Membership

The ADTA is a community that strives to…

Inspire and Support

The ADTA strives to inspire our members and community through supportive programs, engagement and educational opportunities.

Evolve and Include

The ADTA strives to constantly learn and evolve with one another to ensure inclusion and equity for all.

Integrate and Protect

The ADTA strives to protect the profession and advocate for integration in healthcare, schools and other settings.

Challenge and Transform

The ADTA strives to approach challenges as an opportunity for transformation to grow our community, meeting the ever-changing needs of our members, patients/clients and society.

ADTA MEMBERSHIP AND CREDENTIAL MAINTENANCE DETAILS

BASIC INFORMATION

ADTA membership and R-DMT/BC-DMT certification fees address different facets of the DMT profession. Each comes with its own privileges and benefits.

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:

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’.
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.

MEMBERSHIP CATEGORY	DESCRIPTION
Professional	Those who have been prepared through graduate training or equivalent and are maintaining their R-DMT/BC-DMT. Full voting privileges.
Associate	Those individuals who wish to connect with, learn from, and support dance/movement therapy and/or to engage with the ADTA and the opportunities it offers. Those who hold professional degrees in the healthcare field other than creative arts therapists: Creative Arts Therapy Practitioners – those who use creative arts expressively in their work; Dancers – those who use dance and performance in the service of health and well-being; Educators – those who teach dance and/or other creative arts modalities; Somatic Practitioners – those who use the power of movement and the body as a healing modality; Others – those who want to connect, learn, and support the dance/movement therapy profession. Associate Members have limited voting privileges.
Student	All students applying for ADTA Membership (this includes high school, undergraduate, and graduate) verified by a student identification card or letter from instructor. Student members have limited voting privileges.
Retired	Those individuals who are no longer working and who have attained 65 years of age, or who have been medically disabled, who have been Professional or Associate Members for at least 5 years. Retired credentialled DMTs have the option to become retired ADTA members with voting privileges and other membership benefits.

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:

Full Professional Status	Individuals with this status may identify themselves and work as an R-DMT or BC-DMT. They are required to maintain their credential annually, accrue a specific number of CE hours for recertification, and comply with the ADTA Code of Ethics.
Reduced Practice Status	Individuals with this status work 10 hours or less/week and may identify themselves or work as an R-DMT or BC-DMT. They are required to maintain their credential annually, accrue a specific number of CE hours for recertification, and comply with the ADTA Code of Ethics.
Temporarily-Inactive Status	Individuals with this status may not practice as a dance/movement therapist, but they may receive supervision. There is a 4-year time limit to this status. There is no requirement for CE hours during the period of being Temporarily Inactive, but one must still comply with the ADTA Code of Ethics. Once the Temporarily-Inactive status has expired, the certificant must resume accruing CE hours. If a certificant does not reactivate their credential at the end of four years (or apply for an extension), their credential will be considered lapsed.
Retired Status	Candidates with this status may NOT practice clinically, teach, advise, or provide supervision. There is no annual professional maintenance fee or Continuing Education (CE) requirement. Candidates must continue to adhere to the ADTA Code of Ethics. There is no time limitation for retaining this status.

*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).