Dance / Movement Therapy

Dance / movement therapy (DMT), sometimes called "movement psychotherapy," is the therapeutic use of movement and/or dance to better integrate the intellectual, emotional, and physical aspects of the body for improved health and well-being. This therapeutic practice dates back to the 1940s and is grounded in the idea that changes in the body are closely tied to changes in the mind. DMT includes everything from yoga, to traditional dance, to simple stretching. It is often used to help support eating disorder recovery, improve body image, self-esteem, and develop communication skills. DMT is not just dancing, or just another form of exercise. A therapist specializing in DMT will be trained to read your movements, body language, and other nonverbal cues to address your specific needs. Think this approach might work for you? Reach out to one of TherapyDen’s DMT specialists today. 

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Meet the specialists

 

We experience life with our bodies & eating disorders, while definitely mental disorders are also a fight between the body, mind, and soul. To only focus on the mind leaves much out of the recovery equation. Don’t get me wrong, I love talk therapy (I better since I'm a therapist), but I also believe there are times talking can only go so far. Yoga is a unique healing modality, offering individuals safe, supported, healing practices & tools to navigate the challenges of recovery.

— Tessa Gordon, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in San Francisco, CA

Throughout my life, I have held countless positions in the field of dance and movement. I have been a conscious dance facilitator for over a decade. Before I attended graduate school, I had a private somatic practice in which I engaged clients in embodiment sessions in a dance studio setting, often accompanied by music. I love incorporating movement into my somatic sessions with therapy clients.

— Liberty Flidais, Psychotherapist in SANTA CRUZ, CA
 

I trained as a Dance/Movement Therapist at Lesley University. Additionally, I completed an intensive 2 year training in the practice of Authentic Movement. I always offer my clients the option of movement during sessions. My approach to therapy is heavily inspired by the theoretical foundations of DMT: I recognize and celebrate strengths, meet each client in the present moment, and inherently trust in the wisdom of the body.

— Rachel Fernbach, Therapist in Brooklyn, NY

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.

— Kim Stevens, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist in Oakland, CA
 

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.

— Lauren Pass Erickson, Psychotherapist in Boulder, CO

My primary modality is Yoga Therapy, and each session has talking, movement and meditation. The body is the gateway to our inner world, and we use the body as a a key tool in healing and integration. Sometimes this can include yoga poses, or you might create your own intuitive shapes that express what is happening in your body, mind and heart. This work can also entail feeling sensations move through the body with awareness, but not actual movement. Each session is uniquely tailored to you.

— Laura Humpf, Marriage & Family Therapist in Seattle, WA
 

The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) defines dance/movement therapy as the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual. 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.

— Cathryn Wilson, Associate Professional Clinical Counselor in Carlsbad, CA

Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist, since 2016

— Erika Barrington, Licensed Professional Counselor
 

I received my degree in Dance/Movement Therapy. While the name can be a bit intimidating to some, I employ movement interventions in a client-focused manner and only when people want to use them. This can vary from identifying what emotions feel like in your body all the way up to doing things like punching pillows to process anger.

— Elise Alvarez, Licensed Professional Counselor

I offer yoga therapy services. I have a Certificate of Yoga Therapeutics from the Ghosh Yoga College of India (2017), Truman informed yoga training, 500 hr teacher training from PURE Yoga Institute (2019) and Yin Yoga Training (2020). I can offer you the assistance in yoga that is best suited for individual needs. Experience teaching yoga in recovery centers and behavioral hospitals in both Austin and Houston.

— Courtney Dunn, Licensed Professional Counselor in Houston, TX
 

M.S Dance/Movement Psychotherapy with 10+ years of experience using the body as a resource for healing and recovery.

— Jennifer Sterling, Creative Art Therapist in , NY

I guide others become more familiar with how their body sensations influence their mind/thinking and vice versa.

— Rayni Collins, Therapist in Fort Mill, SC
 

I have been a Registered Dance/Movement Therapist since 2016. Dance/Movement Therapy focuses on the mind-body connection and can take an alternative approach to many talk therapies. I utilize many dance/movement therapy intervention and skills to help clients feel more connected to their bodies and find ways to access and express emotions when they may not have words.

— Taylor Lombard, Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Boston, MA

My extensive background in dance has helped me learn the body/mind connection. I am certified in Trauma-Informed Yoga for Youth.

— Kristen Shearer, Licensed Professional Counselor in Boise,