Overview

Just as words are the medium of Verbal Therapy, movement is the medium of the dance therapist. The basic premise of Dance/Movement Therapy is the mind, body, spirit connection. Dance/Movement has been found to be an effective form of communication. It is used to increase bodily awareness, stimulate spontaneous expression of feelings, and promote social interaction.

History

Dance as therapy came into existence in the 1940s, especially through the pioneering efforts of Marian Chace. Psychiatrists in Washington, D.C., found that their patients were deriving benefits from attending Chace's unique dance classes. As a result, Chace was asked to work on the back wards of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital with patients who had been considered too disturbed to participate in regular group activities. A non-verbal group approach was needed and dance/movement therapy met that need.
 
The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) was founded in 1966 by 73 charter members in 15 states. Now, the Association has grown to nearly 1200 members in 46 states and 20 foreign countries. ADTA maintains a registry of dance/movement therapists who meet specific educational and clinical practice standards. The title "Dance Therapist Registered" (DTR) is granted to entry-level dance/movement therapists who have a master's degree, which includes 700 hours of supervised clinical internship. The advanced level of registry, Academy of Dance Therapists Registered (ADTR), is awarded only after DTRs have completed 3,640 hours of supervised clinical work in an agency, institution, or special school, with additional supervision from an ADTR. In addition, as part of their written application for review by the credentials committee, applicants for ADTR must document their understanding of theory and practice.

The association has a code of ethics and has established standards for professional practice, education and training. Dance/movement therapy academic programs stress coursework in dance/movement therapy theory and practice, movement observation and analysis, human development, psychopathology, cultural diversity, research skills, and group work. In 1979, ADTA established an approval process for the purpose of evaluating these programs. Research and scholarly writings are published in the American Journal of Dance Therapy and in publications funded by the Marian Chace Memorial Fund of the ADTA.

Today, in addition to those with severe emotional disorders, people of all ages and varying conditions receive dance/movement therapy. Examples of these are individuals with eating disorders, adult survivors of violence, sexually and physically abused children, dysfunctional families, the homeless, autistic children, the frail elderly, and substance abusers.

Benefits

• Increasing self-awareness, self-esteem and personal autonomy
• Experiencing links between thought, feelings and actions
• Increasing and rehearsing adaptive coping behaviours
• Expressing and managing overwhelming feelings or thoughts
• Maximising resources of communication
• Contacting inner resources through contained creative play
• Testing the impact of self on others
• Testing inner with outer reality
• Initiating physical, emotional and/or cognitive shifts
• Developing a trusting relationship
• Helping a person manage feelings that interrupt learning
• Enhancing social interaction skills

Procedure

Dance and Movement Therapy sessions are a minimum of an hour in duration, and you are welcome to join a class for a session to experience the benefits for yourself. DMT usually run as a block of five sessions, taken at weekly intervals. You can then choose to carry on for further sessions if you wish. 

Source of information: www.rowan-house.co.nz | www.admt.org.uk | www.heatherhill.org