by Dafna Yalon

I have always considered collaboration with psychologists as the crucial focus in my graphological work as a counselor. Regretfully, I have not studied Psychology at university. Instead, I studied Biochemistry and Genetics, and had a very demanding carreer as a Ph.D. student, when my first son was born. I took a year off, to raise him and realized that I did not want to go back to the world of test-tubes and petri-dishes, in which I was searching for the secret of life. The reaon was a graphology course, which I had been taking for fun during this period. It became an obssession and a constant pleasure, which lingered on for the last 24 years. Ever since I am learning the new and varied secrets of life that motivate different human beings, and I feel that I'm still at the beginning of this fascinating search.

During the period of my graphological studies, I took a few psychology courses at university, but did not feel like doing more degrees. This was a big mistake, because ever since I had to do everything the hard way, always feeling somewhat illegitimate.

After 5 years of studying graphology, both the German and the French schools, I gradually started to work. Some years later, I was recommended to go to a conference of Ursula Av é -Lallemant about the Star-Wave-Test. Av é -Lallemant had established the “Association for Dynamic Graphology in Psychodiagnostics”, seated in Munich. Most of the members are qualified psychologists and some do not practice graphology at all. This conference was a turning point in my carreer, and probably for me as a human being. For the last 16 years, I have travelled to study with Av é -Lallemant at least once yearly, and I still have a lot to learn from her, as she herself keeps developing new ideas, based on her synergic knowledge and experience as a graphologist and educational psychologist.

I now realize that what made this change in me is actually what it takes to collaborate with psychologists, in the fields of diagnostics and therapy.

First I learned from her, for the first time, that “one test is no test”, and that if graphology is to become a psychological test, it should be included within a test-battery. Psychologists will not take seriously those who rely on handwriting analysis alone. Ever since, I always take the Wartegg-test and handwriting from job-candidates, and additionally Brosson's Three-Column Figure Test, the Tree-Test, the Star-Wave Test and Draw–A-Person or Family Drawing in personal consultations.

The second idea that fascinated me in this group of people was the constant search for the bright side.

(Old/young woman illusion)

For example, if we have a sample, which shows very low intelligence, but there is one clever letter or connection, we may assume that there is a potential for a much higher intellectual capacities, which can and have to be restored. This search for the best hints in the sampleenabled me to start working as a productive couseller, and see people like psychologists should do – in light of possible dynamic changes, when current hindrances are eliminated and their potentials, possibilities and limits can be achieved. The concept of change must become the guiding image in the graphological work. This is often hard to teach to graphologists who are used to thinkink with more static typological and in clinical headings.

Having gained much experience with the test batteries, I took a course in children's drawings, and later started to work with children's batteries and do family consultations. About 5 years ago, I started to study couple and family therapy and a few months ago, I finished the three years program, as well as a two years program of solution-focused, strategic therapy.

(shinui)

My studies took place at “Shinui Institute”, Shinui meaning change in Hebrew. It is considered one of the bests in Israel , if not the best of its kind. The institute employs 12 full-time psychologists, involved in both teaching and therapy, four more part-time lecturers, which I am one of, and different free-lance consultants, like an M.D., two psychiatrists, a lawyer, and a graphologist. “Shinui Institute” is run by three partners, all are systemic therapists, who have studied for their doctorates under the giants of this field, like Whitaker, Minuchin, Andolfi and more. These three ladies are the most open-minded and creative psychologists I have ever met, and they believe in collaboration and teamwork in therapy. During my studies I gradually started to show them how they could benefit from graphology, obviously without asking for payment. A few months ago, they invited me to officially join the institute as a consultant, and we established a few modes of possible collaboration, some of which we have already practiced.

Let me show you what sort of projects we are doing:

Teaching graphological issues to psychologists

Many psychologists use projective graphic tests daily. They also use the Bender, and some of them even extract emotional information from it. However, they usually focus on the projective-symbolic contents and miss much of the expressive information, which is often more significant and always readily available. For example, they are not aware of issues such as space-symbolism (albeit the detailed discussion of it by Koch, the inventor of the tree-test, who was a graphologist himself). They have little concern for forms and practically none concerning movement and the stroke qualities. Following the list of “signs of distress” in handwriting developed by Ursula Ave '-Lallemant, I arranged a list of graphic indicators for distress in drawings, and could show their validity in drawings as well, in my research on the Star-Wave-Test (which I'll describe later). This list can be used to screen for alarming signs in drawings, graphic tests and handwritings of both children and adults. Therefore, so much more information can be extracted from the tests psychologists do anyway, were they aware of the possibilities.

