Level 3 Somatic Movement Dance Therapy Training Course
13th March 2027 @ 10:00 am - 17th October 2027 @ 5:00 pm
£1780 – £1880
Connection to Body, Breath, Earth & Community
Become a Registered Somatic Movement Dance Therapist.
In level 3 students are invited to bring SMDT to community, widening access and participation. Students are invited to form a community group and find two clients to work with in their geographical area. They are also invited to revisit and synthesise knowledge from across the course, working with the principle that health is not something we achieve, but rather health needs ongoing support and can be nurtured via daily self-regulatory practice. Level 3 invites students to develop as somatic movement dance artists, taking their work out into the community, with support from peers and staff. Somatic knowledge settles in the body-mind through continued experiential practice, and hence revisiting and layering knowledge in cyclical and spirilloid ways is key to this level.
About this course
This Level 3 training in Somatic Movement Dance Therapy is accredited by the International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine and offered in association with The Association for Somatic Movement Dance Therapies United Kingdom.
It is designed for qualified and experienced practitioners who have completed the 100-hour Foundation Course (or equivalent) and Level 2 100-hour Intermediate training (or equivalent), and who wish to refine their facilitation skills and expand their work into community and professional practice contexts.
The Level 3 training is applied and adapted from the pioneering research and trainings of Dr Amanda Williamson, founder of Somatic Movement Dance Therapy, and is informed by her book Somatic Movement Dance Therapy: The Healing Art of Self-Regulation & Co-Regulation.
The course revisits and synthesises knowledge from across all levels of the Somatic Movement Dance Therapy pathway, working with the understanding that health is not something we achieve once, but something that requires ongoing support and can be nurtured through daily self-regulatory and co-regulatory practice.
What is Somatic Movement Dance Therapy?
Somatic Movement Dance Therapy, coined by Dr Amanda Williamson, is a somatic therapy originating from the field of Somatics. It is a bottom-up therapy offering self-regulation and co-regulation for your clients. Rooted in the somatic arts, it blends Polyvagal theory, eastern disciplines, eco-somatics, experiential anatomy, somatic psychology, somatic touch, cranial-sacral therapy, Jungian psychology, movement meditations, improvisation, authentic movement, art therapy, and embodied practices, offering a recognised and potent approach for healing trauma, disconnection, and chronic pain.
Overview
This 300-hour Level 3 Somatic Movement & Dance Therapy Training is delivered through a hybrid format, combining live interactive online experiential practice studios, a seven-day in-person intensive in Cornwall, supervised community and practice-based learning, and a final in-person assessment weekend.
Level 3 supports students to integrate and synthesise learning from previous levels, refine facilitation skills, and develop professionally grounded somatic movement and dance therapy work within community and private practice contexts.
The training is led by Vanessa Tucker, (RSME/T) (RSMDT) with Dr Amanda Williamson, the creator of Somatic Movement & Dance Therapy, contributing as a guest lecturer.
Professional Training Pathways & Accreditation Alignment
The Centre for Somatic & Healing Arts is an accredited training provider with The International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine IPHM. This course is certified by IPHM and in association with The Association for Somatic Movement Dance Therapies, United Kingdom & Éire.
The full professional training pathway comprises:
- Level 1 – 100 hours
- Level 2 – 100 hours
-Level 3 – 300 hours
Total: 500 hours of formal somatic movement and dance therapy training
The entire three-level progression route is structured in alignment with the current professional guidelines of both UKSMDT and ISMETA, - (the leading UK and the international regulatory bodies of somatic movement education & therapy) - including requirements for embodied learning, ethical practice, assessment, supervision, and hybrid delivery.
Students who successfully complete Levels 1, 2 and 3 are eligible to apply for professional registration with both UKSMDT and ISMETA, subject to each organisation’s individual registration requirements and application processes.
Hybrid Training Model
All three levels of the training use a hybrid structure, comprising both live interactive online training and in-person learning, supporting accessibility while maintaining depth, embodiment, and professional rigour.
Level 3 is delivered through a clearly structured hybrid training model, designed to balance accessibility with depth of embodied learning and professional rigour.
Across the full 500-hour pathway:
- approximately 30% of training hours are delivered in person
- approximately 70% are delivered through live, interactive online training
This sits comfortably within current hybrid training guidelines recognised by both UKSMDT and ISMETA.
Live online training includes facilitated experiential practice studios, supervision, reflective dialogue, and theory-practice integration. In-person components support sustained somatic enquiry, touch work, embodiment, relational learning, and assessment. Community and practice hours are completed locally and supported through supervision and reflective documentation.
Who This Training Is For?
Level 3 is suitable for:
- graduates of Levels 1 and 2 within this training pathway, or those with 200 hours equivalent training
- practitioners seeking to bring somatic movement and dance therapy into community, group or private practice
- students wishing to complete a full professional training route and apply for registration with UKSMDT and/or ISMETA
Start your training with us. Explore the Level 1 & Level 2 Somatic Movement Dance Therapy Training Courses
Level 3 Course Structure & Modules
Level 3 (300 hours) is organised into two interrelated modules, allowing learning to unfold through spiral and layered integration rather than linear accumulation.
Hours Breakdown – Level 3 (300 Hours)
- In-person training: 72 hours
- Live online staff-led training: 84 hours
- Community & practice (student-led, supervised): 100 hours
- Personal practice, reading & reflective study: 44 hours
Module 1: Contemplative and Integrative Learning
Staff-led | Online & In-person
This module is an integrative module that revisits key areas offered in Level 1 and Level 2, with the aim of synthesising course content and layering knowledge. Students are required to attend one in-person seven-day intensive, in Cornwall, which forms the embodied heart of this module.
