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A Bubble of Lightness for Dark Times
We often hear teachers say, "Clown is not therapy, but it can be therapeutic." Let's just say it:
Clowning is profoundly beneficial for our mental health, emotional regulation, and overall sense of wellbeing.
That's why more and more teachers with training in both fields are explicitly connecting the dots.​
Clown for Mental Health is an invitation to explore the relationship between Clown and wellbeing. It's a space where the heaviness you've been carrying and the lightness you've been missing are both welcome, both real, and both part of the work.
It isn't about becoming a better performer. It's about reconnecting with parts of yourself that may have been buried beneath responsibility, self-consciousness, stress, or simply the demands of everyday life. It's about remembering how to feel, express, play, and come alive again.​​​​​
We're bringing together practitioners who intentionally weave the playful authenticity of clowning into their work - including teachers with backgrounds in IFS, Gestalt, Drama Therapy and other healing modalities. Broadly, their aim is to help people reconnect with their life force, accept themselves more fully, play with the absurd realities of being human, and loosen the patterns that keep them stuck.
What you get
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8 live workshops
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Panel discussion
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Access to world-renowned teachers
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Recordings (available forever)
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Community & playground access
Do you...
Want to experience more joy and lightness in your everyday life?
Find your creative, playful side keeps getting smothered by fear, anxiety or depression?
Want to harness the combined power of clowning and mental health in your own teaching practice
Take yourself a little too seriously and want to find more softness and fun?
Want to deepen your versatility and resilience for difficult times
Want to be in community with other caring and thoughtful clowns
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If so, we created this series with YOU in mind
Meet The Teachers
Saturday Sept 12 | 9.00-11.30am pst, 5.00-7.30pm uk
Mery Miguez | Coming from Love
NLP practitioner and mindfulness coach Mery Miguez opens the series with a 90-minute session rooted in the belief that clowning is a beautiful tool for coming to know and love our deepest selves. Through clown games, reflective practice and the quiet act of saying yes to what you feel, participants begin to unlearn the conditioning that keeps them at arm's length from themselves.
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Monday Sept 21 | 10.00-11.30am pst, 6.00-7.30pm uk
Holly Stoppit | Safe Enough To Play
Somatic IFS-trained dramatherapist and creator of Clown-o-Therapy, Holly Stoppit has spent two decades researching and practising the mental health benefits of clown skills training for adults. Her session recognises that authentic, risky and vibrant play cannot be demanded: it emerges naturally when people feel safe enough to be seen. Through somatic meditation, mindful movement, sensory play and shared reflection, participants explore what they personally need in order to feel safe enough to let their clown out.
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Monday Sept 28 | 10.00-11.30am pst, 6.00-7.30pm uk
Panel Session | Christina Lewis, Pedro Fabião, Sandy El Bitar and Denni Dennis
Four practitioners whose collective experience spans hospital clowning, drama therapy, palliative care, refugee communities and international performance bring their perspectives to bear on a single question: what can clowning offer mental health? Drawing on work across more than 25 countries and a lifetime of using humor, play and presence as tools for transformation, this panel promises to be one of the most wide-ranging and illuminating conversations in the series.
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Oct 3 | 9.00-11.30am pst, 5.00-7.30pm uk
Patrick van den Boom | Virtual Vocal Band
Hospital clown, founder of Clownschool International and pioneer of clowning in dementia care, Patrick van den Boom brings his philosophy of presence and connection to a session exploring the wellness power of breath, voice and movement. These are among our most immediate and accessible tools for shifting how we feel in any given moment, and Patrick's playful, embodied approach makes them available to everyone regardless of experience or background.
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Monday Oct 12 | 10.00-11.30am pst, 6.00-7.30pm uk
Jamie Wood | Becoming Whole (10.00-11.30am pst, 6.00-7.30pm UK)
International art clown and counsellor Jamie Wood draws on Jungian psychology to explore the parts of ourselves we keep in shadow: the aspects of our character we deem unpalatable, unloveable, or simply too much. In a playful open space supported by music, costumes and props, participants are invited to bring those hidden parts forward and share them, unapologetically, with others. As Jung once said: "The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely."
