Foundation Course in Somatic Movement Dance Therapy 2026
7th March 2026 @ 10:00 am - 8th July 2026 @ 5:00 pm
£780 – £880
Level 1: The Art of Facilitation & Regulation
Discover how to support embodied awareness, regulation, and integration through somatic movement dance practices.
This foundation course is specifically designed to provide therapeutic professionals, coaches, healers, teachers and freelancers with the fundamental skills and embodied confidence to facilitate and integrate Somatic Movement Dance Therapy skills and knowledge into their existing therapeutic practice.
About this course
Are you ready to bring a deeper, more embodied approach to your therapeutic and creative work?
This Foundation Course in Somatic Movement Dance Therapy accredited by International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine and in association with The Association for Somatic Movement Dance Therapies United Kingdom, is designed for therapeutic professionals, coaches, healers, teachers and freelancers seeking to integrate trauma-informed, evidence-based, somatic movement dance principles into their practice.
Applied and adapted from the pioneering research and trainings of Dr. Amanda Williamson, and based on her book Somatic Movement Dance Therapy: The Healing Art of Self-Regulation & Co-Regulation, this course explores the art and science of facilitation, embodied awareness, and regulation.
Through experiential learning, creative movement, and reflective practice, participants gain a solid foundation in working safely and ethically with the body’s innate wisdom — learning to guide others toward greater balance, presence, and embodied understanding.
You’ll explore how somatic movement supports self-regulation, co-regulation, sensory awareness, interoception, and creative expression. This approach honours the body’s natural intelligence and recognises movement as a language of awareness and transformation.
By integrating somatic movement dance therapy principles, practitioners learn to facilitate embodied presence, foster attunement, and create effective conditions for ease, resilience, and self-connection.
Rather than relying solely on verbal processing, this bottom-up, body-led approach invites you to explore how movement, awareness, and embodiment can deepen integration, balance, and authentic connection — both within yourself and in your professional work with others.
What is Somatic Movement Dance Therapy?
Somatic Movement Dance Therapy, coined by Dr. Amanda Williamson, originates from the field of Somatics and is a body-led, experiential approach to understanding human regulation and connection.
It offers pathways for self-regulation and co-regulation through embodied awareness and creative movement.
Rooted in the somatic arts, this approach integrates Polyvagal theory, eastern disciplines, eco-somatics, experiential anatomy, somatic psychology, somatic touch, cranial-sacral principles, Jungian psychology, movement meditations, improvisation, authentic movement, art therapy, and embodied practices. Together, these elements form a recognised and integrative framework for restoring balance, enhancing connection, and supporting embodied wellbeing.
Somatic Movement Dance Therapy Training: A Recognised Pathway
For those seeking certification in somatic therapy, a common challenge is finding training that strikes a balance between short educational courses (10-20 hours) offering an introduction to somatics, or extensive, comprehensive training that leads to a recognised certification for registration (500 hours plus).
Designed for therapeutic professionals, coaches, therapists, and holistic practitioners, this 100 hour foundation curriculum provides practical, trauma informed, evidence-based somatic therapy, immediately applicable in one-on-one client settings.
As a standalone course, it offers a practical, integrated approach for you to incorporate somatic therapy into your existing practice.
If you should choose to further your training, this course is certified by IPHM and in association with The Association for Somatic Movement Dance Therapies United Kingdom and offers a recognised pathway to becoming a registered Somatic Movement Dance Therapist SMDT (500 hours). You can combine level 1 (Foundation 100 hours) with the level 2 (Intermediate 100 hours) and level 3 (Enhanced Practitioner level 300 hours). On completion of the three courses and hours, you can register as a Somatic Movement Dance Therapist with UKSMDT.
Combine this course with Level 2 & 3 to register as a Somatic Movement Dance Therapist with UKSMDT
Level 2 Intermediate Training
Level 3 Enhanced Practitioner Training
Level 1 Foundation Course Structure & Modules
This four month (100 hour) Somatic Movement Dance Therapy foundation training is structured as a hybrid course - with 3 interactive online modules including live lectures, break-out rooms, practices, comprehensive notes and real-time processes.The final module 4, accumulates as an in-person five-day intensive, honouring the nature of the work and ensuring you have an authentic training experience, a valid qualification, and feel completely confident undertaking the work.
Independent practice hours, reading and practical assessments will be required.
This comprehensive course offers an immersive journey into somatic movement and dance therapy, integrating key therapeutic practices, embodiment techniques, and trauma healing methods. The modules cover a range of foundational topics, from the roots and core principles of somatic movement to detailed facilitation and practitioner skills.
Students will explore self-regulation, nervous system states, Polyvagal Theory, experiential anatomy, archetypes, and the healing power of touch, the imagination and accessing the transpersonal and spiritual realms, gaining a lived experience of these concepts through practical, embodied exercises.
By the end of the course, students will have developed the foundational skills and confidence to guide clients through transformative somatic processes, cultivating deep connection, healing, and empowerment.
Module 1 An introduction to Somatic Movement Dance Therapy
7th& 8th March 2026 Interactive Online Zoom Training
This introductory module covers the roots and foundations of somatic movement dance therapy, highlighting its core themes and practical applications. You will gain a lived experience of key concepts and tools, including grounding, self-regulation, and sensory-motor attunement, to deepen your personal embodiment and enhance your therapeutic practice. This hands-on experience will help you fully embody these concepts, cultivating connection, sensory-awareness, and presence for both yourself and your clients.
