“The program’s faculty were really intentional about dedicating ample time to each student and that allowed for our learning to be so much richer and deeper.”
Why did you decide to pursue your MS in Dance/Movement Therapy at Sarah Lawrence?
I have been a dancer my entire life from classical ballet and modern dance to Argentine social tango. I have also been very passionate about social and racial justice in the education and non-profit sector. I wanted to marry these two passions of mine since I always saw movement and dance as an incredibly transformative tool in my life and in my peers’ lives. When looking at graduate programs, for me, it was Sarah Lawrence or nowhere. I was excited to be studying so close to one of the best cities in the world, and I also fell in love with the campus and the program once I looked into it further.
Is there a tenet of the program that particularly resonates with you?
I love that the cohorts are relatively small which lends itself for close relationships amongst peers as well as professors. The program’s faculty were really intentional about dedicating ample time to each student and that allowed for our learning to be so much richer and deeper.
How did your time at Sarah Lawrence prepare you for the work you are doing now?
Between my fieldwork placements and coursework, I felt extremely prepared for my work as a dance therapist in hospital, outpatient, and school settings. Most classwork was experiential and hands-on which allowed for a more embodied learning experience. When I left the program, I had the confidence to take on almost any situation with clients and patients.
How did your clinical placements engage with your coursework?
The coursework and clinical placements were interwoven, and they benefited each other. The internship and fieldwork placements served as live action experiences to what we were discussing in the classroom, and the classroom coursework served as a theoretical and processing space for what was happening in the clinical placements.
What are some of the connection points available to alumni of the program?
One of the most valuable connections that I have experienced as an alumni of the program is having the professors become mentors and peers in the field. Another connection point is being able to be a part of the alumni gatherings that take place at Sarah Lawrence as well as at the annual American Dance Therapy Conference.