The Netherlands

Content of psychomotor therapy:

Psychomotor Therapy is ment for people with psychological problems. Psychomotor Therapy can be beneficial to people of all ages. The goal of the treatment is to remove, or at least diminish the client's problems. The psychomotor therapist's field of activity covers the same area as the activities of the psychologist. A psychomotor therapist is a professional who helps people with psychological problems. The things they do are in the area of movement and body experience. Examples of movement are trainingsituations from sports and physical education. Body experience aims at concentrating on the experience of peoples own body, e.g. relaxation, breathing, sensory-awareness, bio energetics, etc. Within a psychomotor therapy the focus is on how people treat and handle themselves, others, the instructions and the material. The goal of psychomotor therapy, as formulated by the NVPMT, is (translated): "To bring about a change in behaviour, or to at least contribute to that, and with that take away or reduce psychosocial or psychiatric problems." Psychomotor therapy offers a safe place to experiment with new behaviour. Also new experiences in the area of feeling and thinking can be discovered. During psychomotor therapy people get the opportunity to get learning experiences and corrective emotional experiences.

Main fields of employment:

There are somewhere between 700 and 900 psychomotor therapists in the Netherlands. Psychomotor therapists work with people of all ages. Main fields of employment: psychiatry (e.g. psychiatric hospitals, day hospitals, child and youth psychiatry, etc), care for the mentally handicapped, psychogeriatrics (elderly people), rehabilitation, forensic psychiatry (within jails), care for addicted people and self-employment practices.

Educations:

The education in psychomotor therapy in the Netherlands is a full-time education. There are several preparatory educations in the Netherlands:
* movement science at several universities, of which the 'Vrije Universiteit' (Free University) in Amsterdam is the most dedicated,
* two dance expression educations (higher vocational education level),
* and the BPT (bewegingsagogie&psychomotorische therapie), higher vocational edicational level. Bachelor of Health in the Field of Adapted Physical Activities and Psychomotor Therapy, Departement Calo-Windesheim, Zwolle.
These educations train to be 'bewegingswetenschapper' (movement scientist) and 'bewegingsagoog' (movement teacher) / 'bewegings therapeut' (movement therapist). To become a psychomotor therapist, after these educations the 2-year Master PMT at Windesheim in Zwolle should be done.