Supervision
Supervision provides an opportunity to reflect on, and receive feedback on therapeutic work for the purpose of professional growth and accountability. To become a Professional Member, a dance movement therapist is required to obtain supervision for a minimum of 70 hours.
- A minimum of 35 hours supervision needs to be with a Professional Member of the DTAA, or dance movement therapist of equivalent qualifications.
- Up to 35 of the documented 70 supervision hours can be obtained from a relevant professional (not necessarily a dance movement therapist) in the candidate’s workplace who can extend and enhance the dance therapist’s skills. The choice of supervisor in this circumstance is dependent upon the individual’s professional development needs.
- Supervision should be by more than one person over the 70 hours, unless any particular supervisor is considered by the PMC to have been able to provide appropriate professional development extension for the applicant.
- A maximum of 35 of these hours can be counted from supervision undertaken during training, and a minimum of 35 hours must be undertaken post-training.
- Group supervision is acceptable and may be included as up to 10 hours of the 70 hour requirement, providing: the groups are small (no more than five people per supervisor); the candidate is participating and presenting within the group; and that the group is supervised by a leader who is deemed acceptable by the Professional Membership Committee.
- Ideally there should be an appropriate balance between individual and group supervision. However, the Professional Membership Committee has the discretion to consider individual needs and situations relevant to the applicant’s overall experience.
- Up to ten supervision hours can be obtained by attendance at courses approved by the Professional Membership Committee; eg. a course that is specifically on supervision, designed by a specialist in this area, that allows opportunities for participation and presentation
- At least two on-site visits by an appropriate supervisor must be made to the candidate’s placement during dance movement therapy training.
- For long distance supervision, video, skype and telephone options are acceptable.
Examples of appropriate supervisors for Trainees or new Graduates from a DMT training program
- a Clinical Supervisor member of the DTAA
- a Professional Member of the DTAA
Examples of appropriate supervisors for all other members
- a Clinical Supervisor member of the DTAA
- a Professional Member of the DTAA OR
- a professional person experienced in the therapeutic application of dance
- a professional person who can extend the knowledge and expertise of the therapist
- a professional person who has strong skills and knowledge of the client population
Examples of issues for supervision
- the therapist’s ability to assess, evaluate, and document the client’s current state and needs (physical, emotional, psychological)
- the therapist’s interpersonal skills, including the ability to work collaboratively with other professionals
- the therapist’s appropriate use of the materials of dance in any given dance movement therapy situation
- the therapist’s ability to develop and implement progressive treatment programs
- the therapist’s ability to evaluate treatment and modify it accordingly
Supervisor’s reports: Two report from appropriate supervisors need to be provided, using the pro-forma provided in the application form.
Ongoing supervision
Dance movement therapists are expected to obtain ongoing supervision throughout their careers. The DTAA maintains a list of Professional Members who provide supervision. At least ten hours of supervision per year is required on an ongoing basis. This may be obtained in a range of ways, for example, peer, group or individual supervision.
A form is available from DTAA website that can be kept by practitioners to record their supervision practice, along with supporting documentation (certificates of attendance, receipts, etc). These need to be kept for a period of seven years as they may need to be made available to the DTAA, on request, when Professional Membership audits take place.