AN INTERVIEW WITH DOSAMANTES,IRMA

Dr. Dosamantes has been the director of the Graduate Dance/Movement Th erapy Program at UCLA for the past sixteen years. Under her guidance t he clinical applied, theoretical and research components of this progr am have been expanded and strengthened by integrating the theoretical, clinical and developmental components of Psychology and Psychoanalysi s with the creative, improvisational and healing elements of Dance. Sh e also maintains a private practice in Los Angeles in Movement Therapy and Psychoanalysis. Her academic background includes a B.A. in Psycho logy and a M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the City University of New York, a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Michigan State University, post-doctoral training in Dance Therapy from UCLA, and a certificate i n Psychoanalysis from the Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psycho analytic Studies. Additionally, for over sixteen years she studied mod ern dance with such renowned artists as Alwin Nikolais, Murray Louis, Joyce Trisler, Beatrice Seckler, Betty Osgood, Celene Keller and Doren e Richardson. In recent years her desire to re-connect with her Mexica n-Spanish heritage led her to the study of Flamenco. Dr. Dosamantes' c ontributions to the field of Dance/Movement Therapy have been numerous and significant. During 1974-84 she served on the National Board of D irectors of the American Dance Therapy Association. She served in many official capacities while on this Board, most notably as Chairperson of the 1980 National Conference, Vice-President (1976-80), President ( 1980-82) and Immediate-Past President (1982-84). Her service to the fi eld continues to date. She presently serves on the Approval Committee of ADTA and sits on the Editorial Boards of the American Journal of Da nce Therapy and The Arts in Psychotherapy. She also has contributed si gnificantly to the allied field of mental imagery as a founding member of the American Association for the Study of Mental Imagery and as it s elected President during 1983. Her contributions to the literature o f the Dance/Movement Therapy field have been equally impressive and su bstantial. She has presented many papers and led many workshops nation ally and internationally. She has published over 35 papers in dance th erapy journals, psychotherapy journals and books dealing with (a) the contribution of movement and imagery as nonverbal modes for symbolizin g experience, (b) the physical and psychological processes involved in psychodynamic individual and group dance/movement therapy, (c) the th erapeutic use of the therapist's countertransference reactions, and (d ) the study of individual and group dynamics and processes utilizing e mpirical research strategies. Most recently she has done pioneering wo rk in the area of cross-cultural studies of the body and body-movement by re-examining the body-image concept, adopting an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspective.