Parent-child dance and movement therapy (PCDMT): mothers’ subjective experiences

ABSTRACT

This article presents and discusses the subjective experiences of mothers who took part in group Parent-Child Dance and Movement Therapy (PCDMT) with their children. A semi-structured, open-ended interview was conducted with 18 mothers on their experiences as active participants in the therapeutic process and the effects of this process on the relationship with their children. Grounded theory analysis revealed four themes: (1) The contribution of group PCDMT to the mother-child relationship. (2) Movement as a therapeutic intervention in group PCDMT. (3) The mothers’ insights deriving from therapeutic process. (4) The mothers’ perceptions of PCDMT in a group setting. The findings suggest that the dyadic joint movement activity contributes significantly to the relational fabric between these mothers and children.

KEYWORDS:

• Parent-Child Dance and Movement Therapy
• mothers
• subjective experiences
• children

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dalia Kedem

Dalia Kedem is a dance and movement therapist, a dyadic therapist and a supervisor. She received her Ph.D at the School of Creative Arts Therapies, University of Haifa, Israel.

Dafna Regev

Dafna Regev is a senior lecturer at the School of Creative Arts Therapies and a member of the Emili Sagol Creative Arts Therapies Research Center at the University of Haifa, Israel.