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 these requirements can be found on the ADTA Website at www.adta.org. You click onto the Site Map Heading. Here you will find several major resources that will assist you in understanding the requirements for becoming a registered dance/movement therapist. The headings that are specifically designed to assist you in understanding the process are the DTR Packet (Procedural Guidelines for Applying for DTR) and the DTR Application. It is strongly recommended you read this information carefully.

Currently, there are three routes to attain registry:

1) completion of requirements through attending an ADTA Approved Master's Deree Program (please see the ADTA website Educational Opportunities for a listing of these programs)

or

2) completion of requirements for attending a Non-ADTA Approved Dance Therapy Program

or

3) completion of requirements for Alternate Route Training

Courses at CMER are designed for students who are pursuing option #3, Alternate Route Training. A summary of these requirements is listed below. Please note that once you start your alternate route training you will need to notify the ADTA office of your training status.

1) A Master’s Degree in a related field - required.
(If you wish to apply for the National Counseling Exam and become a National Certified Counselor as well as a Registered Dance/Movement therapist, you will need a master’s degree in a Mental Health Profession i.e.: Dance/Movement Therapy, Counseling, Social Work. (If you live in the State of California, it is recommended that you complete your MA Degree in a program that leads towards a psychotherapy license.)

2) Dance/Movement Therapy Core Coursework - required.
(Courses may be taken independently outside of an academic setting.)
a. Dance/Movement Therapy Theory & Practice (270 hours or 18 credits)
b. Group Process in Dance/Movement Therapy (45 hours or 3 credits)
c. Movement Observation (90 hours or 6 credits)
d. Kinesiology and/or Human Anatomy/Kinesiology (45 hours or 3 credits)

3) General Training Courses - required.
(Courses must be taken at the graduate level in an academic setting.)
a. Research Design and Methodology - required (45 hours or 3 credits)
b. Psychology/Human Behavior (225 hours or 15 credits in total)
Abnormal Psychology or Psychopathology – required (45 hours or 3 credits)
Developmental Psychology – required (45 hours or 3 credits)
Group Processes/Dynamics - required (45 hours or 3 credits)
c. A Minimum of 2 Advanced Counseling/Psychology Courses chosen from the following – required:
Theories of Therapy/Counseling
Methods of Psychotherapy or Counseling
Therapeutic Intervention
Diagnostic Methodology
Systems Theory

4) Fieldwork & Internship - required.
a. Fieldwork: (200 hours basic clinical exposure supervised by a licensed mental health professional.)
b. Internship (700 hours working with a minimum of 2 populations under the overall supervision of an ADTR.)

5) Dance Training - required.
Five years of concentrated study and practice leading to competence in at least one traditional dance form such as modern, ballet, jazz, tap, folk or ethnic is required.

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

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 can be taken to support the five years of dance training.

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

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

10) Letters of Recommendation – required
Two letters of recommendation by ADTRs who have seen your clinical work within two years are required, or if circumstances necessitate, one letter by an ADTR and one letter by a mental health professional, who has seen your recent clinical work, are required.