Module 1 Curriculum:
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Module 2 The Roots of Regulation
25th & 26th April 2026 Interactive Online Zoom Training
Module 2 delves into the art and science of self-regulation and co-regulation, exploring the healing power of physiological, relational, and experiential anatomy. You will gain practical insights into nervous system states, brainwave patterns, and the application of Polyvagal Theory to create safety and connection in trauma healing.
Through experiential practices, you will receive a lived experience of anatomy, helping you understand its significance in fostering embodied self-regulation and enhancing therapeutic work. This hands-on approach will deepen your connection to the body, the vagus nerve, and resourcing tools like fulcrums of support to support both your healing and that of your clients.
Module 2 Curriculum:
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Module 3 Facilitation Skills
23rd & 24th May 2026 Interactive Zoom Training
Module 3 focuses on developing essential facilitation skills for guiding somatic movement dance therapy sessions. You will learn to embody the role of a regulated facilitator, create safe and attuned therapeutic containers, and harness voice, language, and creative inspiration as powerful tools for healing.
Practical skills include planning sessions, utilising nervous system states, working with the healing power of the witness, engaging in dyadic work, and integrating transformative techniques to enhance client experiences. This module provides the tools to guide with confidence and support deep, lasting healing.
Module 3 Curriculum:
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Module 4: Embodied Practitioner Skills & Assessments
4th t0 8th July 2026 Intensive Five-day In-person Training
Location: Rosehip Barn, St Clether, Cornwall.
This immersive five-day, in-person module focuses on deepening and embodying practitioner skills, offering a supportive environment for student assessment. You will refine your ability to regulate the body through movement meditations, touch, and fluid body processes, building on and expanding previous learning in a hands-on setting.
Key areas include regulating through touch and accessing transpersonal and spiritual states through archetypes, active imagination, and embodied improvisation. This transformative experience will guide you in integrating body, mind, and spirit, while practical assessments provide an opportunity to demonstrate your skills and receive personalised feedback in a nurturing and collaborative space.
Module 4 Curriculum:
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Meet Your Teachers
Vanessa Tucker and Amanda Williamson set the intention to make Somatic Movement Dance Therapy more accessible, while maintaining a high professional standard.
In response to the growing demand for embodied, trauma-informed approaches, they recognised that most professional trainings span two years and cost between £6,000 & £8,000 placing them out of reach for many. To address this, they developed a flexible three-level training pathway: Level 1 (100 hours) and Level 2 (100 hours) can each be taken as standalone courses, or followed by Level 3 (300 hours), which completes the 500 hours required for professional registration. This structure ensures both accessibility and depth, making this vital work more available to those committed to healing and transformation in their communities.
Vanessa Tucker is a registered Somatic Movement Educator and Therapist (ISMETA) and a registered Somatic Movement Dance Therapist (UKSMDT) with over 30 years of experience in the healing arts. She created the 3 Level structure in Somatic Movement Dance Therapy, alongside Dr. Amanda Williamson, offering creative and transformative learning experiences for working with trauma, deepening practice, refining skills, reconnecting with the innate wisdom of the body and coming home to ourselves.
Through her courses, retreats, women's empowerment work and private healing practice, Vanessa has supported countless individuals on their journey toward health, wholeness and empowerment. Drawing from a rich background in expressive arts, education, psychology, theatre as therapy, meditation, energy healing, clinical hypnotherapy, NLP, therapeutic shamanism, trauma recovery, and somatic movement dance therapy, she brings an integrative and multidimensional approach to her healing, teaching and facilitation.
A lifelong artist of the soul, Vanessa is deeply devoted to the healing of the Earth and the awakening of the human spirit. Her work is rooted in a heartfelt commitment to meaningful healing, personal empowerment, and the creation of compassionate, interconnected communities—spaces where all of life is honoured, and every being has the chance to flourish.
Dr. Amanda Williamson is the founder of Somatic Movement Dance Therapy and guest lecturer on the Level 1 and 2 courses.
Amanda works with a wide range of people experiencing back pain, joint pain, grief, migraines, addiction, stress, anxiety and depression, as well as people with no specific conditions, but feeling isolated, low and disconnected.
She is one of the pioneers in the field of Somatic Movement Education & Therapy and works across continents supervising PhD. students. She is a ‘Master Somatic Movement Educator and Therapist’ (ISMETA) and registered ‘Somatic Movement Dance Therapist (UKSMDT).
Amanda publishes extensively through practice-as-research, traversing areas such as experiential anatomy and physiology, the spiritual elements in the healing process, socio-cultural theory. Amanda is an Honorary Professor at ‘The Centre for Dance Research (C-dare).
Her most recent book, of which this course is based upon, is Somatic Movement Dance Therapy: The Healing Art of Self-regulation and Co-regulation, Intellect.
Teaching Fees/Exchange/Investment
Early Bird Discount: £780 (Ends 1st November 2025)
Full Fees: £880
The fees for the course include:
- Somatic Movement Dance Therapy qualification (Level 1 foundation) Accredited by IPHM in association with SMDT UK
- 6 days online interactive zoom teachings
- 5 Days in person training and assessments at Rosehip Barn, St Clether, Cornwall. (Non-residential)
- Comprehensive teaching materials and zoom recordings
Instalments:
You can either pay the full Early bird fees of £ 780.00 or in instalments:
£ 390.00 at time of booking (£190 of this is your deposit) and £ 390.00 – Due 1st November 2025
Refund policies:
Deposits are non-refundable.
No refunds are given up to six weeks before the course starts. We only refund course fees if the course is cancelled by the training provider.
For refund policies please see ‘terms and conditions’.
