Dawn Morningstar (she/her), MA, BC-DMT, LPC is an associate clinical professor in the Creative Arts Therapies department specializing in dance/movement therapy. She received a BFA in dance from Temple University and an MA in dance/movement therapy from Drexel University. As a licensed professional counselor and board-certified dance/movement therapist, her specialty is working with children and adolescents in clinical, community and residential treatment settings. Morningstar is a past member of the board of directors of the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA), serving as Eastern Region Member at Large. In 2010, she choreographed the ADTA Flash Mob, which was performed in Brooklyn, NY. Publications include book chapters and articles on dance/movement therapy wellness, collaboration with other creative arts therapists, dance/movement therapy groups with teens and medical dance/movement therapy. In addition, she has presented on dance/movement therapy locally and nationally.

Morningstar is a dance/movement therapist for the Butterfly Buddies program funded through the Upper Darby Arts and Education Foundation. This unique arts therapy summer camp pairs high schoolers and college students with children diagnosed with special needs to encourage interaction through creativity and play. Through Philadelphia Ballet’s Dance Chance Program, she offered sensory-friendly dance and movement experiences at the National Constitution Center and she worked as a dance artist in a school for children with special needs. Recently she has been consulted on relaxed and sensory-sensitive performances in the area. Morningstar is an active choreographer for both professional theater companies and schools in the Philadelphia area. Creativity and collaboration are her passions and she aspires to bring that into clinical and educational realms.

Professional Society

Selected Publications

• Morningstar, D. and Ruzic, A. (2022) Guidance for helping professionals interested in using movement to inform self-care and practice. In R. Dieterich- Hartwell & A. Melsom (Eds.) Dance/movement therapy for trauma survivors: Clinical, theoretical and cultural perspectives (pp. 270-285). Routledge.
• Rattigan, M. D., Morningstar, D. M., Horowitz, S. A. (2021) The button method: A model of collaboration with creative arts therapies. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2021.1950092
• Morningstar, D. & Cruz, R. F. (2019). Dance/movement therapy with groups of teens. In Haen, C. & Webb, N. B. (Eds.), Creative arts-based groups with adolescents (pp. 98-113). Routledge.
• Goodill, S. & Morningstar, D. (1993). The role of dance/movement therapy with medically ill children. International Journal of Medicine, 2, 24-27.

Research Interests

• Dance/movement therapy clinical work with children and adolescents
• Performance as therapy
• Collaboration within the arts therapies
• Creativity

• Drexel University – MA in Dance/Movement Therapy 1993
• Temple University – BFA in Dance 1991