Media Room

University of the Rockies invites members of the community to “lunch and laugh” at a free professional development workshop called “Improv Your Counseling” on Thursday, Jan. 12.

Led by Dr. Allen Cornelius, core faculty member at University of the Rockies, participants will take part in a series of exercises that illustrate the parallels between counseling skills and improvisational comedy.

“I was struck by the great deal of overlap in the set of skills required to do improvisational comedy and counseling,” said Cornelius. “Both comedians and therapists must listen carefully to their fellow performers, be able to see situations from multiple points of view, adapt quickly to changes, pay attention to the behaviors of their partners, and subtly push toward a satisfying outcome.”

In recent years, improv comedy has been used for a variety of purposes, ranging from leadership training to parenting. Particle physicists at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN (Centre Européen de Recherches Nucléaires) have even used impov comedy to improve communication.

In this highly interactive workshop, participants will actively engage in exercises related to 10 important counseling skills, including giving instructions, non-verbal cues and mirroring, paying attention to the group, listening and adapting, and paying attention to detail.

The workshop begins at 11:30 a.m. in the Harvey House Auditorium at University of the Rockies (555 East Pikes Peak Ave.). Lunch will be provided, so RSVP is required by Jan. 9. Call 719.442.0808 to register or for more information.

About University of the Rockies

University of the Rockies is an advanced graduate institution for tomorrow’s thought leaders. The University provides an intimate and dynamic learning environment, offering highly specialized master’s and doctoral degree programs in the social and behavioral sciences, access to industry experts, campus clinical programs for practical experience, and research and publishing opportunities. University of the Rockies is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association (www.ncahlc.org). Small by design, University of the Rockies classes are presented in a progressive online format and at its Colorado Springs, Colorado, campus. For more information, please visit www.rockies.edu or call Shari Rodriguez, associate vice president of Public Relations, at 866.621.0124 x2513.