The American Dance Therapy Association has approved the following courses as meeting the requirements for the Alternate Route to achieving the R-DMT credential.
Dance/Movement Therapy Theory and Practice Category requires 18 credits or 270 hours.
Dance/Movement Therapy Theory and Practice I
Foundations & Principles of Dance/Movement Therapy
Dance/Movement Therapy Theory and Practice I probes the ecology and roots of dance/movement therapy in dance, cultural studies, counseling, and psychology, compares and contrasts varying approaches to dance/movement therapy, and examines the links among core elements of dance, and mental health. It also analyzes the relationships among dance/movement therapy theory and practice, the use of music in dance/movement therapy sessions, theories of personality, and methods of counseling. Videotapes of actual sessions with a variety of populations highlight these concepts. (3 credits/45 hours — As a hybrid course, it combines classes on-line and during a residential week at Kinections.)
Dance/Movement Therapy Theory & Practice II
Building and Operationalizing Theory
Students examine the transformational processes in dance/movement therapy, the advantages and limitations of grounding dance/movement therapy in psychological theory, the role of dance in dance/movement therapy, the difference between viewing dance/movement therapy as a profession and dance/movement therapy as a modality, and current research in neuroscience. Examinations of diagnostic tools such as the DSM V, Effort/Shape, the Kestenberg Movement Profile, and the Fraenkel-Franks Index of Shared Behaviors highlight the relationships among dance/movement therapy theory and practice, assessment, intervention, and treatment planning; and the context in which a dance/movement therapist works. Clinical roles, ethics and legal concerns will also be addressed. (3 credits/45 hours — As a hybrid course, it combines classes on-line and during a residential week at Kinections.)
Dance/Movement Therapy for Children and Adolescents
This forty-five hour “hybrid” course, comprised of eight video conferencing classes and a five day residential component, will demonstrate dance/movement therapy's ability to meet the developmental, behavioral, and emotional needs of children and adolescents who struggle with affective, cognitive, developmental, physical, and behavioral challenges. Students will learn how basic concepts of psychoanalysis, object relations, attachment theory, and neurobiological theories of development provide vital data for the implementation of dance/movement therapy with children and adolescents in need. Students will compare and contrast the ways in which basic principles and methods of dance/movement therapy apply to a range of child and adolescents populations including those with autism, and histories of abuse or neglect. Other topics include the relationships among DSM 5 diagnoses, nonverbal indicators of pathology, assessment, treatment planning, kinesthetic empathy, and the use props. Videotapes and observations of actual sessions, improvisations, and role-plays will highlight basic concepts. Clinical roles, ethics and legal concerns will also be addressed. (3 credits/45 hours — As a hybrid course, it combines classes on-line and during a residential week at Kinections.)
LivingDance~LivingMusic™: Theory, Method, and Experience
Through experiential learning, discussion, readings, journal writing, and lecture, student and practicing creative arts therapists learn how the LivingDance~LivingMusic approach to dance/movement therapy works with specific movement parameters to address affect, interpersonal relationships ranging from the intimate to the assertive, identity development, and locus of control. Movement parameters include breath, muscle connection, shape or the body boundary, movement centers, and pulse. Participants will learn how to use the LivingMusic “Loop” to support dancers by working with “quality notes,” and improvisational music that is powered by the dancers. Other topics include the LivingDance~LivingMusic approach to authentic movement, the Facilitative Quartet, Somato Respiratory IntegrationÔ as a building block for personal expression, multicultural issues, and examinations of the foundations of body-psychotherapy and related research (3 credits/45 hours).
Integrating Verbal and Nonverbal Processes in Group Therapy
This hybrid course compares and contrasts the roles spoken language and nonverbal communication play in word-oriented groups, activity-based groups, and creative arts therapy groups such asdance/movement therapy. By doing so, it lays the foundation for demonstrating (1) how nonverbal methods of assessment and intervention employed in dance/movement therapy can enhance process in verbally oriented and activity-based groups, and (2) how “techniques”employed in verbal and activity-based groups may amplify process in dance/movement therapy and other creative arts therapy groups. Attention to concepts such as healing factors, kinesthetic empathy, and the relationships among verbal helping skills, Authentic Movement, and LivingDance~LivingMusicTM, will provide data for evaluating the pros and cons of integrating verbal and nonverbal modes of communication in group therapy. (3 credits/45 hours — may be applied to the General Training Requirement for Group Theory and Processes, listed in R-DMT application as Group Processes/Dynamics.)
