What if circus were known for valuing mental health and wellbeing?
I offer online content, workshops, and more, all in pursuit of creating a circus community that prioritizes and values mental health, wellbeing, and systemic change. I use my education and training as a therapist to bring conversations about mental health and social change to the circus and performing arts world.
Cirque Psych Workshops
Unafraid: Mental Health Tools for Circus Communities.
Mental health struggles have been stigmatized in western culture, and in many athletic and other training spaces for generations. However, they are just as common as physical health struggles. This workshop helps coaches and students to dismantle stigma, and learn skills for supporting their students’ and classmates’ mental health while maintaining appropriate boundaries. Participants will gain vocabulary, specific strategies, and a better understanding of how common mental health difficulties can impact circus humans. You will leave feeling more confident and empowered to work with your community members even when they’re struggling, and with resources for when their needs exceed your capacity.
The Myth of Perfection.
Circus attracts folks who are willing to work hard and try to achieve the impossible. As a community, we seem to have a high rate of perfectionism. Perfectionism can do us a lot of mental and emotional harm if we leave it unchecked. But perfectionism is not just an individual trait! It is created and maintained by unequal systems that trick us into believing some people are inherently more valuable than others. In this workshop, we will explore sneaky signs of perfectionism, individual strategies to manage it, and how to recognize and resist some of the larger systemic issues that reinforce perfectionism.
When the Rope Frays: burnout and compassion fatigue for circus professionals.
Formerly thought to only impact first responders and direct care providers, Burnout and Compassion Fatigue actually threaten the mental health of people across many fields. Circus professionals, due to our deep commitment and care for our work, our students, and our communities, are especially vulnerable, and rarely trained in how to identify and work with Burnout or Compassion Fatigue. This workshop provides an opportunity for reflection and self-assessment, as well as tools and frameworks to help prevent, mitigate, and heal from Burnout and Compassion Fatigue in our work as circus humans.
Supporting Circus Students with Anxiety and Panic
In this workshop, we discuss elements of anxiety and panic as adaptive traits, and what happens when they become overwhelming or disordered in circus students. Participants will leave with concrete tools for supporting their students who experience anxiety and panic, as well as tools they can use to soothe and ground themselves as needed.
Boundaries and Good Practice for Circus Professionals.
Creating and maintaining healthy boundaries, based in our values is the key to functional professional relationships. The life of a circus professional can be chaotic enough without strained or broken relationships with our colleagues, directors, managers and more. This workshop explores categories and qualities of healthy professional relationships, and provides concrete tools and exercises for assessing, adjusting, and maintaining good boundaries that help our relationships flourish.
Pre and Post-Performance Reflection for Growth.
This workshop is designed for novice and experienced performers, and provides frameworks and exercises to use in preparation to going on stage, and on using the performance experience to continually grow as an artist. We will explore the impact of nervousness on the mind and the body, practice skills to help calm our nervous system, and reflect on pro-active, growth-oriented ways to reflect upon our performance - no matter how it went!