Thank for your interest in the CMER Alternate Route Dance/Movement Therapy Training Coursework. Please review the following information on training to become a registered dance/movement therapist.

Official ADTA information on the requirements can be found on the ADTA Website at www.adta.org. Please click on the "Dance/Movement Therapy Certification Board" heading found on the ADTA home page. Once on the DMTCB page, there are several resources that review requirements for becoming a Registered Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT). Download and carefully read the following documents: Applicant Handbook, Application Forms (and if planning to study via the DMT Alternate Route, pay special attention to the "Application for Other Program & Alternate Route Applicant") and the Support Documentation Forms.

The ADTA has established the graduate level of education as the entry level into the profession. Currently, there are three routes for attaining the education and training required for the entry-level credential - the R-DMT:

1) Approved Program: A Master’s degree in DMT from an academic program approved by the ADTA (please see the ADTA website's "Become A Dance Therapist - Education & Training" for a list of these programs.)

2) Other Program: A Master’s degree in DMT from an academic program that is not approved by the ADTA, or was not yet approved by the ADTA at the time of the applicant’s graduation from the program.

3) Alternate Route: A Master’s Degree in a related field plus dance/movement therapy training from qualified teachers.

Courses at CMER are designed for students who are pursuing option #3, Alternate Route Training. A summary of these requirements is listed below. Please see the R-DMT Applicant Handbook for the official detailed description of requirements including other Master's Degrees:

1) A Master’s Degree or Doctoral Degree in a related field is required. The related degree is defined as a human services-related field (i.e. counseling, psychology, social work, dance education, special education, a creative arts therapy, family therapy, occupational therapy, psychiatric nursing or medicine).

2) Dance/Movement Therapy Core Coursework is required. (Courses may be taken independently outside of an academic setting.)
a. Dance/Movement Therapy Theory & Practice (270 hours or 18 credits)
b. Group Processes in Dance/Movement Therapy (45 hours or 3 credits)
c. Movement Observation (90 hours or 6 credits) – This course may be taken on the graduate
level, as independent study, or on the undergraduate level at an academic institution.
d. Kinesiology and/or Human Anatomy/Kinesiology and/or Biomechanics (45 hours or 3 credits)
This course may be taken on the graduate level, as independent study, or on the under
graduate level at an academic institution.

3) General Training Courses are required. (Courses must be taken at the graduate level in an academic setting and total 270 hours or 18 credits.)
a. Research Design and Methodology - required (45 hours or 3 credits)
b. Abnormal Psychology or Psychopathology – required (45 hours or 3 credits)
c. Developmental Psychology – required (45 hours or 3 credits)
d. Group Processes - required (45 hours or 3 credits)
e. At least 2 additional Advanced Psychology or Counseling Courses
for a total 90 hours or 6 credits chosen from the following – required:
Theories of Therapy/Counseling
Methods of Psychotherapy or Counseling
Therapeutic Intervention
Diagnostic Methodology
Systems Theory
Neuroscience

4) Fieldwork & Internship - required
a. Fieldwork: (200 hours basic clinical exposure supervised by a licensed mental health
professional.)
b. Internship (700 hours or more working in a clinical setting with a minimum of 2
populations supervised by a BC-DMT. Please see the R-DMT Applicant Handbook
for supervision requirements.) The dance/movement therapy internship in a clinical setting follows or is concurrent with the above educational requirements. Prior to starting the
dance/movement therapy internship - 9 credits or 135 hours of dance/movement therapy
coursework (specifically 6 credits or 90 hours of dance/movement therapy theory and practice
and, 3 credits or 45 hours of movement observation) must be completed. In addition, 9 credits
of general training coursework (abnormal psychology/psychopathology, developmental
psychology, group processes and/or theories of therapy and counseling) must be completed prior
to starting a dance/movement therapy internship.

5) Dance Training – required
Five years of concentrated dance study in at least one dance form such as
modern, ballet, jazz, tap, ethnic or folk, leading to competence in the basic fundamentals
of dance (rhythmic and spatial clarity, kinesthetic awareness and movement dynamics.)

6) Collateral Dance Studies – these classes can be taken to support the required 5 years of
dance training. Classes such as dance theory, dance composition, creative dance,
improvisation, etc., can be taken to support the 5 years of required dance training.

7) Movement Studies – these classes can be taken to support the required dance training
but cannot be used as a substitute for the actual dance training. Classes such as Yoga,
Alexander Technique, Tai-Chi, etc., can be taken to support the five years of dance training.

8) Dance Experience – A list of experience is requested.
A list of experience in performance or choreography is requested on the R-DMT Application.

9) Teaching – A list of experience is requested.
A list of experience in teaching a dance idiom/form is requested on the R-DMT Application.

10) Letters of Recommendation – required.
Two letters of recommendation by BC-DMTs who have seen your clinical work within two years
are required, or if it is difficult to have two BC-DMTs write letters, one letter by a BC-DMT and
one letter by a mental health professional who has seen your recent clinical work are required.

Please Note:

1) Alternate route students should inform the DMTCB of the date on which they began their first dance/movement therapy course.

2) General Training Courses must be taken in an academic institution on the graduate level, and may be taken as part of your related master’s degree program.

3) Applicants are advised to consider the requirements for licensure as a mental health practitioner in their state of residence.

4) To qualify to sit for the National Counseling Exam, a masters degree in a Mental Health Profession (i.e. Dance /Movement Therapy, Counseling, Psychology or Social Work) is required.

5) State Licensure and National Certified Counselors-
This advisiory applies to all applicants for the Alternate Route who have received a Master's Degree in a non-clinical discipline such as Dance Education. Upon completion of all requirements, you are eligible to receive the R-DMT credential and to apply to the Dance/Movement Therapy Certification Board for the BC-DMT credential (after completing the necessary post-graduate hours and application.) However, the National Board for Certified Counselors, state licensure boards and managed care organizations require a Master’s Degree in mental health e.g., Dance/Movement Therapy, Social Work, Counseling or Psychology. If you are interested in obtaining state licensing or National Certified Counselor status, please plan your curriculum accordingly.)

6) The Registered Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT) credential acknowledges the attainment of a basic level of competence in dance/movement therapy achieved through the completion of dance/movement therapy education and training.

7) The ADTA credential service marks are briefly defined as follows:
“Registered Dance/Movement Therapist” (R-DMT)* is the entry level credential and indicates clinicians
who have a master’s degree including 700 hours of supervised clinical internship.

“Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist” (BC-DMT)* is the advanced credential. It indicates
a clinician who has additionally completed 3,640 hours of supervised clinical work, and passed a
rigorous examination. You will find information on the BC-DMT advanced credential requirements on the ADTA Dance/Movement Therapy Certification Board heading, BC-DMT link , in the Applicant Handbook.

8) International Applicants for the R-DMT or BC-DMT-
Please note equivalency of education must be demonstrated. Please use an equivalency organization such as World Education Services (www.wes.org) or Educational Credential Evaluatiors, Inc. (www.ece.org). All application procedures and requirements apply to international applicants and all application materials must be submitted in English.

*Note: R-DMT and BC-DMT are awarded by the Dance/Movement Therapy Certification Board. Dance/movement therapists may also hold state licenses and doctoral degrees.