Practitioner Profile

Kathryn Yarborough
Dance/Movement Therapy/
Body Wisdom Groups & Individual Sessions

Background & Experience

Kathryn began teaching dance in 1979 as an undergraduate at Clemson University in South Carolina. While at Smith College for graduate school in dance, she learned through her own experiences the therapeutic value of dance and movement and the interrelationship of body, mind, and emotions. Since that time, she has provided movement classes and workshops to people interested in exploring that relationship. In 1997, Kathryn began working at St. Joseph Medical Center’s general psychiatry and eating disorder units providing dance/movement therapy services to adults and teenagers. In May of 2001, she began her private practice and has offered workshops, individual sessions, and groups at the RiverHill Wellness Center since September 2001.

Treatment Philosophy

I believe that bringing awareness back into the body is essential for optimal health. When we practice body awareness, we are noticing the physical and emotional sensations as they arise and responding accordingly. We are all born very connected to our bodies. However, as life happens, we learn to disconnect from parts of our selves and our bodies in response to a variety of situations. These situations can include having to “be still” in school, being shamed, or experiencing any kind of abuse. Frequently, the feelings associated with these situations are not expressed and, instead, are stored in our bodies. Physical and emotional symptoms often arise as a result of holding feelings in the body and can be a cry for help from these neglected parts of our selves. Symptoms can also be the result of addictive behaviors. Though these behaviors help us cope, they can be harmful and keep us disconnected from our bodies and feelings.

In the therapeutic process, I teach mindfulness as a practice of non-judgmental awareness, and I guide clients in the use of movement for self-expression. As clients bring awareness back into their bodies, the unresolved issues and unexpressed feelings that had been stored in their bodies arise. Healing occurs as those feelings are moved and expressed in a safe environment. As a result, symptoms wane, the use of addictive behaviors decreases, and it is possible to be fully awake and alive more often.

Education

Kathryn Yarborough received her Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts in 1986. From 1994 to 1996, she completed the required coursework to become a dance/movement therapist by taking classes at Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania among other locations and completed her clinical internship at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, DC. She became a registered dance/movement therapist in 1997.