Case studies: Dance movement psychotherapist: Hebe

Hebe's first degree was in criminology, but due to her ballet training and love of dance, Hebe began to set up classes for local children...

As a dance movement psychotherapist, Hebe works mainly with primary-school-aged children with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) with plans to extend her work to children on the autistic spectrum.

Although there was never an explicit plan to specialise, Hebe felt drawn to working with children and finds reward in looking at life from a child's perspective and stepping into their different, unlimited world.

Hebe's first degree was in criminology, and her earlier career was as a researcher in this field. However, due to her ballet training and love of dance, Hebe began to set up classes for local children on Saturday mornings, teaching street, hip hop and break dancing. With a focus on fun and a club atmosphere, the children chose their own music and choreographed the dances that interested them. As more people heard about the classes, schools got in touch to set up sessions.

Particularly when working with autistic and EBD groups, Hebe came to realise that the most valuable things that came out of her sessions were about what happened in between the structure of the lesson plans designed to suit the national curriculum. She noticed the emotional impact of her work and how much effect it could have for children.

This led her to undertake the Diploma in Dance Movement Therapy at Roehampton, which she describes as vigorous and even gruelling. The course requires students to work hard physically, academically and personally, as they go through the therapeutic process themselves. Now that she is practising, Hebe can clearly see the benefits of this, as it prepares students for the demands of the profession.

The work can be distressing and exhausting, but it provides as much energy as it takes. Hebe says it is also fun, imaginative, varied, spontaneous, alive, dynamic and wonderful.

As Hebe works with clients on difficult issues, she provides space and time for them to grow. She believes therapy is a two-way process; the therapist always gains through the client's journey, learning something from each and every person.

Though there are, and must be, clear boundaries between the two parties, the therapist is constantly challenged to learn and develop alongside the client - adapting techniques and ideas as well as finding new inner resources so the process is a co-creation. It is this endless creativity which Hebe treasures.

In helping clients explore different ways of moving both internally (emotionally) and externally (physically), the therapist facilitates people finding new ways to relate to themselves and to each other.

Hebe's work with families, mainly mother and child together, has proved especially interesting. A therapist always needs to know when to intervene and when to step back once a bridge has been created, but the nature of the material that comes out of family sessions is entirely different from what children produce together or what children and their teachers experience. Hebe feels this is due to the unique bond of this relationship and has learned to position herself differently because of it.

Much of her work is still in an educational setting, though, with referrals frequently coming direct from schools. They may suggest the duration of therapy, sometimes down to practical considerations including how many other children need support and availability of funding. However, issues raised do vary in their intensity, so the number of sessions required is by no means fixed. Some problems even disappear in the natural flow of children's lives, as friends and interests come and go.

Hebe has never had any breaks in work, as it has a momentum of its own. Several factors have influenced this. Firstly, she has built her career where she lives in Wiltshire. She knows the area and schools well and had existing contacts from her dance work before training and moving into psychotherapy.

Having built a reputation, she still works hard to maintain her network and create opportunities. She also recognises the importance of her business skills and her natural disposition, which make it easy for her to put herself forward comfortably. This is important, especially as there is little understanding of what dance movement psychotherapy is and how it can contribute to a person's wider care package.

Being able to promote herself and her practice has helped Hebe's career development in the role she loves so passionately. She is also looking forward to starting her PhD.