AN INTERVIEW WITH ADLER,JANET

Janet Adler, Ph.D., ADTR, has been a dance/movement therapist since 19 63 when she trained with Marian Chace at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in W ashington, D.C. She documented her work with autistic children in the award winning film ''Looking For Me,'' in 1968. A student of Mary Whit ehouse, the first person to describe Authentic Movement, Janet further developed the work and, in 1981 founded and directed the Mary Starks Whitehouse Institute, the first school for Authentic Movement. Since m oving to Northern California in 1985, she has been leading training gr oups in the study and practice of Authentic Movement. In 1988, she cre ated a film about Authentic Movement called ''Still Looking,'' and com pleted her doctoral degree in mystical studies in 1992. She currently lectures, offers groups in the United States, Europe, and teaches in t he Authentic Movement Institute in the San Francisco Bay Area. Janet's early work stresses the development of a psychological understanding of the therapeutic relationship in the mover/witness dyad. As her work develops, her understanding of the role of the witness deepens and th e spiritual aspect of the practice expands. Janet brings a remarkable capacity for seeing, listening, and reflecting her students' experienc e as well as a willingness to take important and creative risks in fur ther developing her work. Her warmth and clarity of presence have been a gift to colleagues and students alike. Her respect for life's myste ries and courage in following her vision is a source of inspiration to many.