Dance Movement Therapy has been influenced by the practices of psychotherapy and psychology.
Psychology as defined by the NHS is "the study of people: how they think, how they act, react and interact. Psychology is concerned with all aspects of behaviour and the thoughts, feelings and motivation underlying such behavior."
Psychotherapy is the child of psychology and is "conducted with individuals, groups, couples and families. Psychotherapists help people to overcome stress, emotional and relationship problems or troublesome habits."
Psychotherapy in and of itself is a separate practice that relies more on verbal communication. The concepts and principles taught in this field has helped shape how dance movement therapist see patients in a psychological context. In pursuing a career in dance therapy, most programs reacquire some form of training in psychology, whether basic or extensive. There are arguments about dance movement therapy relying heavily on psychotherapy terminologies and methods when the practice should be developing it's own terminology's and methods not reliant on psychotherapy. This argument has surfaced due to some in the field of psychology and psychotherapy not viewing the creative arts therapies as sufficient on its own. They are mostly seen as tools to aid in the verbal process or as simple adjunct therapies.
Due to most, if not all, dance movement therapy programs requiring knowledge of psychology, the researcher chose to sit in on psychology lectures. Alongside her colleague, they embarked upon attending third year undergraduate clinical psychology lectures. In another post, there are notes from a lecture on depression held at the Manchester Metropolitan University Cheshire.
There was interest in how dance movement therapy works with those suffering from depression but there are not many findings on it and for the purpose of this research portfolio, could not be expounded upon. Due to confidentiality agreements with therapists and patients, the writer could not properly conduct interviews with practicing dance therapists about their cases in the field of depression (if they encountered any such patients).
