[Adta] Bringing Dance to Elders - a Six Session Course,Boston area

[Lora Wilson]

Susan, Donna and all...

I agree! 

First, Donna, I think your course looks fantastic and I applaud you for marketing yourself to those outside of our field, in addition to providing specialized population work for those inexperienced with the elderly.  I agree with Susan that this a great way to offer expert training to others and thereby earn more respect for what we do and what we know. We should be marketing more and more to those outside our field. (On a slightly related note, I just got a private email from a So You Think You Can Dance message board participant THANKING me for exposing her to the ADTA website and for providing info that helped her get an A on a paper about the benefits of dance. Just another tiny example of preaching to those not in our fabulous own choir. Every little bit helps...)

We ARE the experts. In whatever way we can, we need to speak up, market ourselves, teach, train. Own our knowledge. Share it. Get paid for it. :-)


I adore doing DMT with the elderly and have worked as an activity director at various senior homes for years in addition to doing clinical dmt at a geri-pscych hospital.  I have witnessed countless non-dmt colleagues put on music and try to dance with the residents/patients.  Their intentions are always good... but sometimes its like a bull running through a china shop, dragging the shoppers behind it! How much more they would connect with the elderly if they had even the most rudimentary sense of attunement and movement empathy. Clearly, a dance therapist 6 sessions does not make ... but you are marketing a clear skill that I think many would be interested in honing.

Good luck and thanks for the inspiration!

Lora Wilson, MA, DTR


________________________________
> From: skdmt2 at bellsouth.net
> To: adta at adta.org
> Subject: RE: [Adta] Bringing Dance to Elders - a Six Session Course, Boston area
> Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2007 10:18:22 -0400
> 
> Donna & Everyone,
>  This sounds very exciting & innovative.
> I think it’s really important to use our skills as d/mts to also teach others how to be better at what they do.
> This also promotes us as experts that have something to offer to other professionals to enhance their own skills.
> For those who fear that I am suggesting that we (you) are teaching them d/mt in six sessions, this is not so & this particular program is not being promoted that way- Donna’s message is clear.
> I think it’s important to think outside the box re our skills &  using our d/mt skills as a springboard to enhance the skills of others in reaching varied populations, is a wonderful service.
> Bravo, Donna- Please let us know how it goes.
> Susan
> Susan Kleinman, MA, ADTR, NCC
> ________________________________
> From: adta-bounces at adta.org [mailto:adta-bounces at adta.org] On Behalf Of Donna Newman-Bluestein
> Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2007 6:02 PM
> To: adta
> Subject: [Adta] Bringing Dance to Elders - a Six Session Course, Boston area
> Bringing Dance to Elders – a Six Session Course
> Fall 2007

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