moving creatively together

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Welcome
to Dance & Arts Therapy NZ.

We are here to empower and support

Download our Annual Report

Our Mission

Dance Therapy NZ (DTNZ) is a registered charitable trust that provides mental health and disability services. Our kaupapa is to support and empower vulnerable individuals and groups in Aotearoa New Zealand through the use of Dance Movement Therapy and Arts Therapy. We have a particular focus on those with disabilities and special needs but also work with at-risk tamariki from low income backgrounds and people of all ages struggling with trauma.

Our Team

We are a team of professionals who value creativity, connection, nurturing, growth, integrity and collaboration.

DTNZ consists of senior therapists trained in Dance Movement Therapy and/or Clinical Arts Therapy internationally and locally, therapists who are currently completing their training, professional dancers and dance education experts specialising in disability and dance.

Programmes

We have 10 programmes to choose from depending on your therapeutic needs. 

Our daughter has been able to bond with people like her and make real friends and the impact of this on her wellbeing cannot be underestimated.

– mother of 14 year old girl with ASD
My two sons have made great strides since seeing a DTNZ Therapist. She is very intuitive to how they are feeling and how she can help them. She has a thoughtful, gentle and caring approach that has enabled my sons to form a bond with her, and through this they have improved their social skills, self-esteem, and ability to express emotions. They are now more able to self-regulate when they are having a meltdown or get overloaded with sensory issues. Best of all, my sons think it’s fun and love going to see her! We feel very blessed and can’t recommend her enough.

– Mother of 10 & 9 year olds with Autism
Since our boy has been attending the dance therapy workshops his communication, interaction and negotiation skills have vastly improved, he no longer operates in isolation, he is more connected with the family and his peers.

– Grandmother of 6 year old boy with developmental delay
The Programme exceeded my hopes. The therapist is very positive and skilled at including my son. We also met lovely parents who understood ASD and its reality which made it a relaxing place. It was therapeutic for me as well.

– mother of 5 year old
My son is on the autistic spectrum, has ADHD and other learning difficulties. The class he attends with DTNZ is teaching him skills he would not learn anywhere else- social awareness, appropriate behaviours in different circumstances, how to concentrate, follow instructions and how to self regulate his behaviours in different circumstances in a fun environment where he gets to interact with children similar to him. What he learns in this programme has a follow on affect when he is at school and in his social interactions with his peers which have always been difficult for him

– mother of 8 year old
Our son (who has Autism) has only been on the Dance Movement Therapy for the past two months. Already, we can see significant improvement in his social skills, confidence level and general improvement with the way he carries himself…he enjoys the sessions and is beginning to make some friends. he looks forward with great enthusiasm to Friday evenings!

– mother of 12-year old
Being a mainstream student, dance therapy is the one place where (my son) can spend some time with kids that go through the same or similar difficulties that he goes through. He can relate to others, and others to him. He has fun, he works on his motor skills, but most importantly: he makes friends.

– mother of a 12 year old boy with Cerebral Palsy and Asperger’s Syndrome
After several months of my daughter attending your Dance Therapy class, I can definitely say that there’s been a marked improvement. My daughter is on the Autism spectrum, mainly having difficulty with social interaction. She is now able to take turns and instead of reacting to situations, is able to take time to assess and decide how to react. This is not perfect and there are times when this doesn’t happen, but I can say that incidents are few and far between now. I believe that her sessions with you and one other girl, gave her the time and space to work through those difficult situations, and she now has the tools and strategies in place to help her in situations that she finds difficult. I can highly recommend this type of therapy (dance / art) and think that this is an invaluable resource for children on the Autism Spectrum.

– mother of a 10 year old girl with ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome
When we heard of Dance Therapy, we were pleased since we would like our son to enjoy music (which he fears) and dance through therapy. Jacquelyn showed us even more. Dance Therapy was not just about dancing with music but coordination of movement through play. Our son made leaps-and-bounds with Jacquelyn. She made such a huge connection that our son keeps reminding us of his Dance Therapy schedule every week. And Jacquelyn did not stop there, she keeps giving advice on how we can understand our son and work on his behaviour. Surely, Jacquelyn has made a mark in our son’s life. Cheers to the Dance Therapy team!!!

– parents of an 8 year old boy with ADHD and ASD
Dance Therapy provides (my son) with a sense of belonging. He enjoys the routine ,the gentleness of the staff and familiarity he has gained with sessions and he has made friends.

– mother of 16 year old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome

Our Supporters

Dance Therapy NZ gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the following:

Current Funders:

Venue Partners:

Upcoming Events & Programmes
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