Stillness and
Movement
a path to healing and growth
Leif Tellmann, MA, ADTR, LMHC
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Dance/Movement Therapy
The Internal Family Systems Model
Ecopsychology
Dance/Movement Therapy
What is dance/movement therapy?
Bringing together the depth and
intimacy of talk therapy, the creativity and expression of dance and
the change inherent in movement, dance/movement therapy invites the
whole person into the counseling process. By bridging the
body’s own wisdom and imagination with the conscious mind, the
client gains access to his/her inner world through thought, sensation,
kinesthetic impulse, creativity and talking about the experience.
This process engages more parts of the brain than talk alone and
fosters an experience of integration of the cognitive, the social,
the emotional and the physical aspects of one’s being.
What happens in a dance therapy session?
How movement is used depends on whether the therapist is working with an individual or group, as well as on the needs of the client(s). Dance therapists work in all types of settings, ranging from private counseling/therapy practice to mental health settings, schools, nursing homes, hospitals and drug and alcohol treatment programs.
You may choose to use movement in every session, or only sometimes. Together, we become co-creators of your therapy process with a variety of options available.
Who can benefit from dance/movement therapy? Is it for me?
Anyone with a body can benefit from a form of therapy or counseling that includes attention to the physical. Dance/movement therapy is not a specialty therapy for people who love to dance or who have specific issues.
How long has this been around and why have I never heard of it?
Since its formation as a distinct field in the 1950’s, dance/movement therapy has recognized that the body and mind can not be separated. For a long while, the idea that the body is important to our mental and emotional health was on the fringes of psychological philosophy, and dance/movement therapy was frequently overlooked by other mental health professionals. The concept that it is important to address the body as well as the mind is finally now fully entering mainstream psychotherapeutic practice.
What kind of training is involved in becoming a dance/movement therapist?
The dance therapy masters degree includes training in various models of talk therapy, human development, group dynamics and other aspects of counseling and psychotherapy in addition to the focus on using movement and attention to the body This training includes over 1000 hours supervised experience in the field and meets the educational requirements for both licensing as a counselor (LMHC) and for entrance into the Academy of Dance Therapists Registered (ADTR). Several thousand hours of further post-graduate supervised clinical experience is necessary to then apply for the two aforementioned credentials.
For further information on Dance/Movement Therapy, please visit the American Dance Therapy Association website on the Links page.
The Internal Family Systems Model℠
Have you ever had an experience of feeling divergent feelings at the same time? People who are going through a divorce, for example, may simultaneously feel angry at their spouse, deeply sad at the loss, and excited for the possibilities of the future. Holding such feelings may be confusing. The Internal Family Systems Model℠, developed by Richard C. Schwartz, Ph.D., is a model of therapy that helps people identify and work with internal “parts” of themselves. In working with his clients, Dr. Schwarz found that many of his clients were describing their life experiences in terms of their inner parts, almost like they were distinct personalities. Furthermore, he found that clients’ parts had relationships with other parts. A key aspect of this work is fostering a sense of “self” in which the client holds mindfulness.
In this model, the therapist acts as a guide or facilitator to help the client do the inner work, limiting dependence on the therapist and empowering the client to continue her or his own healing and growth between sessions and for the rest of her or his life.
For more information on this way of doing therapy, see the IFS section on the Links page
We are nature. There is no separation. Our bodies are made
of the exact same molecules and particles as everything else on this
planet. Yet in modern western culture we have come to act as if
nature were something separate from our own selves; nature as
resource list, nature as the stage on which our lives take place,
nature as something we are in, but rarely nature as that which we
are. Ecopsychology, sometimes referred to as Eco-Psychology,
examines the link between human psychological well-being and the health
of our ecology. Rather than being a specific discipline,
Ecopsychology spans multiple fields, including psychology, ecology,
education, anthropology, sociology and the arts.
Ecopsychology in Therapy
Bringing awareness to our place in the larger picture of life on this planet can hold deeply healing and growth producing benefits to clients. Leif uses ecopsychology in two ways: In his psychotherapy and counseling practice, Leif invites his clients to notice how they are affected by nature and to use their connection to nature in their healing and personal growth. This process may involve the appropriate use of nature related imagery, specific “eco-therapy” assignments, or conversation about client’s sense of their relationship to the world around them. In his Ecodance Seattle class, Leif interweaves movement and dance with a focus on participants’ connection to their selves and to the larger environment. Our bodies are, by definition, part of the natural world. This makes dance and movement ideal ways of exploring and expressing our connection to the larger web of life on Earth.
For more information on Ecopsychology, see the Ecopsychology section on the Links page.
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