The module provides time to hone facilitation skills in key areas including:
- body–mind health
- movement meditations
- slow-time and community health
- gravity, breath, heart and earthing
- cranio-sacral movement
- somatic touch within clear ethical frameworks
- matrifocal spiritualities, principles, values and processes
- key dyadic and group facilitation skills
The module provides time for revisiting, layering, reflecting, contemplating and integrating somatic knowledge, allowing learning to settle through repeated embodied experience.
Delivery includes:
- live online training weekends
- one seven-day in-person residential intensive
The seven-day in-person training in Cornwall forms the embodied core of Module 1, offering sustained time for deepening presence, relational awareness, and facilitation capacity within a shared learning environment. (Accommodation and food are not included.)
Module 2: Slow-Time Community Health
Student-led | Supervised | Online & In-person
Module 2 supports students to bring their learning into real-world practice contexts, facilitating somatic movement and dance therapy within their local communities and in private practice settings.
This module includes:
- a 100-hour Community & Practice component, completed locally
- live online supervision and integration weekends
- reflective documentation and practice-as-research
- preparation for final presentation and assessment in-person weekend
Students work with participants from their local communities, gathering reflective data and integrating learning from across Levels 1, 2 and Module 1 of Level 3.
Students will present their findings at the in-person weekend in Cornwall.
The Venue address for in-person training: Rosehip Barn, St Clether, Launceston PL15 8QN, UK
Final Assessment & International Student Access
The final in-person assessment weekend provides an opportunity for students to share and present their learning, reflective documentation, and practice-based findings within a witnessed and supported professional context. This weekend forms part of the assessment and integration process for Level 3.
Attendance at the seven-day in-person intensive is a mandatory requirement for students wishing to meet in-person training hour criteria for professional registration. For international students for whom attendance at the final in-person assessment weekend may present significant financial difficulty, reasonable efforts will be made to support participation through live-streaming or alternative appropriate technologies, where feasible and appropriate to the assessment process.
Course Dates & Times
Key Dates – 2027
Online Weekend 1 – Reconnection & Orientation
Saturday 13 – Sunday 14 March 2027
10.00am–5.00pm (UK time)
Online Weekend 2 – Facilitation, Ethics, Consent & Touch Preparation
Saturday 10 – Sunday 11 April 2027
10.00am–5.00pm (UK time)
7-Day In-Person Residential Intensive
Sunday 9 – Saturday 15 May 2027
10.00am–5.00pm each day
Online Weekend 3 – Integration & Readiness for Practice
Saturday 5 – Sunday 6 June 2027
10.00am–5.00pm (UK time)
Module 2 – Community & Practice Module begins
June 7th – 30th September 2027
(Commences after Online Weekend 3. Students begin community and private practice within their local context, supported by supervision and reflective documentation.)
Online Weekend 4 – Supervision & Reflective Documentation
Saturday 3 – Sunday 4 July 2027
10.00am–5.00pm (UK time)
Online Weekend 5 – Integration & Practice Synthesis
Saturday 7th – Sunday 8th August 2027
10.00am–5.00pm (UK time)
Online Weekend 6 – Synthesis & Presentation Preparation
Saturday 4th – Sunday 5th September 2027
10.00am–5.00pm (UK time)
Final In-Person Assessment & Graduation Weekend
Saturday 16 – Sunday 17 October 2027
10.00am–6.00pm each day
Time-zone note for international students
All live online training sessions are scheduled in UK time (GMT/BST). International students are responsible for attending live sessions in their local time zone. Where appropriate, recordings of online teaching sessions will be made available to support integration and review; however, live attendance is expected for all interactive and experiential components.
Level 3 Training Fee & Payment Options
Course Fee
Early Bird Price: £1,780
(Available until 30 November 2026)
Full Price: £1,880
(Applies from 1 December 2026)
The early bird rate is open to students who have previously studied with us, and is offered to support early commitment and planning. Once the early bird period has ended, the full course fee applies.
Payment Options
Students may choose to:
- pay in full, or
- use an instalment plan (where available)
Early bird students may opt to pay in four instalments -£445 each
All course fees must be paid in full by 2 January 2027, which is ten weeks before the training begins.
Deposit & Commitment
A non-refundable deposit is required to secure a place on the training.
The first instalment forms your deposit.
Due to the nature of this training and the financial commitments involved in running a small cohort programme, all payments are non-refundable. Enrolment represents a commitment to the full training and the agreed payment schedule.
If a student chooses to withdraw after booking, fees are not transferable or refundable, as late withdrawals can impact the viability of the course for the wider group.
Course Viability
This training is dependent on a minimum number of confirmed students. In the unlikely event that the course does not reach minimum numbers, all fees paid will be refunded in full.
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.
As interest in somatic, creative, and body-centred, trauma-informed ways of working has grown, we recognised that many professional somatic movement trainings are long, costly, and difficult to access alongside everyday life. In response, we created a flexible three-level training pathway that allows students to train in stages, at a pace of their choice.
Level 1 (100 hours) and Level 2 (100 hours) can be taken as standalone accredited trainings, or continued into Level 3 (300 hours), completing the full 500-hour professional training pathway. This structure supports both depth and accessibility, enabling students to deepen their practice while remaining rooted in their own communities.
Vanessa Tucker co-developed the three-level Somatic Movement Dance Therapy training pathway alongside Amanda Williamson, and is the primary lecturer on the Level 3 course.
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, widening accessibility in the field and offering creative and transformative learning experiences for working with trauma, deepening practice, refining skills, reconnecting with the innate wisdom of the body.
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 and healing arts, in both educational and therapeutic contexts, 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 the guest lecturer on this Level 3 course.
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.
