10^th September 2007

Dear Chair of LUTSF

Please find enclosed my report on the Dance Movement Therapy Conference in Bologna, Italy where I joined with my European Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) colleagues to consider the establishment of a European Association/Federation of DMT.

You will see from the report that the outcomes from this conference were positive and crucial. I am most grateful that your scholarship enabled me to attend this conference and to play an active part in the debate. This will lead to further work with my European colleagues as we work towards the establishment of the Association.

Although I stood down as Chairperson for ADMT UK in June this year – after 4 years of service in the role – my recent offer to represent Dance Movement Therapy in the UK and ADMT UK specifically, as a co-optee on Council, was accepted. I therefore continue as an active member of the Steering Group of the European Association, ensuring that the work that began in Bologna this March is sustained.

I have had two further meetings with the Steering Group, while teaching in Munich and Sardinia, and we have a two-day meeting planned for October 2007 in Milan. The ADMT UK has agreed to support my travel costs to this meeting and is considering how it will budget for the development of the European Association in the future. ADMT UK Council and the membership are fully supportive of the development of this initiative and the part that I am currently playing in it.

Furthermore, DMT work undertaken in Ukraine between 2001 – 2006 and sponsored by the British Council, where we witnessed the budding of the Ukraine Dance Movement Therapy Association, has recently come to fruition and my colleague and I have received an invitation to attend their first conference this October. I aim to present the developing work of the European Association at this conference, DMT professional training standards across Europe and lead a workshop. There is a further European DMT Forum meeting this September in Tallinn, Lithuania, to which I will report in writing. Other colleagues, supported by UK Higher Education institutions, will attend and represent the UK.

Thus DMT European networks are consolidating and expanding. The importance of the European Association is becoming clearer every day in order to support the profession and to protect professional standards. The support of the LUTSF has been instrumental in enabling my commitment and input on the Steering Group and this has been formally stated on several occasions e.g. in the ADMT Council minutes, AGM and in the report for the Bologna DMT Conference and the European Network Forum.

Please accept my apologies for taking so long in sending you the hard copy of this report. As you can see – there has been much activity! In addition to my professional life, since April my family and I have sold our house and moved to Scotland (while dealing with a few hiccups along the way), and I have completed my third and final year at Goldsmiths, University of London as Course Leader and presided over the biggest AGM for ADMT in my memory in June, followed by further training and teaching in Europe during July (that came as a result of the Bologna Conference).

Yours sincerely

Susan Scarth

Report:

Bologna Special Conference

European Dance Movement Therapy Network March 23^rd – 24^th 2007

Introduction

This special conference was hosted by APID (Associazione Professionale Italiana DanzoMovimentoTerapia) and presided over by APID’s President, Vincenzo Puxeddu. The other APID had invited members of the European Dance Movement Therapy Network and other DMT colleagues who could represent their national professional associations. Those present included the Chairperson of the Network, Annelies Schrijnen-van Gastel representing Holland, Rosa Maria Govoni, APID founding Board member and translator, Alexia Margariti, President of the Greek Association, Silke von der Heyde representing the German Tanz Therapie Association, Teresa Bas and Montse Marti, board members of the Spanish DMT Association and myself as Chairperson of ADMT UK.

The special conference was to take place on Friday and the invited delegates were asked to present recent or current DMT projects from their country to the annual APID conference on the following day. APID organised this event to coincide with their 10^th Anniversary and their Annual General Meeting. Rosa Maria Govoni provided an excellent translation service for the group.

Vincenzo Puxeddu opened the day with a short address stating the purpose of the gathering and clarifying that those invited were representing the members of their Professional Association. It was clearly stated that those invited to the Conference were representatives from the Professional Associations that hold a Register of Professionals, uphold professional standards through a Code of Practice, and undertake (or is on the way to) an accreditation process of DMT training programmes. Vincenzo identified that the specific purpose of the conference was to address the viability of establishing a European Association of Dance Movement Therapy.

