CHRISTINA DEVEREAUX
PHD, LMHC, LCAT, BC-DMT, NCC
ABOUT
Dr. Christina Devereaux is a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist, and a National Certified Counselor. She is an internationally recognized presenter, educator, and author in dance/movement therapy. She specializes in using alternative outlets for expression supporting children, adolescents, adults and families in moving through emotional difficulties. She has extensive clinical experience with a variety of populations including children with severe emotional disturbance and with autism spectrum disorder, victims of abuse and neglect, families in crisis, adults with mental illness and dual diagnosis, and supporting healthy attachment with mother/infant dyads.
For over 20 years she has specialized in clinical supervision specifically for therapists in training, established therapists, post-degree, who are seeking to hone their clinical case conceptualization skills, their understanding of what they are bringing to their work.
REAL STORIES OF DANCE/MOVEMENT THERAPY
Featured in "Mind Your Body" podcast, Christina has over 20 years of stories to share as a dance/movement therapist and DMT supervisor. In this episode, you’ll hear “front lines” in the field and the most valuable advice she gives to dance/movement therapy students and supervisees… now shared with all of you!
THE COLIN McENROE SHOW: SHALL WE DANCE?
Why do we dance? Dancing has served a multitude of functions for various cultures throughout history, and there is even evidence to suggest we, as a species, are biologically hard-wired to dance. Whether it's for social, for spiritual , or even psychological reasons (yes, dance therapy is a thing), humans have been dancing since the very beginning. In this hour of NPR's The Colin McEnroe show, all things dance from ancient history, to modern, Hollywood dance movies are discussed. Christina Devereaux is featured guest. http://wnpr.org/post/shall-we-dance
On June 6, 2020, Dr. Christina Devereaux offered a perspective for understanding children's emotional communication through the body. She helps the viewer understand how, through socially engaged movement experiences, we can support children in calming their nervous system and creating a sense of bodily safety.
The practical dance and movement exercises presented by Dr. Devereaux can therefore become an essential tool to support children in the period of uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Educator Perceptions of the Inclusion of Dance/Movement Therapy in the Special Education Classroom
This qualitative study examined educator perspectives of the influence of group dance/movement therapy (DMT) sessions on their students’ behaviours, symptoms, and academic engagement within their special education classroom. Audio-recorded and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 educators who had observed and/or participated in their students’ group DMT sessions at one public school in an urban region in the United States. Results of the interviews revealed four overarching themes: (a) The process of a DMT session is perceived to improve regulatory behaviour; (b) DMT can meet individual needs as a part of a group experience; (c) DMT techniques and tools utilised can influence sensory systems (d) limitations in time, duration, and space may influence long-term benefits. While more research is necessary, results suggest that educators value the use of DMT within school settings to assist the children in gaining focus, modulating energy, and supporting healthy social engagement skills.
An Interview with Stephen W Porges
During the 51st American Dance Therapy Association conference, Dr. Stephen W. Porges , Distinguished University Scientist at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University Bloomington and Research Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, gave the keynote address, Connectedness as a Biological Imperative: Understanding the Consequences of Trauma, Abuse, and Chronic Stress through the Lens of the Polyvagal Theory. Post-conference, Dr. Porges spoke with this author in an audio-recorded interview, summarized portions of his address, and described the supporting neural mechanisms involved in optimizing mental and physical health. This unique interdisciplinary collaboration aids the profession of dance/movement therapy in understanding the principles for establishing safety and stabilization of the Autonomic Nervous System and, in particular, reciprocal movements with social engagement behaviors—a core mechanism in dance/movement therapy. This article is an edited transcription of the original audio.
Untying the Knots: Dance/Movement Therapy with a Family Exposed to Domestic Violence
Domestic violence affects not only the battered victim, but all members of the family. Dance/movement therapy, through its active and metaphorical pro-cess, can provide a new therapeutic approach to assist families exposed to domestic violence . This paper provides a case illustration of the use of dance/ movement therapy with a family exposed to domestic violence, as the primary therapeutic intervention. It is grounded in theories of attachment, on the primary hypothesis that dance/movement therapy offers not only a way to address the physical and emotional patterns of immobilization but also, as a reparative tool, it assists victims in integrating healthy self-regulatory capacities that have been stunted by trauma experienced through the body. The case illustration highlights how dance/movement therapy provided a direct approach to addressing specific symptoms of abuse that appeared in particular individuals in this family, as well as how ‘‘re-choreograph-ing’’ the family dynamics and relationships dysregulated by the domestic violence was pivotal in helping this family to learn new ways to self-regulate.
CONTACT
If you are interested in individual or group supervision, contacting me about a specific speaking engagement or to offer a workshop or presentation, please fill out the below fields below. I look forward to speaking with you more about your needs.
