Presentation at the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Sport and Exercise Psychiatry Special Interest Group Meeting, Manchester, 22 March 2019

1. Dr Nicoletta P. Lekka
Sport and Exercise Psychiatry Special Interest Group, RCPsych
Spring Meeting, Manchester, 22 March 2019

2. Outline
October 2018 – March 2019
 Conferences
 Programmes
 Education and Training

3. IADMS
(International
Association for
Dance Medicine &
Science)

4. IADMS Annual Conference,
Helsinki, 25-28 Oct 2018
Themes:
 Early specialisation, RED-S in dance
 Perfectionism, Body Image
 Performance Anxiety
 Mood and Nutrition
 Injury and Mental Health
 Sleep, Wellbeing
 Dancers' barriers to healthcare
 Dance-based physical activity (Parkinson's,
dementia, childhood obesity)

5. One Dance UK

6. One Dance UK
 One Dance UK Conference, Leeds, 23-24
Nov 2018:
Sessions on resilience, wellbeing, barriers to
mental health in dance training & performance
 Healthier Dancer Programme (ongoing)
 Special focus ‘Resilience in dance’
– Dr Allan Johnston (March 2019)

7. Dance for Health

8. Dance for Health
Scottish Ballet “Dance Health”:
 “Dance for Multiple Sclerosis - Elevate”
pilot, also assessing & monitoring mental
health & wellbeing (Jan 2019)
IADMS “Dance for Health”
 Supports dance-based interventions for
prevention, treatment and management
of physical and mental illness (Feb 2019)

9. Education
& Training

10. Education and Training
 Many Dance Science higher education
courses now include Performance
Psychology and psychological aspects of
dancers’ & dance students’ mental health
 Dance Educators are becoming Mental
Health First Aiders (2-day course),
integrating mental first aid alongside
physical first aid in organisations.
Government initiative (MHFA - Mental
Health First Aid) https://mhfaengland.org/

11. Education and Training
Royal Ballet School
 “Healthy Dancer” programme (March
2019) incl. Mental Health & Wellbeing
(Clinical Psychologist and Counsellors)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XfRYpg
wVnE

12. All photos copyright-free (Unsplash )