Some of us are called to be performers, some to be teachers, but if you think the options for a career in dance end there, you are mistaken!
Over time, Dance Advantage plans to cover these alternative callings in depth, with guest posts and interviews by those with first-hand experience. For today, the Career To Consider is Dance/Movement Therapy, which we are presenting with the help of Susan Rizzo Vincent.
Susan established the Andréa Rizzo Foundation in memory of her daughter, who, after surviving childhood cancer, was tragically killed at the age of 24 by a drunk driver. Andréa’s dream was to become a dance therapist and give children with cancer and disabilities the gift of dance. Susan founded Drea’s Dream, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to provide dance therapy to children with cancer and special education needs.
Susan has been kind enough to prepare some frequently asked questions and will introduce you to two dance/movement therapists working in the field.
As President of The Andréa Rizzo Foundation, we fund Dréa’s Dream pediatric dance/movement therapy program for children with cancer and special needs in schools and hospitals nationwide. I have personally had the honor to observe the transformation and healing that takes place within these children – psychologically, emotionally and physically.
What is dance/movement therapy?
Based on the assumption that the body and mind are interrelated, the American Dance Therapy Association defines dance/movement therapy as “the psychotherapeutic use of movement to further the emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration of the individual.”
They further explain that dance/movement therapy is practiced in mental health, rehabilitation, medical, educational, and forensic settings, and in nursing homes, day care centers, disease prevention, and health promotion programs.
The 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 treatment
How do I become a dance/movement therapist?
Professional training of dance/movement therapists occurs on the graduate level.
R-DMT (Registered Dance/Movement Therapist) is granted to individuals who have completed a master’s degree in dance/movement therapy or a master’s degree in a related field plus 45 credits of specific dance/movement therapy curriculum. All candidates must complete a 700 hour supervised clinical internship in dance/movement therapy.
BC-DMT (Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist) is awarded only after R-DMTs have completed 3, 640 hours of supervised, professional clinical work. BC-DMTs are qualified to teach, provide su pervision, and engage in private practice.
Many BC-DMT’s hold state licenses, National Certified Counselor (NCC) status, and doctoral degrees.
For more, discover How To Become a Dance/Movement Therapist and find a list of undergraduate and graduate programs at the ADTA website.
Who Are Dance/Movement Therapists?
Watch dance/movement therapy in action and hear a great explanation of the work by Dr. Lori Baudino, Psy.D., BC-DMT in this video created by Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA.
www.dreasdream.org/news/movement-therapy-at-mattel-childrens-hopsital-ucla/
I caught up with Becky Engler-Hicks, Ph.D., R-DMT (Becky Brittain) who currently works in St. Louis, MO and asked a few questions about her lengthy and rich career.
What are the rewards of a dance-movement therapy career?
A career in dance-movement therapy is endlessly rewarding in an intellectual, physical, creative and spiritual way. Every day that I have worked as a dance therapist, I have enjoyed the non-verbal attunement that I felt working with individuals and groups. It is fun and joyful work that can change lives for the better to improve emotional and/or motor functioning and developing insight into one’s particular situation. Each client is unique, with differing somatic histories and needs and challenges.
Can you describe the various facets of your career as a dance/movement therapist?
In a long career span as a dance therapist I have treated infants, children, adolescents and adults in schools, residential treatment facilities, and hospitals. I have worked with autistic, emotionally disturbed, special needs, deaf and blind children. I have seen adolescents and adults with mental health issues and eating disorders. For many years I have taught undergraduate dance therapy classes on the college level and supervised students working as interns. It has been my privilege to inspire many of my students to go on to pursue rewarding careers in this field.
What research can you site about the proven impact of dance/movement therapy?
Recently, Dr. Bruce Perry, MD, one of the foremost trauma specialists in the US, stated that in a five-year study of many therapeutic approaches, that dance-movement therapy and music therapy are the only two modalities that consistently help traumatized children. This is an incredible endorsement of our remarkable healing field of study.
What are YOUR questions about Dance/Movement Therapy?
What other dance careers would you like to know more about?
Dance Moms,
Help the Andréa Rizzo Foundation and show you know what really matters!
Nichelle (owner/editor)
Latest posts by Nichelle (owner/editor) (see all)
- All Roads Lead to Dance for Billy Mustapha - October 30, 2018
- 5 Scholarship Opportunities for Dancers - July 28, 2018
- Dance Studio Owner: A Decade of Support for Business Owners - June 13, 2018
Thank you so much for sharing this! I am a current grad student in dance/movement therapy, and I had no idea that dance movement therapy existed before I was 24 years old. I think a lot of dancers are still unaware that this field exists, or believe that it is similar to physical therapy. Thanks again for spreading awareness about this powerful and rewarding field!
