So You're a Dance Therapist... Does That Mean You Dance in Your Sessions?

So you're a dance therapist...
does that mean you are dancing in sessions with your clients?

*Photo credit Kate Struthers

This is probably the most frequent question that I get about my profession. 

My answer?

Yes and no. I know, not super clarifying, right? This question about what dance therapy looks like is ongoing in the field, especially as different dance therapists adapt their style to fit themselves, their clients, and their specific setting. So let me elaborate a little more on what dance therapy means to me.

First, I would like to invite you to expand your definition of the word "dance." ​

Dance is expressive movement. From my perspective, we are dancing all the time, from the texture of our breath, to the cadence of our walk, to the many ways we communicate our feelings nonverbally with gestures, facial expressions, and tone of voice. Smiling, hugging, sighing, crossing our arms, slapping a hand on our thigh, curling up on the couch, and yes, dancing, are all examples of expressive movement that translates our internal experience into an outward action.  ​​

​Dance is also about exploring relationships. This includes the relationship between body parts, between different inner parts of ourselves, between ourselves and the space or environment around us, and between ourselves and other people, the community, or society.

​These two main themes of self-expression and relationship, I find, are women into every session whether implicitly or explicitly.

In my dance/movement therapy sessions, your own natural expressive movements will be explored to help you gain insight into your internal world. You will not be learning specific movements, ways to move, or choreography, but building awareness around your own subjective movement experiences and patterns. We can then expand upon and play with these movements as a way of exploring your identity, emotions, desires, needs, conflicts, and relationships. Sometimes this can look like simply noticing the breath, or repeating a hand gesture that went along with a personal story. Sometimes this might look more like 'dance,' with larger movements or with music that is meaningful to you. This all depends on you and what feels relevant to your own healing and growth.

​Either way, this is not performative but rather a creative way to build your own self-awareness and capacity for authentic self-expression. 

*Photo credit Kate Struthers

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Does this style of counseling pique your interest or sound like your jam? Please reach out for a free consultation where we can talk more about dance/movement therapy and how it might deepen and accelerate your own process of healing and growth.

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