Press Release from the Health Professions Council - 18/12/2009
Statutory regulation of dance movement therapists
The Health Professions Council (HPC) has published its conclusions from a three month public consultation on the potential statutory regulation of dance movement therapists for the Secretary of State for Health and Scottish Ministers.
Having reviewed the responses to the consultation, it was concluded that dance movement therapists should be statutorily regulated by the HPC.
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The Council agreed on the following key conclusions:
• Dance movement therapists should be placed within the arts therapists’ part of the HPC register;
• ‘Dance movement therapist’ and ‘dance movement psychotherapist’ should be the protected titles for the profession;
• The register held by the Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy should transfer to the HPC; and
• The grandparenting period should be two years in length.
In addition, the HPC also concluded on the threshold level of qualification for entry to the Register and the level of English language proficiency that should be set as well as the standards of proficiency.
HPC’s Chief Executive, Marc Seale commented:
“The HPC welcomes the opportunity to regulate dance movement therapists. As a multi-professional regulator, we are confident that we are well placed to regulate this profession and have the necessary experience of successfully taking on new professions and integrating them onto the Register.”
“We are looking forward continuing to work effectively and in collaboration with the Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy (ADMP) and stakeholders from this profession.”
In March 2004 the Council considered an application from the Association of Dance Movement Therapists (now the Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy) for statutory regulation. The HPC Council recommended that dance movement therapists should be regulated. However, any final decision about whether a profession should be regulated is one taken by Government.
Dance movement therapy is the psychotherapeutic use of movement and dance through which a person can engage creatively in a process to further their emotional, cognitive, physical and social integration. It is based on the principle that movement reflects an individual’s patterns of thinking and feeling.
Visit the HPCs website for more information www.hpc-uk.org