Mindful Improv – Bridging Mental Health and Theater

Embark on a transformative journey at Comedy is Therapy’s workshop, where improv theater meets mental well-being. Dive into practical exercises and insights that strengthen both your improv skills and mental resilience. Led by experienced facilitators, this session explores the rich history and scientific connection between theater and mental health. We will also put this work into practice by trying out therapeutic improv games and exercises. Whether you’re an improviser, coach, or mental health practitioner, discover how these disciplines support and enhance one another for personal growth and empowerment.

Instructor: Shelsea Ochoa is a Social Worker and a mental health professional who specializes in theater and play-based forms of therapy. She facilitates group therapy using improv for folks that experience lonliness and symtoms of social anxiety with local organization Comedy is Therapy. As the creative director of Soul Stories, she also facilitates a monthly DnD-inspired improvized game that centers personal storytelling and social-emotional learning. You can find her performing improv at the Dairy Center in Boulder, CO, with Motus Theater’s Playback Improv team. Her work is inspired by a spirit of community care and social justice, as she believes that the revolution begins with collective wellness.