Life is Movement—The Dance Legacy of
Blanche Evan
Creative Dance, Functional Technique and Methods of Dance Therapy
This 30-hour course focuses on aspects of Blanche Evan’s life work and methodology central to her development from dancer/choreographer to creative dance teacher and on to dance/movement therapist. Students will be introduced to Evan’s Functional Technique, an “unstylized” system of body work, and her approach to creative dance to understand her philosophy, principles, and, ultimately, methods of depth dance therapy. They will view Evan’s personal films, read original writings, and employ her unique concepts of movement exploration, mobilization, and specialized imagery use. Themes and links to personal content as sources for depth improvisation will be developed. The combination of the experiential and didactic will clarify the relationship between creative dance and Evan’s approach to dance therapy: “integrating dance with therapy, so that the two become one” (2 credits/30 hours).
Psychomotor Therapy—Liljan Espenak’s Dance Therapy Approach
This experiential and didactic course introduces students to Espenak's system of psychomotor therapy. Attention is paid to the ways in which she used expressive dance and diagnostic movement tools to facilitate integration, the ideal body, and feelings of well-being. Adler and Lowen’s influence on Espenak's work is discussed, along with concepts inherent in psychomotor therapy and its areas of application. By acquainting students with Espenak's concepts of diagnosis, restructuring, and integration, students will learn how she used particular exercises to help patients express "the four emotions," develop muscle-memory, and experience catharsis, all leading to behavioral change. (2 credits/30 hours)
Ethics, Theory, Documentation, &
Treatment Plans
Students learn how to (1) develop and write a theoretical framework, (2) document and analyze sessions in relation to their theoretical frameworks, (3) perform and write assessments, and (4) how to write treatment plans and discharge summaries based on dance/movement therapy theory and practice. They also address fundamental legal and ethical constructs, the processes involved in ethical decision making, and the ways in which ethics relate to theory building, assessment and treatment through discussion, role plays, and improvisation. Pre-requisites: Dance/Movement Therapy Theory and Practice I: Dance/Movement Therapy with Children, Adolescents or Special Populations or their equivalents (2 credits, 30 hours).
Group Processes in Dance/Movement Therapy Category requires 3 credits or 45 hours.
Group Processes in LivingDance~LivingMusic™
This course demonstrates how the LivingDance~Living/Music interaction between form and content, systems theory, and concepts drawn from neurobiology affect group processes in dance/movement therapy. To set the stage for this analysis, students compare and contrast the histories of verbal group therapy and dance/movement group therapy, the spectrum of approaches within these two overarching categories of group therapy, and the differences between viewing dance/movement therapy as a discipline and dance/movement therapy as a modality. As students focus on LivingDance~LivingMusic, they work with natural movement parameters that relate to affect, defenses, and boundaries (pulse, breath, muscle connectivity, and 2-D/3-D shape), contrast the four roles of the dance movement therapist (teacher, audience, dancer, and choreographer) and the ways in which these roles, and the roles members assume affect group processes. Students will also assess the differences and similarities between LivingMusic and music therapy and evaluate the impact music has on group development and individual processes within the group. Pre-requisite: Dance/Movement Therapy Theory & Practice I, an equivalent course, or permission of the instructor (3 credits/45 hours — also applicable to Group Processes — General Training requirement).
Group Processes in LivingDance™
This 30-hour course demonstrates how the LivingDance interaction between form and content, systems theory, and concepts drawn from neurobiology may affect group processes in dance/movement therapy. Students will work with natural movement parameters that relate to affect, defenses, and boundaries, compare and contrast the four roles of the dance movement therapist (teacher, audience, dancer, and choreographer) and the ways in which these roles, and the roles members assume affect group process. They will also examine the impact music and can have on individual and group development and assess the differences and similarities between verbal counseling or therapy groups and dance/movement therapy groups. The American Dance Therapy Association has approved the course as meeting requirements for the Alternate Route DTR credential. (2 credits, 30 hours)
Facilitating Group Processes in Dance/Movement Therapy—
The Marian Chace Approach
During this 24-hour course, students will learn how Marian Chace integrated body action, symbolism, kinesthetic empathy, and rhythmic group activity to foster expression and communication in dance therapy groups for hospitalized psychiatric patients. Participants will learn how to implement Chace's approach by examining the relationships among the four basic elements mentioned above, individual movement repertoires, leadership styles, and vocal demeanor. Participants will use the Critical Response Method to learn how their movement styles and verbal interventions affect others. (2 credits, 30 hours)
Movement Observation requires 6 credits or 90 hours.
