Creating a Movement Group in the 2-Dimensional World: Using Dance/Movement Therapy Interventions to Build Connections for Children

The world experienced many changes after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, including counseling sessions transitioning to being delivered through the service of distance counseling. As a growing field, dance/movement therapy must explore distance counseling services to expand and have relevancy within the demands of current society. This project addressed the gap in the research on the integrating of distance counseling services and dance/movement therapy while presenting an interactive remote method for facilitating a group therapy session with a dance/movement therapy approach. Every piece of literature that was researched helped in creating the interventions that were implemented with the clients. The following information that was gathered surrounded this gap, such as the effects of the pandemic on children, background information on distance counseling and distance learning, remote sessions with other therapy approaches, dance class adaptations, and theories on the DMT group process. After gathering the research, multiple playful activities were joined with a variety of theories for group interventions, based on the themes of body awareness, social skills, self-care, and empathy. Each group session took place at a treatment-based school in Massachusetts with children under the age of 10 who struggled with a variety of physical, developmental, and mental health challenges. The therapist’s observations and art-based reflections revealed three main themes, which include holding the space, creating the balance between controlled and free movement activities, and including the group’s ideas into the interventions. Recommendations are provided on further training and education for distance counseling for future dance/movement therapists