Psychotherapy and Counselling for Dancers and Performing Artists
Dancers and performing artists work in environments where the body, identity and performance are closely connected. Training, auditions and performance can bring great fulfilment, but they can also create significant pressure.
Injuries, career uncertainty, comparison with others, and the constant demand to perform at a high level can affect confidence, wellbeing and mental health.
There are times in life when loss, transition or pressure can feel overwhelming. Bereavement, relationship breakdown, injury, career uncertainty or the demands of daily life can lead to anxiety, low mood, anger, disordered eating or emotional exhaustion.
For dancers and performing artists these experiences can feel intensified. Your body is your instrument. Your identity is closely connected to performance. Training environments involve constant evaluation, correction and comparison.
Over time this can place significant pressure on both mental health and wellbeing.
As a former professional ballet dancer who later retrained as a psychotherapist, I understand the realities of the profession from the inside. I have lived the training, the expectations and the culture of the dance world.
My work combines professional psychotherapy training with lived experience of the performing arts. Many clients say that this shared understanding helps them feel recognised, supported and less alone.
“It was so reassuring that Terry had been a dancer. He already understood the pressures of the dance world and how they affect you as a person. It made me feel less alone.”
A.L.
Sessions last 50 minutes and take place online.
Some clients come for focused short term support around a specific issue. Others choose longer term therapy to explore deeper patterns and experiences. During the first session we discuss what has brought you to therapy and decide together how best to proceed.
Professional Roles
I am the CEO for the charity STEPPS.
