ARBN 679 434 649
Keywords: Dance movement therapy, Dance therapy, Intellectual disability, National Disability, Insurance Scheme, NDIS, Planning, Outcomes, Assessment
Considering National Disability Insurance Scheme, host agency and dance movement therapy priorities
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in Australia offers new opportunities for funding of dance movement therapy (DMT) programs for people with disability. The NDIS’ emphasis on participant choice and focus on outcomes propels new directions in service provision, with agencies impelled to consider individuals’ preferences and report on progress with more rigour than they may have brought before. This change provides a challenge for dance movement therapists, as many practitioners have limited experience of working in a specifically outcomes-focussed way. This article addresses these issues by documenting the process of planning, goal setting, assessment and reporting in a DMT program for clients with intellectual disability. This process considers three different sets of outcome considerations: NDIS funding requirements; outcomes currently identified in participants’ individualised program planning; and objectives of a DMT program. In so doing, the article articulates the relationship between NDIS funding requirements and the potential offering of DMT. It also provides DM therapists a model for how they might clarify the objectives of their own programs to make them NDIS-compatible and enable reporting of relevant outcomes to stakeholders.
Key words: dance movement therapy, intellectual disability, National Disability Insurance Scheme, planning, outcomes.
–Therapists creating a cultural tapestry: Using creative therapies across cultures. (Editors: Stephanie L. Brooke, Charles Myers and 19 contributors C.C. Thomas, Springfield, USA [2015].) Reviewed by Dr Kim Dunphy.
– The Oxford Handbook of Dance and Wellbeing
Edited by Vicky Karkou, Sue Oliver, and Sophia Lycouris. Publisher’s description.
Keywords:
Indigenous culture, dance movement therapy, trauma, engagement, cultural awareness, cultural safety, Australia
Page #: 51
Dance and ritual have been essential parts of the cultural and spiritual life of Australian Indigenous peoples for more than 40,000 years, used to promote health and wellbeing and share cultural knowledge. Dance movement therapy utilises dance and movement to assist in integration of body, mind and spirit, in a professional modality that was identi ed only in the mid-twentieth century. Parallels between these practices observed by dance movement therapists include a holistic approach to wellness and priority on non-verbal communication achieved through shared rhythmic movement. Many of the signi cant challenges faced by Indigenous communities in contemporary Australia, including transgenerational trauma, have been impacted positively by dance movement therapy interventions in other countries. However, currently there is no documented evidence that the practice is being utilised in Australia. This chapter responds to that issue in offering ideas to support dance movement therapists to be culturally competent and respectful in efforts to engage with Indigenous peoples of their nation. Recommendations include the development of genuine partnerships and relationships that enable two-way learning, to develop culturally safe programs that acknowledge and respect Indigenous ways of knowing and living.
Keywords: Intellectual disability, integration, normalization, kinaesthetic awareness, body image, process-oriented, creative dance, KMP, performance, contact improvisation, autism, down syndrome, Dance Therapy
Page #: 8
This article offers an overview of dance practice with people who have intellectual disabilities. A brief survey of literature from Australia and the USA is followed by a discussion of some practical applications of current theory, including current groups and their activities.
Download this article: PDF format
Keywords
dance movement therapy, Australia, dance therapists, Dance Movement Therapy Association of Australia
Page #: 51
Authored by: Kim Dunphy, with T. Hearnes & J. Toumbourou
This article reports the results of a survey of 41 dance movement therapy practitioners in Australia. Issues for dance-movement therapy practice in Australia were investigated within the themes of practitioners; programs and clients; and philosophical and industrial concerns. Overall, it was apparent that the dance-movement therapy profession in Australia is both diverse and homogenous: therapists’ professional orientations and backgrounds, and the types of settings in which they work, are very diverse, but therapists are much more similar in their ages, gender, cultural backgrounds and geographic location. The issues raised by the variation and lack of diversity are discussed, along with possible strategies to address them.
