![An open garden studio with a polished oak floor, the chair at its edge and a silk scarf left over the bench arm](https://viacara.com/img/content/approaches-dance-movement-psychotherapy-feature-light.webp) # Dance Movement Psychotherapy How dance movement psychotherapy works through movement as well as talk, who keeps its UK register and what the research has and has not found. ## What is dance movement psychotherapy? Dance movement psychotherapy is a talking therapy that also works through movement. Its professional body calls it a relational process, engaged through body movement and dance. Reflection sits alongside the movement, spoken and unspoken. It is not a dance class. You need no dance experience. There is no routine to learn. Therapists work with single clients and with groups. You might meet one in a hospital, a school, a community project or a private practice. Sources: [ADMP UK: DMP overview](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-1), [ADMP UK: FAQs](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-2) ## How it *works* The approach treats how you move as part of what you bring. Your posture, your pace and the space you take up all become things to notice. Movement and talk take turns. You might try a gesture, then sit with what it raised. Nothing is performed for anyone. Movement as *expression* - **Movement** Gesture and movement become ways to express experience. - **Therapist alongside** Your therapist attends to how you move. - **Reflection** Reflection can happen through words or movement. Movement and reflection work together. There is no dance routine to learn. Sources: [ADMP UK: DMP overview](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-1), [ADMP UK: FAQs](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-2) ## What *sessions* look like A session makes room to check in, warm up, move and explore, then reflect. One NHS trust that runs it puts the limit plainly. People move as little or as much as they want. Music is often playing. Sometimes a therapist mirrors your movement back to you. You get to see it from outside. Sources: [ADMP UK: FAQs](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-2), [Kent NHS: dance movement therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-21) ![The studio floor seen from the chair, with afternoon light falling in long bars across the boards](https://viacara.com/img/content/approaches-dance-movement-psychotherapy-mid-light.webp) The session treats how you move as something to notice and talk about ## Who it may *suit* Dance movement psychotherapy may fit you if you: - Find it easier to show something than to say it - Feel cut off from your body, or at odds with it - Have talked a problem over for years without it shifting - Are curious about working through movement rather than words alone You do not have to like dancing. The work is about moving, not performing. ## Where it came from The British story starts in the 1950s, with pioneers from health and education. Many of them drew on Rudolf Laban's way of reading how people move. The professional body was founded in 1982. It took its present name in 2008. It joined the UK Council for Psychotherapy in 2015. A separate strand began in the United States. Marian Chace started her work at a Washington hospital in 1942. She became its first full-time dance therapist five years later. Sources: [ADMP UK: history](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-8), [Chaiklin 2026](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-9) ## Finding a *registered* therapist Dance movement psychotherapist is not a title protected by law. Neither is psychotherapist, nor counsellor. The Health and Care Professions Council protects four arts therapy titles. They are art therapist, art psychotherapist, dramatherapist and music therapist. Dance is not among them. ADMP UK keeps the Professional Register for the field. Someone on it may use the title Registered Dance Movement Psychotherapist. Entry to the work is a master's degree, taught at three UK universities. One thing here is easy to get wrong. The Professional Standards Authority does not accredit the ADMP UK register. ADMP UK belongs to a college of the UK Council for Psychotherapy. The Authority does accredit the Council's own register. Joining the Council stays optional for ADMP UK members. So ask your therapist whether they hold it. An accredited register may matter to you. Sources: [HCPC: protected titles](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-10), [Lally & Naulls 2025](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-11), [ADMP UK: professional register](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-3), [ADMP UK: membership](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-4), [ADMP UK: MA courses](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-5), [PSA: accredited registers](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-12), [ADMP UK: about](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-6), [PSA: UKCP register](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-13), [ADMP UK: UKCP accreditation](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-7) ## What *NICE* says about arts therapies NICE groups dance with art, music and drama under arts therapies. For psychosis and schizophrenia in adults, it says to consider offering arts therapies. It points to them above all for negative symptoms, such as withdrawal. There is a catch in the same guidance. NICE says an arts