For 12 years now, I am teaching these issues to qualified teachers, school-counselors and psychologists in 120 hours courses of educational-graphology at different academic teachers' colleges. I have also conducted a few 1-3 days workshops and quite a few lectures to psychologists at conferences of the Israeli psychological association. I currently teach a course on the graphic-tests in Shinui institute, participants are graphologists, psychologists, art-therapists and social workers.

This year, I tried to open a course named ”Graphological tools for psychologists” at “Shinui institute”. To our disappointment, there was not enough registration, possibly reflecting the current recession in Israel and the fact that we did not have enough time to raise interest among psychologists. However, the information has appeared in the booklet of the institute, and we'll try it again in the next years.

Theoretical collaboration

(Hw, SWT and Wartegg)

Joseph Charash, the president of our society is a clinical psychologist and also member of the board of the psychodiagnostic section of the psychological organization in Israel . We both participated also in comparative analyses (in front of an audience of psychologists), in which he assessed the handwriting and I did the Wartegg-test and the SWT of patients, while other psychologists assessed their TAT, Rohrschach, Wechsler, Szondi, House-Tree-Person, etc. We have also published a detailed summary of one of those events in the Journal of our society, with all graphological and psychological reports. Joseph and me were among the few test-examiners that saw the testee's suicidal tendecies, his high intelligence and his learning disabilities. Thanks to Joseph's initiative and constant efforts, graphology is considered a legitimate tool in those symposia and our results made it possible to keep that impression and continue the dialog in the future.

What I have learnt from this experience was that although I master the psychological jargon, I should rather not use it openly. The graphologist should describe behaviors and inner mechanisms, while the psychologist will be the one to do the clinical labelling. This way they don't feel that their territory has been invaded, and their sense of professional specialization is maintained.

Graphology as an aid in therapy

During my studies of couple and family therapy, I participated in a few practical courses, working directly with the families. During sessions, many children chose to draw while their parents talk, and sometimes the family members are asked to draw a common drawing. In a few cases, children also wrote little notes etc. In all those cases, I used to analyze the drawings and handwritings, as additional information for the student group and our teachers.

(SWT of ADHD)

In one of those cases, I was the first to suggest neurological and psychological assessment of a child, predicting the result of ADHA (attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity). I later wrote an article about this experience for our journal.

As people always start therapy in times of crisis, often with insufficient strengths, disfunctions and depression, only their handwritings from the past enable to meet their pre-morbid personality. These past potentials show what we can restore in therapy, so that both parties can set realistic expactations and targets.

(L. or D.)

In one case, I was able to analyze the handwriting of a depressive patient, who did not do anything for the past years and in therapy spoke only of his inabilities and pain, always evading the subject of his previous life. From his handwriting It was possible to also see his potentials, intelligence and desire to live. This enabled the opportunity to discuss his assetss with him and so we could start working somewhat more productive in the treatment, knowing how he might have been before the onset of depression.

(Raped girl)

In many cases, considerable deterioration has taken place place before the beginning of therapy. It is then possible to find out when and how it happened. For example, a sudden change may depict traumatic experiences.

This is extremely important in cases such as this one, where the girl of seventeen was raped by a friend from school, and she kept it secret. Parents and teachers may sense that there is something wrong, but do not understand why there are problems at school. After about a year the girl confided in her school counseller, but did not want her parents to be informed. She was willing, though, to give me her handwriting from before and after the rape. Only after gaining some insight about the change in her was she willing to start therapy by an organization that helps sexual assaulted women.

