Program Director & Educator
Kalila is the founder and program director of the Embodied Neurobiology Training Program, which began in 2010. Kalila teaches and supervises at the graduate and postgraduate level in dance therapy and expressive arts therapy, alongside an active clinical practice in Austin, Texas. Her thirty years of clinical experience includes program development and implementation in inpatient and outpatient psychiatric treatment, public schools, community resources, and private practice.
With a specialized focus in how DMT impacts the brain, Kalila published articles and chapters on the topic of dance/movement therapy and neurobiology, and developed courses and workshops on this subject which have been presented nationally and internationally, including courses at Drexel and Antioch Universities.
Kalila is passionate about preparing and empowering dance/movement therapy students to embark on successful, innovative, and rewarding careers. She received the 2018 Excellence in Education Recognition Award from the ADTA Board of Directors in recognition of her specific and significant contribution to education in the field of dance/movement therapy.
Kalila teaches 15 credits of specialized courses in various content areas including Embodied Neurobiology, Moving through the Cycles of Life, Movement Observation and Assessment, and Professional Identity.
Program Coordinator & Educator
Kelsey has been supporting Embodied Neurobiology as Program Coordinator since 2017. In addition to earning a MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, she is a graduate of the 2020 Embodied Neurobiology Program Cohort and obtained her R-DMT through Alternate Route.
After completing the program, she continued to deepen her learning as the program’s teaching assistant. She is now a member of the Embodied Neurobiology teaching team. As an Alternate Route alumni student, she has a deep appreciation for the unique experience of the Alternate Route path to R-DMT and the importance of accessible, supportive educational spaces within the field.
Outside of her work with the program, Kelsey maintains a vibrant clinical practice in Austin, TX. She enjoys creating spaces for others to engage with their own curiosities and experience their bodies as a resource for healing, inspiration, and growth. She frequently presents at universities, conferences, and mental health agencies, and facilitates ongoing groups and workshops for therapists that focus on embodied self-care.
You can learn more about her practice and offerings on her website.
Program Educator
Stephanie is a Dance/Movement Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor based in Texas who brings a healing-centered, somatic, and creative approach to her work with children, adults, and families. Stephanie earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2002 and her Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Dance/Movement Therapy from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2021. Prior to becoming a therapist, she spent more than a decade working as a research assistant with the VA Medical Center’s Substance Use Disorders program, coordinating multi-site research examining smoking cessation, recidivism, risk and protective factors, and trauma among adults seeking treatment for addiction. Alongside her research career, Stephanie maintained a professional dance career as a modern dancer, choreographer, and teacher. Her years of movement practice continue to shape her therapeutic approach, integrating body-based, creative, and expressive practices into mental health treatment.
As a Dance/Movement Therapist in an inpatient psychiatric hospital in the Dallas area, Stephanie supported adults experiencing significant mental health challenges and those at high risk for suicide. She has also worked with women and children for more than eight years through nonprofit organizations in Dallas and currently provides therapy to children and adults at a nonprofit offering free counseling services to families experiencing homelessness. In addition to her nonprofit work, Stephanie is the owner of Embodied Moon Counseling, PLLC, a private practice offering Dance/Movement Therapy and Expressive Arts Therapy. She is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy and is eligible for Board Certification as a Dance/Movement Therapist (BC-DMT). Stephanie has served in leadership with the American Dance Therapy Association, including as Chair Elect of its Multicultural and Diversity Committee, and currently serves as Secretary for the North Texas chapter.
Much of Stephanie’s work centers on disrupting cycles of intergenerational trauma and creating greater access to healing approaches that recognize the impact of interpersonal and racial/cultural trauma on the nervous system and psyche. Her work is informed by clinical experience, research, movement practice, and lived experience, and is guided by an inclusive and empowering philosophy that honors each person’s unique story, culture, identity, and the body’s innate capacity for healing.
Program Educator
Jacelyn is part of the Embodied Neurobiology teaching faculty. She has presented nationally and internationally on dance therapy and schizophrenia, de-escalation and violence prevention, artistic inquiry, and arts-based research practice.
Her research, clinical work, and life experiences have piqued her interest in the concepts of community, intimacy, and belonging, particularly as they relate to communities that are often underrepresented and dehumanized.
She graduated with her BFA from California Institute of the Arts with a dual major in dance and photography, her MA from Drexel University in Dance/Movement Therapy, and her PhD in Creative Arts in Therapy at Drexel University. She is a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Creative Arts Therapies at Drexel University and a temporary core faculty at Lesley University.
Guest Educator
Abijan has a BA in English from Dillard University and an MA in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling from Columbia College in Chicago.
A specialist in working with homelessness, Abijan is passionate about early childhood development and currently is working as a Behavioral Interventionist in an early childhood center that serves families with a history of homelessness.
Abijan occasionally assists with Embodied Neurobiology courses and is available as a supportive listening ear and networking resource for students.
Program Advisor
Beth received her MA in Professional Counseling from Lindenwood University (St. Charles, MO) and is an alternate route graduate. In her private practice (Affective Movement Counseling), she works primarily with neurodiverse adults working through trauma, life transitions, grief, and identity challenges. She has experience facilitating DMT in eating disorders treatment at the residential, PHP, and IOP levels of care with children, adolescents, and adults, both in individual and group therapy. She has the pleasure of supervising DMT students towards their R-DMTs and BC-DMTs, and is excited to add the option of being an advisor. Beth is committed to serving the field of DMT through her work with the ADTA and supporting current and future dance therapists, while continuing to expand her own knowledge and understanding of this valuable and needed work.
Beth is the academic advisor for the Embodied Neurobiology program and is a resource for internship planning, support, and mentorship for students throughout the program.
Remembrance
It is with great sadness that we share the news of Nanine Ewing’s sudden passing on May 5, 2021. It is a deep loss- Nanine’s bright mind, quick wit, and creative spirit have been a vital part of the Embodied Neurobiology Dance/Movement Therapy Training Program for many years. Our working collaboration began in 1998 at the Beyond Words Dance/Movement Therapy Training Program in the Jung Center in Houston. Nanine’s unique professional training and highly developed understanding of Modern Analytic Group Process, Jungian Theory, and Dance/Movement Therapy richly contributed to new courses that were created and taught through the Embodied Neurobiology Training Program in Austin. Nanine’s students were continually challenged and nourished by her dynamic, enlivened and inspired teaching.
She will be deeply missed and always remembered by all of us.