What is Dance / Movement Therapy?
“The psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual.”
What Is It?
From the American Dance Therapy Association:
Focused on movement behavior as it emerges in the therapeutic relationship. Expressive, communicative, and adaptive behaviors are all considered for group and individual treatment. Body movement, as the core component of dance, simultaneously provides the means of assessment and the mode of intervention for dance/movement therapy.
Practiced in mental health, rehabilitation, medical, educational and forensic settings, and in nursing homes, day care centers, disease prevention, health promotion programs and in private practice.
Effective for individuals with developmental, medical, social, physical and psychological impairments.
Used with people of all ages, races and ethnic backgrounds in individual, couples, family and group therapy formats.
What is the Premise of Dance / Movement Therapy?
According to the American Dance Therapy Association, there are four premises of DMT:
Movement is a language, our first language. Nonverbal and movement communication begins in utero and continues throughout the lifespan. Dance/movement therapists believe that nonverbal language is as important as verbal language and use both forms of communication in the therapeutic process.
Mind, body, and spirit are interconnected.
Movement can be functional, communicative, developmental, and expressive. Dance/movement therapists observe, assess, and intervene by looking at movement, through these lenses, as it emerges in the therapeutic relationship in the therapeutic session.
Movement is both an assessment tool and a primary mode of intervention.
What Do Dance / Movement Therapists Do?
According to the American Dance Therapy Association:
Dance/movement therapists focus on helping their clients improve self-esteem and body image, develop effective communication skills and relationships, expand their movement vocabulary, gain insight into patterns of behavior, as well as create new options for coping with problems.
Movement is the primary medium dance/movement therapists’ use for observation, assessment, research, therapeutic interaction and interventions. Dance/movement therapists help develop treatment plans and goals, document their work in clinical records and collaborate with professionals from other disciplines.
What Does a Session Look Like?
Sessions at Connecticut DMT are as varied as the needs of our clients. With the goal being to meet clients where they are at - both physically and emotionally - movements could occur that range from simple and everyday movement to improvisational dance. All the while - and depending on the verbal openness of each client - more traditional psychotherapeutic talk therapy techniques are leveraged during the session.
Where Can I Find Out More Information?
The American Dance Therapy Association provides informational brochures and resources on their website, including:
DMT with Autism
DMT with Alzheimer’s Disease
DMT with Children
DMT with Eating Disorders
DMT with the Elderly
DMT with Parkinson’s Disease
DMT with Trauma
DMT with Military and Veterans
DMT- A Healing Modality for Women Who Have Been Subjected to Violence
In addition, their website includes explainer videos and talks that describe Dance / Movement Therapy.