Jessica Van Valkenburgh, RSMT, RYT 500
Director of Therapeutic Staff and Programs at FAR | Somatic Movement Therapist | Dance and Yoga Educator | Trauma-Informed Wellness Advocate

Jessica Van Valkenburgh is a compassionate leader in movement therapy, dance education, and holistic wellness. She brings more than 25 years of experience teaching dance and theatre to her role as Director of Therapeutic Staff and Programs at FAR (fartherapy.org). There she works with clients at the Birmingham location and leads offsite school and group programs.

Jessica holds a BFA in Dance from Western Michigan University and has performed professionally in national dance and theatre productions. She trained in Somatic Movement Therapy at the Leven Institute for Expressive Movement and holds an Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certification. Her additional credentials include:

• Registered Somatic Movement Therapist (ISMETA)

• 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher, specializing in prenatal and adaptive yoga

• Usui Reiki Master

• Certified Body Confidence and Wellness Coach

• Authorized facilitator of Rhythm Works Integrative Dance, The Non-Linear Movement Method® (NLMM), and The Wild Woman's Circle™

• Authorized teacher of Dance for PD®, a program of the Mark Morris Dance Group

Jessica is a member of the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA) and the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO). She also serves on the Board of the Michigan Dance Council.

She recently founded The Circle of Support, a healing studio in Old Village Plymouth, MI, that offers embodied healing circles, yoga, and holistic services (thecircleofsupport.com).

Jessica is a proud mother and a fierce advocate for the creative arts. Her work is rooted in a belief in honest, embodied movement as a path to expression and healing, both for her clients and for the staff she supports.