About Therapies

Dance/Movement Therapy

Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) is the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual. Body movement, as the core component of dance, simultaneously provides the means of assessment and the mode of intervention for dance/movement therapy. Expressive, communicative, and adaptive behaviors are all considered for the individual and groups. 

Dance/Movement Therapy helps to 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. It can help children and adults gain new insights, learn self-soothing and self-calming skills, work through trauma, and much more.

Dance/movement therapists work in schools, mental health, rehabilitation, medical, educational and forensic settings, and in nursing homes, day care centers, disease prevention, health promotion programs and in private practice. DMT is effective for people with developmental, medical, social, physical and psychological impairments. Beneficial for all ages, races and ethnic backgrounds in individual, couples, family and group therapy and prevention formats.

American Dance Movement Therapy Association: https://adta.org/

Drama Therapy

Drama therapy is the use of the processes of drama and/or theater to achieve therapeutic goals. Drama therapy can provide the context for participants to tell their stories, set goals and solve problems, express feelings, or achieve catharsis. It uses play, embodiment, projection, role, story, metaphor, empathy, distancing, witnessing, performance, and improvisation to help people make meaningful change. 

Drama therapists work in a variety of mental health and community settings, such as, clinics, schools, shelters, programs for refugees and immigrants, correctional facilities, theaters, and nursing homes. Drama therapy is for everyone across the lifespan and may include dysfunctional families, developmentally disabled persons, abuse survivors, homeless persons, behavioral health consumers, at-risk youth, and the general public.

Drama therapy is beneficial for individuals, families, and communities coping with transition, loss, social stigmatization, isolation, and conflict. It is an effective option for the treatment and prevention of anxiety, depression, and addiction, among other conditions. Drama therapy can promote positive changes in mood, insight, and empathy, and it can facilitate healthy relationships. 

North American Drama Therapy Association: https://www.nadta.org/