The New York State Chapter of the American Dance Therapy Association

Our Mission

The New York State Chapter of the American Dance Therapy Association (NYSADTA) is a state division of the national American Dance Therapy Association (www.adta.org). The chapter is dedicated to promoting professional practice and providing resources for dance/movement therapy professionals while increasing public awareness of dance/movement therapy as a licensed profession in New York State. The chapter adheres to its own by-laws and maintains ethical standards set by the ADTA.

Dance/movement therapy, as defined by the ADTA, is “the psychotherapeutic use of movement as a process which furthers the emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration of the individual”.

NYSADTA provides education, professional support, resources, research opportunities, and opens avenues of communication between dance/movement therapists and professionals from related fields. The Chapter seeks to align with other creative arts therapists such as art, drama, music, poetry and psychodrama therapists in order to support, inform, and diversify the dance therapy community.

NYSADTA engages in a variety of activities such as publishing newsletters, providing forums, and offering educational workshops that are available to dance/movement therapists, students, and mental health professionals. In addition, an active public relations committee serves to increase the public’s awareness and use of dance/movement therapy as a psychotherapeutic modality.