Dance/Movement-Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Combining Modalities in the Treatment of Substance Use: A Literature Review

Author

Elizabeth Shillington, Lesley UniversityFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-8-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA - Master of Arts

Department

Expressive Therapies

Advisor

Meg Holland Chang

Abstract

With the number of drug overdoses ever increasing, it has become more apparent that other forms of therapy need to explored in the treatment of substance use. By taking the unique needs of substance use recovery into consideration, the country will be better able to help those seeking treatment. The combined use of dance/movement therapy and dialectical behavior therapy were considered in this literature review, as both have been effective in substance use recovery but have not been used together. Through a discussion of the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy and an analysis of dance/movement therapy literature, it has been found that dance/movement therapists have already included dialectical behavior therapy skills in their work, despite not labelling it as such. A number of recurring themes regarding ways to make dance/movement therapy more effective and challenges of working with substance use were also considered. From this analysis, it is believed that combining dance/movement therapy and dialectical behavior therapy is possible and may even be effective when working in substance use recovery.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Shillington, Elizabeth, "Dance/Movement-Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Combining Modalities in the Treatment of Substance Use: A Literature Review" (2020). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses. 301.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/301