Dance Movement Therapy:
What is Dance Movement Therapy?
Dance is the most fundamental of the arts, involving a direct expression of one’s self through one’s body, and as such it is an especially powerful medium for therapy. Dance movement therapy is a creative arts therapy, and, while it does not always look like “dance”, it uses the elements of dance - movement, choreographic principles, creative process, and bringing ordinary experience into artistic expression, as the medium for therapy.
Based on the assumption that body, mind and spirit are interrelated, and that the foundation of a person’s development and learning occurs through one’s body in relationship with the world, dance movement therapy is defined by the American Dance Therapy Association, www.adta.org, as: “the psychotherapeutic use of movement and dance as a process which furthers the emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration of the individual.”
Dance movement therapy effects changes in feelings, cognition, physical functioning, and behavior, and as such is effective for individuals with developmental, medical, social, physical and psychological impairments.
A dance movement therapist focuses on movement behavior as it emerges in the therapeutic relationship. Expressive, communicative, and adaptive behaviors are all considered for both group and individual therapy. Body movement simultaneously provides the means of assessment and, along with the therapist’s use of creative process, choreographic principles and grounding in the fields of psychology, human development, and movement, the mode of intervention.
In her practice, Joy works with a broad range of therapeutic focus, working with children, adults and seniors dealing with challenges in learning, sensory processing, rhythm & sequencing, spatial orientation, memory, developmental delays, as well as issues related to significant life events, anxiety, trauma, depression, body image, and other challenges.
Dance Movement Therapy Offerings:
Individual Dance Movement Therapy with Children ~ a form of dynamic play therapy.
Dance with a Difference ~ Dance Movement Therapy for Adults ~ Individual or Group ~ promoting wellness and self-development through creative exploration in a therapeutic environment, toward integrating body, soul & spirit.
Aging Joyfully ~ Dance Movement Therapy Groups for Seniors ~ special workshops, limited class series, or on-going weekly or monthly programs at your facility, are available, fostering an atmosphere of physical and psychological safety in which seniors can feel a sense of self-worth, addressing issues of inactivity, social isolation, loss and change, as well as developing strategies for more secure mobility, balance, & spatial orientation, maintaining or increasing memory and decreasing pain, leading to revitalization through joyful dance and movement activities.
Private, individual consultations in dance movement therapy for children, adults and seniors are made by appointment on an on-going basis; please e-mail or call Joy (see Contact) if you would like to schedule an appointment, or for more information. Special workshops, limited class series, or on-going weekly or monthly programs are scheduled upon request.
Dance Movement Therapy Offerings:
Individual Dance Movement Therapy with Children ~ a form of dynamic play therapy.
Dance with a Difference ~ Dance Movement Therapy for Adults ~ Individual or Group ~ promoting wellness and self-development through creative exploration in a therapeutic environment, toward integrating body, soul & spirit.
Aging Joyfully ~ Dance Movement Therapy Groups for Seniors ~ special workshops, limited class series, or on-going weekly or monthly programs at your facility, are available, fostering an atmosphere of physical and psychological safety in which seniors can feel a sense of self-worth, addressing issues of inactivity, social isolation, loss and change, as well as developing strategies for more secure mobility, balance, & spatial orientation, maintaining or increasing memory and decreasing pain, leading to revitalization through joyful dance and movement activities.
Private, individual consultations in dance movement therapy for children, adults and seniors are made by appointment on an on-going basis; please e-mail or call Joy (see Contact) if you would like to schedule an appointment, or for more information. Special workshops, limited class series, or on-going weekly or monthly programs are scheduled upon request.
