Dance movement psychotherapy

1. Introduction

Version followed: UK dance movement psychotherapy (DMP) as defined by the Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK (ADMP UK). The process model is Bonnie Meekums' four-stage creative-process model (Meekums 2002). For a manualised group format, this guide uses the structured depression protocol of Hyvönen et al. (2020, Finland), which is a related DMT version and not a UK manual. Movement observation follows Laban and Kestenberg as summarised by Koch (2011).

DMP is a psychotherapy, not a dance class. ADMP UK describes it as a relational process in which client and therapist "engage creatively through body movement and dance", together with verbal and non-verbal reflection. It is used with individuals, couples, families, groups and teams, and clients need no dance skill [source: ADMP UK, What is DMP]. The core belief is an "inter-relationship between psyche, soma, and spirit" [source: ADMP UK]. Change is thought to come from several linked routes [source: The Conversation explainer; ADMP UK; Hyvönen et al. 2020]:

embodiment, meaning body-mind integration;
creativity, which helps the client find new solutions;
imagery, symbol and movement metaphor, which reach feelings such as anger, shame or fear indirectly;
non-verbal communication of what is hard to put into words;
a relationship in which the client can test how their actions affect others;
reflecting on movement experience in words, which strengthens the alliance.

Movement can stand as a metaphor for a life process the client cannot yet put into words. The therapist's first task is to provide an environment where the client feels safe to express inner turmoil through movement [source: Koch 2011].

Professional frame.

Professional body. ADMP UK keeps a Professional Register of practitioners it recognises as competent to practise, and a Student Register for trainees. Training is through ADMP-recognised MA courses [source: ADMP UK, Terms of membership]. The list of specific programmes is not drawn on.
CPD. Registered DMPs must complete at least 25 hours of CPD a year and keep records [source: ADMP UK, Terms of membership].
Memberships. ADMP UK is a member of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and the European Association of Dance Movement Therapy (EADMT) [source: ADMP UK].
Code of ethics. ADMP UK's Code of Ethics and Professional Practice binds all members, including trainees on placement and DMP members registered with UKCP. It puts client welfare and safety "at the forefront" [source: ADMP UK, Code of ethics page].
Statutory regulation. None of the ADMP UK pages mention HCPC. DMP is not among the HCPC-protected arts therapist titles, which cover art, drama and music therapists [uncertain: check the current HCPC register].
Training requirement. A psychotherapist without DMP training can borrow movement-based warm-ups and body-awareness exercises, but must not describe the work as DMP. Without that training, leave out deep improvisation, symbolic or regressive movement work and therapeutic touch, and refer to an ADMP-registered practitioner instead [synthesis].

2. Framework

Process model (Meekums 2002). Meekums proposes that the creative process cycles within each session and across the whole therapy [source: SAGE book page; Dimarucut 2016 summarising Meekums]. The stages are presented in order, but in practice the facilitator moves back and forth between them several times [source: Dimarucut 2016].

Stage	Goal	What happens
Preparation	Safety and readiness	Warm-up; establishing safety; "getting started"
Incubation	Let go of conscious control	Relaxed, exploratory movement that becomes symbolic
Illumination	Meaning emerges	Insight or a felt shift. It can be positive or negative, so contain it
Evaluation	Make sense of it and end	Discuss what the process meant; prepare to close the session or the therapy

[source: SAGE book page, chapter titles: "Warming up and Getting Started", "Letting Go into the Darkness and Seeing a Light", "The Final Campfire"; Dimarucut 2016]. Only the table of contents and a secondary summary are drawn on, not Meekums' full chapters [uncertain].

Session format. ADMP UK states that therapy may be short or long term, individual or group [source: ADMP UK]. For one worked group protocol, Hyvönen et al. (2020) ran [source: Hyvönen et al. 2020]:

20 group sessions of 75 minutes, twice a week for 10 weeks, alongside usual care, with 4 to 8 participants;
three parts in every session: orientation in the group, thematic work, and closure;
themes in sequence: goals; body awareness and resources; symbols; safety; emotional regulation; body narrative; playfulness; agency; reviewing the life span;
a structure that therapists adapted to each group.

