My name is Zuzana Oppolzer. I am a Dance Movement Therapist in clinical training, working with individuals in Vienna who feel disconnected from their bodies — people who are managing well on the outside, but carrying tension, stress, or emotional weight that words alone haven't been able to reach.

My training and credentials

I hold a Master's degree in Special Education with a specialisation in Speech Therapy, and a State Examination in Psychology, both from Masaryk University in Brno. My academic background includes psychotherapy theory, developmental psychology, and clinical communication.

I am currently completing a 4.5-year clinical training programme in Dance Movement Therapy at the Moving Self Institute in Prague — one of the leading DMT training programmes in Central Europe. The programme is accredited by the Czech Association of Psychotherapy (CAP) and meets the professional standards of TANTER, the Czech Association of Dance Movement Therapy, which is a founding member of the European Association of Dance Movement Therapy (EADMT). Following completion of the training programme, a minimum of three further years of supervised practice is required before full independent licensure. I am currently in that supervised phase.

The training comprises over 1,050 hours, including:

• Theoretical foundations: psychotherapy, psychopathology, trauma and transgenerational transmission, anatomy and kinesiology

• Movement observation and analysis: Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) and Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP)

• Clinical self-experience in individual and group settings

• Supervised clinical practice with diverse client populations

• Ongoing individual and group professional supervision

All my clinical work is conducted under professional supervision — a standard ethical requirement in regulated therapy training, and a sign of accountability to the profession.

I present professionally as a Dance Movement Therapist in supervision (TANTER).

What Dance Movement Therapy is — and how it differs

Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) is the clinically structured, psychotherapeutic use of movement and dance to support emotional, physical, cognitive, and social integration. It is practiced within professional associations across Europe, with statutory regulation established in the United Kingdom, and is aligned with ethical standards set by major European and American psychotherapy bodies.

DMT training is not a coaching course or a wellness certification. It requires a prior academic qualification in a related field, thousands of hours of supervised clinical work, theoretical study in psychopathology and trauma, personal therapeutic process, and ongoing professional supervision throughout practice. This structure exists for one reason: to protect clients.

This is different from somatic coaching, breathwork facilitation, or online self-development programmes — which are currently unregulated and carry no mandatory training requirements.

If you have been exploring body-based support and are unsure about the difference between a coach and a therapist, that is a reasonable question to ask any practitioner before you begin.

How I work

My sessions are individual, conducted in English, and held in Vienna's 8th and 7th district.

I work with people who are experiencing stress, burnout, or nervous system overload — people who feel stuck in their heads, disconnected from their bodies, or who have tried talk therapy and found that something still remains unresolved. I also work with those navigating major life transitions, grief, or simply the accumulated weight of daily life.

Sessions are not about performance, dance ability, or doing anything correctly. They are a structured, unhurried space to slow down, notice what your body is already communicating, and gradually find a steadier ground to stand on.

You do not need to be a dancer. You need only be willing to arrive.