ABSTRACT
Chapter 12 is a synthesis of the all the information in this book in outline form. It provides the professional with the key concepts of dance/movement therapy, child psychiatry, and infant mental health to best support parents and family members coping with having a young child with a medical condition. Included in this chapter are references to the downloadable Appendix A, Appendix B, Appendix C, and Appendix D, which provide detailed examples of pediatric medical dance/movement therapy-based practices to best support the child and their caregivers, augmenting the concepts in this book. Appendix B provides an example of a MSDMT session plan using the body-mind-emotional continuum concept discussed in Chapter 3 and Chapter 12. Appendix C provides a printable handout “My Body Speaks! Getting to Know Me in the Hospital” that parents and caregivers can fill out to help the medical team understand their child’s specific nonverbal styles of communication and engaging. Appendix D provides examples of how caregivers can use the dance/movement therapy techniques of attunement, mirroring, turn-taking and following the leader to engage and soothe their baby during their medical experiences.