A five-part community format is used by Dimarucut (2016): greeting and warm-up; Movement Activity 1 with debrief; Movement Activity 2 with debrief; guided or non-guided relaxation; sharing, closure and goodbyes.

Criteria for moving between stages [synthesis: the sources give no explicit criteria].

Preparation to incubation. The client can locate breath, weight and contact with the floor. They can stop on request and say or signal "enough". Arousal is within a tolerable range.
Incubation to illumination. A movement motif recurs, intensifies or changes quality, or the client spontaneously names an image or feeling.
Illumination to evaluation. Allow at least 10 to 15 minutes before the end. Move to evaluation earlier if arousal climbs beyond what the client can regulate (see section 5).
Across therapy. Early sessions are mostly preparation and resourcing. Introduce symbolic or trauma-related themes only once the client has reliable grounding and stop skills. Ending work (evaluation across therapy) should be announced several sessions in advance.

3. Guiding principles

DMP is relational [source: ADMP UK]. The therapist moves with the client and stays in the movement relationship rather than instructing from outside.
Psyche, soma and spirit are interrelated [source: ADMP UK]. Treat a change in posture, breath or movement quality as clinically meaningful data alongside speech.
No dance skill is needed; process comes first [source: ADMP UK; The Conversation]. Never teach steps or judge how the client moves. Pedestrian movement, breath and gesture count as material.
Contained creative movement play [source: ADMP UK]. Play happens inside clear limits of time, space and structure, which you set and hold.
Safety first [source: ADMP UK Code page; Koch 2011]. Emotional and physical safety comes before depth, and the session moves at the pace of the client's regulation.
Movement metaphor and symbol [source: Meekums 2002 via Hyvönen et al. 2020; The Conversation]. Work through the image ("the heavy arm") before explaining it. The image allows an indirect approach to difficult affect.
Verbal and non-verbal reflection go together [source: ADMP UK; Hyvönen et al. 2020]. Every movement section is followed by some form of reflection in words, drawing or writing.
Balance breath, movement and feeling [source: Caldwell 2017, quoted in Hyvönen et al. 2020]. If the client is flooding with feeling, slow the movement and return to breath. If they are numb, bring in movement and sensation.
Match capacity [source: Hyvönen et al. 2020]. Adjust intensity to each person's physical capacity, energy and motivation. No exercise has to be physically demanding.
Inform clients about risk [source: Hyvönen et al. 2020]. Tell clients the work may stir difficult feelings and invite them to raise any doubts about continuing.
Kinaesthetic empathy [source: Koch 2011]. Feel into the client's movement, including its quality as well as its shape, and check your felt sense with the client rather than imposing it.
Observation systems are tools for the clinician [source: Koch 2011]. Use Laban and Kestenberg categories to understand the client and plan interventions, not as vocabulary the client must adopt.
Touch only for therapeutic purposes and with informed consent [source: Sakiyama 2004/2015]. Agree the conditions for touch explicitly, both between therapist and client and between group members.
The therapist's training shapes the stance [source: ADMP UK]. Name your orientation (for example psychodynamic, humanistic or integrative) to yourself and to your supervisor.

4. Intervention inventory

Sources for this section are Dimarucut (2016) for the warm-up, activity, relaxation and sharing components; Hyvönen et al. (2020) for orientation, themes, improvisation, mindfulness, props and reflection; and Koch (2011) for mirroring, gesture development and the Laban and Kestenberg work. Step-by-step detail is my own [synthesis] unless a source is tagged. All example wording is illustrative.

