Information about the course
Dance movement therapy training
Have you experienced Dance Movement Therapy or have you heard that this form of therapy is a recognized healing method? Have you experienced the transformative power of dance and movement and would like to learn Dance Movement Therapy systematically in order to accompany people (back) on their path to their body experience and personal expression through movement and dance?
Since 2022, ZOE SCHOOL FOR DANCE MOVEMENT THERAPY has been offering the preparatory course for the Higher Swiss Federal Diploma (HFP) in Arts Therapy / Dance Movement Therapy as a recognized institute.
Immerse yourself in a world and a personal process full of learning, movement and application.
Audience group
Our training is aimed at people who have already completed a qualification (BA/MA) or course of study in the fields of education, health/medicine or art. Interested parties with other qualifications or at least a high school diploma also have the opportunity to complete the course after an equivalence test.
Find out more about our admission criteria.
The course
Scope:
Our training is designed as a part-time course so that you can plan a workload of up to 60% during the training period.
The course lasts four years (eight semesters) and comprises a total of 1433 hours of contact lessons and 1735 hours of self-study time. This means that the course covers all the required learning content, contact and self-study hours as well as the seven module examinations required for admission to the Higher Swiss Federal Diploma (HFP).
An obligatory internship in a clinic is integrated into the course, accompanied by the corresponding supervision.
Timetable and organization:
Our lessons usually take place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. In principle, we aim for one weekend a month from Friday to Sunday (three days) or two weekends a month either Friday and Saturday or Saturday and Sunday (two days). In the remaining weeks, lessons take place either on Friday or Saturday.
From the fourth to the seventh semester, a total of six intensive seminars of four to seven days are on the schedule.
All dates will be announced at the beginning of the course and later in the fall for the coming year to enable you to plan reliably. The course times are from 09:00 to 17:30/18:00, depending on the break time on the half days, with a one-hour lunch break.
The internship takes place in the sixth and seventh semester. We can offer you suitable internships or you can suggest your desired internship to us.
Language in the course
Our school is bilingual. As teaching at the ZOE SCHOOL is based on both German and English literature and some of our lecturers only speak English or German, we expect you to have knowledge of both languages at least on level B2.
The course at a glance
The training years are divided into key areas:
1st year: It’s mainly about you: Your movement, your biography, your psyche. How you organize, communicate, learn and mediate. You will also acquire knowledge about the background of your clientele and the effectiveness of dance therapy.
2nd year: You will deal with artistic design and develop a project with which you can communicate yourself to your environment through the medium of dance. At the same time, you will learn about anatomy, physiology, pathology, psychosomatics, psychiatry and psychopathology. You will begin to apply movement theory (assessments and interventions) and will be introduced to concept development while learning about research and how it is applied in Dance Movement Therapy.
Year 3: You will refine your skills for assessments and interventions and deepen your understanding of movement development, this time with a focus on prenatal development and movement behavior. You begin your internship, accompanied by in-school supervision and ethics classes.
Year 4: You complete your internship, write a case study and complete your concept. You will deal with professional studies, law and finance as well as aspects of health economics. Finally, you will prepare for the final examination, including a case study and practical final examinations.
The course at a glance
The courses are divided into our five levels:
Basic Level I Personal Learning World
- Laban Bartenieff Movement System (LBMS) I: Self Reflection
- Salutogenesis/Psychohygiene
- Biography and Developmental Psychology
- Psychology: Learning and Creative Psychology
- Basic Pedagogical Attitudes and Concepts
- Norms and Values in Education
- Social and Special EducationHistory of Dance Movement Therapy linked to the
- History of Dance and the Currents in Psychotherapy
- Imagination-Improvisation-Interaction
Basic Level II Expanded Learning World
- Communication Psychology and Models
- Communication (1st part)
- Philosophy-Sociology-Demography-Other Cultures and Religions
- Group Work
- Embodiment-Communication-Common Factors
- Artistic Inquiry
Middle Level: Medical Learning World
- Basics of Anatomy and Physiology
- Basic Disorders and Diseases, Inter-professional Cooperationt
- Psychosomatics-Psychopathology-Psychiatry
- Advanced Psychopathology
- Emergencies
Upper Level I Dance Movement Therapy Learning World
- Ritual-Dance Rituals-Ritualisation in Dance Movement Thera-py
- Laban/Bartenieff Movement System (LBMS) II: Application
- Authentic Movement / Other Methods
- Research in Practice
- The Marian Chace Method / Group
- Mobility Gradient (with pre- and perinatal development))
- Body Image
- Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP)
Upper Level II Business Learning World
- Concept Development
- Internship
- Case Study
- Communication (2nd part)
- Professional Ethics
- Learning Group (Supervision and Introduction to being a Supervisor)
- Organisation and Operational Management
- Health Economics