Comedy is back!

I’m so happy. I’ve been a stand up comedian focused on mental health for about 12 years now, and it’s so good to be back to performing and teaching classes.

Way back in the Fall when I started as a Trauma Recovery and Grief Recovery Coach, I got a request for a comedy class. It had been about three and a half years since I had taught stand up comedy. The divorce and the Pandemic had stopped comedy classes cold.

When I got the request, it felt like a lightbulb clicked on over my head. What a great idea! So I put a class together and we recently had a very funny Zoom showcase.

Why Comedy for Mental Health?

Many of us who are trauma survivors learned early about how to use humor to cope with terrible circumstances. Why not take advantage of the skills we already have and use them for good?

There are a few reasons to use comedy for mental health. Comedy helps us to retrain our brains. Our brains are wired to the negative for survival. Humor helps us to spend time turning negatives into positives. The process of writing jokes is a community activity – very few jokes are written by ourselves. And last but definitely not least, telling jokes is a form of storytelling. Telling our stories gives us power and ownership over our lives, as well as serving as an educational tool for others.

My Most Recent Set of Jokes

The pandemic wasn’t great for writing a bunch of new material, but it wasn’t a waste of time, either. Sometimes I just think of stuff that makes me laugh.

When Cascadia Behavioral Health requested a video of some humor, I obliged with my latest material, Pandemic Reflections.

What is a Comedy Class Like?

You too can take random thoughts and ideas and turn them into performance art with a Healing Through Humor comedy class. Level 1 involves weekly short video tutorials, a class meeting where we work on our material as a group, and encouragement in between classes. My co-professor Molly McNab and I teach real-world comedy skills that can be used right away.

If you’ve ever wondered if you were funny or if people tell you that you’re funny or have a “dark” sense of humor, this class is a great place to start. For more info, sign up here.

Try Trauma Recovery & Grief Recovery Coaching

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Find out more about Trauma and Grief Recovery Coaching

I offer one-on-one sessions, groups, PTSD Remediation, and classes. Appointments are offered in-person and online.

Try Trauma Recovery and Grief Recovery Coaching for Free! Book an appointment or schedule your FREE 30-minute discovery call to learn more!