidence [through music therapy] and it helps break down language barriers."

Dr. Michael Kirch is the habit of helping people. If you need some assistance and you think he could help he probably would.

Also, he has a CD of recordings that he sells at his office. Its proceeds go to the Relay For Life cancer drive.

Contact him at mik.kurch@cornerstonehealthcare.com

Try These Websites

http://planetdrummusic.com/