4.1 Room, space and fall-safety set-up (before every session)

Purpose. Physical safety is part of the containment that ADMP UK's code puts "at the forefront" [source: ADMP UK Code page]. The checklist is [synthesis].
Steps.
1. Use a clear, non-slip floor. Remove furniture with sharp corners, or pad and mark it. Check for trailing cables, wet patches and rugs that can slide.
2. Allow enough space for each person to stretch out their arms and turn without contact. Reduce the group size or use seated work if the room is small.
3. Ask clients to move barefoot on a clean floor, or in grippy socks or flat soft shoes. Plain socks on a smooth floor are a slipping risk.
4. Screen for physical limits at intake: falls history, dizziness, pregnancy, joint or back problems, cardiac or respiratory conditions, medication causing sedation or orthostatic drop, epilepsy, and recent surgery. Get medical advice when in doubt.
5. Offer a chair for every client. Seated versions of every exercise are always valid.
6. Keep a clear exit and an agreed "time-out" spot. Know the first-aid and emergency procedure for the venue.
7. Set the music volume low enough to talk over it. Check that props are intact and non-toxic. Do not use stretch cloth or ropes around the neck, and do not tie people together.
8. Ban spins with the eyes closed, running with the eyes closed, lifts, falling or catching someone, and trust falls unless they are specifically trained and planned. Work with eyes closed only when stationary or moving slowly, with a witness present.
9. Agree how you will stop movement (a hand signal or a word) and rehearse it in session one.
Example language (illustrative). "Before we move: if you need to stop at any point, just sit down or raise your hand, and I'll check in. Your own pace is the right pace."
Watch for. Breathlessness, pallor, dizziness, clients pushing through pain, and crowding. If anything changes, stop and slow down, or move to seated work.

4.2 Opening, check-in and orientation

Purpose. Arrive, reconnect with the group and the frame, and gauge state. This is the first of the three session parts in Hyvönen et al. (2020) and the welcome or greeting in Dimarucut (2016).
Steps.
1. Form a circle, standing or seated.
2. Give each person a short verbal check-in or a single gesture showing "how I arrive today".
3. The group or therapist reflects the gesture back without commenting on it.
4. Restate the time frame, the stop signal and the theme, if one is planned [synthesis].
Example language (illustrative). "Find a small movement that says something about how you're arriving. We'll all show it back to you, then pass to the next person."
Watch for. Flat or withdrawn gestures that may signal low mood or dissociation. Use these to set the intensity for the session.

4.3 Grounding and body-awareness warm-up

Purpose. Establish safety and readiness. This is the preparation stage (Meekums), using the warm-up techniques Dimarucut (2016) lists: grounding, body mapping, tapping, brushing and breathing.
Steps [synthesis on order].
1. Feel the feet on the floor and shift weight slowly side to side and front to back.
2. Tap the body lightly with open palms from feet to head and back.
3. Brush down the arms and legs.
4. Do a body-mapping scan: notice areas that feel warm, tense, numb or easy.
5. Notice breath without changing it, then lengthen the exhale.
6. Gradually increase the range: reaching, bending and swinging.
Example language (illustrative). "Tap down your arms as if you were waking them up. Notice which parts feel more here and which feel further away."
Watch for. Self-touch can trigger trauma survivors, so always offer alternatives such as pressing the feet into the floor or pushing against a wall. If a client goes still or glazed, open the eyes and use more orienting to the room.

4.4 Mindfulness and interoceptive practice

Purpose. Attuned interoceptive sensing and somatic awareness, a named component in Hyvönen et al. (2020).
Steps.
1. Take a short guided attention practice, standing, seated or lying.
2. Follow sensation in one region.
3. Let a micro-movement arise from that sensation.
4. Return to stillness.
Example language (illustrative). "Notice what your shoulders are doing right now. If they want to move even a little, let them, and notice what changes."
Watch for. Prolonged inward focus can increase dissociation or panic. Keep the eyes open and the practice short for trauma clients [synthesis].

4.5 Therapist-client mirroring

Purpose. Kinaesthetic empathy and attunement: feel into the client's movement, including its qualities, and reflect on the felt experience together [source: Koch 2011]. Use it to build the relationship and to make implicit states visible.
Steps.
1. Face or stand beside the client.
2. Take up their movement with the same shape and, above all, the same quality: weight, time, flow and space.
3. Mirror selectively. Partial or attuned reflection, which matches rhythm or intensity without copying exactly, is often less exposing than exact copying [synthesis].
4. After a while, check in.
5. Optionally offer one small variation and see whether the client takes it up.
Example language (illustrative). "When I moved with you, I felt something tight and careful. Does that fit for you, or is it something else?"
Watch for. Koch notes that you can copy the shape and miss the feeling if the effort quality differs. Exact mirroring can feel mocking or intrusive to paranoid, shame-prone or autistic clients. Ask first, and stop if the client tenses or looks away.

