Dance/Movement Therapy for Infants and Young Children with Medical Illness

Treating Somatic and Psychic Distress

Suzi Tortora, Miri Keren

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9780367681869
• eBook ISBN: 9781000815450
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Pediatric Medicine
• Index: Psychology

This book presents dance/movement therapy as a window into the emotional and internal experience of a baby with a medical illness, within the context of treating the whole family system and using the DC 0-5 as the basis for formulating the clinical situation.

This book fills a gap in the literature, bringing a variety of fields together including infant mental health, infant and child psychiatry, nonverbal-movement analysis, and the creative arts therapies. Grounded in a biopsychosocial perspective, dance/movement therapy is introduced as the main treatment modality, using nonverbal expression as a means of communication, and dance and music activities as intervention tools, to support the child and family. Vignettes from both during and years after the medical experience are presented throughout the book, taking into consideration the subtle and more obvious effects of illness on the child's later emotional, social, and behavioral development. They illustrate the expertise of the authors as infant mental health professionals, drawing upon their work in hospitals and private practices, and highlight their unique perspectives and years of collaboration.

This exciting new book is essential reading for clinicians and mental health professionals working with infants and their families.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Endorsements
• Half Title
• Series
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Tables
• List of Figures
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1 The Role of the Baby’s Body, Nonverbal-Movement Experience, and Communication in Building the Caregiver-Baby Relationship
• 2 The Clinical Implications of Embodiment and Memory During Infancy
• 3 Principles of Pediatric Medical Dance/Movement Therapy
• 4 Affect and Self-Regulation in Social and Emotional Development
• 5 Babies Remember Pain
• 6 The Hospital and Severe Illness-Linked Experiences: Their Impact on the Infant’s Socioemotional Development
• 7 Long-Term Effects of Chronic Life-Threatening Pediatric Illness on Later Adjustment and Their Clinical Implications
• 8 DC: 0–5™: A Multiaxial Tool for an Integrated Formulation of Symptoms of Somatic and Psychic Distress in the First Five Years of Life
• 9 Nonverbal Assessment of Somatic and Psychic Distress
• 10 From Lullabies to Dance-Play: The Role of Rhythm, Rocking, Song, and Dance to Soothe and Engage Infants and Young Children with Medical Illness
• 11 Multisensory Dance/Movement Psychotherapy Pain Management Approach
• 12 Summary of Key Points
• Appendix A: DANCE Tool
• Appendix B: Example of an MSDMT Session Plan Using the Body–Mind–Emotional Continuum with an Infant or Toddler
• Appendix C: My Body Speaks! Getting to Know Me in the Hospital
• Appendix D: Follow the Baby’s Lead: Sample Activities for Parents to Engage and Soothe Their Baby
• Index