Keywords
dance therapy, dance/movement therapy, attunement, attachment, child psychology, family therapy
Page #: 158
Interventions with very young children focus on addressing and improving the relationship between the parent and child. This style of intervention is important when children have experienced significant losses and other psychological trauma such as in the case of abuse and neglect. Dance therapy can contribute to such mental health work by helping to identify and change the nonverbal communication, especially during physically oriented joint play with parent-child dyads. This style of intervention draws on the literature from attachment and attunement. A case study is used to present these ideas in application.