4.6 Group mirroring with feedback

Purpose. Let one person be seen and understood through others' bodies [source: Koch 2011].
Steps [source: Koch 2011].
1. One volunteer moves to music.
2. The others mirror.
3. The mirrorers share what they felt while mirroring.
4. The mover confirms or disconfirms what they say.
5. Dialogue about the mover's process follows.
Example language (illustrative). "Say what you felt in your own body while mirroring, starting with 'I felt…'. Then the mover tells us what fits and what doesn't."
Watch for. Members interpreting the mover's life instead of reporting their own sensations. Protect the mover's right to disconfirm. Keep the volunteer turn short at first.

4.7 Developing a gesture into movement and metaphor

Purpose. Connect a gesture or posture to its meaning, especially with clients who are non-verbal or not primarily verbal. Koch describes this in work with people with schizophrenia [source: Koch 2011].
Steps.
1. Notice a recurring or idiosyncratic gesture.
2. Mirror it.
3. Develop it with the client into whole-body movement, for example by enlarging it, travelling with it, or changing its speed.
4. Name feelings and associations as they appear.
5. Let the developed movement become a metaphor the client can name, such as "pushing away" or "holding on" [source: Koch 2011].
Example language (illustrative). "Your hand keeps doing this little flick. Let's both make it bigger and see where it wants to go… what does it remind you of?"
Watch for. Do not supply the meaning yourself. Offer a tentative image and accept rejection. Signs it is working: the movement gains clarity or intensity, the client spontaneously names an image, or affect shows and then settles.

4.8 Movement improvisation: structured, unstructured and creative dance

Purpose. This is the main vehicle of the incubation stage, where conscious control loosens and movement becomes symbolic [source: Meekums via Dimarucut 2016; Hyvönen et al. 2020; Dimarucut 2016].
Steps [synthesis on graded structure].
1. Start structured, with one clear prompt: for example, move only your arms, move at three speeds, or find high, middle and low levels.
2. Gradually open the prompt to free improvisation, with or without music.
3. Keep the time limit explicit.
4. Give a signal to gather and slow down before reflecting.
Example language (illustrative). "For the next three minutes, explore moving slowly and then quickly. When the music fades, find a shape to pause in."
Watch for. Escalating speed or intensity without awareness. Self-harming movement such as hitting the floor or the body. Collisions in the group. Re-impose structure when needed (see section 5).

4.9 Movement metaphor and symbol work

Purpose. Work through difficult experiences by staying in the image. The movement metaphor is the creative change mechanism [source: Meekums 2002 and Ellis 2001, cited in Hyvönen et al. 2020; The Conversation].
Steps [synthesis].
1. Notice an image the client uses or makes, such as "a wall" or "carrying a weight".
2. Invite them to embody it.
3. Explore variations: what happens if the wall moves, or the weight is set down.
4. Step out of the image and reflect on it.
5. Link it to life only if the client initiates that link.
Example language (illustrative). "Show me what carrying that weight looks like. Now, just as an experiment, what would putting it down for one breath look like?"
Watch for. This is where illumination can turn negative. If insight brings flooding, contain it (see 5.3). Do not force resolution of the metaphor in one session.

4.10 Kestenberg rhythm work for self-regulation

Purpose. Use tension-flow rhythms as regulation tools [source: Koch 2011]. Koch gives two examples:
- a small, soft rocking of the torso (a sucking-type rhythm) to self-soothe anxiety;
- an oral biting-type rhythm, which is sharper and more staccato, to help someone get out of an unpleasant situation.
Koch also notes that everyday aggression mixes at least two "fighting" rhythms.
Steps [synthesis on how to deliver it].
1. Notice the client's current rhythm and match it briefly.
2. Offer the regulating rhythm in your own body and invite the client to try it: soft rocking for soothing, crisp stopping and starting for setting a boundary or leaving.
3. Practise switching between the two rhythms so the client gains choice.
Example language (illustrative). "Let's rock very gently, as small as you like… Now try something crisper: move, stop, move, stop. Which helps you feel more steady right now?"
Watch for. Rocking can be regressive or can trigger memories for some people. Offer it as an option, not an instruction.

