Baby Steps Toward Connection: A Heuristic Inquiry of Postpartum Mothers’ Experience With a Latin Dance Group Counseling Intervention

Abstract

Motherhood involves intense physical, psychological, and identity transformation, and mental health difficulties can arise through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experiences. Dismantling group counselors’ participation in relying on Eurocentric counseling ideologies can involve reclaiming the indigenous roots of counseling and healing, including integrating Latin dance as a modality for social connection and internal healing for postpartum mothers. We explore coresearchers’ experiences with a group that embodied Latin values and culture, specifically music and dance. Findings from a heuristic inquiry elucidate the experiences of four postpartum mothers and their babies who danced and connected through a Latin dance group counseling intervention.