Elise Risher

As part of the requirements for the degree, students must complete 700 hours of clinical training in the second year of study. The fall semester comprises approximately 350 training hours at an off-campus internship site.

This course will use a group-supervision format to support and develop the internship experience. Through the sharing of experiences from their individual internship settings, students will explore a variety of topics—such as professionalism, supervision, working in an interdisciplinary team, problem solving in the workplace, countertransference, and kinesthetic empathy—as a way of bridging theory and practice. Through group discussion, movement experientials, weekly logs, and in-class presentations, students will continue to practice their therapeutic skills and deepen their understanding of dance/movement therapy.

This course is a continuation of Clinical Internship Practicum I (DMTP 7106). Students will continue to deepen their comprehension of dance/movement therapy theory, as well as to expand and hone their clinical skills. Through the sharing of real-life experiences from their internship settings, students will continue to explore topics such as professionalism, supervision, transference, countertransference, and kinesthetic empathy, thus bridging theory and practice. Through group discussion, movement experientials, written papers, and in-class presentations, students will continue to practice their therapeutic skills and deepen their understanding of dance/movement therapy.

This course will outline the interrelationships between physiological, psychological, cognitive, and sociocultural factors and their effects on human growth, development, and behavior. Students will gain basic knowledge of brain development and neuroscience, as well as an overview of developmental theories and their relevance to dance/movement therapy theory and practice. In particular, students will explore the developmental basis of mirroring, attunement, and kinesthetic empathy and the implications for functioning in adulthood.

This course will be an introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and techniques. Students will learn to apply research techniques, such as data collection and analysis, both as researchers and to enhance clinical interpretation and practice skills. We will explore issues around the importance of research to the field of dance/movement therapy, particular challenges and opportunities associated with dance/movement therapy research, and the history of research in the field. While this course will provide a base of knowledge for the practicing dance/movement therapist to interpret and evaluate research, the goal is to create not only consumers but also creators of research. As such, students will learn about the process of research design, including ethical and legal considerations, and will create their own research project.

This course will cover basic concepts of standardized and nonstandardized testing and other assessment techniques; norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessment; statistical concepts; social and cultural factors related to assessment and evaluation of individuals and groups; and ethical strategies for selecting, administering, and interpreting assessment instruments and techniques in counseling.

In addition to the group support provided in Thesis Advising I (DMTP 7110) and Thesis Advising II (DMTP 7125), students will work independently on their thesis project.

The thesis provides the opportunity to integrate, using research methods, theory from multiple disciplines, existing literature in dance/movement therapy, and personal experience. This course will offer students the structure to apply what they have learned in Research Methods (DMTP 7065) toward developing their own research project, with the goal of completing and submitting a research prospectus and outline. Group support, consultation, and technical assistance will be provided in class.

Group support, consultation, and technical assistance will be provided in this class for students who will be working with their thesis advisor to continue the work begun in Thesis Advising I (DMTP 7110) and to complete their final thesis project.

Each student in the dance/movement therapy program is required to complete a thesis project. The thesis provides the opportunity to integrate, using research methods, theory from multiple disciplines, existing literature in dance/movement therapy, and personal experience. This course will offer students the structure to apply what they have learned in the Research Methods course toward developing their own research project, with the goal of completing and submitting a research prospectus and outline. Group support, consultation, and technical assistance will be provided in class.

Group support, consultation, and technical assistance will be provided in this class for students who will be working with their thesis advisors and second readers to continue the work begun in Graduate Thesis I and to complete their final thesis project.

This course is designed to provide students with a base of knowledge in psychopathology and to familiarize students with current conceptions and empirical findings in psychopathology research. Beginning with the question of how abnormality is defined, we will explore contemporary perspectives on psychopathology and focus more specifically on psychological disorders, their development and treatment, and controversies within the field. Additionally, this course will focus on the physiologic and motoric manifestations of illness, the role of dance/movement therapy in treatment, and challenges particular to dance/movement therapy intervention.

This course will use the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the DSM-5. Reading of the current manual will include discussion of recent changes and the impact on diagnostic understanding and treatment formulation.