MA Dance Movement Psychotherapy

Program Overview

The MA in Dance Movement Psychotherapy prepares students to become registered dance movement psychotherapists. It provides a comprehensive understanding of DMP theory and practice, clinical skills development, personal and professional growth. Graduates can pursue careers in various settings, including healthcare, education, and social services. They are equipped to work with a diverse range of client populations, addressing their emotional, psychological, and movement needs.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The MA in Dance Movement Psychotherapy is a two-year (full-time) or three-year (part-time) program designed to equip students with the skills, experience, and confidence to work as professionally-qualified registered dance movement psychotherapists. The program is designed for individuals with prior dance experience and professional or volunteering experience with people in need. Graduates are eligible to register with the Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK (ADMP UK).

Objectives:

The program aims to:

• Provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the theoretical and practical foundations of Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP).
• Develop students' clinical skills in DMP, including assessment, intervention, and evaluation.
• Enhance students' understanding of the ethical and legal frameworks governing DMP practice.
• Foster students' personal and professional development as DMP practitioners.

Outline:

The program is structured around a combination of theoretical, experiential, and clinical learning. Students will engage in a variety of activities, including:

• Lectures and seminars: These sessions will cover the theoretical foundations of DMP, including its history, key concepts, and different theoretical approaches.
• Experiential workshops: These workshops will provide students with opportunities to explore their own movement preferences, develop their movement vocabulary, and experience the therapeutic potential of movement.
• Clinical placements: Students will complete a minimum of 675 hours of clinical placement, including a minimum of 100 clinical facilitating hours, over the duration of the program.
Placements will include direct client contact as a therapist providing DMP in either group or individual sessions. Experience of at least two different client populations is required.
• Supervision: Students will receive regular supervision from experienced DMP practitioners to support their clinical development.
• Personal therapy: All students are required to engage in ongoing personal therapy for the duration of the program.

Modules:

Year 1:

• Theory and Practice in the Arts and Play Therapies: This module introduces students to contemporary theories of human development and growth, exploring theories of development, creativity, play, and cultural competence.
• Dance Movement Psychotherapy Clinical Application: This module focuses on safe practice working with different client groups, paying specific attention to working with the moving body in relationship.
Students will explore historical and contemporary theoretical perspectives and DMP practices and principles, and learn how to apply them in practice.
• Dance Movement Psychotherapy Placement and Process 1: This module is divided into three parts: internal supervision for an external clinical placement, developing core DMP skills, and exploring core concepts central to creative processes in DMP.
Students will develop core clinical skills, including appropriate use of touch, kinesthetic empathy, and therapeutic movement relationship.

Year 2:

• Research Informed Arts and Play Therapies and Clinical Work: This module introduces students to research practice and a variety of methodological research frameworks in the Arts Therapies, including qualitative, quantitative, embodied, and arts-based research paradigms.
Students will gain the skills to plan and write a research proposal, engage in critical review of literature, and explore a range of research methods.
• Dance Movement Psychotherapy Placement and Process 2: This module continues to focus on internal supervision for external clinical placements, developing core DMP skills, and exploring core concepts central to healing processes in DMP.
Students will continue to develop their clinical skills and gain experience working with clients in different settings.
• Dance Movement Psychotherapy Research Project in Clinical Practice: This module provides students with the opportunity to design and develop an advanced specialist research project based on a synthesis of advanced clinical practice, research methodologies, and methods.

Assessment:

Assessment methods may include:

• Essays: Students will be required to write essays on various topics related to DMP theory and practice.
• Presentations: Students will present their research findings and clinical work to their peers and faculty.
• Clinical supervision: Students will be assessed on their clinical skills and progress during their placements.
• Research project: Students will complete a research project on a topic of their choice related to DMP.

Teaching:

The program is taught by leading experts in the field of DMP. Teaching methods include:

• Lectures: These sessions provide students with a theoretical foundation in DMP.
• Seminars: These sessions allow for interactive discussion and debate on key DMP concepts.
• Workshops: These sessions provide students with opportunities to develop their practical skills in DMP.
• Clinical supervision: Students receive regular supervision from experienced DMP practitioners to support their clinical development.

Careers:

Graduates of the MA in DMP can pursue a variety of careers, including:

• NHS clinical practice: Graduates can work as DMP practitioners within inpatient and outpatient services.
• Community services: Graduates can work in community settings, such as schools, social services, and mental health organizations.
• Prison services: Graduates can work with prisoners to address their emotional and psychological needs.
• Performing arts contexts: Graduates can work with performers to address their emotional and psychological needs.
• Drug rehabilitation: Graduates can work with individuals struggling with addiction to support their recovery.
• Social services: Graduates can work with immigrants, asylum seekers, and women who have suffered domestic abuse.
• Dementia services: Graduates can work with individuals with dementia to support their well-being.
• Learning disabilities services: Graduates can work with individuals with learning disabilities to support their emotional and physical development.
• Child and adolescent mental health services: Graduates can work with children and adolescents to address their mental health needs.

Other:

• The program ethos emphasizes a critical consideration of different descriptions and explanations of bodies, human systems, and therapeutic practices in different places and times.
• The program actively promotes a participatory ethic, self-reflexive practices, and the ability for critical reflection on creative processes, intersubjectivity, and the construction of social and power differentials.
• Emphasis is placed on the development of students' own style as a dance movement psychotherapist.
• Students have the opportunity to perform and exhibit their ongoing work in a yearly Arts Therapies exhibition.

September 2024 entry tuition fees (UK)

| Level of study | Full-time | Part-time | |---|---|---| | MA | £27,563 (total cost of course, 2 years) | £TBC |

September 2024 entry tuition fees (international)

| Level of study | Full-time | Part-time | |---|---|---| | MA | £37,800 (total cost of course, 2 years) | £TBC |