I agree, Ashley! Not enough students are aware of this field, which is also very diverse in its application. Many different populations can benefit from movement therapy. You appear to be doing exciting and rewarding work, yourself! Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
please advise if there are any courses like this available in south africa and what can be done im order to provide this in my country
Hi Noleen,
In a quick search I found one name listed under Dance Therapy here: http://www.narthaki.com/modern/ther.htm – the individual also appears to be faculty at UKZN. You might also try contacting the American Dance Therapy Association (http://www.adta.org/) or the Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK (http://admt.org.uk/) – they may be able to help you locate practitioners worldwide.
Good luck!
Hi Noleen. Did you manage to find any courses in South Africa??? I would like to find out as I am in Durban. Thanks
Thanks for posting this article! Far too many people know about this wonderful career choice. I have worked as a dance/movement therapist with the elderly, with psychiatric patients, with teenagers w/ eating disorders, w/ college students just trying to manage stress… I absolutely love being a dance/movement therapist. I hope you do more articles!
I am considering getting into dance therapy and I am wondering in what way I can and want to use it. I would like to know how you work with your varying groups and how you got started in the field.
The more I read the more I realize how strangely far our worlds are apart. I have worked with professional ballet all my life and the more students or professional dancers I see, I realize the lack of insight in to the wealth of other disciplines on offer to help dancers live long in this wonderful profession. Thank you
Thanks for reading! If you like the article, please share and let people know about Drea’s Dream AND just one of the many career options related to dance. 🙂
Could you please advise me about any Dance Movement therapy or Movement Education courses done through distance learning? your help would be mostly appreciated 🙂 by the way,your blog is truely helpful 🙂
Thanks
Ilona –
Pratt Institute in NYC has a distance learning program. I believe Lesley University also does. Another option if you have a Master’s degree in a mental health field (like social work, psychology, counseling or marriage and family therapy) you can do your distance DMT training at Kinections in Rochester, NY or the Center for Movement Education in California. All these are Google-able. 🙂 Hope this helps!
Best
Lora Wilson Mau, MA, BC-DMT
Hi Lora, thank you so much for your reply 🙂 you’ve been of great help! Can I ask one last question please…do you know of any MA DMT courses delivered in Europe? I appreciate your help.
Many thanks 🙂
ilona
HI,
Could you please advise me how i will do the dance therapy course through online? I complete post graduation in Mass Communication now i am working with a NGO & learning Kathak, salsa. Please advise me
Hello there!
I am currently almost done with my B.A. in psychology, and I always dreamed of continuing my education by combining psychology with an expressive therapy like dance/movement therapy. But my question is, is it necessary to be a professional dancer in order to apply for a masters program in this field? (I don’t have any dance certificates, yet)
Hi, I am a kinesiology/dance major at Indiana University – Bloomington and I am looking for a dance therapy internship for this coming summer. Would you be able to direct me to some intern opportunities for this field? Thank you for your help.
Hello
i am from Nepal i would love to join Dance movement therapy
Could you please help me ?
Hello everyone.
I have a Masters in Physical Education with a minor in Dance. I am interested in a Doctorate in Movement Therapy or Dance via distance (online) learning. I am able to complete residencies located in the USA. Does anyone know of any programs such as this? Thank you.
Hi! My name is Chips Beltran. I am a BA Psychology graduate and currently finishing a Masters of Science in Human Movement Science in our state University here in the Philippines. I am also a streetdance choreographer. Unfortunately, our country offers no courses on Dance/Movement Therapy yet. Are there any scholarships available in the US or Europe where I can apply?
Columbia College Chicago offers the Follett Graduate Merit Award: http://www.colum.edu/academics/fine-and-performing-arts/creative-arts-therapies/index.html
Hi! My name is Mahisha and I am currently a Dance Movement Therapy student at Goldsmiths College, London, UK. I completed my undergraduate degree in Psychology at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and I am hoping to practice eventually in the United States. Would you be able to advise as to whether my UK qualification would be accepted in the US, and what measures I would need to take in order for it to be recognised? I would really appreciate it. I have looked it up on the ADMT website, however, I do not completely understand the process. Hope you can help. Thank you very much!
Hi Mahisha, we here at Dance Advantage can’t advise you on this process. The best thing to do may be to contact ADTA and ask for advice and resources. Best of luck to you!