Barbara Erber
Thesis title: Embodied Presence and Feeling Safer in Authentic Movement and Everyday Life
PhD supervisor:
Background
Originally Austrian, my life is based in the UK, with strong connections to several other European countries. Within my Movement Psychotherapy work I am currently most involved in my PhD (University of Edinburgh), studying how practitioners of Authentic Movement feel present and safe in their bodies within this practice and in everyday life.
I initially trained in various forms of Music Therapy in Austria and Germany between 2003 and 2007, alongside studying anthropology and education. Illnesses in my teens and early twenties led me on a profound healing journey, which inspired a passionate discovery of psychotherapy and the world of the body and movement. I hold a Diploma in Integrative Bodywork and Movement Therapy (IBMT) as well as an MSc with Distinction in Dance Movement Psychotherapy (DMP). I worked with traumatised adults and children internationally in various settings from 2009 to 2019, focusing on the relationship between trauma and physical symptoms. I carried out therapeutic work privately and in a pain management clinic, an organisation for women and children who suffer from abuse, as well as a school and a residential therapeutic centre for severely traumatised children. I worked internationally as a teaching assistant for the IBMT Institute for 4 years and later facilitated workshops and presentations at several universities in the UK.
Qualifications
MSc with Distinction in Dance/Movement Psychotherapy
Diploma in Integrative Bodywork and Movement Therapy
Responsibilities & affiliations
Austrian Delegate for the European Dance Movement Therapy Association (EDMTA)
Registered practitioner with IBMT Institute, Association of Dance Movement Therapy (ADMP, UK) and BTA (Austrian Equivalent of ADMP).