To what extent do therapists use body language?

SATSUMA

To what extent do therapists use body language?

I had a therapist that would always look at my hands and feet if i even moved them slightly. i always wondered was he trying to pick up non verbal cues.

Also, if you are listening to a client who is saying one thing but his/her body language indicates something else how would you use that information?

Im just curious.

Thanks

Torakx

You can pick up a lot of that information by reading about NLP.

A person might be stressed about something unconsciously and may shift their feet, cross their arms etc when asked about that topic.
They may not even realise they are that stressed about it.

In that situation it's probably better not to know much about it If you get better at hiding emotions and signals, you would be making a practitioners job more difficult, I think.
However with that said, I have found that I can self asses better when I am aware of the mechanics.
When I am thinking about things, I can see my own unconscious body language after I "snap out of it".

But also, if you move something, it is natural for anything with eyes, to track it. Could just be that too.

JuliusCaesar

When a patient of a medical doctor complains of symptoms, the doctor is also assessing that patient for signs of particular disorders. The patient complains of feeling tired, and aches in joints and breathlessness; the doctor takes his blood pressure, listens to his heart and asks has there been any change in bowel habits or colour of stools.

In the same way, the psychotherapist would be remiss if they were not paying attention to any signs of distress in the client.

biko

Non-verbal communication was part of my course when I studied social psychology, but I suppose it depends what field you are in.
I would hazard a guess it's used in psychotherapy as well, probably a lot when dealing with children.

fannymagee

It's amazing what can emerge when a skilled therapist works with body cues. Gestalt therapy is especially fascinating for this IMO, if you're interested in reading up on it. It's not what the therapist can 'tell' from the body language, it's how the client interprets it themselves in response to the therapist's exploration :-)

Vinny-Chase

If you're not looking at body language you're not looking at the whole picture. The client who tells you "No I'm not mad" while his knuckles have turned white or thrusting his fist into his open palm. As fannymagee mentioned Gestalt therapy is particularly interested in body language.