Dance/Movement Therapy Support for Children Who Have Witnessed Domestic Violence: Therapist Perspectives. A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Creative Arts in Therapy Program Drexel University by Amy Elizabeth Sorrento in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Dance/Movement Therapy August 2009 ©Copyright 2009 Amy Elizabeth Sorrento. All Rights Reserved i Dedications I dedicate this thesis to my amazing family, who has always supported and encouraged me throughout my academic and professional endeavors. This thesis has truly been a product of full family involvement. It would not be completed without you. I continue to learn so much from each of you and you inspire me every day. Thank you for everything. To the many children I have worked with in my clinical experiences, who have witnessed domestic violence, I am honored to have met each of you and to have been a witness to your experiences. You have inspired this thesis and my future work as a clinician. ii Acknowledgments I would like to thank my committee members; the committee chair Ellen Schelly Hill, Dr. Trish Miron, and Sara Moore Hines for all of their support, knowledge, and investment in my thesis process. It is greatly appreciated. Thank you to the Creative Arts in Therapy Department for providing me with this learning opportunity. Thank you to my three supervisors Olena Korsun, Lunden Abelson, and Dawn Morningstar for supporting me to reach my professional goals. A special thanks to Jessica Verbanc- what a journey we have had together thus far. Thank you for being there by my side through it all. iii Table of Contents List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... v Abstract .............................................................................................................................. vi 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................... 5 2.1 Children and Trauma .......................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 Overview of Trauma ....................................................................................... 5 2.2 Impact of Trauma on Child Development .......................................................... 6 2.3 Child Witness to Domestic Violence .................................................................. 9 2.3.1 Overview of Domestic Violence:.................................................................... 9 2.3.2 Etiology of Domestic Violence ..................................................................... 10 2.3.3 Impact of Domestic Violence on the Child Witness:.................................... 13 2.3.4 Child Witness to Violence Project ................................................................ 24 2.4 Therapeutic Support for Child Trauma ............................................................. 25 2.4.1 Overview of Treatment Approaches for Child Trauma: ............................... 25 2.4.2 Play Therapy ................................................................................................. 26 2.4.3 The role of body based interventions ............................................................ 27 2.5 Creative Therapies with Child Trauma and Witness of Domestic Violence: ... 28 2.5.1 Art Therapy: .................................................................................................. 28 2.5.2 Music Therapy .............................................................................................. 29 2.6 Dance/Movement Therapy................................................................................ 31 2.6.1 Dance/Movement Therapy Overview ........................................................... 31 2.6.2 Kinesthetic Empathy: .................................................................................... 33 2.6.3 Dance/Movement Therapy with Child Trauma and Witnessing of Domestic Violence: ................................................................................................................... 34 3 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................... 38 3.1 Design ............................................................................................................... 38 3.2 Location of the Study ........................................................................................ 38 3.3 Time Period for Study ....................................................................................... 38 3.4 Recruitment and Participant Type .................................................................... 39 3.5 Inclusion Criteria .............................................................................................. 39 3.6 Exclusion Criteria: ............................................................................................ 40 3.7 Informed Consent: (15 minutes ) ...................................................................... 40 3.8 Interview. 50 minutes....................................................................................... 40 iv 3.9 Data Analysis: ................................................................................................... 41 4 RESULTS .................................................................. 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Bookmark not defined. 4.1 Survey Participant Clinical Practice Information ............................................. 42 4.2 Open Ended Responses: DMT Clinical Practice with Children Who Have Witnessed Domestic Violence ........................................................................................................ 45 4.3 Therapeutic Movement Relationship ................................................................ 48 4.4 Movement Patterns: .......................................................................................... 49 4.5 The DMT Methods/ Techniques ....................................................................... 50 4.6 Emerging Themes in Interview Transcripts ...................................................... 52 4.6.1 Safety of the Child ........................................................................................ 52 4.6.2 Boundaries .................................................................................................... 52 4.6.3 Management of Countertransference ............................................................ 53 5 DISCUSSION ............................................................ 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Bookmark not defined. 5.1 Overview ........................................................................................................... 55 5.2 Emergent Themes in Dance/Movement Therapy to Support Children Who Have Witnessed Domestic Violence ...................................................................................... 56 5.2.1 Safety ............................................................................................................ 56 5.2.2 Boundaries .................................................................................................... 58 5.2.3 Management of Countertransference ............................................................ 59 5.3 The Targeted Research Question Areas ............................................................ 60 5.3.1 Therapeutic movement relationship .............................................................. 60 5.3.2 Movement Patterns ....................................................................................... 62 5.3.3 DMT Methods/Techniques ........................................................................... 63 5.3.4 Clinical Implications ..................................................................................... 64 5.3.5 Limitations of the Study................................................................................ 65 5.3.6 Implications for Future Research .................................................................. 66 6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ....................................................................... 67 7 REFERENCES .......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Appendix A: Email Recruitment Message ....................................................................... 78 Appendix B: Phone Recruitment Script ............................................................................ 79 Appendix C: Interview Guide ........................................................................................... 80 Appendix D: Consent Form .............................................................................................. 82 v List of Tables Table 1: Participant Practice Information ........................................................................ 44 Table 2: Aggregation and Summary of Open Ended Survey Responses......................... 45 vi Abstract Dance/Movement Therapy Support for Children Who Have Witnessed Domestic Violence: Therapist Perspectives. Amy Sorrento Ellen Schelly Hill, MMT As one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime and an estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2008), it is important to consider the effects of the violence not only on the victim, but also the unforeseen victims who witness these