Press Releases

Naropa University’s Department of Somatic Counseling Psychology
to receive award at National ADTA Conference

BOULDER, Colo. (Sept. 15, 2008)—On October 30, 2008, Naropa University’s Department of Somatic Counseling Psychology will travel to Austin, Texas, to accept an award for excellence in education at the 43rd Annual Conference of the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA). The award is being presented for what the ADTA calls “substantial contributions to the field of dance/movement therapy.”

Consideration for the award came as a result of a three year effort to integrate the Citizen Therapist Initiative with the Dance/Movement Therapy curriculum at Naropa University. Whereas Somatic Counseling Psychology Advisor/Admissions Counselor and Adjunct Faculty member Leah D’Abate and Practicum Coordinator Avani Dilger were responsible for the educational aspect, it was two students who elevated the project to new heights.

Last year, Naropa MA students Brie Anderson-Feldman and Jennie Gershater began working with the Longmont Breakers, a break dancing group that meets at the Longmont Youth Center, to incorporate therapeutic elements into their routine. They encouraged the Breakers to use the bonds they created through dancing to talk about their lives and help each other through hard times. Not only did it provide a positive outlet for their frustrations, but it also gave them something to focus on.

Eventually, the break dancers decided they would like to visit Brooklyn and explore the roots of their form. With the support of Gershater, Anderson-Feldman and the youth center, the dancers raised close to $19,000 through a variety of fundraising activities that included breakdancing everywhere from center court at malls to the entrances to department stores, as well as making requests for project support from local businesses. The public skills required, says D'Abate, are part of what it takes to make a difference in one's own life, and it contributed to Anderson-Feldman's and Gershater's paths to becoming citizen therapists. Coincidentally, the ADTA was holding its 2007 conference in New York at the same time, and the dancers ended up providing the opening performance, as well as speaking at the departmental panel.

The American Dance Therapy Association is the only organization dedicated to expanding the practice of dance/movement therapy. It hosts a national conference every year to discuss the impact of dance/movement therapy as well as what research needs to be done in order to keep the field evolving.

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian liberal arts institution dedicated to advancing contemplative education.  This approach to learning integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively with others. The university comprises a four-year undergraduate college and graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental leadership, psychology and religious studies.