Date of Award

Spring 5-16-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Major

Clinical Mental Health Counselling

First Advisor

Meg H. Chang

Abstract

Parental cancer is a significant family-based stressor that can disrupt children’s attachment security and emotional regulation. This literature review examines how parental cancer can interfere with parent-child attachment processes and explores dance/movement therapy (DMT) as a potential intervention. Literature from attachment theory, psycho-oncology, trauma research, somatic psychotherapy, and DMT is synthesized into a cohesive conceptual framework linking caregiving disruption, neurobiological stress responses, and embodied patterns of regulation in children. Findings suggest that parental cancer is associated with increased attachment insecurity through changes in caregiver availability, emotional attunement, and children’s perceived attachment security. These disruptions contribute to the internalization of chronic stress responses, often expressed nonverbally and through the body. Within this context, embodied and relationally oriented interventions may be particularly relevant for supporting affect regulation and attachment repair. Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) offers a developmentally responsive approach that facilitates co-regulation and emotional integration through attuned, movement-based interaction, supporting experiences of safety and connection. This review highlights the need for further empirical research on embodied interventions in this field and proposes DMT as a promising modality for supporting attachment security and emotion regulation in children affected by parental cancer.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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