Introduction to Laban Movement Analysis (LMA)
Introduction to Laban Movement Analysis encompasses specific information about the theoretical framework and language for describing movement. LMA is a basic system for analyzing, performing, observing and notating human movement. The basic concepts of Body, Effort, Shape and Space will be explored through movement experiences, observation and theoretical discussion. History and application of LMA will be included (2 credits, 30 hours).
An Experiential and Theoretical Introduction to the Kestenberg Movement Profile — KMP I
The Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP), a systematic approach to movement observation and analysis, is particularly useful for dance/movement therapists and other clinicians who use nonverbal communication and the wide array of phenomena that the body emits, as foundations for assessment, treatment, and evaluation. That is because the nomenclature of the KMP provides both the clarity and subtleties that one needs to record observations, disseminate information, and suggest, or work with, psychological interpretations. Students learn the basic layout of the KMP, movement patterns contained within it, and the developmental and psychological significance of these patterns. To do so, students will discuss clinical applications, view videos of actual sessions, and use improvisation and other creative processes to embody concepts from the KMP. By combining didactic, experiential, and creative methods of learning, students and practicing clinicians will come to know the depth, vision, and possibilities for future research that the KMP offers (2 credits, 30 hours).
Psychomotor Assessment
Diagramming in The Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP-II)
The Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP) is a systematic and in-depth psychomotor assessment tool, which offers dance/movement therapists and clinicians a refined language to describe body movements as well as a psychological interpretation for body movement. The KMP is especially informative in the areas of assessment, treatment planning, and clinical intervention through lifespan developmental psychology framework. In this 30-hour course, students will receive an overview of the movement patterns of the KMP followed by learning to observe, collect, and diagram the Tension Flow Rhythms (TFRs) movement patterns from System I and Bipolar Shape Flow (BSF) and Unipolar Shape Flow (USF) movement patterns from System II. Students will experience a learning environment which includes active engagement in the class and through lecture, experiential, demonstrations, class presentations, readings and discussion. Prerequisite: While not required, it is recommended that students have taken KMP-I (2 credits 30 Hours)
Kinesiology or Human Anatomy/Kinesiology, or Biomechanics requires 15 hours, 1 credit.
We at Kinections do not agree with the ADTA’s decision to reduce the requirement from 45 hours to 15 hours. Knowing how to use this information can be helpful when communicating with insurance companies and health professionals who refer their patients for dance/movement therapy.
Anatomy, Kinesiology, and Psychophysiology of Human Movement - Part I & Part II
These courses focus on the human body’s structure and functions in movement. Students will study the principles of human movement, its physiological support, and apply a biopsychosocial lens in the viewing and coaching of movement possibilities. Topics to be addressed include musculo-skeletal anatomy, bony landmark, neuromuscular activity, joint actions, dynamic alignment, breath and organ support in relation to dance and daily movement activities. Additionally, consideration will be given to principles of motor learning and motor control. Throughout the courses, students will apply what they learn to dance movement therapy and the prevention of dance injuries. (1.6 - 3 credits, 24 - 45 hours)
LivingMusic: Music for the Dance/Movement Therapist, & other Creative Arts Therapists & Clinicians
This course demonstrates how listening to recorded music and making original music contribute to successful dance/movement therapy. By rediscovering the power of deep listening, and the joy of creating LivingMusic — music rooted in bodymind integrity—participants will learn how music can help develop therapeutic relationships, support client affect, and build group cohesion.
To do so, participants will relate music and sound to specific movement parameters and psychological constructs such as identity development and the life cycle of a group. They will create music playlists, learn techniques of music-making accessible to all, and test the effectiveness of these methods in dance/movement therapy sessions led by members of the class.
Participants will also consider how music choice can be colored by cultural and individual inclinations, both their own and those of group members. Finally, they will explore ways to transcend those limitations to find what is universal in the human involvement with music.
While this course has been designed for dance/movement therapy students seeking credentialing by the alternate route—and for practicing dance/movement therapists seeking continuing education credits—other therapists and individuals interested in becoming more comfortable using music as a healing tool may register, with the permission of the instructor. (1.6 credits, 24 hours)