4.11 Shape-flow and directional shaping explorations

Purpose. In Kestenberg's system, growing and shrinking of body shape (widening or narrowing, lengthening or shortening, bulging or hollowing) reflects how the person relates to their surroundings and to stimuli. Pointing and reaching build bridges to people and objects [source: Koch 2011]. Use it to explore the bodily side of approach and withdrawal.
Steps [synthesis].
1. Breathe and let the torso widen, then narrow.
2. Lengthen and shorten.
3. Reach toward a chosen object or person, then gather back.
4. Explore distance: how close or far feels right.
5. Reflect on which shapes feel familiar and which feel new.
Example language (illustrative). "Let your breath make you a little wider… now a little narrower. Reach toward the window and notice what happens as you come back."
Watch for. Chronic hollowing or narrowing that the client says matches their sense of self. Expanding range gradually is the sign of change.

4.12 Laban effort exploration

Purpose. Effort is the inner impulse behind movement. It has four factors, each with a "fighting" and an "indulging" pole [source: Koch 2011]:
- space: direct or indirect;
- weight: strong or light;
- time: quick or sustained;
- flow: bound or free.
Use it to widen a client's restricted repertoire, for example someone who is always light and bound, or always quick.
Steps [synthesis].
1. Observe the client's habitual efforts.
2. Invite them to play with the opposite pole of one factor at a time. For example, from always light, try strong pressing into a wall or into the floor.
3. Return to the familiar quality.
4. Compare the felt experience of the two.
Example language (illustrative). "You often move lightly and carefully. Try pushing into the wall with real weight for a few seconds. What's that like?"
Watch for. Strong effort can release anger. Pre-agree containers, such as pushing a wall or the floor rather than people, and limit how long it lasts.

4.13 Props: fabrics, balls and stretch cloth

Purpose. Props give an external focus, a medium for playing with relationship, and a symbol. Fabrics and balls are named by Hyvönen et al. (2020), and props are used in Dimarucut (2016).
Steps [synthesis].
1. Offer a choice of prop.
2. Invite free exploration with it.
3. Use it relationally: pass a ball across the circle, or hold a fabric between two people and explore tension and slack.
4. Use it symbolically: "choose a fabric that is like today".
Example language (illustrative). "Hold one end each. Notice how much pull feels right between you."
Watch for. The safety points in 4.1 apply: nothing goes around the neck, and fabric must not trip people. Tug-of-war dynamics can mirror conflict, so slow them down and name them.

4.14 Partner and group games and group dance

Purpose. Build trust, cooperation and relatedness. Dimarucut (2016) sequences pairs, then small groups, then a big group dance, and uses games that need a shared goal. In the Finnish protocol, relatedness to self and others is central [source: Zubala 2013, cited in Hyvönen et al. 2020].
Steps.
1. Start in pairs with a simple leading and following game.
2. Combine pairs into small groups with a shared task.
3. Build a whole-group dance from contributions by members.
Example language (illustrative). "In your four, make a movement that each of you contributes to, then teach it to the whole group."
Watch for. Who leads and who avoids leading. Exclusion or scapegoating. Physical contact creeping in without consent (see 4.19).

4.15 Thematic work (structured group protocol)

Purpose. Give the middle of each session a theme. The Finnish depression protocol sequences these themes [source: Hyvönen et al. 2020]:
- goals;
- body awareness and resources;
- symbols;
- safety;
- emotional regulation;
- body narrative;
- playfulness;
- agency;
- reviewing the life span.
Steps [synthesis].
1. Introduce the theme briefly.
2. Use movement tasks that embody it. For example, for resources: find a posture of strength. For agency: walk a path you choose.
3. Follow with reflection.
Example language (illustrative). "Today's theme is resources. Find a position or movement that feels even a little bit strong or steady."
Watch for. Whether the theme fits where the group is. Hyvönen et al. adapted the themes to each group, and you should too.

4.16 Guided or non-guided relaxation

Purpose. Lower arousal and integrate before talking. This is a standard step before sharing in Dimarucut (2016).
Steps [synthesis].
1. Clients sit or lie down, choosing their own position.
2. Give a short guided scan, or allow quiet with soft music.
3. Lead a gradual re-orientation: eyes open, look around the room, wriggle hands and feet.
Example language (illustrative). "Let the floor hold you. In a moment I'll invite you back to the room."
Watch for. Lying down and closed eyes can be unsafe for trauma survivors. Offer sitting with eyes open. Give a slow re-orientation before anyone stands up, to prevent dizziness and falls.

