CREDENTIAL MAINTENANCE & RECERTIFICATION

CREDENTIAL MAINTENANCE:

All credentialed DMTs (R or BC-DMT as well as DTR and ADTR) MUST MAINTAIN their credential EVERY YEAR by paying a renewal fee based on their professional credential level (R or BC) and how much they work each week (full time or reduced practice).

• Renewing at the ‘TEMPORARY INACTIVE’ level is an option if they are temporarily not practicing as a DMT (maximum 4 years.)
• Renewing at a RETIRED PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIAL level (which is different from Retired Membership) means that they are no longer practicing DMT, seeing clients, supervising, teaching, or advising.

If you do NOT annually maintain, your credential will be considered lapsed and must be reinstated. If your credential has lapsed and you continue to practice or identify yourself as an R or BC -DMT (or DTR/ADTR) you are in violation of the ADTA Code of Ethics.

To REINSTATE your lapsed credential (if it has lapsed for more than a year), you are required to pay an additional fee and accrue an additional amount of CE hours.

RECERTIFICATION/AUDIT

Every 5-years you are required to 'RE-CERTIFY' your DMT credential. At this time, you must have documented proof that you have completed the required amount of CE hours for your status and work level.

R-DMTs who become BC-DMT in a non-recertification year, will receive a new credential number and a new 5-year recertification date, starting from the year they become a BC-DMT. When that occurs, all unused CEs they have accrued for the R-DMT recertification will be transferred to the BC-DMT recertification requirement.

Audit: Each year, 10% of all recertificants are selected to be audited. When audited the actual documentation for the CEs being claimed are verified. There is also a small fee that is charged. Continuing practice or identify as an R or BC -DMT (or DTR or ADTR) without recertifying, is a violation of the ADTA Code of Ethics. it is an ethical violation.

Comparison of Credential Maintenance and Membership Renewal Fees:

Credential maintenance and recertification is different from Professional membership renewal. Membership in the ADTA is open to anyone The yearly 'ADTA membership' renewal is in addition to professional credential renewal. (If you choose to renew ONLY your DMT credential and not the ADTA membership, then the credential fee is a higher amount than if you renew them both).

ADTA MEMBERSHIP AND CREDENTIAL MAINTENANCE DETAILS

BASIC INFORMATION

• ADTA membership (regulated by the ADTA) is open to anyone interested in supporting the ADTA and its goals. Members join forces with others all over the world to advance advocacy efforts and awareness of dance/movement therapy. Membership fees help promote the growth and development of the DMT field in the USA. Member benefits begin with becoming part of a unified group rather than operating with a singular voice. Many other benefits to both individual and institutional members are listed here.

• The R-DMT/BC-DMT credential (regulated by the DMTCB) identifies those DMTs who have successfully fulfilled and maintained specific professional education and training requirements. R-DMTs (registered dance/movement therapists) and BC-DMTs (board-certified dance/movement therapists) who are actively practicing professionally (e.g. providing therapy or teaching/supervising future R-DMTs and BC-DMTs) are required to maintain their credential every year and comply with recertification requirements every five years.

Both ADTA membership renewal fees and credential maintenance fees are paid annually during the month of June with a 60-day grace period (June 1 through August 30). This is around the beginning of the ADTA’s fiscal year. Notifications to renew both ADTA Membership and the DMT Credential are sent beginning around mid-May and all fees are determined by the ADTA Board of Directors.

The DMTCB actively enforces the ADTA’s lapsed credential policy (e.g. those certificants who have not maintained their R-DMT or BC-DMT credential). This reveals some additional details about the relationship of credential maintenance to membership status.

Specific membership and credential issues:

1. Some DMTs with lapsed credentials attempt to renew as ‘Professional Members’. This is a violation of the ADTA Code of Ethics. Only members who are current R-DMTs or BC-DMTs can join as ‘Professional Members’. Anyone who has not maintained one's credential can only join as an ‘Associate Member’, not a ‘Professional Member’.
2. Similarly, some DMTs with lapsed credentials are listing themselves in the membership directory as being an R-DMT or BC-DMT, or in their email signature files, professional bios, faculty pages, on their personal websites, etc. Again, this is a violation of the ADTA Code of Ethics.

ADTA MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES

There are several membership categories. Lapsed ADTA membership restricts voting privileges and other benefits outlined in the ADTA Bylaws and Code of Ethics.

Please adhere to the appropriate membership category benefits as outlined in the ADTA Bylaws and Code of Ethics. Violations will greatly impact your ability to practice as a dance/movement therapist as these policies are legally binding.

DMTCB CREDENTIAL MAINTENANCE DETAILS

The Dance/Movement Therapy Certification Board (DMTCB) oversees the credentialing and maintenance process for all R-DMTs and BC-DMTs. Certificants who are actively practicing professionally (e.g. providing therapy or teaching/supervising DMT students, R-DMTs or BC-DMTs) are required to maintain their credential every year and to comply with recertification requirements every five years.

R-DMT/BC-DMT CERTIFICANTS are required to maintain their professional DMT credential by:

• Renewing EVERY YEAR – e.g. paying a fee based on your credential level (R-DMT or BC-DMT) and work status (full time, part time, temporarily inactive, or retired)
• Recertifying EVERY 5 YEARS – e.g. having documented proof that you have completed the required amount of CE hours for your credential level. (Note: a percentage of all recertifying professionals are randomly selected to be audited and asked to submit documentation for their CEs.)

If, as a professional dance/movement therapist, you do not renew and/or recertify your credential, your professional certification will be considered lapsed. During the time your credential is lapsed, you are not considered a professional DMT. If you continue to practice or identify yourself as an R-DMT or BC-DMT in any way, you are in direct violation of the ADTA Code of Ethics. Lapsed credentials can only be reinstated by paying an additional fee and accruing additional CE hours.

There are several credential status levels for R-DMT/BC-DMT:

*See website for additional details: https://www.adta.org/credential-renewal-recertification

Credential Maintenance Benefits:

The benefits of DMT credential maintenance extend beyond employment and ethics:

• Leadership positions in the ADTA are required to have maintained their credential.
• DMT credentials are considered in the ADTA Conference presentation selection process.
• Credentialing boards (e.g. NBCC an NY State of Education) consider the DMT credentials of presenters when determining if courses meet  requirements for continuing education credit.
• All applicants for the BC-DMT are required to have maintained their R-DMT credential for a minimum of a full year (12 months) prior to submitting their application.
• A valid BC-DMT credential is required to teach approved DMT courses, supervise DMT interns, and advise DMT students. (Note the BC-DMT-Retired status should not be selected by anyone who is currently teaching, supervising, or advising DMT students and trainees.)

If you have questions or need support, please contact [email protected] (for ADTA membership questions) or [email protected] (for credential questions).

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