Dance movement therapy is a form of psychotherapy, tailored for individuals and groups, premising the relational use of movement, embodied therapeutic practices and the use of creative process to enhance a person’s physical, cognitive, emotional, social and cultural well-being. Based on the empirically-supported unity of body and mind, it recognizes that change and growth in one support change and growth in the other.
Suitable for all ages, bodies, abilities, backgrounds and beliefs. Services are evidence based and trauma informed, to support areas of mental health, community development and wellbeing
The professional association for dance movement therapy in Australasia, the Dance Movement Therapy Association Australasia (DTAA), offers recognition of eligibility for the title of ‘dance movement therapist’. Three categories of members are recognised as being entitled to call themselves ‘dance movement therapist’: Professional Member, Professional Member (Provisional), and Associate. However, dance movement therapy is a profession not yet regulated by government in Australia, so there is no legal mandate about the use of the term ‘dance movement therapist’ or ‘dance movement therapy’.
The DTAA offers registration as a Professional Member to those members who have completed appropriate training, 250 hours of supervised practice with 70 hours of supervision and have indicated a commitment to abiding by the Association’s Code of Ethics and Continuing Professional Development and supervision requirements.
Professional Member (Provisional) is a skilled professional who has completed DMT training including 20 hours of supervision relating to at least 80 hours of client contact and who is working towards accumulating hours of supervised practice for Professional Membership.
The Associate Member category includes new graduates of DMT who may need additional training units and have acquired 40 hours of supervised practice with 10 hours of supervision by a DMT.
A further level of membership, General Member, is open to students and anyone with an interest in dance movement therapy. Becoming a General Member does not entitle a person to use dance therapeutically or call themselves a dance movement therapist.
Application forms for each of these categories can be accessed on the membership page. See levels of Membership on our membership page.
The Dance Movement Therapy Association of Australasia (DTAA) represents the profession as its peak body, and offers clear guidelines for professional practice. These include a Code of Ethics and Rules of Professional Conduct. Like most other health related professions, high standards of professional training, experience and ongoing professional development are expected. The DTAA’s Professional Membership Committee sets standards for professional practice and manages approval of membership applications.
Many non-DMT qualified professionals offer dance experiences that provide a range of beneficial outcomes for participants. This may include improved health and well-being of individuals, or increased community or social inclusion. While acknowledging the potential value of this work, the DTAA does not recognise it as ‘dance movement therapy’ or the professional as a ‘dance movement therapist’, unless the person has current membership status as a Professional Member DTAA, or as Professional Member (Provisional).
Dance movement therapy does not require participants to any dance or specific artistic skills because the focus is on the process and movement experiences. Dance movement therapy utilises various embodied practices, and ways of moving, be it postural or physical exercises, developmental, choreographic, artistic or improvisational expressive movement interventions.
Dance movement therapy is underpinned with a framework of counselling, where the dance movement therapist and participant develop an interpersonal relationship through the therapeutic process, with clear boundaries and goals. However, dance movement therapy can also be used to enhance well-being through the engagement of creative processes and movement knowledge, with guidance of the dance movement therapist to facilitate that process.
Beginning with ‘check-in’ participants may reflect where they are at, with supported guidance by the dance movement therapist, to check in with awarenesses or embodied states of being. The dance movement therapist will structure a warm up or an entry point into a main theme or themes, that is relevant for the goals, and a cool down and closure to process and integrate the session. Different to verbal therapies, thoughts and feelings can be explored with the richness of non-verbal expression, and not restricted by language, because words may not always be possible, or have the depth of expression required.
Dance movement therapists combine the elements of dance, movement systems, creative processes, and psychological and scientific theories, to address the specific needs of groups and individuals. Dance movement therapists work in clinical, institutional, community and private settings, using clear therapeutic contracts, agreements and goals, often within a defined time frame. Verbally and non-verbally, they attune to client/s’ needs and provide the therapeutic relationship requisite for growth and change.
Dance movement therapists
- appreciate the therapeutic value of aesthetic and artistic experience of dance
- understand the interrelationship of the physical, emotional, and cognitive dimensions of human behaviour
- use their skills in movement observation and analysis to assess individuals, develop and evaluate therapeutic programs
- recognise body movement as the basis of human interaction and communication
- are trained in counselling skills and group facilitation
- design and implement programs for diverse client groups.
Dance movement therapy is available to be studied at various locations, click here for training options
Dance movement therapists may work in allied health, private practice, or within community-based organisations, or in the education sector. The requirements of these sectors may influence the qualifications that you need. To receive the title dance movement therapist, a certain level of professional training needs to be obtained. Similarly to if you were to call yourself a psychologist, this can only be done after completing certifications governed by a board.
There are several training options in Australia and New Zealand at the present time. Please check the training information page on the website for information about current courses. Other people travel overseas to study. Dance movement therapy training programs recognised in other countries are usually recognised by the DTAA.
A Masters degree from an overseas university is likely to help you to meet the requirements for Professional Membership of the DTAA (see professional membership criteria). However, as dance movement therapy is not a government recognised or regulated profession in Australia, the DTAA’s recognition of the qualification is only one aspect of recognition that you might need in order to practice professionally, depending on the context of your work.
People who obtain employment as dance movement therapists in Australia and New Zealand most often ‘make’ the work themselves, either by approaching organisations offering to lead programs, or setting up their own programs, or establishing a DMT program within another area of expertise. For example, school teachers working in special schools in DMT programs, social workers who offer DMT as part of their overall responsibilities with families in crisis, physiotherapists who offer DMT as part of a rehabilitation program, aged care workers who offer DMT activities in nursing homes. Often this develops from a volunteer placement or internship during DMT studies. The DTAA’s members’ e-news often has advertisements for paid or volunteer DMT positions, but positions for dance movement therapists are very rarely advertised in other publications in Australia.
To learn about some individual DMT professional journeys please click on the links below. These DMTs participated in a project called DMT Snapshots in which they were interviewed by Ezme Webb and Tessa Hens in 2016. Their short interviews were posted on the DTAA Facebook Group Page so DMTs were able to learn about each other’s professional challenges, successes and development.
Beatrice Lucas
Alice Owen
Jacquelyn Wan
Membership and supervision requirements may be compulsory requirements for dance movement therapists working within various sectors and organisations. The professional association for dance movement therapy in Australasia, the Dance Movement Therapy Association Australasia (DTAA), offers recognition of eligibility for the title of ‘dance movement therapist’. Three categories of members are recognised as being entitled to call themselves ‘dance movement therapist’: Professional Member, Professional Member (Provisional), and Associate. The DTAA offers registration as a Professional Member to those members who have completed appropriate training, 250 hours of supervised practice with 70 hours of supervision and have indicated a commitment to abiding by the Association’s Code of Ethics and Continuing Professional Development and supervision requirements. For further details about the requirements, please check our Membership section.