Training FAQs

You may wish to explore Dance Movement Psychotherapy through a Foundation Course or Introductory Workshop. The Training section lists institutions that often offer these courses.

DMP training is a post-graduate training at Masters level. There are currently three trainings in the UK: Goldsmiths University (London), Roehampton University (London), and University of Derby. More information can be found in the Training (link) section. These courses offer both full-time and part-time routes.

As the trainings in DMP are at post-graduate level, you should have the following experience:

• An undergraduate degree in a relevant field of study, or an equivalent professional qualification, or extensive experience in a related field
• Continuous experience of at least one dance or movement form for a period of two years, and exposure to and experience of a variety of dance and movement forms
• An ability to improvise, relate, and communicate through movement in solo, dyadic, and group interaction in addition to an ability to use movement symbolically and expressively
• Personal qualities required are:
  • Maturity and psychological robustness commensurate with training as a therapist
  • Self-awareness and ability for self-reflection
  • Commitment to self-development
  • Ability to critically reflect, analyse, and evaluate
  • Ability to self-motivate
  • Empathy, sensitivity, and awareness in relation to others

Please also contact the universities who run the training courses directly to find out exactly what their requirements are for entry to their courses.

While excelling in any particular dance technique is not necessary, those interested in pursuing training as a DMP will need to have a good understanding and aptitude of dance and movement. You will also need to maintain your dance movement skills throughout the length of your postgraduate course and beyond in order to have a practical resource from which your therapeutic practice can develop.

Most DMPs work within the statutory services (health, education, prisons, social services) and/or in private practice. This work is often on a sessional (freelance) basis, although sometimes part-time and full-time contracted jobs become available.

Opportunities exist for part-time and portfolio working. For example, some DMPs may divide their working time between NHS, private practice, and teaching. Many DMPs combine DMP practice with other types of related work. Travel within a working day is frequent. Some DMPs work for several employers and may travel between then during the week.

Work can be gained in several ways including by responding to advertised jobs, generating work through a range of activities including networking, and taking referrals from other professionals or organisations if working in private practice.

Career breaks are possible, but it is vital to keep up to date with developments in the profession through attending courses and maintaining established networks.

Salaries vary according to experience and expertise.

Within the NHS, Dance Movement Psychotherapist salaries are usually covered by the Agenda for Change pay scale. Typical salaries for NHS arts therapist entry level posts (band 6) are £39,959 - £48,117, rising up to £56,515 for principal DMPs. Please note, these rates are dependent on funding.

Salary levels outside the NHS can vary depending on the employer, and whether a DMP is working part-time, and is self-employed.

Payment for sessional work varies depending on the employer and the experience and seniority of the DMP. The range can be between £40-£60 per hour. As well as delivered a therapy session, DMPs also require paid time to include preparation and note-taking.

Clinical supervision should be undertaken with a DMP who is registered as a clinical supervisor with ADMP. You can search our therapist profiles.

ADMP UK offers professional registration to DMPs who have trained outside of the UK and not completed one of the British accredited courses. However, you will need to apply to ADMP UK to ascertain that your training and qualifications meet the criteria to practice in the UK.

Yes. As per ADMP UK’s Clinical Supervision Guidelines: A suitable clinical supervisor will normally be a DMP Registered Supervisor or a senior practitioner in a related discipline, (e.g. other regulated arts therapies, UKCP registered) or a DMP undertaking an ADMP UK approved supervisor’s training program.

Please download ADMP UK’s Clinical Supervision Guidelines for further guidance.

No. However, your supervisor must either be on the register of qualified supervisors or similarly registered/qualified by the other Arts therapies or other recognised bodies such as UKCP/BACP etc.

ADMP UK currently requires a minimum ratio of 1:8 supervision hours to clinical hours. For those practitioners working towards a UKCP registration, a ratio of 1:6 is required. When it is not feasible for reasons of availability or location to have regular supervision from a DMP Registered Supervisor, other possibilities may be considered. It is crucial that the supervisee check whether the alternative supervisor is registered /accepted as capable to supervise within their own field.

Not counting the therapist/facilitator, a group consists of two or more members. DMPs should carefully consider their capacity in relation to the maximum size of a group.

When looking at the range of client groups you have worked with, your experience throughout and post-training can be considered in a Private Practice application. However, you can only count clinical hours post-qualification and only if they are supervised at the required ratio of 1:8 (or 1 supervision session per month if clinical hours are less than 8 hours per month).

Without the Private Practice pathway, the responsibility for safe private practice would fall to DMP training courses pre-qualification as well as the individual RDMP and their supervisor(s) post qualification. Guidelines for private practice would further need to be formally enshrined in ADMP UK standards, regulations and complaints procedures.

If there are certain concerns, members are welcome to attend council meetings to witness the meeting process and voice their worries. Other areas of support include the various committees, local hubs, Administration, and bulletins. Feedback and contributions are always welcome from our members.

Clinical hours may or may not be an hour in time. A session that is less than an hour in time (e.g. sessions that are 30-45mins) will still count as an hour. Any session that lasts longer than an hour (e.g a session of one and a half hours) will count as 2 hours.

Self-employed/freelance work can be undertaken prior to Private Practice registration as long as the therapy contract with the client(s) is not held directly by the practitioner but by another body/organisation such as school, day care centre etc.