Following the questionnaire that was sent to each representative prior to the meeting, two questions were identified as the most pressing matters to attend to. Each representative identified the current position of their Association’s relation to State Regulation and the organisations that assisted this process. Obstacles were also noted where this was appropriate.

The Proceedings

Friday began with each representative introducing their national training situation and their progress in the journey to State Regulation/recognition. This was followed by a more in-depth description of the current situation in each country while addressing the 2 main themes:

1. Strategies for seeking recognition – what worked in each country

2. Organisations and partners that assisted in the path to recognition.

What follows is a report on the discussions that ensued under the headings of each country. Many issues were repeated in each country’s remarks and so this report endeavours to summarise these issues while identifying where countries converge in their experience.

Holland has Creative Arts Therapies programmes with specialisms in Dance Movement Therapy, Art Therapy, Music Therapy and Drama Therapy. DMT programmes In Hogeschool Zuyd and Codarts, University of Professional Arts Education, Rotterdam are recognised and subsidised by the Dutch government, which has further enabled professional recognition of DMT at a national level.

Holland established The Nederlandse Vereniging voor Danstherapie NVDAT, in 2006, and the current Chairperson is Ingrid Baart. Due to an ongoing merger initiative of the Psycho-motor and CAT’s, the current Register of professional DT’s is suspended. This merger has the potential to improve the professional standing of both professions and offer them more leverage when negotiating with Government, Health and Educational Services. To ensure that there was clear communication and an understanding developing between the two professions, in 2006, the Creative Arts Therapies (NVCT) and the Psycho-motor Therapy Associations (NVPT) joined together to form a Federation (FVB). Each Professional Association has their Register of Professionals and Criteria for Registration; however, their current activity requires them to produce one Register and one Criterion.

There is a parallel process existing as the Higher Educational programmes inform the Criteria and the Associations consider the Criteria and levels according to their professional needs paying due regard to the Bologna Process and Dublin Descriptors, a European initiative to standardise Higher Education across European Nation States.

Germany has 9 DT programmes, each accredited by the German Association BTD, and held in private establishments. No University will validate DT as the profession wishes to educate students from backgrounds other than Medicine or Psychology. It is the German Law of Psychotherapy that only medical doctors and psychologists and pedagogues are allowed to train in Psychotherapy. Only Psychotherapy, Psychology and Social-Pedagogues are recognised professions by the State, where the Government will validate University programmes in these professions, and only these professionals are licensed to practice.

Thus Dance Therapy is not state recognised and DT’s may not call themselves psychotherapists. Many DT’s are licensed medical doctors, psychologists and psychotherapists and can therefore practice as dance movement psychotherapists. There are approximately 340 registered DT’s currently in Germany.

Current activity undertaken within the BTD is to establish the medical/scientific field of DMT for State Recognition purposes. This involves:

• Audit of client groups worked with, numbers in groups, numbers of individuals treated, length of treatment, success of treatment etc. in order to attract financial funding to the Health service,
• Coding therapeutic services offered – to attract funding according to Code (KTL),
• Identifying Key Skills that DMT utilises at particular point of treatment.

There are similarities here with the NICE guidelines being developed in UK by health professionals. The Arts Therapies in UK are making bold efforts to get closely involved in the discussion groups for the guidelines, whilst also amassing evidence of the efficacy of arts therapies with a variety of medical conditions. Germany has been very successful in this work and this is recognised as largely the work of a few individuals who have worked hard to address the issue of Audit, Coding and Evidence Based Practice.

The picture in Britain is that an association of professionals was established in 1985 (ADMT), and since 1992 ADMT UK was established as the Professional Body, registered as a Company with a Board of Directors, Annual Financial Audit and a public Annual General Meeting. At this latter date a Criteria for Registration and Training was developed with a Register of Professionals (180 registered DMT’s), a Code of Practice, Complaints Procedure and a system for the Accreditation of Training programmes. The register identifies:

State Regulation has only partially been established, since in March 2004 ADMT UK applied to the Health Professions Council (HPC) for State Regulation, when the application was unanimously accepted and presented to the Department of Health (DoH) for ratification. The DoH process is ongoing, and it is hoped that in 2008 the Government Public Order Act will establish Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and Movement Psychotherapy (MP) as protected titles. In Joint Quality Assurance document (2004) stating Benchmarks for Arts Therapies, it states that DMT and MP are protected titles – so the assumption is that DMT’s hold the same status as the other three Arts Therapies (AsT’s).

