Location:

Boulder, United States

Program Type:

Full Degree

Degree Level:

Master

Specialty:

Art Therapy

Program Overview

Program Description:

The Somatic Counseling programs look at the relationship between the mind and body as a dance: As one goes, so goes the other.

Grounded in the assumption that the body (soma in Greek) can be used to help individuals transform, this cohort program will give you the academic, experiential, and contemplative experience necessary to begin a compassionate, clinical practice.

Distinguished by a curriculum that emphasizes mindfulness and moving meditation as well as diversity and community engagement, Naropa’s Somatic Counseling programs will help transform you into a deeply aware therapist passionate about helping others create change in their bodies, minds, and lives. 

As a student in Naropa University’s Somatic Counseling: Dance/Movement Therapy concentration—part of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling master's degree program—you will have the chance to weave dance and creative expression with the study of approaches to psychotherapy that emphasize multicultural competence, mindfulness, inclusivity, and the body.

This rigorous, experientially based program integrates the study of classical as well as innovative forms of dance/movement therapy—particularly the Gestalt-based Moving Cycle, Authentic Movement, and current models of sensorimotor tracking—with mindfulness practice and 815 hours of clinical work.

Naropa’s graduate Somatic Counseling: Dance/Movement Therapy concentration alumni have created compelling careers as individual and family therapists, case managers, clinical mental health center directors, movement therapists, dance therapists, authors, professors, outpatient psychotherapists, and more.

The master’s degree program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with the Somatic Counseling: Dance/Movement concentration is a 60-credit-hour, three-year program that offers theoretical grounding in Dance/Movement Therapy along with rigorous clinical and mindfulness training.

Additional Program Information

Accreditation:

Naropa University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Dance/Movement Therapy concentration is designed in accordance with the training guidelines of the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) and has been an ADTA-approved program since 1987. The Dance/ Movement Therapy concentration fulfills the requirements for the ADTA’s initial registration as a Registered Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT). Program graduates may apply for the R-DMT credential with the ADTA immediately upon graduation.

Financial Aid:

Yes