Life is Movement Institute:
Dance/Movement Therapy
in the Methods of Blanche Evan

About Bonnie Bernstein

Bonnie Bernstein, M.Ed., LMFT, BC-DMT, REAT is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Dance/Movement Therapist, Expressive Arts Therapist and CAMFT Certified Supervisor. She was mentored by pioneer dance therapist, Blanche Evan from 1970-82. For 50 years she has facilitated individual and group in-depth, insight-oriented dance/movement therapy for the higher functioning client. She specializes in therapy for survivors of sexual trauma and has published on her work including treating trauma in the global community. From 2008-2019 she facilitated month-long workshops for survivors of sex trafficking and psychosocial trauma in Kolkata, India. Her lifelong research is on the therapeutic use of dance in indigenous world cultures including East and West Africa, Malaysia, and Indonesia. She has been on the adjunct faculty of the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS), the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology (ITP), JFK University and National University. She has taught dance/movement therapy workshops and courses throughout the U.S. and abroad including in China and Russia. Internationally, she directed a full ADTA Alternate Route training program in Seoul, South Korea. She was Education Director and faculty teaching ADTA Alternate Route courses at the Center for Movement Education and Research (CMER). Ms. Bernstein is the Director of the Life Is Movement Institute: Dance/Movement Therapy in the Methods of Blanche Evan. Her Alternate Route Dance/Movement Therapy training Institute provides in-person and online courses to students seeking certification as dance/movement therapists. She is also co-director of the Blanche Evan Dance Foundation and archive group.

Her private practice studio is in Palo Alto, CA.

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Training In The Methods of Blanche Evan:

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The “Life is Movement” Alternate Route Training Institute provides a wide range of courses highlighting the methods of the major dance/movement therapy innovators. Training also includes a focus on contemporary applications to enrich the lives of a wide range of populations, from children to elders, across diverse cultures, and from fragile psychiatric patients to higher functioning clients who seek insight-oriented therapy to support their approach to challenges in their lives. All of our courses are approved by the ADTA for meeting the requirements for AR-DMT registration.

A unique aspect of our training institute is the specific in-depth study of the theories and methods of pioneer dance/movement therapist, Blanche Evan. Bonnie Bernstein’s mentor for 12 years, Evan’s unique approach developed from the healing potential of creative dance is an in-depth, insight-oriented dance/movement therapy through expressive dance channels for the higher functioning client. This focus is uniquely suited for those interested in bringing DMT to their private practice and to community mental health clinics.