MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Dance/Movement Therapy Specialization at Lesley University
Dance/movement therapy is a powerful, creative, and effective method of mental health treatment. At Lesley, investigate the power of dance and movement as a therapeutic outlet for individuals, groups, and communities.
As you train to qualify as both a dance/movement therapist and licensed mental health counselor, be mentored by faculty who innovate in the field. From them, learn proven strategies for opening channels of expression and nonverbal communication.
Here, you’ll learn to address the emotional, cognitive, physical, and spiritual health of individuals using dance as a lens for observation, research, and intervention. Throughout your studies, you’ll increase your awareness of socio-cultural dynamics in yourself and others, and become skilled in intrapersonal reflections, integrating theory and practice, making connections with different populations, and building community.
Our dance/movement specialization encourages you to become a critical thinker, creative and reflective practitioner, and instrument of therapeutic and social change. Your professors will be prominent therapists in the field, with specializations that include children, adolescents, adults, older adults, conflict resolution, trauma, family systems, somatic and spiritual development, and more.
The goal of the Expressive Therapies master’s degree programs is to provide students the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to practice in a range of professional settings, including health care facilities, schools, community agencies, and private practices. The Expressive Therapies 60-credit programs meet the academic and field training requirements for mental health counselor licensure (LMHC) in Massachusetts. (Students intending to work outside of Massachusetts are advised to review their state's regulations to determine their eligibility for licensure.) Specialization tracks prepare graduates for certification or registration by their respective professional associations.
The Expressive Therapies faculty established these program goals. Aligned with the mission of Lesley and the Graduate School of Arts & Social Sciences, they are also specific to the Graduate Expressive Therapies Department, with deep consideration of our program’s history and the contemporary landscape of expressive therapies and mental health counseling.