DIGITAL: Okay, Let’s Unpack This Student Support Group

FREE ONLINE OFFERING FOR DANCE STUDENTS NATIONWIDE
JUNE 3 – JULY 22 2021
THURSDAY EVENINGS 6:00-8:00pm

Okay, Let’s Unpack This and Clinical Advisor Catherine Drury, LCSW are pleased to offer a weekly Online Support Group for Dance Students. Open to all dancers currently attending a college, conservatory, or pre-professional dance program (ages 18+), this group will foster community and reduce isolation in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. This group will offer dancers a safe and confidential space to support one another through the inherent stressors of pre-professional dance training and the transition to professional life. By sharing experiences and resources, dancers will gain greater emotional awareness and establish routines of mental health care that will serve them throughout their careers.

This is a FREE offering. Group will meet for 8 consecutive weeks, starting Thursday, June 3rd. Attending all sessions is encouraged. The group capacity is 12 people, and a brief initial interview with Catherine Drury is required for participation.

Please reach out with any additional questions at leal@gibneydance.org.

ABOUT THE FACILITATOR

Catherine Drury, LCSW, (she/her) is a licensed psychotherapist who specializes in supporting dancers through injury, stress, burnout, and career change. At her Manhattan-based private practice, Catherine treats adolescents and young adults with eating disorders, anxiety, and histories of trauma using cognitive behavioral and evidence-based treatment modalities. She also delivers workshops and lectures to the American Ballet Theatre JKO School and Studio Company, The Ailey School, and the Princeton Ballet School, fostering resilience and emotional intelligence among pre-professional dance students. In partnership with organizations such as The Actors Fund, Gibney Dance, and Dance/NYC, Catherine empowers dancers and dance communities to better care for themselves, navigate change, and obtain the guidance and resources they need at all stages of their dance careers. She has published on her work with injured dancers, presented at the Association for Applied Sport Psychology Annual Conference, and contributed to articles in Dance Magazine and Dance Informa Magazine. Catherine has a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where her training and research is dedicated to eating disorder treatment and athletic performance enhancement for dancers.

ABOUT OKAY, LET’S UNPACK THIS

OKAY, LET’S UNPACK THIS is a collective effort to normalize the conversation on mental health in the dance community, and provide accessible resources to dance artists. The project is a part of Gibney Company’s Moving Toward Justice Fellowship program, that allows company members to engage with the community through individually-crafted Fellowships, serving as advocates and creators of new programming at Gibney. Each AA pinpoints a pressing issue in the dance field, then leverages the resources and mentoring of the larger organization to develop, implement, and co-create new programs in response to the evolving needs of the field.

Photo by Scott Shaw.