A Play Therapists Guide to

Safe Expressions through

Rhythm, Movement and Art
Flossie Ierardi, MM, MT-BC, LPC
Mark Bottos, MCAT, R-DMT
Michele Rattigan, MA, ATR-BC, NCC, LPC

Psychology Safety
Found in work group literature in addition to

clinical psychology literature

Describes individuals perceptions about the

consequences of interpersonal risk in their

work environment.
Complementary to trust: willingness of a

party to be vulnerable to the actions of

another
Kramer, R. M., & Cook, K. S. (Eds.). (2004).

Trust and distrust in organizations: Dilemmas

and approaches. New York, NY: Russell Sage
Foundation

Psychological Safety
Implications for:
Therapeutic boundaries
Structure and predictability
Therapeutic competence

Does not imply:

A cozy environment
Absence of problems

Safety in Therapy

Neurobiology of
Trauma

Music and movement activities that

provide patterned, repetitive,

rhythmic stimulation of the brainstem
are very successful in helping
modulate brainstem dysregulation.
Perry, B. D. (2006), Applying principles of
neurodevelopment to clinical work with maltreated and
traumatized children: the neurosequential model of
therapeutics. In N.B Webb (Ed.), Working with traumatized
youth in child welfare (pp. 27-52). New York, NY: Guilford
Press

Neurobiology of
Trauma

speechless terror

During recall of a traumatic event, language

areas of the brain shut down

Non-verbal visual and sensory-emotional

areas of he brain remain active

Bridging the Black Hole of Trauma: The

evolutionary significance of the Arts. Sandra

Bloom, MD
http://www.sanctuaryweb.com/PDFs_new/Bloom

%20Bridging%20the%20black%20hole%20of
%20trauma.pdf

Dance/Movement
Therapy
Based on the empirically

supported premise that the body,

mind and spirit are
interconnected, the American
Dance Therapy Association
defines dance/movement therapy
as the psychotherapeutic use of
movement to further the
emotional, cognitive, physical and

Dance/Movement
Therapy

Dance/movement therapy focuses on

movement behavior as it emerges in the
therapeutic relationship. Expressive,
communicative, and adaptive behaviors are
all considered for group and individual
treatment.
Body movement, as the core component of
dance, simultaneously provides the means
of assessment and the mode of intervention
for dance/movement therapy.

Creating a Safe
Space

Space usage: Personal, conversational, and

public space.
Use of touch: who needs it?, for what?, and is

it appropriate?
Rules or limits: i.e. everyone in the group must

move to their ability to participate.(no

audiences)
Assessing the group energy level: when to

encourage development and when to

modulate for closure or safety purposes.

Creating a Safe
Space
A predictable, clear and safe environment is
helpful to encourage self-expression.

Providing boundaries/structure
through forms/formations support
this type of environment.

Forms to encourage
expression
The circle is a classic shape to explore

movement expression.
Dividing the room into quadrants, with each

space having a movement concept or

characteristic gives children the freedom to
move through the space at their own time.
Creating a line (imaginary or real) to use as a

continuum, traveling from one movement quality

to its opposing quality. (i.e. fast to slow)