Dancing As Therapy? Yes!

What is Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT)? Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) is a psychotherapy that uses movement as the primary intervention for behavioral and mental health. It operates on the premise that the mind and body are connected, and the body houses all of our experiences—good and bad. We have witnessed first-hand that movement and dance have the ability to reach children in ways that adult mindfulness practices simply cannot. Not only does dance allow children to develop emotional and body awareness in a way that engages their natural preferences, it can also engage all five senses at once. It is about utilizing the nonverbal language and communication that our bodies inherently engage in, and learning to listen to our bodies because it always has something to say. Dance has shown improvement in emotional awareness, mindfulness, gross motor skills, creativity, and self-awareness. DMT meets diverse needs, and can be beneficial to anyone facing life challenges. No previous dance skills required!

FSA recently started a new partnership with Simply Destinee. Simply Destinee is a youth inspired dance group in Aurora that promotes suicide awareness. Our SASS therapist in Aurora will be providing support and therapy to youth in this program who score high for depression and anxiety on mental health screenings. While Simply Destinee does not provide DMT, we hope that the collaboration between their dance group and our mental health services will better support youth in their program.