05/12/2026
As a Dance and Paychology Major at Connecticut College, I choreographed a duet for myself with a violinist who I danced with as he played. It was magical and one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever performed. My best friend’s mother, Nina Grossman, a talented artist, painted this picture of a photo taken of me during the performance in 1999.
I wanted to share it because I often think about how my years of studying and professionally dancing as a modern dancer in New York City for years inform my work as a therapist. Ultimately I treat each therapy session as a co-choreographed dance between myself and my client.
As a dancer, we are trained to be so attuned to our own and others bodies in the space. I do the same as a therapist. Dance classes begin with a warm-up at the barre, center work, and learning choreography. That holds true with a therapy…there’s a warm up, action, and processing. There are so many more overlaps and ways these two art forms intertwine (yes, I see being a therapist as an art form.)
All I know is that being a dancer has taught me so much about the human body, group work, creativity, spontaneity, and the body/mind connection, and I am beyond grateful for this knowledge that I bring to my work as a psychotherapist.
