Dance movement psychotherapy with the under fives and their families: identified and unidentified learning difficulties in a diagnosis dominated world

Abstract

The paper focuses on the use of dance movement psychotherapy (DMP) as an expressive and experiential approach to working therapeutically with children up to five years old with learning difficulties/differences. It considers the many ways in which to approach therapeutic work with this client group whilst retaining a committed interest in the wider public conversation. The questions asked concern what kind of learning ‘differences’ are perceived as learning ‘difficulties’, and what happens to children who suffer from a gap in provision due to their invisible needs. The paper also gives an informative outline of early years’ provision in the UK, a description of the author’s early years DMP projects at children’s centres, and an account of a session. The author utilises perspectives derived from the person-centred and psychodynamic approaches. Additional understandings stem from the use of the Kestenberg Movement Profile, a movement analysis tool used both for assessment and intervention.

Keywords:

• Dance movement psychotherapy
• early years
• learning difficulties/differences
• Kestenberg Movement Profile
• person-centred approach
• psychodynamics