Exceptional students require therapeutic and arts services that are responsive to their strengths and limitations. The use of dance/movement therapy and art therapy provides highly structured activities to address a student's need to feel supported and accepted. Art therapy and dance/movement therapy are primarily non-verbal and expressive modalities. Communication happens through the medium, hence, they are non-threatening. In summary, the creative arts therapies provide opportunities to explore and develop:

CREATIVE ARTS THERAPISTS

Therese Collentine, MS, ADTR is an advanced registered dance/movement therapist and has provided creative movement and dance therapy services to exceptional children for community agencies, hospitals and schools for over 10 years. She has worked for San Francisco Unified School District, Spectrum Center, Sequoia Hospital Program: Children of Chemically Dependent Parents, Ross Hospital: in-patient psychiatry for children and adolescents and Make*A*Circus: clown therapy and teen apprentice program

Rachael MacKay, MA, ATR is a registered art therapist with over 10 years of experience working with children, adolescents and adults. She provided art therapy to the Adolescent Support Program of the Pittsfield, MA Unified School District for students with conduct disorder and attention deficit disorder. She completed her training at St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco with psychiatrically hospitalized teens and children.