Therapeutic Dance Program

Through community, local and state governmental partnerships, the Therapeutic Dance Program seeks to provide a social emotional dance program to youth exposed to chronic stress. The 8- week summer program is designed to enhance the emotional and mental being of youth through the provision of a safe and supportive environment, where youth can process their lived experiences and develop their emotional capacity and resiliency through the dynamic and expressive art form of dance movement. With an emphasis on social emotional development, youth are provided with enrichment and growth opportunities geared toward their personal long- term development and wellbeing.

Clinical Justification: Trauma is an implicit memory, sometimes even preconscious, stored within our bodies at a sensory level. Addressing this requires sensory-based clinical interventions to uncover and process trauma experiences and stressors, such as movement. The Therapeutic Dance Program, which integrates psychoeducation and responsive dance movement, can bring trauma memories stored in the body to the surface. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure high clinician/staff engagement as participants progress through the program, as reactivity is likely. This involves smaller group therapy sessions and higher adult-to-participant ratios. The program aims to create a safe space for exploring and processing narratives and stressors, allowing participants to connect psychoeducation with their own experiences, external world, and movement as a coping mechanism.

This program builds on the scholarly work of Dr. Shawn Ginwright, who explores heal-centered engagement strategies for youth of color in relation to complex trauma and self-agency. It is also informed by Dr. Bruce Perry's scholarship, which emphasizes the neurosequential model's importance in understanding arrested development in trauma reprocessing and the necessity of "patterned, repetitive, rhythmic somatosensory activity" in the trauma healing process.

The creation of the Therapeutic Dance Program is essential and urgent for youth of color with complex trauma histories, as it addresses deeply embedded trauma through sensory-based interventions. By combining psychoeducation with responsive dance movement, the program creates a safe space for exploring and processing traumatic memories, promoting emotional regulation and empowerment. Grounded in the scholarly work of Dr. Shawn Ginwright and Dr. Bruce Perry, this program presents a vital, innovative approach to healing, highlighting the importance of patterned, rhythmic activities in trauma recovery.Research indicates that through lived experiences, individuals develop methods of regulation and deregulation, establishing their coping patterns, behaviors, attachment styles, and memory processes. Consequently, those with complex trauma histories may experience disembodiment and dysregulation. Dance movement, as an expressive art form, helps empower youth by promoting embodiment and regulation.

Pilot Program Rationale: Clinicians will administer the Brief Problem Checklist, designed by Chorpita et al. (2010), to each participant at the beginning and end of services to monitor changes in mood and behavior throughout the treatment. The results will inform future groups if the pilot program is expanded and replicated, assisting in securing additional funding. This pilot program will not only provide clinical benefits to youth but also help expand their scholarly imagination and self-expression skills, advocating for programmatic and policy advances that center the needs of marginalized communities within the City of Richmond, thus fostering holistic healing and improved mental health well-being.

Collaborative Program Partnerships: Cross sectional collaboration with community, local and state governmental organizations is necessary to secure dance instruction, snacks and drinks, and facility space for the successful implementation of the Therapeutic Dance Program. These partnerships provide essential resources and expertise, enhancing the program's accessibility and sustainability while fostering community support and engagement. Leveraging local resources also helps create a more integrated and supportive environment for participants.

Authored by: Janet Imobisa, MA, Jacquetta Gosier, LMHP-E & Stephaine Buttner, LCSW May 2024