(Arab school-phobia)

School copybooks are excellent material for dating changes and understanding the inner dynamics. Such longitual observation may also reveal developmental processes. In this case, the school councellor came to me with copybooks of a boy in grade 4, who refused to go to school and wouldn't even pass the street where his school was located. He did not collaborate with his parents and all professionals that came to talk to him, and the school system was in panic, because they were worried that there was some sort of abuse, and that the criminal might still be around to harm more children. Everybody believed that there was some traumatic experience, because the boy was an outstanding pupil and had no social problems before. His copybooks, however, showed that a gradual process of change has taken place during the last few months. His handwriting became smaller and smaller, until it practically disappeared, as he did. Being a perfectionist, depenent upon recognition and praise, this child was unable to cope with the fact that he was not the best student in his class anymore, and he underwent a process of agony and depression, which he could not contain.

Other services that we offer at “Shinui Institute” concern people who are not yet in therapy. For example, we offer a pre-therapy assessment for people who are not sure whether they or their children need therapy, and whether it should be individual, couple or family therapy. In another case, I have examined the handwriting of a teenager who was not willing to join her parents for family therapy. This examination enables bringing her personality to the therapy-room in a more objective manner, understanding the personal problems and the difficulties in the family interactions. This precious information makes it possible to advise the parents on how to act in their intercourse with the teenager, and eventually to find suitable ways to overcome the resistence and bring the child to therapy.

(SWT in therapy)

Graphological assessment is also an excellent tool to evaluate the progress of ant sort of therapy. Drawings and handwriting samples can be taken periodically, and be used even to show the family members how they have changed.

This is a sample of a child with motoric difficulties. He drew the first test when he started therapy with an occupational therapist, and the second test after 4 months. Not only did he make a great imrovement in movement, his emotional experience has also become much more alive.

Vocational guidance expertise in addition to psychological treatment (and as a part thereof)

In a few cases, I did vocational guidances for people who are treated in the institute for other problems, if they want a change in their career or were fired from their jobs due to their problems. I also collaborate with a few psychologists: I recommend them to my clients, and they send their patients to me for specific assessments or second opinions.

Predicting, reconizing and screening of handwriting problems at schools

My main accomplishment, as I see it, is my research work on the Star-Wave Test as a predictive tool for the screening and assessment of 5 years old children for school maturity and future problems in school. This study was conducted with the head of Psychological-Educational Services of the town of Arad in Israel , who had partipated in one of my workshops and got interested. We examined a whole age-group of the town at kindergarten (when they drew the SWT), two years later (when they drew the SWT again and the House-Tree-Person, writing movements test, handwriting and a free drawing). At the end of grade 4, we received grades from their teachers for their academic success, social status and behavior at that point. The results were fabulous. For the priliminary results (published in the last issue of the ASPG journal), we even won a prize in a contest of research papers for the benefit of society, held by the Benor fund of the Israeli psychological organization. The excellent methodology was especially mentioned in the prize-winning ceremony (No wonder, my brother-in-law is a professor for statistics, and he helped us with the design and statistical work). We were able to quantitavely show that the SWT of the last kindergarten year predicted school-maturity already at the beginning of the year, while school-psychologists usually make their assessment towards the end of this year. The early detection enables targeted help throughout the last kindergarten year. Our data showed that the hindering effect of lack of maturity at age 5 lasted until four years later. We could predict a problematic handwriting (including specific disabilities) after the first school year, which, in turn, predicted lower academic and social results (in grade 4).

(2-3 examples)

The whole research is now being published in German in the 2001 Lindau conference book and in another book, dedicated to Ursula Av é -Lallemant by her students. I am currently translating it to Hebrew and have made contacts to publish it in the journal of the Israeli rehabilitation therapists (as many of them, including the editor, are interested in children's handwriting and tools to predict and assess it). I have recently conducted a workshop for ten rehabilitation therapists, teaching them how to use and score the SWT as an additional instrument in their work. One of my students uses it regularily, and says it gives her a new insight into the coping mechanisms of the child, how she should approach him, whether he will collaborate, and some prediction about the style and duration of therapy.

As you see, my main interest is currently exposing different professionals to graphology of handwriting and graphic tests. Only during the last two year have I seen the success I had hoped for for more than ten years. What helped me through those years was my strong belief that the graphological knowledge is precious for all social professions. I am also convinced that only by exposing our methods to other, more official and legitimate disciplines, will it be possible to finally bring graphology closer to academic recognition.