Dance Therapy in Port Macquarie

What is Dance Movement Therapy?

DMT is a body-based, somatic modality that begins with the body, where words are not necessary and yet so much is said. In this "bottom-up" approach to therapy, change can be created in the neural pathways connecting movement, emotion and thought - acknowledging and honouring the mind-body connection - and flow on to create change in in the way we think, relate, react and respond in our lives.

It is an alternative to talk-based therapies which often take a "top-down" approach, effective when words are just not enough; for whatever reason.

Who may benefit from DMT

✦ Autistic and neurodivergent people

✦ People with intellectual and developmental disabilities

✦ People living with physical disabilities and mobility challenges

✦ People experiencing mental health and psychosocial challenges

✦ Older adults living with brain injury or cognitive decline

✦ Children and young people

✦ Women — navigating their relationship with an ever-changing body through the stages of maiden, mother, maga and wizened crone

✦ People experiencing eating disorders

Through movement, DMT can:

Support the physical body (mobility, balance, coordination)

Improve physiological functioning (breath, regulation, sensory integration)

Strengthen cognitive skills (attention, memory, problem solving)

Foster emotional and social wellbeing

A key feature of DMT is its expressive quality. Moving and creating through the body offers another language for emotions and experiences, helping people process what has happened, express feelings safely, and integrate them into daily life.

(Taken from the DTAA website).

Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) is a unique form of psychotherapy.

DMT can be tailored to meet the needs of the client

DMT for Kids & Teens

An evidence-based alternative to talk therapies and traditional dance classes in an inclusive, expressive, all abilities space. Currently accepting new clients.

On-Site Visits

Sessions delivered on-site at facilities — including schools and aged care facilities — to eliminate the need for travel.

Online Sessions

Video call sessions available, bringing the same movement-based approach into a space that works for you.

Programs

Memories in Melodies

A weekly program run in alliance with Dementia Friendly Communities and Soul Sounds Music Therapy in Port Macquarie, alternating between music therapy and dance therapy on a fortnightly rotation.

Music, Movement & Memories

A dementia-friendly, all-abilities small group program for older adults — singing, movement, dance, reminiscence, or just good company.

Available for retirement villages, aged care facilites or within the community.

Parents & Prams

Small group sessions providing a safe space for parents & carers to express & explore relationships & emotions with movement, dance & music with their little ones, while engaging in physical activity & fostering social connections.

Awake or asleep, high energy or low, we work with what is present on each day and in each moment.

✦ Unlike talk-based therapies, DMT works directly with the body as well as the mind. ✦

About Julie-Anne Thompson
Thirty years in movement

I have always danced. For the first thirty years of my career I taught choreographed and performed around Australia and the world. I experienced first hand the transformative and healing power of movement and dance and decided to study DMT to better understand why. In discovering some of the psychology, theories and frameworks underpinning what I intuitively knew, I am well equipped to focus my dance experience and skill in DMT, backed by research and evidence and a growing community of clients experiencing and living the benefits of the therapy, every day.

My practice has focused on Older Adults and the mental health challenges imposed by conditions such as cognitive decline, dementia, displacement and loneliness. I have also worked with women who desire to “return to their bodies” and foster a relationship that honours the journey of womanhood through the cycles and phases of her life. I have experience with trauma processing and recovery and with neurodiversity and mental health challenges, particularly in children, whom I have worked with for over 30 years in many different capacities.

✦ 30+ yrs Dancer, choreographer, teacher

✦ 8 yrs Outdoor education, child-led programs (ages 3–6)

✦ 10+ yrs Education support for neurodivergent & special needs children

✦ 4 yrs Dance Movement Therapy

Recognised & Regulated

Registered Provisional Professional DMT with the Dance Therapy Association of Australasia (DTAA), the peak body for DMT in Australasia, and a member of Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA).

BEFORE WE SPEAK, WE MOVE.

There is much to learn from the way we move in the world — our movement preferences, our postures and gestures.
All movement is communication and expression.

By exploring and expanding our movement repertoire, we can also explore and expand our emotional range — laying down new neural pathways, and experiencing joy and reconnection with our bodies, ourselves and others.

Testimonials

Thank you for making me feel alive again!”

— Sienna Grange Aged Care Resident, May 2025

I have really enjoyed DMT group sessions to help shift my negative thoughts rather than talking to someone about them”.

— Whiddon Laurieton Resident, April 2025

I look forward to this every week”.

— Lake Cathie Manor Aged Care Resident, May 2025

The sessions created a noticeable increase in mood and emotional wellbeing in a joyful and inclusive atmosphere”.

— Emmaus Residential Aged Care Staff Member, March 2025

I hope that this can continue. It is a great program, and it is rare to see someone with such a passion for what they do”.

— Emmaus Staff Member, March 2025

Residents loved it. It was the highlight of their Tuesday morning. It really sets them up for a joyful day”.

— Emmaus Staff Member, March 2025

Julie-Anne was really helpful in navigating complex NDIS requirements as well as working together to best meet my child’s individual needs.

She (my daughter) loves her time with Julie-Anne and continues to apply her learnings outside of sessions”.

— Parent of 9yr old client, 2025

The American Indian Hopi Tribe have a saying;

“To watch us dance is to hear our hearts speak”

This for me, is the essence of Dance Movement Therapy.

We express emotions when we move. We communicate and we relate. Within our bodies and tissues we hold our memories and experiences, and movement is the language through which I, as a Dance Movement Therapist, can help a person to discover them, heal them, move them or develop them. Movement is life! It is primal, instinctual. It is our first form of communication; our first language.

Before we speak, we move, and we move with others to form relationships. With careful attunement to the movement of a person seeking assistance through therapy I can help them to make sense of their movement and explore meaning, emotion and remedy if necessary.

Register your interest

Currently accepting new clients

For more information on current availability, or to register your interest in an upcoming group, get in touch below.