Expressive Therapies

Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Dance/Movement Therapy

Master of Arts (MA), on-campus or low-residency graduate program

Move people toward wellness.

Dance/movement therapy is a powerful, creative, and effective method of mental health treatment. At Lesley, investigate the power of dance and movement as a therapeutic outlet for individuals, groups, and communities. As you train to qualify as both a dance/movement therapist and licensed mental health counselor, be mentored by faculty who innovate in the field. From them, learn proven strategies for opening channels of expression and nonverbal communication.

Here, you’ll learn to address the emotional, cognitive, physical, and spiritual health of individuals using dance as a lens for observation, research, and intervention. Throughout your studies, you’ll increase your awareness of socio-cultural dynamics in yourself and others, and become skilled in intrapersonal reflections, integrating theory and practice, making connections with different populations, and building community.

Our dance/movement specialization encourages you to become a critical thinker, creative and reflective practitioner, and instrument of therapeutic and social change. Your professors will be prominent therapists in the field, with specializations that include children, adolescents, adults, older adults, conflict resolution, trauma, family systems, somatic and spiritual development, and more.

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Program Structure

2- or 3-Year Program, Full-Time; On-Campus or Low-Residency Formats

60 Credits
  • Prerequisites
    • To enroll in this program, you’ll need to show proof of your:
      - Bachelor’s degree, preferably in your artistic discipline or psychology
      - GPA of 3.0 or better
      - Dance background and volunteer work related to human services
      - Completed coursework in:
      - Psychology, including abnormal psychology (3 credits) and developmental psychology (3 credits) with grades of B or better
      - Anatomy and kinesiology (3 credits) with a grade of B or better

      You can complete half of this coursework before applying, and if accepted, finish up the rest before beginning your program.
  • Dance/Movement Therapy Courses 15 Credits
    • Required dance/movement therapy courses in dance/movement therapy theory, body/movement observation, group work, research and evaluation, and more
  • Required Core Courses 33 Credits
    • Required core courses in expressive arts therapy theory, research, and practice, human development, and ethics
  • Field Experience 12 Credits
    • Field experience including clinical skills and applications coursework and supervised internship experiences
  • Approximate Time to Complete
    • On Campus

      Full-time, 2-Year Program
      Take 9–15 credits/semester for 5 semesters, including January break and summers.

      Full-time, 3-Year Program
      Take 3-12 credits/semester for 8 semesters, including summers.

      Low-Residency
      Take 6-9 credits/semester for 9 semesters, including summers. Complete in 3 years.
View Program of Study
expressive therapies music classroom

On-Campus Option

Become part of a community of artists and scholars in Cambridge while pursuing your degree. Gain in-person access to leaders in the field and benefit from Lesley’s professional network in and around Greater Boston and New England. Taking three to four courses per semester, immerse in rigorous study and complete your program within a two to three year sequence.

Best if you:

  • Live near Cambridge or are able to relocate
  • Enjoy the rigor of an intensive program and want to take advantage of internships in Greater Boston
  • Want face-to-face time with faculty and peers and to become integrated into campus life
  • Are not planning to work full-time during your studies
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Low-Residency Option

Participate in one 3-week summer residency per year on Lesley University’s Cambridge campus. Between residencies, continue your studies online with Lesley faculty and through supervised field experiences in your community. Your courses correspond with those of our on-campus program, and will be completed within three years.

Best if you:

  • Live at a distance
  • Enjoy the flexibility of online learning
  • Want to take fewer courses at a time
  • Would like to complete internships/research in your community

At this time, residents of Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, and Oregon are not eligible to enroll in our low-residency master's degree programs in Expressive Therapies. All others may apply.

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neusa araujo furtado dance therapy alumna

Neusa Araujo-Furtado ’17

For Neusa, traditional batuque dance is more than a means of staying in touch with her Cape Verdean roots. It’s a tool for educating and empowering others. Knowing full well the potential of dance to promote personal transformation, today she works with urban youth, using dance and movement techniques to facilitate healing, positive body image, and social skills.

Where Our Students Intern
Our field training experts will help you find an internship that will enhance your practice and further your career goals.
  • Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitals
  • Outpatient Clinics
  • Public Schools
  • Therapeutic Schools
  • Residential Homes
  • Substance Abuse Clinics
  • AIDS Treatment Centers
  • Domestic Violence Shelters
  • Homeless Shelters
detail-brattle-columns

Graduate Student Scholarships

Graduate study is an investment. That's why we offer generous merit scholarships. Awards are based on your admissions application and are announced when you're accepted.
Learn More
Field Work
1,150

Hours you’ll spend turning theory into practice through field training and internships.

News

Dance Therapy program honored for innovation

American Dance Therapy Association recognizes Lesley’s hybrid model
Read more
Graduate Programs
96%

of our alumni are employed within 6 months of their graduation.

elderly hands with pastels

How Creative Expression Can Benefit Older Adults

Expressive therapies professor and art therapy expert Dr. Raquel Stephenson talks about the power of art making.
Read Article
Fact
40+

Number of years since Lesley pioneered the study of Expressive Therapies.

