Moving towards evidence for dance movement therapy: Robin Hood in dialogue with the King

Arts with offenders: A literature synthesis

“…In employing this rigorous formal selection strategy, we found we were excluding much of the writing to which Meekums (2010) A late discovery, however, led to an unforeseen inclusion. While searching for the one paper we were unable to access, the first author conducted a google scholar search and discovered a paper citing the one we were looking for, but which had itself not turned up in our original searches (Mullen, 1999).…”

“…In order to address this question, the research team decided, in keeping with the call by Meekums (2010) to embrace more than one way of knowing, to include both quantitative and qualitative studies. In pooling both qualitative and quantitative reports of empirical research concerning arts and arts therapies with offenders, one objective (following Petticrew & Roberts, 2006) was to retain a conceptual commonality between the selected primary studies, although their methodological designs are heterogeneous.…”

“…Meekums (2010) assesses the case for qualitative research (specifically in dance movement therapy) in balance with quantitative studies such as the randomised controlled trial, which has 'become the "gold standard" for outcome research in psychological therapies ' (p. 36). She asserts that in some arts-based qualitative research, 'both data collection and presentation of findings legitimately involve creative methods including poetry, image and performance ' (p.36-7), and while this type of research is growing within the field of mental health (e.g.…”

“…Music therapists in particular have been more inclined to present accounts of measurable evidence-based practice (Meekums, 2010), and this is reflected in the number of music therapy articles included here. But despite a potential bias towards the reporting of successful practice, first-hand accounts can be aesthetically engaging, with a passion for the work of the artist or arts therapist.…”

Aspects of Theory and Practice in Dance Movement Psychotherapy in the UK: Similarities and Differences from Music Therapy

“…people with mental health problems, learning disabilities and medical and/or complex conditions). Although research evidence regarding its effectiveness is growing (Rohrich 2009;Meekums, 2009;Karkou 2009; see also Quiroga and Kreutz in this book), there is still limited public awareness about what and who DMP is for, what DMP practitioners do and why.…”