12.28.2009

Good Things are Happening

I'm still working away on my thesis during the holidays, but wanted to make sure to pass along these goodies.

1) Ivuka (means "rebirth") Arts Center in Rwanda is a small cooperative arts center establishing a new community of artists, dancers, and musicians to aid the country towards reconciliation. Read the short article in Utne, including the RwaMakondera project, a dance troupe for poor children that teaches them to tell centuries-old stories using Rwandan traditional dances. "If you look into these kids' eyes, you can see they have a lot to say, they just have no means of expressing it. Now they have music and dance."

2. Saltwater therapy for kids with cystic fibrosis with pro surfers Jamie O'Brien, Kelly Slater, and others in this article.

12.16.2009

PLEASE SIGN UP FOR THIS COURSE!

The Center for Movement Education and Research

January 9,10, 2010 – Scripps College -- Claremont CA
February 13,14, 2010 – Pomona College --Claremont CA
9:00am – 5:30pm

http://www.movement-education.org/courses_alternateroute_socal.html


Course Title: Dance/Movement Therapy with Seniors —30 hrs
This dance/movement therapy theory, practice and application course will cover the specific developmental needs of seniors and the dance/movement therapy skills pertinent to working with this population age group. The course content will focus on physical, psychodynamic, psychopathological, and enculturating factors impinging on the later years of human development. Students will be exposed to various clinical concepts of dance/movement therapy viewed within a developmental framework that are pertinent to selected late adulthood populations, including clinical disorders of late adulthood and, the types of somatic transference/countertransference issues that might be encountered.

This course has been approved by the American Dance Therapy Association as meeting the Alternate Route Requirements for the R-DMT credential" and satisfies 30 hours of DMT Theory and Practice Training.


This course meets the qualifications for 30 hours of continuing education credit for MFTs and/or LCSWs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (Provider #3888). Students taking the class for continuing education are excused from the required assignments other than attendance and participation.

Course Objectives:
1) Students will develop an understanding of the developmental needs, tasks and challenges presented when working with various senior populations.
2) Students will develop a basic understanding of dance/movement therapy assessment and application of dance/movement therapy interventions as they apply to various senior populations.
3) Students will learn interventions through which to facilitate an individual or group dance/movement session for various senior populations.
4) Students will be able to design and facilitate a dance/movement therapy session for seniors that is developmentally sound and takes into account the unique developmental, physical, emotional, psychological and cognitive needs of seniors.
5) Students will conclude the class with a beginning level awareness of dance/movement therapy processes and techniques utilized in working with seniors.

Locations:
Scripps College
Richardson Dance Studio
1030 Columbia Ave
Claremont, CA 91711
Pomona College
Pendleton Dance Center, Studio 16
210 East 2nd Street
Claremont, CA 91711

Course Fee: $750.00

Course Instructor: Gabrielle Kaufman MA, BC-DMT, NCC
is a CMER faculty member, dance/movement therapist and counselor with close to twenty years experience in the helping profession. She has taught creative movement to preschoolers and elementary school students, has used DMT with the elderly, Holocaust survivors, adults with mental illness, individuals with eating disorders and body image issues, with teens at high risk and other individuals suffering from anxiety and depression.
Currently, she is the coordinator of the New Moms Connect Program of Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles. She has run several programs for high risk children and teens in both English and Spanish languages, taught classes to parents of newborns and toddlers, and runs support groups for single parents, women with eating disorders and women with perinatal mood disorders and with seniors. She is a coordinator with Postpartum Support International and has a private practice in Los Angeles.

For Information and Application Contact:
Judy Gantz-CMER Director
POB 2001
Sebastopol, CA 95473

(310) 477-9535

12.11.2009

High Probability of Survival with Children who have Cancer

Since I've been thesis-thesis-thesising lately, I apologize for not updating my blog as much as usual.

Today, I'd like to offer a post I read on the Art Therapy blog regarding a study in Germany on children with cancer and their high probability of survivial. Here's the original article, too.

This research is exciting for the fields of creative and expressive arts therapies, since it highlights aspects of the role of music therapy, positive effects of parent accompaniment, and the importance of quality of life in the hospital.