Whose Line Is It, Anyway? Using Improvisational Exercises to Spark Counselor Development

Promoting Cognitive Complexity in Counselor Education: Constructivist and Phenomenological Practices

“…Model expansion may occur by means of exposure to multiplicity, which suggests that “changes in self‐awareness are spurred by increasing the realm of conceived possibility … to include a more diverse array of viable possibilities” (Wilkinson & Hanna, , p. 14). Constructivist teaching methods provide exposure to multiplicity via instructional activities to increase open‐mindedness (Bell, Limberg, Jacobson, & Super, ; Deaver & Shiflett, ; Mullen, Luke, & Drewes, ; Ziff & Beamish, ), tolerance for ambiguity (Bohecker, Vereen, Wells, & Wathen, ; Levitt & Jacques, ; Luft & Roughley, ; Pompeo & Levitt, ), multicultural sensitivity (Arthur & Achenbach, ; Brubaker, Puig, Reese, & Young, ; Shaw, Bayne, & Lorelle, ; Sommer et al, ), and self‐awareness (Conlon, ; Duffy, Saltis, Thompson, & Kassirer, ; Gladding, ; Jones & Granello, ; Lawrence & Coaston, ).…”

Counselor Education and Supervision: 2017 Inaugural Review

“…Relatedly, scholars investigated experiences of professional counselors who role‐played clients in training exercises (Osborn, West, & Nance, 2017) and students who engaged in metaphoric story creation in a prepracticum course (Duffy, Saltis, Thompson, & Kassirer, 2017). Articles included suggestions for using improvisation exercises in the classroom (Lawrence & Coaston, 2017), incorporating video case learning in helping skills courses (McCarthy & French, 2017), managing anxiety via creative techniques in helping skills courses (Tolleson, Grad, Zabek, & Zeligman, 2017), and using PhotoVoice within research methods courses (Patka, Miyakuni, & Robbins, 2017). Several authors promoted use of reflective writing practices within the context of experiential learning (Woodbridge & O’Beirne, 2017; Ziomek‐Daigle, 2017).…”

Acting With Empathy: A Counseling and Applied Theatre Collaboration

“…One goal of counselor development is to help students shift away from a perspective grounded in a duality of right or wrong and toward a more complex consideration of the interplay of client identity, interpersonal dynamics, self-awareness, and a metaperspective of the counseling process (Rønnestad & Skovholt, 2003). This process is indeed gradual and multilayered and requires a cognitive refocusing away from self-performance toward receptivity of what a client is bringing forward in the moment (Lawrence & Coaston, 2017;Rønnestad & Skovholt, 2003). As one method of encouraging development toward less rigidity, enhanced communication, and greater responsivity, several authors have recognized the benefit of integrating improvisational drama, commonly known as improv, within counselor training (Bayne & Jangha, 2016;Echterling et al, 2011;Farley, 2017;Lawrence & Coaston, 2017).…”

“…This process is indeed gradual and multilayered and requires a cognitive refocusing away from self-performance toward receptivity of what a client is bringing forward in the moment (Lawrence & Coaston, 2017;Rønnestad & Skovholt, 2003). As one method of encouraging development toward less rigidity, enhanced communication, and greater responsivity, several authors have recognized the benefit of integrating improvisational drama, commonly known as improv, within counselor training (Bayne & Jangha, 2016;Echterling et al, 2011;Farley, 2017;Lawrence & Coaston, 2017).…”

“…The principles of improvisation involve a here-and-now focus that enables spontaneity, sensitivity, responsiveness to the words and actions of others, and the ability to suspend judgment in order to respond to others authentically and with acceptance (Echterling et al, 2011;Salinsky et al, 2017). Use of the "yes, and" response technique signifies an actor's acceptance of their dyadic partner's contributions to the evolving scene, which also aligns with the values of empathy, collaboration, and cocreation within the counseling relationship (Echterling et al, 2011;Lawrence & Coaston, 2017;Salinsky et al, 2017). By their nature, improvisation exercises require participants to abandon typical patterns and try new ways of thinking and being (Lawrence & Coaston, 2017).…”