Keywords
assessment, evidence-based practice, Hanny Exiner Memorial Foundation, technological innovation, disability, therapeutic goals
Researchers Sue Mullane and Kim Dunphy report on the progress of an iPad app they have been developing for assessment in Dance Movement Therapy. Mullane and Dunphy were awarded the Hanny Exiner Memorial Grant to support their work in this area, and the following report details their progress to date and future directions. The report addresses the main issue surrounding assessment in DMT – the “dearth of relevant and accessible frameworks and functional tools to collect data” and the subsequent lack of technological innovation which the iPad app seeks to address. (pp 44-46)
Book Authors
Naomi Audette & Wendy Bunston
Keywords
professional development, trauma, wellbeing, young people, disabilities, political unrest
Kim describes initiating a dance movement therapy pilot study in Timor-Leste (East Timor) by collaborating with fellow Australian DMTs Alexandra Jordan and Meredith Elton, to design and deliver a series of workshops offered to a range of groups during a fortnight in 2011. The historical and cultural context of Timor-Leste is briefly overviewed along with the professional pathways that led Kim to propose the project. Responding to political unrest at the time of their visit, discussions overview how the DMTs adapted their workshops to the anxiety and tension present at that time, with their focus mainly on professional development, as well as activities for young people, children with disabilities, and almost a whole village. The article concludes with Kim’s reflection on her own practice as well as the relational learning gained from offering the workshops and from supervision with Alex and Meredith. (pp 45-47)
Keywords
professional development, evaluation, workshops, community, publication
The 3rd Australian Dance Movement Therapy Conference “Weaving the Threads” was held at the historic convent in Abbotsford, Melbourne in November, 2007. It was presented by the Dance Therapy Association of Australia (DTAA), in collaboration with Hanny Exiner Memorial Foundation (HEMF). In this review Kim acknowledges the many supporting individuals to produce a highly valuable conference for the DMT profession. Conference streams included: Skill development in dance-movement therapy; Therapeutic applications of dance for specific populations and communities; Professional issues and supervision and Research and evaluation. Kim reflected that “Delegates enjoyed the different activities; the mix of formal presentations, workshops, performances and informal networking opportunities. These offerings by local, national and international guests provided wonderful inspiration for delegates. The final session included a very lively discussion about professional issues, especially those related to the future of our profession.” (pp 25-26)
Keywords
indigenous, cultural awareness training, dance education, professional development, research
Kim attended the 2008 ADTA Conference held in Austin Texas. This article is Kim’s presentation made as part of the International Panel at the conference. Mimi Berger, Chair of the International Panel, distinguished dmt and academic, ADTR, LCAT, Program in Dance Education, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, New York University, asked dmt representatives from all around the world to respond to the conference theme: DANCE THERAPY IN DIVERSE SOCIETIES and the issues involved in providing dance therapy services and dance therapy education in societies composed of various groups…with differences in ethnicity, culture, religion, socio-economic status, gender, sexuality, age, and physical capacities. Also to explore how cross-cultural applications of dance therapy expand our body of knowledge, and how our field might respond to this expansion. (pp 38-41)
Keywords
intellectual disability, school setting, existential phenomenology, collaborative play, gesture, collective energy
Kim reviews the experiential workshop led by Sue Mullane drawing on her work with groups of children with diverse high needs, in a school context. Phases of the program including accompanied solos and collaborative group play are discussed, along with the philosophical influences framing therapy program. (p.55)
Keywords
intellectual disability, assessment, evaluation, electronic tool trial, teaching & learning, measuring progress
This article outlines a collaborative project being undertaken by two Melbourne based dance movement therapists to develop a framework for assessment in dance-movement therapy (dmt) programs for people with intellectual disabilities. Kim is contributing her developing expertise in evaluation of arts program, program logic and theory of change that is part of the focus of her current PhD research, as well as a background in dmt with people with intellectual disabilities. Sue brings teacher training, special education and dmt expertise and the opportunity for reflective practice, with day to day experience facilitating a dmt program with intellectually disabled children. In this article, Kim and Sue discuss their plans, what they are seeking to achieve and how this might be of benefit to dmts, especially those in the disability field. (pp 36-38)
Book Author
Jenny Czulak-Riley
Download this article: Read or download PDF
Keywords
Intellectual disabilities, dance therapy programs, disability performance, community performance arts
This is an excerpt from the content:
This article “…addresses the oft-mooted distinction between dance therapy and other dance modalities and the appropriateness of these for people with intellectual disabilities. The article begins with a review of literature about dance programs for people with intellectual disabilities, especially writings that address this distinction. The authors then outline the complementary relationship they recognise between dance therapy, creative dance (recreational and educational), community dance and disability performance arts, based on their experience in these fields. The article finishes with a description of the factors the authors believe determine the appropriate choice of dance modality for any particular client or group of people with intellectual disabilities.”
(pp 2-8)
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