Dance-movement therapy

Domain VIII · Creative & expressive arts therapies · Marian Chace · 1942 · Washington, D.C., USA

What it is

Marian Chace (1896–1970) trained at the Denishawn School and taught dance in Washington, D.C. She found that her classes drew people who were not aiming to perform, and she shifted her focus to the person dancing rather than to technique. From 1942 she worked at St. Elizabeths Hospital in…

Format

• Session structure (three parts). Chace's group sessions follow a three-part plan, but the content is not pre-planned: it grows out of the members' movement. Bender's German textbook treats session structure, the circle, mirroring, closing (Abschluss) and the role of music as distinct parts of the…
• Format. The core format is a group in a circle, usually with music, led by one therapist. It can last all or part of a session. In Chace's hospital work, groups were open and she also worked individually. Modern adaptations include half-hour groups for people with Alzheimer's disease in an adult…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Professional frame. In the US, dance/movement therapy is a master's-level profession credentialed by the ADTA's Dance/Movement Therapy Certification Board (DMTCB), which also monitors continuing education and adherence to the ADTA Code of Ethics. R-DMT (entry level): either a master's in DMT from an ADTA-approved programme, or a master's plus required DMT and general coursework (Alternate Route: 27 semester credits…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Fatigue, postural dizziness on standing, and distress from unfamiliar music.
• Members leaving while still aroused or dissociated. Shorten the theme work next time if this recurs.
• Music with charged lyrics or associations. Props can create trip hazards, so tidy them away when they are not in use.
• One-to-one closeness can feel more intense than a group, so keep more physical distance and touch even more sparingly.
• Talk used to avoid moving, or one member's disclosure pulling the group into individual therapy. Return to the group theme.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.