Chronicle Online 4/19: Columbia offering courses in rare, popular therapy

Columbia offering courses in rare, popular therapy

By Katie Celani
Staff Writer

In a country where herbal medicine and alternative forms of healing have become the rage, dance movement therapy is quickly making a name for itself. Dance Movement Therapy is defined as the psychotherapeutic method of movement to foster the psychological, physiological and spiritual being in one self. “We are a form of therapy that has a body/mind continuum,” according to Susan Imus, chairperson of the Dance Therapy Movement Department at Columbia College.

Dance Movement Therapy is utilized in a number of settings from hospitals to schools. Some areas in Chicago include the Orthogenic School that deals with abused children, Illinois Masonic Hospital and Grant Hospital. Those who benefit most from this form of therapy are often nonverbal who need to find other ways to communicate their feelings.

However Imus also claims that those who are very verbal, sometimes too much, can also benefit immensely from this form of therapy. “It cuts to the core of feelings and bypasses normal defenses,” she said.

Dance Movement Therapy originates in modern dance and began to become mainstream in 1983. One of its pioneers was once a faculty member here at Columbia, Jane Ganet Segal. Dance Movement Therapy is most often used as a psychological therapy, not as a form of physical therapy. Imus explains that it gives the patient a sense of empowerment in therapy and decreases the reliance on the therapist. “It allows them to see themselves through the dance movement and the art rather than through the therapist,” she said.

Though it is only offered in five schools nationally, dance movement therapist is becoming one of the fastest growing jobs in demand. Newsweek magazine reports that it is one of the top 100 fast growing professions for the 21st century. Here at Columbia College, it is offered as a graduate level program. This semester, 40 students are currently enrolled in the program and 17 students are placed in internship programs in Chicago. Imus says that of those 17 students, 40 percent received job offers. Imus says the profession is ideal for those who hold an interest in both psychology and art. This is Creative Arts Movement week and the department is holding guest speakers and special events for all the creative arts. For anyone who believes as Imus does that “real healing comes from dance and movement,” this program is one worth looking into.