adults and adolescents experiencing
mental health crises
I have worked in inpatient psychiatric care and partial hospitalization programming for 7 years and counting, facilitating thousands of hours of group therapy and individual sessions with people in acute distress. I believe that body-based therapies are crucial in these settings, providing vital opportunities for expression, connection and relief during some of the most difficult and vulnerable moments in a life.
My approach is non-patholigizing and highly adaptive as I work to protect, honor, and support the lived experiences of clients who may be navigating/healing from trauma, suicidality, depression or mania, anxiety, panic attacks, psychosis, addiction, grief, disordered eating, and self-harm.
Hospital settings can be challenging environments in which to heal - they are restrictive by nature, can feel overly clinical, and are complicated by lots of clients experiencing a range of mental health challenges. Dance/movement therapy works to counteract these factors - encouraging clients to reconnect with and in a sense “take back” their bodily autonomy amid the discomfort of the healthcare system.
people living with serious illness in
palliative care
The emphasis of palliative care is to protect and improve the quality of life of people experiencing serious or life-threatening illness. Clients in this setting might be living with physical or cognitive decline and discomfort, emotional distress, and existential concerns. Dance/movement therapy creates opportunities to be present with the body amid all this complexity - nurturing emotional expression, fostering connection despite limited movement or speech, reducing pain, and exploring meaning and purpose along the way.
This work often incorporates loved ones into dance/movement therapy sessions, inviting their support and allowing everyone to connect, communicate, and process thoughts and feelings as they arise. And because dance/movement therapy explores the significance of movement - including gesture and posture, the movement of breath, and subtle shifts in the body - this approach can allow clients to feel truly seen, heard, and held by their loved ones’ act of witnessing.
My approach in working with clients in palliative care is curious, gentle, patient, playful, encouraging, and always adaptive to the present moment. Music, poetry, art-making, breathwork and guided meditation are used alongside dance/movement therapy techniques that include mirroring, rhythmic exploration, the use of touch, and incorporating props that inspire and support creative expression. Above all, the focus of this work is to honor the lived experiences of people in palliative care as they navigate change, loss, and uncertainty.
people living with
parkinson’s disease
People living with Parkinson’s Disease are encouraged to engage in regular movement practice to effectively slow disease progression. Dance/movement therapy addresses both the motor and non-motor symptoms associated with PD. Sessions provide opportunities to manage physical symptoms through functional and expressive movement sequences - working to improve balance, gait, range of motion, coordination, posture, and strength. Repetition, rhythmic exploration, and creatively expressive movement supports neuroplasticity in the brain - encouraging cognitive flexibility, emotional agility, and stress reduction. Clients are invited to connect with one another through shared movement and verbal processing - to increase a sense of belonging and camaraderie as they navigate a life-altering, progressive illness. Our sessions together are often playful, life-affirming, and filled with vigorous dancing.
I am delighted to offer a weekly dance/movement therapy group for people living with Parkinson's Disease, made available by Making the Turn Against Parkinson's free programming at the Sparrow Michigan Athletic Club. All groups are free, and if you know someone who might like to participate, you can find more detailed information through the Lansing Area Parkinson’s Support Group.
children in a
preschool setting
Small children experience the world through sensation, and they use their bodies to communicate what they are feeling inside. My role as a dance/movement therapist is to join them as they explore with their senses and express what they are feeling, but not always able to say. Children form a healthy sense of identity and feel belonging within a group when they see themselves reflected back with curiosity, compassion, and acceptance. And because their first language is movement - we spend a lot of time mirroring and celebrating one another’s distinct physical expressions.
My approach is such that the children lead the way, and I follow along as creative collaborator and weaver - interlacing our different ideas as we connect to one another and create something that is wholly ours in the present moment. Our playing and moving together is improvisational and not being shaped for performance - allowing this experience of dance to evolve from the inside-out, rather than technique-based dancing which is developed from the outside-in. This approach offers children the opportunity to cultivate self-trust, build confidence, and develop an internal sense of their preferences, needs, and physical and emotional boundaries.
“to be surrounded by beautiful, curious,
breathing, laughing flesh is enough” —walt whitman