There are currently 2 MA training programmes, both in London Universities – Goldsmiths University of London and Roehampton University. Two further programmes are going through the process of seeking accreditation, in the South West and Midlands, with a further programme being developed in Scotland.

The current issue for ADMT has focussed on a possible change of name for the Association to Movement and Dance Psychotherapy Association UK (MDPA UK). As there is no professional bar to train in psychotherapy in the UK, there are strong feelings about raising the recognition of the psychotherapeutic nature of DMT in the UK. This special conference has raised an interesting debate for the Chairperson with regard to this issue, as the UK must clearly consider the drive for parity across Europe and thee barriers that exist in our neighbouring countries to such a move.

Other recent activities in the UK have revolved around National Health Service Agenda for Change, where all Health Professions, except medical doctors, were evaluated on a variety of aspects regarding level of activity, ability to act autonomously, level of education etc. etc. The AsT’s worked closely with Amicus the Union who advised the AsT’s to describe themselves as Arts Psychotherapists – as this more closely described AsT’s professional role. As a result, AsT’s have been banded at a favourable level and on an equal level to Psychologists,

Greece offers only one training programme – in a private school and supported closely by the Association. There are no Universities that offer a Dance degree and so there has been no possibility gaining University validation to date. Greece aims to abide by the European norm for a Masters level training programme (established by the European Network over the last 10 years). Greece collaborates with France on their educational programmes.

The Greek Association has a Register of Professionals of which there are 48 members registered. Criteria for Registration depends on the successful completion of a recognised DMT training programme, completion of personal therapy and the acceptance of the code of Ethics. There are 2 levels of Registration - 2^nd level is for those who have been employed in DMT with an institution for 3 - 5 years (depending on full or part time).

DT is not officially recognised by the State, however the Ministry of Labour has recently published pay scales for ‘Specialist Therapists’ and included DT! Greece waits to see how this new pay scale will affect the employed status of DMT’s.

Spain established their Asociación Española de Danza Movimento Terapia, ADMTE in 2001. The first University post-graduate diploma commenced in 2002, and a 2nd in 2003.

AsT’s are not well known in Spain; Music Therapy is most known, followed by Art Therapy.

The State only recognises licensed and PhD Research programmes – all others are considered ‘private studies’ and do not, therefore, carry recognised credits or funding. However, with the two training programmes now operating, 60 students are in internships throughout Spain which is spreading the word.

Most DMT’s and Psychotherapists work in Private Institutions, unless trained previously as medical Drs or Psychologists. Similarly to Italy and Germany, only licensed professionals e.g. psychologists and medical doctors can work in state health care services e.g. hospitals.

Italy founded their Association APID in 1997, according to Criteria of Ministry of Labour for Professional Associations and is therefore recognised as a Professional Association. DMT has been established as a profession in Italy since 1970’s. APID now has 300 registered members educated to MA level in DMT. APID distinguishes DMT’s who are also Psychotherapists, Doctors and Psychologists by a symbol in the Register because, by law, a Private Practitioner MUST BE a Registered Psychotherapist. Again we find some similarities with Germany and Spain.

In keeping with the UK standards for MA education of a DMT, entry to a training programme requires that the applicant has a 1st degree and will ‘specialise’ in DMT. The DMT has a multi level professional profile because students come from a related bachelor or master and specialise in DMT. Again we find similarities with Spain where there is impedance to MA qualification if no prior degree has been attained. As in Greece, there are no University degrees in Dance, however, professional Dancers may be able to prove ‘professional’ their status by evidencing their rigorous training and examinations attained that are equivalent to BA standards. DMT programmes are only offered in private establishments as only Psychotherapy and Psychology are supported by State Universities. As with Germany, only medical doctors and psychologists may train in psychotherapy.

