Erica Hornthal is a licensed clinical professional counselor and board-certified dance/movement therapist. It is Erica’s compassionate nature and gentle person-centered approach to therapy that allow her clients to feel supported and validated; mind, body, and soul. Erica is the founder and CEO of Chicago Dance Therapy, a group practice founded in 2011. As an expert on the intersection of movement and mental health, Erica has appeared in publications, podcasts, live news, and radio including WGN, NBC, The Chicago Sun Times, The Chicago Tribune, Buzzfeed, Bustle, NBC News Better, Reader’s Digest, Prevention and as a columnist for Dance Informa Magazine, 30 Seconds, and Thrive Global.
Erica understands that the body, mind, and spirit are interconnected and that life is experienced through movement. Her approach allows each client to express their feelings, experiences, and ideas, with their whole body.
Erica’s areas of expertise include cognitive and movement disorders, neurologic conditions, anxiety and depression, PTSD, trauma (including rape and sexual abuse), eating disorders, loss, and phase of life issues, including, but not limited to caregiving.
Erica enjoys working with clients who are looking to deepen their mind-body connection, understand their movement habits as it relates to mental health, or simply improve their quality of life by embracing non-verbal communication and body language as an alternate means of expression.
Her book Body Aware will be launched next Summer 2022 by North Atlantic Books (USA).