Dance / Movement Therapy

I am an expert in dance movement therapy, a specialized form of therapy that uses movement and body awareness to promote emotional, physical, and cognitive healing. With a background in both psychology and the arts, I integrate the expressive power of movement with traditional therapeutic techniques to help clients process emotions, reduce stress, and enhance self-awareness. Dance movement therapy allows individuals to connect with their bodies in a nonverbal way.

I integrate Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) as a pathway to self-discovery and emotional well-being. My approach merges cultural understanding, embodied healing, and evidence-based practices to help clients move beyond adversity and step into their full potential. Whether through therapy, coaching, or education, I am committed to guiding individuals toward thriving, not just surviving.

You don't need to be a dancer to benefit from movement as a way to connect with your body’s wisdom, get in touch with your creativity, and support emotional healing. This is especially true for areas that don't improve with talk therapy alone.

This is a creative and somatic method that invites in body awareness as well as expressive movement. Movement signifies vitality, change, adaptability, and is the opposite of stuckness and stagnation. When we mindfully allow thoughts and emotions to move, we can ride the waves of life with grace.

DMT is the therapeutic use of movement to further the emotional, cognitive, physical and social integration of the individual, based on the empirically supported premise that the body, mind and spirit are interconnected. Movement is used as a catalyst, and a means into the person's inner feelings and a way to express, cope, interact with others, and integrate their experiences. Is it fancy? No! Movement&dance can be anything from breathing, posture, communicating, the way we hold ourselves.

My recent studies with Embodied Neurobiology (2020-24) facilitated a deeply felt knowing of trauma responsive practices, embodied social justice, and the power of imagination and play. I am currently the only registered dance/movement therapist (R-DMT) in Alaska.

I am a board certified dance/movement therapist with over 14 years experience in a variety of settings. Dance/movement therapy’s premise is that the mind and body are connected and that by working with the body you will help your mind. Many of us are excellent at talking but not so good at feeling. So when we go to traditional talk therapy we can explain and describe what is happening over and over but not make much progress in feeling our actual emotions. Dance/movement therapy allows

When I decided to become a Creative Arts Therapist, I was not sure what modality to focus on. I decided to pursue Dance/Movement because I felt an urgency and curiosity about deepening my connection with my own physical body. As I have studied and practiced this work, I have been honored and humbled to witness and support folx in exploring and relishing in this connection. Our bodies hold so much feeling for us, but only when we are aware of its capacity and expansiveness can we utilize it.

Dance therapy is effective for several reasons. It combines physical movement with emotional expression, allowing individuals to access and release emotions that may be difficult to express verbally. Dancing activates the body-mind connection, promoting self-awareness and self-expression. The rhythmic movements, music, and creativity involved in dance can reduce stress, improve mood, and increase feelings of joy and vitality. Dance therapy also promotes physical health and flexibility.

I am specifically trained in vinyasa and mainly do work in the restorative area of yoga. When Covid hit, I suddenly found myself at home with two young, rambunctious kids and a house that felt like it was caving in on me. Yoga became a daily healing tool for me and I found myself wanting to help others find the same peace I did. I have been practicing yoga since 2016 and became a registered yoga teacher in 2020. Yoga is not about jamming the body into poses, its about loving the body as it is.

Every small movement, gesture, even your energy level are an expression of who you are, what you’re feeling, and what you have lived through. In session I’ll observe your movements and how they change based on our conversations, also match your energy level and respond with my own body in ways to support what you’re feeling. The movements are a tool and intervention to help you access your unconscious patterns and move towards a place of healing.

I am a registered dance/movement therapist (R-DMT). I studied under elite dance/movement therapists in the field and have cultivated my own relationship to my body, so that I can provide the same for others. Dance/Movement Therapy (D/MT) is a time where we get to be with our body with intention and authenticity. D/MT is a somatic therapy and can look and shape itself into many forms as each body has its own layout. Thus, D/MT sessions will not look the same for everyone.

I use Dance/movement therapy alongside psychodynamic and humanistic approaches. I use kinesthetic empathy to help give me more information about the client and how they are showing up that day. Our movement and body tells us so much that words alone cannot. This is why I find it to be an extra layer of being able to see clients and help them create healing. DMT helps create somatic healing. I will help you learn to regulate your nervous system which I find to be great for anxiety and PTSD.

I use Embodiment practices to help my clients feel into where the body is directing you to resolves issues. This can include movement and expression .

In my dance/movement therapy work, I use body awareness and movement to help my clients get out of their heads and into their bodies as a whole, furthering the body/mind connection. Movement is our first language and it can express what may be too difficult to express with words alone. Overall, I am passionate about helping my clients expand their movement life (whatever way that may be) as a way of self expression, healing, and empowerment.