therapy should be given by an arts therapist on its own regulator's register. A dance movement psychotherapist cannot be on that register. So a service following NICE to the letter would not send you to one. NICE also says the sessions should usually run in groups. No NICE guidance names dance movement psychotherapy on its own. Sources: [NICE CG178: public info](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-15), [NICE CG178](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-14), [HCPC: protected titles](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-10) ## Where you might *find* it Some NHS trusts run it inside an arts psychotherapies team. It sits there beside art, music and drama. Cover is uneven across the country. One Kent trust took it into acute inpatient wards in 2026. Most people who want it privately will pay for it. Our [guide to the different approaches](https://viacara.com/guides/understanding-approaches/) sets the options side by side. Sources: [Gloucestershire NHS: arts therapies](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-20), [Kent NHS: dance movement therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-21) ## The *evidence* Two careful reviews of the same question reached different answers. What separates them is which studies each one let in. A 2019 review screened 817 studies and kept eight. Those eight covered 351 adults with depression. Its authors judged the therapy effective for depression in adults. They noted at the same time how few high-quality studies exist. That review let in studies without random allocation. It compared the therapy against usual care, not against another therapy. A Cochrane review in 2015 took randomised trials only. In such a trial, chance decides who gets the therapy. The groups can then be compared fairly. It found three, covering 147 people. It reported no reliable effect on depression, on low-quality evidence. 8 studies of 351 adults with depression 2019 review, any design [Karkou et al. 2019](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-16) judged it effective 3 randomised trials, 147 people 2015 Cochrane review [Meekums et al. 2015](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-17) no reliable effect Among adults it saw a positive result. It was too small to be clinically significant. For young people the therapy was no better than standard care. Cochrane has looked at two other groups. For schizophrenia it found a single trial of 45 people. It called the therapy unproven, neither supported nor refuted. For cancer it found three studies, covering 207 women treated for breast cancer. It found no support for an effect on depression, stress, anxiety, fatigue or body image. So the honest summary is a thin and divided evidence base. If that matters to you, [somatic therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/somatic-therapy/) works with the body too. Our [trauma page](https://viacara.com/support/trauma/) starts from the routes NICE recommends. Sources: [Karkou et al. 2019](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-16), [Meekums et al. 2015](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-17), [Ren & Xia 2013](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-18), [Bradt et al. 2015](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#ref-19) On this page [What is dance movement psychotherapy?](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#what-is-dance-movement-psychotherapy) [How it works](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#how-it-works) [What sessions look like](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#what-sessions-look-like) [Who it may suit](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#who-it-may-suit) [Where it came from](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#where-it-came-from) [Finding a registered therapist](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#finding-a-registered-therapist) [What NICE says about arts therapies](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#what-nice-says-about-arts-therapies) [Where you might find it](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#where-you-might-find-it) [The evidence](https://viacara.com/approaches/dance-movement-psychotherapy/#the-evidence) Related [Somatic Therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/somatic-therapy/) [Transpersonal Therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/transpersonal-therapy/) [Trauma and PTSD](https://viacara.com/support/trauma/) [Eating and Body Image](https://viacara.com/support/eating-and-body-image/) [Understanding Different Approaches](https://viacara.com/guides/understanding-approaches/) Thanks for your interest. We're not taking on new clients at the moment. ## Looking for *movement-based* therapy? We ask what matters to you, then find professionals who fit. Leave your email and we'll let you know as soon as we're ready for you. This conversation helps us find you the right support. What you share helps us understand what you're looking for and find someone who fits. Your email keeps you updated on what's happening next and isn't shared with anyone we introduce you to. [Privacy policy](https://viacara.com/privacy/) [Terms of service](https://viacara.com/terms/) ## References 1. Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK (2026). *What is Dance Movement Psychotherapy?*. [admp.org.uk](https://www.admp.org.uk/dmp/what-is-dance-movement-psychotherapy) 2. Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK (2026). *Frequently asked questions*. [admp.org.uk](https://www.admp.org.uk/dmp/faqs) 3. Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK (2026). *The Professional Register*. [admp.org.uk](https://www.admp.org.uk/find-a-therapist/the-professional-registers) 4. Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK (2026). *Join ADMP UK*. [admp.org.uk](https://www.admp.org.uk/about-us/join-admp) 5. Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK (2026). *Dance Movement Psychotherapy MA courses*. [admp.org.uk](https://www.admp.org.uk/training/dance-movement-psychotherapy-ma-courses) 6. Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK (2026). *About ADMP UK*. [admp.org.uk](https://www.admp.org.uk/about-us/about-admp) 7. Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK (2026). *UKCP accreditation*. [admp.org.uk](https://www.admp.org.uk/training/ukcp-accreditation) 8. Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK (2026). *ADMP UK history*. [admp.org.uk](https://www.admp.org.uk/about-us/admp-history) 9. Chaiklin, S., American Dance Therapy Association (2026). *Marian Chace biography*. [adta.org](https://www.adta.org/marian-chace-biography) 10. Health and Care Professions Council (2025). *Professions and protected titles*. [hcpc-uk.org](https://www.hcpc-uk.org/about-us/who-we-regulate/the-professions/) 11. Lally, C. & Naulls, S., Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (2025). *Regulation of psychological professionals in mental health care*. [post.parliament.uk](https://post.parliament.uk/regulation-of-psychological-professionals/) 12. Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (2026). *Find an Accredited Register*. [professionalstandards.org.uk](https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/organisations-we-oversee/find-a-register) 13. Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (2026). *UK Council for Psychotherapy*. [professionalstandards.org.uk](https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/organisations-we-oversee/find-a-register/uk-council-psychotherapy) 14. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2014). *Psychosis and schizophrenia in adults: prevention and management (CG178)*. [nice.org.uk](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg178/chapter/Recommendations) 15. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2014). *Psychosis and schizophrenia in adults (CG178), information for the public: psychological therapy*. [nice.org.uk](https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg178/ifp/chapter/psychological-therapy) 16. Karkou, V., Aithal, S., Zubala, A. & Meekums, B. (2019). *Effectiveness of Dance Movement Therapy in the Treatment of Adults With Depression: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analyses*. Frontiers in Psychology. [doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00936](https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00936) 17. Meekums, B., Karkou, V. & Nelson, E. A. (2015). *Dance movement therapy for depression*. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. [doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009895.pub2](https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD009895.pub2) 18. Ren, J. & Xia, J. (2013). *Dance therapy for schizophrenia*. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. [doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006868.pub3](https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD006868.pub3) 19. Bradt, J., Shim, M. & Goodill, S. W. (2015). *Dance/movement therapy for improving psychological and physical outcomes in cancer patients*. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. [doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007103.pub3](https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD007103.pub3) 20. Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (2022). *Arts psychotherapies*. [ghc.nhs.uk](https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/news/art-therapy-art-psychotherapy/) 21. Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust (2026). *More Kent mental health patients to benefit from therapy that goes beyond words by using dance and movement*. [kentmedwaymentalhealth.nhs.uk](https://www.kentmedwaymentalhealth.nhs.uk/news-and-events/news/more-kent-mental-health-patients-to-benefit-from-therapy-that-goes-beyond-words-by-using-dance-and-movement/) ## Related ### [Somatic Therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/somatic-therapy/) Learn how somatic therapy works with your body as well as your mind, including somatic experiencing, sensorimotor and biodynamic psychotherapy. ### [Transpersonal Therapy](https://viacara.com/approaches/transpersonal-therapy/) Learn how transpersonal therapy makes room for spiritual experience and meaning, including psychosynthesis and core process psychotherapy. ### [Trauma and PTSD](https://viacara.com/support/trauma/) Trauma can keep a frightening event alive long after it ended. PTSD is common and treatable. Find a professional who works with trauma. ### [Eating and Body Image](https://viacara.com/support/eating-and-body-image/) A hard relationship with food or your body is common and treatable. Find support that runs alongside your GP and NHS care. ### [Understanding Different Approaches](https://viacara.com/guides/understanding-approaches/) A plain-English guide to the main therapeutic approaches including CBT, person-centred therapy, psychodynamic and integrative methods.