To provide transformative and inclusive training where diverse individuals explore the healing potential of dance and movement, empowering them to become skilled, empathic Dance Movement Therapists.
ABOUT DANCE THERAPY TRAINING AOTEAROA
Dance Therapy Training Aotearoa (DTTA) is a training organisation that was established in 2014 by pioneering dance movement therapists in NZ in response to more and more people being interested in the powerful potential of dance and movement as a vehicle for healing, growth and transformation. There was also a growing need for dance movement therapists to provide services to clients in Aotearoa/NZ and very few professionally trained and registered dance therapists at that time. In the early days, the training pioneered the use of technology to bring overseas DMTs to NZ students and share their knowledge and skills. DTTA enjoys a fruitful relationship with Dance & Arts Therapy New Zealand, which provides many students with placements and graduates with work opportunities.
Now, we have a thriving community of dance therapists both practicing and teaching DMT in Aotearoa. We have also trained many dance therapists from other countries including Australia, Singapore, India, The Philippines, Japan, the UK and the USA. Over the past 10 years we have trained almost 200 students.
We are proud of our responsive and supportive programme and look forward to sharing in your journey, should you choose to join us!
OUR VISION
Our Vision is to provide transformative and inclusive training programmes where individuals from diverse backgrounds can explore the healing potential of dance and movement, empowering them to become skilled, empathic Dance Movement Therapists capable of facilitating meaningful, evidence based therapeutic connections.
OUR MISSION IS TO PROVIDE:
- Experiential, flexible Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) training that nurtures the growth and professional development of aspiring practitioners.
- Comprehensive curriculum combining experiential learning with evidence based knowledge.
- Cultivate empathic, self aware, creative trainees who can promote well-being and transformation through dance/movement.
By adhering to these values, our experiential, supportive and informal Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) training program strives to empower individuals to become compassionate and skilled Dance Movement Therapists, capable of making a positive impact in the lives of their clients and the communities they serve.
OUR CORE VALUES
Empowerment
We aim to support and empower individuals to embrace their unique strengths and talents, both personally and professionally, while supporting each student to gain the confidence they need in order to step forward into their chosen area/s of dance movement therapy.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
We believe in the transformative power of learning through direct experience, offering trainees practical opportunities to develop skills and confidence and to embody and integrate evidence based DMT skills into their own lives and future work.
FLEXIBILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY
We offer an informal, flexible and supportive training environment that can accommodate various learning styles and schedules, so that our course is accessible to all those who are inspired to train in dance movement therapy.
COLLABORATION
We partner with our students in their learning journey, respecting the knowledge and experience that each individual brings. We support each student to tailor their learning and placement opportunities in order to most effectively meet their goals for their future.
INCLUSIVITY
We celebrate the richness of diversity and create a safe, open, and accepting training environment for individuals from all backgrounds, cultures, ages, ethnicities, sexual orientation and genders.
FAQs
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Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) is the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive, cultural and physical wellbeing.
It is a holistic, evidence based therapeutic approach that draws from the fields of psychology, anatomy, movement dynamics, improvisation, creative practice and psychotherapy and supports people to grow, change and heal.
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Our course begins with Module 1: ‘Intro to DMT’ in October each year. There are two pathways to entry into our course, for more information see our ‘Training: Diploma DMT Overview’ page.
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You know the endorphin rush you can get when you move your body? The feeling of social connection when you dance with others you feel safe with? Perhaps you know how it feels to be truly seen and accepted with empathy and compassion? DMT combines these powerful experiences to support people to grow, change and heal.
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Someone who has completed at least a 2 year training in DMT that includes clinical knowledge such as assessment, ethics, working with risks and confidentiality. DMTs practice in many different ways – from community based group work to individual psychotherapeutic private practice.
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Dance therapists use tools such as mirroring (moving with a person with similar movements and emotional expression) and attunement (‘matching’ a person’s energy while they are moving in a way that is different to mirroring) in order to communicate body based empathy, facilitate the experience of being seen and to build a safe therapeutic relationship.
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Therapeutic dance classes can have many positive benefits – release, self expression, connecting to others. In DMT, these benefits take place in a safe container where we also attend to boundaries, the client-therapist relationship, ethics, and DMT usually involves more verbal processing of movement experiences in order to integrate them and learn from them.
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Each week, we estimate that the students will be engaged in approximately 4-6 hours of work for readings, assignments, placement and supervision.
This includes optional attendance at Simulated Practicums for 2 hours, 6x/year as another opportunity to experience DMT and develop leading skills in a supported environment.
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Yes - with our support and guidance. We have a dedicated placement coordinator who will work with you and support you to find an appropriate placement/s. We also have a process/guideline and the necessary paperwork/documents to support you as you liaise with a potential placement contact.
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While we try to keep costs as low as possible and all inclusive in our programme fees there may be associated costs where a student misses workshops, more than one tutorial or requires a placement extension. These are:
Missing a seminar/part of a seminar:
A fee is payable to cover additional costs of makeup assignment setting, marking and administration (fee depends on how many workshops are missed).Missing more than one supervision tutorial:
A fee is payable if a student misses more than one supervision tutorial, this covers the cost of a tutor providing a 1:1 supervision tutorial make-up session.Personal therapy hours:
As part of the course requirements, you are also required to participate in 10 hours of personal therapy/therapeutic dance each year. The diploma will try to link you with subsidised sessions to achieve this however there may be costs incurred to achieve this requirement.Year Two Placement extensions:
If placement hours are not completed by December of Year Two, a placement hour extension is offered of up to six months with admin and supervision fees payable for client contact hours and/or personal therapy hours extensions.DTAA Student Membership fee (optional):
We strongly encourage students to join the DTAA (Dance Therapy Association of Australasia) as a student member. This is the professional body that both registers and represents the profession of DMT in Australasia and gives students a welcome package, member discounts for professional development events, regular newsletters and networking and seminars held for student members. The student membership fee is around $55AUD/year.
ABOUT THE DIPLOMA
Want more specific details? Check out all the details of our training options here.