Date of Award

Spring 5-17-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Expressive Therapies

Major

Expressive Therapies

First Advisor

Meg Chang

Abstract

Abstract

The author will examine the application and effectiveness of Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) programs in school settings. DMT offers a unique, non-traditional approach to therapeutic counseling that may be more accessible for some students and could help reduce barriers and hesitation to participate in counseling for others. By integrating movement and other forms of art expression, DMT uses a multi-modal approach to therapy. It also provides opportunities for students to engage in physical movement during the school day. The literature explored in this thesis will include studies on expressive therapies in schools that aim to improve student learning and behavior and address mental health challenges and social and emotional developmental support. The research on the above areas and the use of DMT for addressing specific learning diagnoses that students may have in school environments will also be included.

In this thesis, I will review literature on student needs related to movement, art, and mental health counseling, and examine how Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) integrates all three elements. The findings highlight the need for further research with fewer limitations, such as larger and more diverse participant groups, longer study durations, and a broader range of DMT roles within school environments.

Keywords: Dance/Movement Therapy, Expressive Therapies, School Environments

Author Identity Statement: I am a straight, married white woman from New England, and I grew up in a predominantly white state where I had limited interactions with non-white peers outside of theater groups I performed with until college. Since then, I have engaged with more racially and gender-diverse social groups as a dance teacher/student, high school teacher, and graduate counseling student.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

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