Creative Arts Therapies Theses

Date of Award

12-2013

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Art in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling (MA)

Department

Creative Arts Therapies

First Advisor

Shannon Lengerich

Keywords

Dance therapy -- Study and teaching (Internship), Movement therapy, Self-efficacy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the personal wellness/self-efficacy cycle of a dance/movement therapy (DMT) intern, in order to deepen understanding of the interrelatedness of personal wellness and professional self-efficacy, as well as explore how to enhance and sustain them. Interns must develop the skill of self-care in order to promote health, wellness, and confidence in their work and prevent burnout and low self-efficacy. By focusing on process, this study highlighted the skill development of self-care. Therefore, two questions guided this heuristic study: What DMT techniques enhance and sustain my personal wellness/self-efficacy cycle? What is the process that I use to identify those techniques? Results included eight key steps in the process of building a DMT-based personal wellness practice. The researcher’s personal wellness practice contained three dimensions with two DMT-based self-care elements in each. The researcher experienced an improvement in both overall personal wellness and professional self-efficacy. The results of this study are not prescriptive, but rather descriptive of the researchers own lived experience, and are offered as a resource and example to other DMT interns who seek to develop their own personal wellness practice.

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