IACASE Global Webinar series (6)

Under the Skin: Collaborative Art & Dance Movement Therapy Practice with LGBT+ Clients

This workshop provides an introduction to collaborative creative arts therapies practice with clients who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or related identities (LGBT+). Its objective is to analyze how gender identity and sexual orientation are manifested through felt experience, and attest to the potential of art therapy (AT) and dance movement therapy (DMT) to foster their expression in a group setting. The workshop will include some experiential activities based on a case study of collaborative creative arts workshops focusing on skin, as a barrier that serves to protect, expose and transform internal and external aspects of our identity. (Acarón & Wren 2019). The workshop is suitable for students and professionals working in health & social care, mental health, education, community work, research, arts in health and art therapies.

The facilitators bring their combined experience of working with LGBT+ clients in a community setting to focus on an exploration of the internal/external selves as a key thematic areas for creative work in relation to mental health. They will expand the repertoire of relevant themes in therapeutic work with gender and sexually diverse identities.

This workshop is given in English with live Chinese translation.

Reference

Acarón, T., & Wren, A. (2019). Under the Skin: Barriers and Opportunities for Dance Movement Therapy & Art Psychotherapy with LGBT+ Clients. In S. Hogan (Ed.), Gender and Difference in the Arts Therapies: Inscribed on the Body (pp. 24–35). Routledge.

Curator: 

• Warren Nebe, University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg (South Africa)

Workshop facilitators:

• Dr Thania Acarón, PhD, BC-DMT, R-DMP, FHEA
• Alison Wren, BA Art for Community, MSc Art Therapy

Who may participate?

This is the suggested event for the core members of IACASE as well as invited guests. (up to 100 participants)

Date: August 26 (Wednesday), 2020

Time: 8-9:30 am EST (US), 2-3:30 pm Amsterdam, 8-9:30 pm Beijing

About presenters

Thania Acarón, PhD, BC-DMT, R-DMP, FHEA

Dr Thania Acarón is a dance movement therapist, researcher, lecturer and performer from Puerto Rico, currently based in Wales. She obtained her PhD on the role of dance in violence prevention at the University of Aberdeen and holds an MA in Dance Education from New York University. She is certified as a clinical supervisor and dance movement psychotherapist in the UK and US and has worked in this field for over 15 years. Thania currently works as a lecturer at the University of South Wales in the Faculty of Creative Industries. She offers international workshops on movement for wellbeing, therapeutic work with the LGBT+ community, embodied decision-making, physical theatre/contemporary dance, interdisciplinary therapeutic arts and violence prevention.  www.thania.info; @thaniaacaron

Alison Wren BA Art for Community, MSc Art Therapy

Alison Wren is an integrative Art Psychotherapist, supervisor and trainer based in Scotland. She now works primarily in private practice, specializing in working affirmatively with clients around issues of sexuality, gender and relationship diversities. She has previously developed an award-winning mental health and wellbeing service for LGBT+ people that she delivered for 9 years, produced two educational films and published a creative writing anthology co-created with LGBT people with lived experience of mental ill health. www.arttherapywithalison.com

Image Illustration by: Suzi Dorey www.suzidoreydesign.com