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Description and evaluation of a dance/movement therapy programme with incarcerated adolescent males

ABSTRACT This article describes and evaluates the effectiveness of a dance/movement therapy (DMT) programme to improve self-restraint skills, a predictive factor of recidivism, of adolescent males incarcerated in Non-Secure Placements (NSP). Three adolescent males participated in the study and received individual DMT sessions facilitated by the practitioner/researcher. The Weinberger Adjustment Inventory short form (WAI-SF) self-restraint scale was administered as the pre- and post-test, and participants’ weekly behaviour ratings, given by NSP staff, were collected to measure changes in self-restraint over time. The practitioner/researcher created a movement observation sheet to complement the WAI-SF, based on Laban Movement Analysis and Chacian DMT theory, and recorded observations after every session. The data suggest the DMT programme appeared partially successful in its goal of improving participants’ self-restraint. There is a need for more descriptions and evaluations of DMT programmes to better understand and document their benefits and advocate them to a wider range of clients.