Gain Professional Credentials

Through our dance/movement therapy program, gain eligibility for these professional credentials:

Registered Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT)

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Massachusetts

American Dance Therapy Association recognized graduate degree
Licensure Information

Completion of this program provides the pre-licensing educational requirements for licensure as a mental health counselor (LMHC) in Massachusetts. It is your responsibility to understand and comply with all requirements and regulations if you are seeking licensure in another state. You may use our licensure worksheet (PDF) to help conduct your own assessment.

$47,922
The average salary for professionals with a degree in mental health counseling in New England (Source: Burning Glass Labor Insight)
#1
Massachusetts is the best state in the nation for mental health care according to Mental Health America, with excellent access to care for both youth and adults.
11%
Careers in mental health counseling are expanding, with projections for an eleven percent increase in job openings in New England over the next ten years. (Source: Burning Glass Labor Insight)
Careers
Jobs You Could Have
The field of mental health counseling is expanding rapidly, making this an exciting time to pursue graduate study. Common job titles for people with master's degrees in dance/movement therapy include:
  • Dance Therapist
  • Recreation Therapist
  • Creative Therapist
  • Activity Therapist
  • Mental Health Therapist
  • Movement Therapist
  • Mental Health Counselor
Careers
Where Graduates Work
Massachusetts and the Greater Boston area have a large concentration of medical, healthcare, and mental health-related facilities and organizations. Graduates find careers in a wide range of places, including:
  • Mental Health Clinics
  • Psychiatric Clinics
  • Hospitals
  • Rehabilitation Centers
  • Schools
  • Correctional Facilities
  • Inpatient and Outpatient Facilities

Faculty

Nancy Beardall
Nancy Beardall
Dance Therapy Coordinator/ Associate Professor
Vivien Marcow Speiser
Professor of Expressive Therapies
Nancy Beardall

Nancy Beardall

Dance Therapy Coordinator/ Associate Professor

As a dance/movement therapist, consultant, Certified Movement Analyst, and educator, Dr. Beardall's work has focused on dance, dance therapy and cognitive, social/emotional and relational development using dance/movement and the expressive arts in the public schools with students K-12 of all populations. 

Dr. Beardall has developed numerous curricula for middle and high school students promoting wellness, decision-making skills, healthy relationships and making a difference in the school community. Her community building programs through the arts have involved students, parents and community members. 

Dr. Beardall’s research studies have spanned a range of topics from the influence of creative dance on self-esteem in early adolescence to the effectiveness of bullying prevention and mentoring programs through the arts promoting gender respect and the prevention of sexual harassment and dating abuse. Her school-based programs have received federal, state and local grants.
 

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Scholarship,
Education

Vivien Marcow Speiser

Professor of Expressive Therapies

Vivien Marcow Speiser has directed and taught in programs across the United States and internationally and has used the arts as a way of communicating across borders and across cultures. She believes in the power of the arts to create the conditions for personal and social change and transformation. Her interests and expertise lie in the areas of working with trauma and cross-cultural conflict resolution through the arts and she has worked extensively with groups in the Middle East and in South Africa. In addition, she is an expert in the creation and performance of rites of passage rituals and in the use of dance and performance in expressive therapy practice.  She is the winner of the 2014 Distinguished Fellows Award from the Global Alliance for Arts and Health, and the 2015 Honorary Fellow Lifetime Achievement Award from the Israeli Expressive and Creative Arts Therapy Association.

Vivien holds a Ph.D. from Union Institute, and M.Ed. from Lesley University, and a B.A. from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.  She is a Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist (BC-DMT), a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), National Certified Counselor (NCC), and a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT).

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Scholarship
Total approximate cost for this master's degree program.
Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Dance/Movement Therapy
  • Tuition
    $1,130/credit x 60
    $67,800
  • Fees
    Field Experience Fees
    $2,180
    Materials Fees
    $350
    Registration Fees
    $320
    Activity Fees
    $180
    Practicum Fees
    $140
    Degree Completion Fee
    $75
  • Total
Estimated Cost

Review all graduate tuition and fees, and what they cover.

Tuition and fees are subject to change each year, effective June 1.

  • Tuition
    $1,130/credit x 60
    $67,800
  • Fees
    Field Experience Fees
    $2,180
    Registration Fees
    $360
    Materials Fees
    $350
    Practicum Fees
    $140
    Degree Completion Fee
    $75
  • Total
Estimated Cost

Review all graduate tuition and fees, and what they cover.

Tuition and fees are subject to change each year, effective June 1.

Apply Now

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View Full Program Cost
Total approximate cost for this master's degree program. Tuition and fees are for the 2018–2019 academic year.
Financial Aid
Use our step-by-step guide to apply for federal and university funding. Scholarships, grants, Work-Study, and loans. It’s all right here.

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29 Everett St, Cambridge, MA 02138
617.868.9600