Dear Roxana
Through 20 years of ethological research in art therapy practise, I
developed a reliable graphic language, which emerged from all over the
world, from the common development of drawing MOVEMENTS of children
between, literally birth on till 5 years old, and from at least two
centuries ago.
I have chosen drawing as my main art therapy instrument because it is
applicable and effective to establish mutual trust, motivation, a
learning attitude, a therapeutic alliance and a mutual language with
people in every client/patient group in every level of development or
illness at every moment of the process.
I apply mostly the beautiful and 'eatable' wax crayon blocks from
Stockmar. I graduated in 2002 (at the University of Hertfordshire, Art &
Design, Art Therapy) with the dissertation: "The Rutten-Saris-index; an
instrument for the assessment of interaction-structures in drawing." It
contains 88 graphic elements in chronological order for a RELIABLE
NOTATION AND DENOTATION of EVERY drawing from EVERYWHERE.
Professionals, which are experienced in making diagnosis, can be trained
in 6-18 hours to work with the RS-index in a reliable way to construct a
personal profile of the Interaction-structures of their client/patient.
Moreover, the RS-index is a column of the RS-matrix from the method
Emerging Body Language. With training in the method Emerging Body
Language you can relate the RS-index personal profile of your
client/patient with an EBL treatment plan with concrete directions for
concrete interventions.
In my website you can find some explanations and examples. (There are
still some mistakes like e.g. the following header is wrong:
Layer GE Name Interaction structure GE-Nr Graphic appearance.
The next one is right:
Layer GE    Graphic appearance    Drawing motor movement    GE-Nr
Interaction structure.
The word 'interpretation' has to be 'reflection')
In my dissertation (60 euro plus mail costs) the background of the
RS-index, how it is constructed, the manual, and the diagnostic
instrument itself are described.
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"The RS-index: A Diagnostic Instrument for the Assessment of Interaction
Structures in Drawings"

Marijke Josephina Rutten-Saris
University of Hertfordshire
This dissertation is submitted towards the award of PhD.
June 2002, ABSTRACT

The dissertation describes the theory underlying and the empirical
research pertaining to the reliability and validity of the RS-index, a
diagnostic instrument for the assessment of any drawing made by
patients. The goal of the RS-index is to reconstruct the history of the
development of the interaction structures of patients suffering from
underdeveloped or disturbed interaction structures.  The target
population in this dissertation comprised a group of psychiatric
paedosexual offender patients of whom the majority suffer from
underdeveloped or disturbed interaction structures that cause severe
communication problems. The RS-matrix forms the theoretical framework of
the RS-index. It presents the reader with an integrated overview of
relevant domains in early childhood development and with concrete
suggestions for therapeutic interventions after diagnosis and assessment
has occurred. The RS-index, the diagnostic tool, is a list of graphic
elements that constitute the basic elements of drawings. Each graphic
element corresponds to a motor movement (Kephart, 1973), a phase in the
development of the self (Stern, 1985), and a phase in the development of
interaction structures (Condon, 1979, Rutten-Saris, 1990, Trevarthen,
1977). A detailed graphic analysis presents the diagnostician with a
means to assess the interaction structures of the artist and with the
means to intervene therapeutically.  The reliability and validity of the
instrument were assessed in five empirical studies. The first two
studies concerned the assessment of the reliability. In the remaining
three both the reliability and the validity were assessed. The results
proved to be satisfactory.

I hope this will give you some idea if my work might be supportive for
yours. Kind regards Marijke

Dr. Marijke Rutten-Saris
SRCT Creative Art Therapist
LVSB Supervisor
EBL Consulent
C Method Emerging Body Language (EBL)

Director
EBL Arts Therapy Centre
Weezenhof 3406
6536 GS Nijmegen
The Netherlands

Tel ++31 24 3441396
Fax ++31 24 3661789
BTW-nr 86885005B01
Rabobank 1678.57.576
IBAN NL51RABO0135
BIC RABONL2U 881102
[log in to unmask]
www.eblcentre.com
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Van: The UK drawing research network mailing list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] Namens Roxana Meechan
Onderwerp: Health benefits of "Drawing"
As an Arts Development Officer, I often need to justify to funders and
the general public the benefits that Arts activity brings to the overall
Health of individuals but specially Children & Young People. Please,
could someone within this Drawing Research Network let me know what hard
facts/evidence (research findings/statistics) there is at the beginning
of 2004 that proves the benefits of "Drawing" in particular to the
Health & Development of Children & Young People? Many thanks for your
help! Roxana

Roxana Meechan
Arts Development Officer - Sutherland
The Highland Council
Education, Culture & Sport
Highland Council Offices
Main Street
Golspie
Sutherland
KW10 6RB
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Tel: (01408) 635211
Fax: (01408) 633120