Emma Barton

Emma Barton, MA, LMHC, BC-DMT, C-IAYT, E-RYT is a board certified dance/movement therapist and a licensed mental health counselor in the state of Massachusetts. She is also a yoga therapist, board certified with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) and is registered as an experienced yoga teacher through Yoga Alliance.

Prior to completing her Master of Arts in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling at Columbia College Chicago, Emma spent eleven years in Asia studying and teaching yoga as a healing modality. In 1997, she opened a yogashala in Bangalore, India that served both local and international clientele. She taught and traveled extensively in Asia, as well as spent several years professionally practicing yoga therapy after returning to the United States. Since completing her Masters, Emma has designed and implemented several effective social service programs incorporating the skills of yoga therapy, dance/movement therapy and the Eastern concept of mindfulness. She has worked extensively in dually diagnosed/substance use disorders, trauma recovery, and severe mental illness. She currently has a private practice in Newton, Massachusetts and has provided lectures and webinars on the concept of Relational Mindfulness for such prestigious events as the Cape Cod Behavioral Health Summit and the Suicide Prevention Across a Lifespan Conference. In addition, Emma is an adjunct faculty member in the Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling Department at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She emphasizes the here and now experience and believes that the development of healthy interaction begins with a sense that the therapeutic relationship can be a place of authenticity and acceptance. Presently, Emma’s focus is in presenting the teachings of traditional yoga and mindfulness as complementary concepts with the science of functional and holistic medicine.

Emma is an Albert Schweitzer Fellow and the recipient of multiple awards and scholarships, including the Marian Chace Foundation Award for Journalism. Her writing on this topic can be found on www.AddictionHope.com and in the American Journal of Dance Therapy.