BC-DMT flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

American Dance Therapy Association

Professional organization that defines dance/movement therapy, sets education and credentialing standards, and publishes the ADTA Code of Ethics for practitioners.

Laban Effort factors

Four movement qualities: Flow (bound/free), Weight (strong/light), Time (sudden/sustained), and Space (direct/indirect), used to describe how movement is performed.

Authentic Movement

A practice developed by Mary Whitehouse in which a mover follows internal impulses with eyes closed while a witness observes nonjudgmentally, supporting self-awareness and expression.

Chace approach

A dance therapy method developed by Marian Chace using rhythmic group movement, body action, and symbolic expression to support ego function and social interaction.

Kestenberg Movement Profile

A developmental movement assessment system that categorizes tension-flow rhythms and shape-flow designs, linking movement patterns to psychological development and attachment.

Bartenieff Fundamentals

A movement re-education approach addressing six developmental connectivity patterns: breath, core-distal, head-tail, upper-lower, body-half, and cross-lateral.

Shape-flow

A Laban concept describing spatial changes in body form, including rising/sinking, spreading/enclosing, and advancing/retreating, reflecting developmental and affective states.

Mirroring

An intervention in which the therapist matches qualities of the client's movement to communicate attunement, validate experience, and build the therapeutic alliance.

Grounding techniques

Interventions using weight, breath, and contact with the floor to support regulation, present-moment awareness, and a sense of safety in the body.

Window of tolerance

A model describing the optimal arousal zone in which a person can process emotions and sensations; interventions are titrated to stay within this zone.

Chace circle structure

A group format progressing from warm-up to theme development to closure, using rhythmic synchrony to build cohesion and support expression.

Therapeutic alliance

The collaborative relationship between therapist and client, built in DMT through nonverbal attunement, rhythm, and shared movement before verbal interpretation.

Group stages

Developmental phases of a group: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning; movement tasks are adapted to each stage.

Somatic countertransference

The therapist's bodily and movement-based reactions to a client's material, which can inform clinical understanding when examined through self-awareness and supervision.

Informed consent for touch

The process of explaining potential touch in movement therapy, obtaining permission, and allowing the client to decline or withdraw consent at any time.

Cephalocaudal development

The pattern of motor development proceeding from head to tail, with head control emerging before trunk control and walking.

Attachment theory

Bowlby and Ainsworth's framework linking early caregiver attunement and responsiveness to later affect regulation, relational patterns, and movement reciprocity.

Movement signs of depression

Observable patterns including reduced effort, diminished spatial range, slowed tempo, and decreased initiation, which can inform assessment and intervention planning.

Trauma-related movement patterns

Freeze responses, constriction, startle, and avoidance of certain spatial directions that may appear in movement and guide trauma-informed pacing.

Scope of practice

The boundaries of a dance/movement therapist's competence and legal authority, requiring referral for needs outside training and experience.

Mandated reporting

The legal obligation of clinicians to report suspected child abuse or neglect to designated authorities, regardless of confidentiality.

Boundary crossing versus violation

A boundary crossing may be clinically justified and discussed in supervision; a boundary violation is always harmful and exploits the therapeutic relationship.

Telehealth DMT requirements

Verification of client location, privacy safeguards, and assessment of movement safety in the home environment before conducting remote sessions.

Evidence-based practice

Clinical decision-making that integrates best available research, therapist expertise, and client values and preferences.

Mixed methods research

An approach combining quantitative and qualitative data, often used in DMT to capture both standardized outcomes and lived movement experience.

Single-case design

A research design using repeated measures with one or few participants, useful in DMT for examining individual response to intervention over time.

Program evaluation

Systematic assessment using logic models to link DMT activities to short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes for stakeholders.

Cultural humility

A lifelong process of self-reflection, openness, and learning that acknowledges power differences and the client's cultural context in therapy.

Cultural movement norms

Culturally patterned ways of moving, expressing, and using space that clinicians must distinguish from pathological movement before labeling behavior atypical.

Inclusive movement adaptation

Modifying movement tasks for age, gender, disability, religion, and socioeconomic factors, including seated options and assistive devices.

Use of interpreters

Engaging qualified interpreters or culturally matched services when language or cultural barriers affect assessment, consent, or treatment in DMT.

Community-based DMT

Practice that engages cultural leaders and adapts movement interventions to local values, practices, and community priorities.