Heather Brooke

Heather Brooke, MA  R-DMT

Movement and art-making captured me when I was a young girl, and have been an integral part of my life through my adult years. Moving and creating is who I am and is, for me, a means of self-care.  It is with joy and gratitude that I may extend to others the practices that have brought me home to myself.

I am a somatic psychotherapist (registered in the state of Colorado), a facilitator of Dancing Art Workshops for children and adults, and a birth doula. I use somatic, experiential and creative arts modalities in my practice.  Whether it be a counseling session, a workshop or a doula relationship, work with me addresses self actualization, relationship building, communication, and building fluency in body awareness, confidence and self-resource.

I earned a BA in Fine Art from The Colorado College, an MA in Somatic Psychology; Dance/Movement Therapy from Naropa University, and received Doula and Birth Educator Training from the Childbirth and Postpartum Professionals Association (CAPPA). I am the founder of Dancing Art Project, offering counseling, workshops and doula services, with the mission to promote personal empowerment and transformation using the body-centered arts, counseling and education. I am also co-creator of Bold and Simple, LLC, a collective that works to support members in creative project actualization, using a common “Bold and Simple” model of facilitation.

Education:

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art 1992 – The Colorado College, Colo. Spgs., CO

  • Master’s Degree in Somatic Counseling Psychology 1997 – Concentration: Dance/Movement Therapy – Naropa University, Boulder, CO 

Professional Licenses, Certifications, Registrations and Trainings:

  • R-DMT – Registered Dance/Movement Therapist – R-DMT-1122
  • Certified Health Counselor 1999 – Institute for Integrative Nutrition, NYC, NY
  • Birth Educator Training 2008 – Childbirth & Postpartum Professional Association (CAPPA)
  • Certified Personal Trainer 2010 – National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM)
  • Labor Doula Training 2012 – Childbirth & Postpartum Professional Association (CAPPA)
  • Breastfeeding Education – Supporting Normal Infant Feeding in a Hospital Setting – Amanda Ogden – 2012

  • BLS for Health Providers, CPR, AED – 2012-2014

 Professional Memberships and Affiliations

  • American Dance Therapy Association Member – 2002-Present

  • Colorado Doulas Association Member – 2012

  • CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association) Member – 2012

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY  As a dancer, an artist, and an educator in both realms, I am intrigued that we use the same language to describe both mediums.  Whether on canvas or on the dance floor, both artists and movers are concerned with use of space, the direction and energy of a line, and the importance of perspective.  With our common vernacular in mind, I create a welcoming environment for students of all ages to simultaneously explore the foundational elements that describe both dance and visual art. With this invitation, students dive in with body, heart and mind.  In so doing, they gain a multi-dimensional, full-bodied understanding of the most basic, and the most important elements of our crafts, be it making a painting or a dance.  I believe that, when students can fully OWN concepts, not only cognitively but with a body-based understanding, they are prepared to skillfully, expressively and confidently produce their own multi-textured works of art.

ARTIST STATEMENT  For me, art-making is about putting brush to canvas, and feet to the floor, as a way of recording my own inner, moving landscapes.  When I quiet myself long enough to accurately feel what moves inside, and take the risk to reveal these truths in external expression, static forms that people can return to, I feel as though I have touched grace.  My visual art work takes the form of collage, painting, charcoal, pastel and pencil drawings.