This is a guide to aid online implementation of Dance Movement Therapy for psychosocial support during Covid-19.

The information in this guideline is based on learning and insights gained over the lockdown period, during the COVID-19 crisis. Kolkata Sanved felt that it is important to have a guideline on how to give psycho-social support through the online medium, staying mindful of context and risks, and which lays down a strategy for responding to emergency situations when there is not the opportunity to be present in-person.

It provides detailed information on the mode of session, necessary preparations including resources and material creation, communications with partner organisations detailing the processes to be followed before sessions begin, session planning, monitoring and documentation, maintaining a therapeutic approach and emergency responses.

Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and creative-art based forms of psycho-social support are experiential processes. It is not easy to provide this kind of support online. To mitigate risk to programme participants who are receiving the process it is important to follow a set of guidelines that maintain the “Do No Harm” principle.

Kolkata Sanved. (2020). Online Implementation of Dance Movement Therapy and Other Creative Processes for Psychosocial Support During COVID-19 Pandemic. Kolkata: Kolkata Sanved.