4.17 Arts-based reflection: drawing, writing and clay

Purpose. Bridge from movement to words. Drawing, writing and discussion are used in Hyvönen et al. (2020); drawing, clay images and pattern-making in Dimarucut (2016), including drawing before and after a session.
Steps [synthesis].
1. Straight after the movement, give 3 to 5 minutes to draw, write or shape clay about what happened, without trying to make it good.
2. Then share in pairs or the circle.
Example language (illustrative). "Put on paper whatever stays with you from the movement: colours, lines, words."
Watch for. Do not interpret drawings or movement as diagnostic evidence (see 4.20).

4.18 Verbal reflection, partner debrief and closing circle

Purpose. Verbal and non-verbal reflection is part of the ADMP UK definition. Reflecting movement experience in words strengthens the alliance [source: Pylvänäinen 2018, cited in Hyvönen et al. 2020]. Closure is the final part of each session and the evaluation stage [source: Hyvönen et al. 2020; Dimarucut 2016].
Steps.
1. Debrief in pairs after each activity.
2. Hold a circle sharing at the end.
3. Close with a gesture or movement "to take away" or "to leave behind".
4. Give goodbyes [source: Dimarucut 2016; ritual detail is synthesis].
Example language (illustrative). "One word or one movement for something you take with you today, and one you leave here."
Watch for. A client leaving in a high or dissociated state. Allow enough time and ground again if needed.

4.19 Therapeutic touch: consent and opt-out procedure

Purpose. Touch happens in DMP between therapist and client and between group members. It must serve a therapeutic purpose, with guidelines made clear and informed consent agreed on the conditions under which touch is acceptable [source: Sakiyama 2004, DTAA translation 2015 — abstract only]. ADMP UK's code on touch is [uncertain]. The procedure below is [synthesis].
Steps.
1. At intake. Explain that the work may sometimes include touch, for example hand-to-hand contact or leaning back to back. Explain that touch is never required and never sexual, and that genital, breast and buttock areas are always excluded. Record touch preferences, including no touch at all, alongside trauma history and cultural or religious norms about touch and gender. Get written consent to the frame. For under-16s, also get parent or carer consent where appropriate, plus the child's own assent.
2. Each session. Re-check consent. Consent given in an earlier session does not carry over.
3. Each touch. Before every specific touch, name it and ask ("Would it be OK if our palms met?"). Offer a no-touch alternative straight away, such as mirroring at a distance or pressing into a cushion. Let the client initiate and control the contact: their hand moves toward yours, and they decide the pressure and how long it lasts.
4. Opt-out. Agree a word or gesture that ends contact immediately, honour it without question, and say so in advance ("You can stop at any time and I won't ask why").
5. Groups. Set the norm that members ask before touching, that "no" ends the contact, and that a no-touch option is always offered. The therapist watches for pressure to conform.
6. Afterwards. Check in verbally and record the touch, its purpose and the client's response. Take any touch question to supervision.
7. Do not use touch when the client is acutely psychotic with sexualised or persecutory transference, intoxicated, or in an eroticised transference. Do not use it in a lone-worker setting without a chaperone, or when you feel any doubt.
Example language (illustrative). "Some people find contact grounding and some don't, and both are fine. Would you like to try palms together, or would you prefer we each press into the wall?"
Watch for. Freezing, compliance without pleasure, holding the breath, or looking away. These are signs that consent is not real, so stop and move to distance work. Touch norms differ widely by culture, gender and religion. Never assume.

4.20 Movement observation and assessment (Laban, Kestenberg)

Purpose. Understand the client and choose interventions. In work with autistic children, the Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP) is used to assess developmental level and to choose interventions that support the next developmental step [source: Koch 2011].
Steps [source: Koch 2011].
1. Formal Kestenberg rhythm-writing needs trained raters. They watch a 5–10 minute video and use kinaesthetic empathy to transfer the person's tension-flow changes into their writing hand.
2. The rhythms are then rated from the resulting charts.
3. Informal clinical use means noting habitual efforts, shapes and rhythms each session [synthesis].
Watch for, and validity limits.
- Koch (2011) gives no reliability or validity data for the KMP. She notes that observation systems need critical examination, and that the categories are meant for professionals' understanding, diagnosis and intervention.
- Video recording needs explicit written consent and secure storage [synthesis].
- Never present movement patterns as evidence of abuse, trauma history or a psychiatric diagnosis. They are hypotheses to explore with the client and in supervision.
- Use the KMP formally only if you have completed specific KMP training [synthesis].