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Monday Oct 19 | 10.00-11.30am pst, 6.00-7.30pm uk
Ailon Freedman | Clown Healing
Guided onto the spiritual path after a near-fatal accident at 21, Ailon Freedman has spent his adult life synthesising yoga, therapy and clowning into a practice he calls Clown Healing. This session moves participants from body warm-up through to structured encounters with failure, shame and vulnerability, using parts work and embodiment to reclaim the shadow aspects of the self. As one participant put it: "I lost three things from your workshop. A stiff body, a numb heart and a disease called seriousness."
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Monday Oct 26 | 10.00-11.30am pst, 6.00-7.30pm uk
Sophie Besse | M/Others Who Care
Theatre director, therapist and clown doula Sophie Besse, who has worked in French prisons and with refugee communities across the UK and Europe, offers this session as a playful me-time space for anyone who carries the weight of caring for others. Using a rope as a physical metaphor for the bonds of a caring relationship, participants explore through clown games what those bonds feel like in the body, and what it might mean to end with a clown self-care routine of their own devising.
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Monday Nov 2 | 10.00-11.30am pst, 6.00-7.30pm uk
Zuma Puma | Playing with Perception
Award-winning clown, NLP Master Practitioner and founder of Clownlife.org, Zuma Puma brings together clowning, ritual, psychomagic and neuroscience to explore mental health as a creative and transformative process. Rooted in research around perception, mindfulness and the power of the mind, this session offers playful practices that encourage connection, self-inquiry, resilience and authentic expression. For anyone drawn to the sacred and transformative dimensions of clowning, this session will resonate deeply.
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Monday Nov 9 | 10.00-11.30am pst, 6.00-7.30pm uk
Suzy Harvey | Wise Fool, Wise Self
Suzy Harvey, specialist in joy and connection and former Giggle Doctor in children's hospitals, closes the series with a session that places the ridiculous and the profound side by side. Through movement, laughter, improvisation and playful writing, participants reconnect with themselves, with each other, and with the collective wisdom they already carry. No writing, performance or clowning experience needed. Come as you are. Whether you feel like it or not.
Across a series of 8 embodied workshops, you'll:
Experience more joy, playfulness, and self-expression
Learn how to integrate clowning with therapeutic approaches
Discover wellbeing practices you can use in daily life.
Let go of perfectionism and self-judgment, embrace risk.
Learn tools for emotional regulation and resilience
Build deeper connection with yourself and others
Questions You Might Have
Are the sessions recorded?
Yes! Every session will be recorded and made available to all registrants after the live workshop through the Clown Spirit Village Archive, so if you can't make it live (or want to revisit a session later), you'll still have access.
Do I need to attend every session?
No. You're welcome to join just one workshop or participate in the entire series. Each session is designed as a standalone experience, so you can choose the topics that most interest you.
Do I need any prior clown experience?
Not at all. These workshops are designed for everyone - from the completely "clown curious" to experienced practitioners. Whether you're brand new to clown or have years of experience, you'll find practical ways to explore well-being, connection, playfulness, and presence.
How long are the sessions, and when do they take place?
What if I'm not sure clowning is for me?
What's the better option: purchasing the series on its own or joining the Village?
Most of the workshops take place on Mondays and run for 90 minutes. There are also two longer Saturday workshops, which run for 2.5 hours and offer a little more space for deeper exploration and practice.
That's perfectly okay. Many people arrive feeling curious, skeptical, nervous, or simply intrigued. These workshops are a gentle invitation to explore and to be introduced to incredible teachers from around the world. You don't need to be funny, perform, or put yourself on the spot. Just bring your curiosity and a willingness to experiment.
For most people, joining the Village is the better value. Membership starts at just $35/month and includes access to this entire workshop series, recordings, our growing resource archive, bi-weekly coaching sessions, and weekly Playground gatherings. If you're interested in continuing your exploration beyond the workshops, the Village offers a lot more support and connection for a lower overall cost.
Options for Joining
****Best Value***
ONE-OFF PURCHASE
✓ 8 live workshops
✓ Panel discussion
✓ Access to world-renowned teachers
✓ Recordings (available forever)
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JOIN VILLAGE
✓ 8 live workshops
✓ Panel discussion
✓ Access to world-renowned teachers
✓ Recordings (available forever)
✓ Weekly coaching & playground
✓ Monthly masterclass + archive access
✓ Clown Spirit courses
We believe that caring for our mental health doesn't always begin with fixing what's wrong. Sometimes it begins with reconnecting to what makes us feel alive, present, and deeply human. If you're ready to explore that possibility, we invite you to join us.