Important issues that Italy faces, and shares with the rest of Europe to some degree, include:

· the verification of criteria and competencies of the practitioner;

· establishing a code of ethics,

· guaranteed process for CPD training,

· maintaining a professional register,

· ensuring the responsibility and insurance of both clients and professionals.

The questions that Italy asks those present:

• What are European Guidelines for Professional Bodies?
• What Criteria for professional standards does DMT wish to follow?
• Would a European Association or Federation of Associations be valuable?
• How would this Federation work in relation to the European Network?
• Establish our clear objectives before jumping in!

Comment

The morning was extremely informative and helpful to us all in understanding the differences and similarities between countries. It was clear that we had much to offer and to learn from each other. The matter of Research was a constant issue that was identified as being of great importance to establish the efficacy of DMT in health, education and social welfare.

Part Two

The afternoon was set aside to agree action points with regard to the consideration of the development of a European Association. The importance was noted of:

• Taking into consideration the particular regulations regarding psychotherapy, for example, when addressing issues of collaboration between countries,
• Enabling new Associations and DMT professional developments to come on board in some way – possibly via the European Network, to mentor and support new developments throughout Europe.

The positive points in favour of a collaboration between all established European Professional Associations includes:

• An Association of European Bodies that can offer support to other countries who are wishing to develop Professional Bodies for DMT’s/AsT’s.
• There can be a sharing of Criteria, Standards, Ethics, Complaints Procedures etc. and support can be offered to each member country,
• United we stand, divided we fall – necessary to work together to grow stronger.

Issues regarding the proposed EA (European Association) or FEA (Federation of European Associations) were identified as follows:

• Must work on objectives for future action
• Important to get in touch with Ministers for Labour and Health
• Important to continue to develop scientific validation of DMT
• Important to look at European norms and regulations
• How to levy a fee from each Professional Association towards the EA/FEA?
• Each EA/FEA Representative MUST BE representative and not attending for personal issues
• First step – developing a Steering Group
• Delegates MUST concentrate on the one issue and report back to their country,
• Trust in and communication of this initiative is essential
• Seek consultant to assist us in researching the EU Law in these matters
• Rules and pre-requisites are getting higher all the time – so we should go for it now!

Action points were established for each member of the special conference to take back to their Boards for discussion. A Steering Group was decided that so far has Susan and Vincenzo as committed members with Germany and Spain seeking appropriate representatives. The Steering Group is to meet again at ECArTE in Estonia in September 2007, with the aim of establishing a clear way forward prior to this meeting. Susan agreed to research the European procedures for establishing a Professional Association and make contact with Music Therapy, who have established a European Federation of Students of Music Therapy.

Summary

European recognition of the DMT profession is important but this can only be established if there is representation from each European country that has an established Professional Body. The criteria for being a Professional Body must be recognised i.e. have an established Criteria for Registration as a DMT, publish a Register of Professionals and expect their registrants to abide by a Code of Practice and Continuous Professional Development protocol. Such details are important if DMT is to be recognised in Europe – due to specific differences that exist in each country.

Common elements do exist and will become more prevalent as European Law is established. The Bologna Process (2004) and the Dublin descriptors (2005) have stated overarching education qualifications and frameworks that state ‘workload, level, learning outcomes, competencies and profile’, for academic levels of standards and accreditation for educational programmes. This will become accepted standard in Europe from 2010. These need to be fully understood and integrated into current training programmes – MA and Research, (2nd and 3rd cycles).

Conference ended with a feeling that it had been a very fruitful day and that there was much to take away to think about over the following weeks and months. The meeting lasted from 10.00 am and was closed at 8.30 pm when APID hosted the delegates at an excellent traditional Bolognese restaurant for relief and necessary sustenance.