4.21 Chace-style circle group (named variant)

Purpose. Marian Chace, a US pioneer active from 1940 to 1970, is the source of a group approach to dance therapy. The keywords linked to her work are therapeutic relationship, symbolic movement, rhythmic movement and group therapy with people with mental illness [source: DTAA page on Chaiklin's 2007 conference paper — summary page only; the full PDF is not drawn on].
Status. The specific Chace session steps and techniques are not verified in the sources [uncertain]. A generic circle format for group DMP is already covered by 4.2 (circle opening), 4.6 (group mirroring), 4.14 (rhythmic group dance) and 4.18 (closing circle).

4.22 Authentic movement (named variant)

Status. Authentic movement is a mover-and-witness discipline widely associated with dance movement therapy. Its primary sources are not drawn on in this guide [uncertain]. Do not use it from this guide. It involves moving with closed eyes and deep inward focus, so it needs specific training and supervision. Screen out clients with dissociative disorders, active psychosis or unstable trauma symptoms unless an appropriately trained practitioner is working with them [synthesis].

4.23 Adaptations for children and young people

Purpose. DMP is offered to children of all ages and abilities, including autistic children and those with learning, sensory or physical disabilities [source: ADMP UK; Koch 2011]. Dimarucut (2016) describes a five-hour session with boys aged 6–16 in orphanages, moving from games in pairs to small groups to a big group dance, with guided relaxation before sharing. The adaptations below are [synthesis].
Steps.
1. Consent and assent. Get parent or carer consent where required. Get the child's own assent, using pictures or demonstrations if needed. Children can always opt out of any activity without losing their place in the group.
2. Structure. Use shorter units, more games and props, clear start and stop signals, and visual timetables. Make a predictable opening and closing ritual.
3. Touch and safeguarding. Keep touch to a minimum and in view: hands, shoulders, back to back. Keep the door open or work within sight of other staff, follow the setting's safeguarding policy, and never be alone with a child behind a closed door in a school or hospital without a policy-sanctioned arrangement.
4. Disclosure. If a child discloses harm, or something they say or show raises a safeguarding concern, do not interrogate or interpret it. Record their words verbatim and report the same day to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or local authority, following Working Together and local procedures in England or the equivalent in the devolved nations. Movement or drawings alone are not evidence of abuse.
5. Carers. Involve parents or carers through review meetings, and offer parent-child dyad sessions where indicated.
Example language (illustrative). "When I hold up my hand like this, everybody freezes like a statue. Let's practise!"
Watch for. Over-excitement leading to collisions. Use "freeze" games, slow-motion tasks and floor-based work to bring arousal down.

5. Handling problems

The sources say little about managing problems. Hyvönen et al. (2020) advise warning clients that difficult feelings may arise, inviting them to discuss whether to continue, and matching intensity to capacity. Dimarucut (2016) notes that illumination can be negative and that facilitators move back and forth between stages. Everything else below is [synthesis].

5.1 Stuck, self-conscious or "I can't dance" clients

Say again that no skill is needed and that ordinary movement counts [source: ADMP UK].
Reduce exposure:
- work seated, with small movements or a single body part;
- move side by side rather than face to face;
- use props as a focus;
- let the client watch first.
Move first yourself, then invite the client to join or vary what you do.
With stuckness across sessions, return to the preparation stage. Use the stuck quality itself as material: "show me stuck".

5.2 Resistance and refusal to move

Treat refusal as communication and as a valid choice, never as non-compliance.
Offer graded options: talk only, then breath awareness, then hand gestures, then standing.
Explore what moving would mean for the client, for example being looked at, losing control, or memories of PE lessons or of the body being judged.
Never coax physically or by peer pressure.

