Author : Claire Varga (Psy.D. candidate at the University of Hartford)
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780438637542
Total Pages : 394 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (375 download)
Book Synopsis Moving Forward in Movement Therapy by : Claire Varga (Psy.D. candidate at the University of Hartford)
Download or read book Moving Forward in Movement Therapy written by Claire Varga (Psy.D. candidate at the University of Hartford) and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Child sexual abuse is a universal problem. It is a direct violation of a child’s body and can lead to traumatic psychological and physiological consequences. It is not limited by socioeconomic status, geographic location, or cultural or social mores. Unfortunately, it is difficult to know specific rates at which children are sexually abused, as estimates vary widely and rates are compounded by a number of factors. Trauma research highlights the connection between the body and the brain and underscores a deactivation in the left anterior prefrontal cortex, including Broca’s area, which impacts an individual’s ability to effectively communicate what he or she is thinking and feeling (van der Kolk, 2006). This highlights the importance of a therapeutic intervention that does not rely on verbal expression. Similar to the understanding that developmental work needs to begin with the disrupted stage, sexual trauma is a bodily assault and therefore, therapeutic interventions should begin at the somatic level. Dance and movement therapy (DMT) utilizes somatic psychology as a way to reconnect the mind and body, while utilizing an innate ability of movement. Currently, DMT is a subjective treatment approach, with poorly defined therapeutic goals and limited exploration of its effectiveness. This dissertation focuses on developing an objective manual that creates guidelines for measuring progress and providing recommendations for the implementation of specific techniques. This treatment manual is designed to help clinicians utilize four phases of DMT as it is paired with the empirical foundation of trauma-informed care. The first section of this dissertation provides clinicians with an overview of sexual trauma and its impact on a child’s development, and discusses DMT as a therapeutic tool. The second section is comprised of a four-phase model that utilizes group therapy to address the treatment needs of children who have experienced sexual trauma. Phases include a detailed description of goals, examples of what may be expected, and different techniques for the child’s progression through treatment. Pre- and post-treatment measures are also discussed. Future directions focus on a pilot study of the created manual and its potential for use in various treatment settings.