Dance/Movement Therapy, Mindfulness & Substance Abuse Recovery

Dance/Movement Therapy, Mindfulness & Substance Abuse Recovery

“Bringing mindfulness into a relationship with a person in substance addiction recovery means that it is first YOUR work to be mindful… to be the healthy mind that offers safety in the process of reflection… and teaches by just sharing space.”

~Emma Barton

Emma Barton, MA, LMHC, BC-DMT, E-RYT is a board certified dance/movement therapist and a licensed mental health counselor. She is also a yoga therapist, registered with Yoga Alliance (E-RYT500) and the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).

Prior to completing her Master of Arts in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling at Columbia College Chicago, Emma spent eleven years in Asia studying and teaching yoga as a healing modality, and several years professionally practicing yoga therapy after returning to the United States. Since completing her Masters, Emma has designed and implemented several effective social service programs incorporating the skills of yoga therapy, dance/movement therapy and the Eastern concept of mindfulness. She has worked extensively in dually diagnosed/substance use disorders, trauma recovery, and severe mental illness and currently has a private practice in Newton, Massachusetts. She emphasizes the here and now experience and believes that the development of healthy interaction begins with a sense that the therapeutic relationship can be a place of authenticity and acceptance.

Emma is an Albert Schweitzer Fellow and the recipient of multiple awards and scholarships, including the Marian Chace Foundation Award for Journalism. Her writing on this topic can be found on and in the American Journal of Dance Therapy.

For more information about dance/movement therapy, please visit