5.3 Overwhelm, flooding and dissociation

Signs: rapid breathing, collapse, a glazed stare, uncontrolled crying, rigid freezing, or movement speeding up.
Response:
1. Stop the music.
2. Bring the client to stillness with the eyes open.
3. Ground them: feet pressing into the floor, back against a wall, slow exhale, naming objects in the room.
4. Reduce the space and speed of movement.
5. Shift into evaluation early.
Do not restart symbolic or emotive work in that session. Review pacing and resourcing next time, and screen again for trauma.
Keep sessions with known PTSD within the window of tolerance. Do not use eyes-closed work, lying-down relaxation or touch until the client is stable.

5.4 Escalation, aggression and unsafe movement

Pre-agree physical containers for strong effort: pushing a wall, stamping, or wringing a towel. Never people.
If movement becomes self-harming or a risk to others:
1. Give the stop signal.
2. Move others back.
3. Lower your own voice and tempo.
4. Mirror at a lower intensity to bring the client down (use Kestenberg-informed soothing rhythms, 4.10).
Record any injury and follow the setting's incident procedure.

5.5 Physical incidents: falls, dizziness and pain

Prevention is set out in 4.1.
If someone falls:
1. Stop the group and do not move the person hastily.
2. Assess them, then apply first aid or call for help.
3. Record the incident.
4. Process the event with the group later.
With repeated dizziness, chest pain or breathlessness, stop movement work until the client has seen a doctor. DMP does not replace medical care.

5.6 Non-attendance and non-engagement

Explore shame about the body and fear of being seen, which are common in eating disorders, depression and trauma.
Offer individual sessions before a group, or a lower-exposure group role, such as being a witness.
For drop-outs, use the evaluation stage (Meekums) to plan an ending rather than letting therapy fade out.

5.7 Ruptures in the movement relationship

Common triggers: mirroring experienced as mockery or intrusion, an unwanted touch, an interpretation the client rejects, or the therapist leading too much.
Response:
1. Name the moment.
2. Take responsibility for your part.
3. Return control of distance, tempo and touch to the client.
4. Repair in movement as well as in words, for example by following only.
Take recurring ruptures to supervision.

5.8 Touch-related difficulties

A client asks for touch beyond the agreed frame (for example hugs or holding): acknowledge the need, keep to the frame, explore the need in words and symbolically, and record and supervise.
A client touches others without consent in a group: stop it at once, restate the norm, and offer the person a non-contact alternative.
Any sexualised response from either party: end the contact, keep the boundary firmly and kindly, and seek supervision at once.
An allegation: follow your organisation's procedure and ADMP UK's complaints process. Contemporaneous notes on consent are your protection.

5.9 Psychosis, mania, eating disorders and other modality-specific risks

Psychosis:
- Koch (2011) describes gesture work with patients with schizophrenia.
- Keep structure high and favour rhythmic group work.
- Avoid closed-eye inward focus and regressive exploration.
- Work in a team context.
Mania: reduce stimulation and the tempo of music and movement, and avoid exciting group dances.
Eating disorders:
- Avoid exercise-like intensity and anything that turns into calorie-burning or compulsive movement.
- Avoid comments on body shape.
- Keep closely linked with the medical team and its medical-safety limits.
Physical illness and older adults: use seated adaptations and get medical clearance.

5.10 Cultural and religious factors

Norms about dance, music, mixed-gender groups, touch and showing the body vary.
Ask at intake. Offer single-gender groups, choice of music, and permission to keep clothing and posture modest.
Do not frame any dance tradition's spiritual meaning as part of the therapy unless the client brings it in.

5.11 Scope and competence

If you are not ADMP-trained, keep to structured warm-ups, grounding and simple reflection.
Refer clients to a registered DMP for depth work, touch, authentic movement or formal movement assessment.
Make sure your supervision has DMP expertise.

Sources

Sources

Books and papers cited through the sources above (further reading, not drawn on directly)

Meekums, B. (2002). Dance Movement Therapy: A Creative Psychotherapeutic Approach. SAGE. Only the contents page is drawn on.
Caldwell (2017); Ellis (2001); Pylvänäinen (2018); Zubala (2013): each cited only as reported in Hyvönen et al. (2020) [uncertain: full details not checked].

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