Standards & Ethics CommitteeCommittee Description The purpose of the Standards & Ethics Committee is to set forth ethical standards for practicing dance/movement therapists, and to clarify what ethical practice for dance/movement therapists is as questions arise. In carrying out its responsibilities, the committee aims to protect and safeguard the experiences of Dance/Movement Therapy students, professional providers and service users by addressing all situations of harm and malpractice brought to their attention.
The Committee strives to support Dance/Movement Therapy clinicians, students and protect clients as they seek to achieve the transformations through DMT. The Standards and Ethics Committee values & aspires to embody the following as it carries out its functions;
S&E Committee Member Information Maximum number of members: Chair plus 8 members
Number of seats open for professional members: 2
Duration of term:
Benefits of joining the committee include:
S&E Application Process The minimum requirement to apply to the committee is:
Process of Applying
Please email your most recent CV and a 250 word statement of intent to [email protected]. Committee Chair
Selena Coburn BC-DMT, LMHC, LCPC, (she/her) is a mental health and dance/movement therapist in Great Falls, Montana and an adjunct professor at Lesley University. She is a descendent of Blackfeet, Klamath, and Pitt River tribes. She earned her BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase College in Purchase, NY. Selena's dance/movement therapy training includes the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, NY, and Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As a registered dance/movement therapist, she believes in the importance of decolonizing dance as therapy, and culturally inclusive processing as the primary therapeutic principle. Selena has worked with adolescents in the residential treatment center setting and experienced the power of incorporating cultural healing elements in helping adolescents navigate social, emotional, physical, and relational developmental changes. Coburn has presented on Blackfeet cultural dances, Native American perspectives, and participated in panel discussions locally, regionally, and nationally. Selena founded the Native American Affinity Group as part of the Multicultural Diversity Committee of the ADTA and received the Leader of Tomorrow Award in 2020. She had previously served on the Texas Chapter board. Selena is ready and enthusiastic to serve her ADTA member colleagues. Committee Members
Neha Christopher, MS, LCAT, BC-DMT, (she/hers) is a passionate artist and advocate for The Arts in Wellness. As a dance therapist, Neha has worked in, USA, Dominican Republic (intern) , Nepal and India. She is currently pursuing her PhD in DMT and works as a DMT tutor (Methods 1) at The University of Melbourne. Neha serves as a member of the S&E committee of the ADTA and is a founding board member and of The Indian Association of Dance Movement Therapy.
Neha strongly identifies and resonates with the healing elements of dance. She believes in the importance of de-colonizing mental health by acknowledging the indigenous practices that have focused on wellness through the arts for generations before it gained Eurocentric nomenclature.
Douglas Cornman, MA, BC-DMT, (he/him/his) is the Director of Island Outreach for Maine Seacoast Mission in Northeast Harbor, Maine. He is crew aboard the MV Sunbeam V, a 74 ft steel-hulled boat that cruises the coast of Maine providing holistic healthcare services. His work with islanders focuses primarily on emotional and spiritual healthcare, substance abuse, and coping with the challenges associated with living in remote and isolated rural island communities.
Douglas earned his dance therapy degree from Allegheny University (now Drexel University) and his undergraduate degree in Theater Performance from Messiah College in Grantham, PA. He is a former company member of Trapezius Ariel Dance, Philadelphia and The New Haven Ballet. He currently dances with Motion Collective, an improvisational dance company based on Mount Desert Island.
Hang Yin Candy Lo, MA, BC-DMT, RDT/BCT, CCLS, (she/her/hers) is a Board-Certified Dance/Movement Therapist, a Registered Drama Therapist/Board Certified Trainer and a Certified Child Life Specialist. Currently the President of Hong Kong Child Life Association and past president of Hong Kong Dance Movement Therapy Association; Candy has been serving at the ADTA’s Standard and Ethics committee since 2017; co-leads the Asian and Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Affinity Group (AAIPDA) and is member of the BC-DMT Task Force.
After graduating from Antioch University New England, Candy started her private practice; Piece of Sky in Hong Kong. Her passion lies in serving the medical professionals, pediatric and adult patients in the medical settings. She taught the Medical Humanities program (Performing Arts Module developed by The Absolutely Fabulous Theatre Connection Company Limited) at the School of Medicine at HKU.
Candy has been teaching at the Expressive Arts Therapy program at the University of Hong Kong since 2014 and is an Adjunct Faculty at Lesley University and Antioch University New England. She worked at Hong Kong Disneyland as a singer prior to her therapy career and is currently splitting her time between Hong Kong and the US.
Megz "XaHara" Roberts, MA, R-DMT, G-RMT, CPT, (she/they) is a dynamic soul having a dynamic experience on Mother Gaia. She is a registered dance/movement therapist, certified fitness professional, and master energy energy healer. XaHara owns and operates several companies, of which the majority are focused on health, healing and educational services. XaHara is very passionate about education and cultural competency, which you can read about in her article, “Embodied Ethical Decision-Making” in the American Journal of Dance Therapy. You can connect or learn more about XaHara at WysWellness.com.
Jennifer Whitley, M.S., BC-DMT, LCAT, CMA, (she/hers) is a board-certified Dance/Movement Therapist (DMT) and Licensed Creative Arts Therapist, graduating from the Pratt Institute in 2012. She is a Ways of Seeing practitioner, Level II Reiki trained, certified as a Laban Movement Analyst from the Laban Institute of Movement Studies and has trained at The NY Center for the Study of Authentic Movement. Ms. Whitley began working at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in 2012 with a focus on medical DMT in pediatric oncology and dance-focused wellness/mindfulness classes and workshops at Integrative Medicine Services for adult patients and MSKCC staff. She also provides group dance therapy sessions for children with special needs and works in private practice at Dancing Dialogue with adults, children and families. Lauren Milburn, BC-DMT, LHMC, LPC, (she/they) completed her Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling Masters at Columbia College Chicago, and gained clinical experience supporting survivors of trauma and individuals living with conditions across the spectrum of mental health concerns. Their approach is grounded in relational/cultural theory, pleasure activism, harm reduction, and disability justice principles. In sessions, Lauren invites deep listening to the body’s innate wisdom, resourcing the nervous system’s resilience to generate self-compassion, untangle harmful internalized patterns, and embrace creative and contemplative meaning-making practices. It is Lauren’s hope that by engaging healing processes held within relational webs of care, we can build the capacity to transform social conditions into sanctuary spaces and promote life-affirming reciprocity. |
