How can DMP help children and adolescents?

DMP can be very effective when working with children as it incorporates many different techniques that they can relate to and it doesn’t rely solely on verbal communication.

‘Young children initially explore, discover and express themselves in their world primarily through their multisensory and nonverbal experiences.’ (Tortora, 2009, p. 163)

DMP sessions can involve role-play, sand play, art-work, dance, movement and drama to communicate with children on their level and enable them to express their feelings creatively and in a safe environment. ‘The body and movement are the vehicle for expression, and communication in a pre-verbal and symbolic manner.’ (Payne, 1992, p.42) Using symbolism and metaphors in movement can allow children to explore feelings and emotions that they may not feel is safe to expose verbally or in real terms. Methods that enable therapists to recognize and decipher potential movement metaphors include attunement and mirroring.

Attunement enables the therapist to tune into, observe and analyse behaviour and movements and then reflect and speculate on possible meanings. The therapist can also ‘try on’ a child’s movement in an attempt to understand further hidden emotions. Mirroring is where the therapist subtly copies some of the child’s movements. This can help to build a trusting relationship between the therapist and child, as the child can feel safe, heard and understood. (Tortora, 2009, p. 163)

‘Mirroring the rhythmic quality… of the client’s movement conveys empathy and mutual understanding, whilst adjusting to the shape of the client’s body enhances trust and a feeling of confidence and support in the relationship.’ (Colbert, 2009)

DMP MA student, Maria Valdivia (2010), conducted a case study involving children and concluded that ‘a therapeutic setting enabled a very disturbed child to communicate through play his great need for attachment and containment.’ This case study explored a child’s loss of a parent and the effects this can have on their development. (Valdivia, 2010, pp.75-87)

How can DMP help with children’s learning in school?

‘Including group activities within the curriculum supports children’s total development, enables a release of their accumulated restless energy, and facilitates their transitions through the daily classroom program.’ (Tortora, 2006, p.400)

Tortora’s (2006) ‘Ways of Seeing’ programme of DMP treatment was created ‘to improve classroom functioning,’ (p.29) One of her case studies ‘demonstrates how the expressive and healing aspects of an individual DMP treatment were translated into the school setting to support a young child’s improvement.’ (Tortora, 2006, p.39)

Dance and movement can allow individuals to access this fundamental learning in different ways. As well as being a form to allow for expression and release through the body and the mind, it ‘also assists children to gain increased body awareness and control; auditory and visual organization, and social, emotional, communicative, and physical development.’ (Tortora, 2006, p.411) This could enhance confidence to establish more control in other areas, such as behaviour. Movement exercises have been proven to release endorphins and dopamine in the brain, increasing positivity and improving confidence and self-esteem. All of the skills developed in movement and dance also support cognitive understanding, (Tortora, 2006, pp.410-412), which is vital for children trying to make sense of the world around them. Creating patterns, improving spatial awareness and a better knowledge of their own bodies in space can empower children to feel more comfortable in their bodies, potentially leading them to feel more confident about making decisions, asking for help when needed and establishing healthy relationships.

‘The establishment and maintenance of clear therapeutic boundaries such as ground rules and other therapeutic strategies….can provide for a level of containment.’ (Payne, 1992, p.75)

Although not the same as classroom rules, within the DMP sessions, therapeutic boundaries are necessary, to ensure the child’s safety and to effectively run the sessions. The therapist will strive to discover why boundaries might be challenged. The child will be given the power to discover and change the pattern of pushing boundaries within the safe setting of the DMP session, knowing that they will not be judged or reprimanded. ‘Therapy changes the world inside a child’s head.’ (Rogers, 2003, p.83) This change could potentially be transferred into the classroom and around the school.

‘DMT works more efficiently alongside other treatments.’ (Lundy and McGuffin, 2005, pp.135-145) As well as other art and play activities ‘movement and dance is informed by the knowledge that we learn through all our senses, and that each art form provides a unique language of expression.’ (Colbert, 2009) It is the researchers view that DMP can work effectively alone and can benefit a wide range of people. However, having multiple art modalities available allows children to ‘choose an art form that best communicates his/her emotional experiences.’ (Colbert, 2009)

How can DMP help children with Behaviour, Emotional and Social Difficulties?

Gro¨nlund (2005) conducted a study, describing and evaluating five years of working with DMP for emotionally disturbed school children, predominantly with boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), who can struggle with low self-esteem. She concluded that ‘DMT proved successful since, by simultaneously processing both body and emotion, it had a two-pronged effect.’

‘Dance therapy can provide the very avenue they need to (1) express their strengths and personal resources (2) transform underlying emotions such as shame…’ (Gro¨nlund et al, 2005)

Although the participant in this study does not have ADHD, they are struggling with low self-esteem and difficulties in expressing their emotions verbally. “Dance/movement therapy represents a break from traditional psychotherapeutic approaches that are based on language and do not directly attend to the body.’ (Thom, 2010)

However, language and verbal communication can still be important in the therapeutic process. “While seeking out emotional content through movement, verbal language is fundamental to children’s understanding of emotion.’ (Thom, 2010) Movements and actions are observed and verbalised by the therapist to allow the child to acknowledge what they are doing and to feel accepted. ‘All movements are regarded as potential expressions and communications’, (Tortora, 2006, p.414) which can then be spoken to concrete their acceptance and meaning.

Mirroring movements is a way of indicating that what they are doing is accepted by an adult and not challenged or ignored. ‘In dance/movement therapy, the therapist helps to expand the patient’s bodily and emotional repertoire using rhythmic structure, repetition, and consistency.’ (Levy, 2005, p.85)

‘Language is a powerful tool in communication, but the rich texture of a child’s experience is difficult to express in speech.’ (Payne, 1992, p.50)

DMP can enable children to communicate with an adult through their bodies. The therapist has been trained to understand and reply to this communication in the best way possible. For some children it may be that through DMP sessions, they suddenly feel understood, heard and acknowledged. This may be all that is required to give a child the opportunity to begin expressing and releasing suppressed emotions and feelings on a more regular basis, creating space for them to access their classroom learning in a more effective and positive way.