111. The Power of the Body: A Look at Somatic Counseling and Dance/Movement Therapy

In this episode, Heather Sutton, MA, LPC—somatic counselor, Dance/Movement Therapist, and chair of Naropa’s Somatic Counseling program—explores the healing intelligence of the body through somatic therapy and dance/movement counseling.

Drawing on more than twenty years of clinical practice and her leadership in adaptive movement, Heather shares her journey from dancer to therapist and clarifies the distinctions between dance/movement therapy and body psychotherapy. She explains why not all experiences have words—and how movement helps us navigate difficult emotions, reclaim safety in the body, and stay with sensation long enough to learn from it.

Heather also explores real-world applications of somatic counseling, the nuances of Naropa’s two somatic concentrations in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, the central role of emotional attunement in therapeutic relationships, and how embodied practice fosters resilience, presence, and transformation.