Jodi Kanter

ABOUT ME 

I was lucky to grow up in a place where the arts were important, and where theatre was understood as a tool for discovery and connection. I’m currently writing a book about that place, The Piven Theatre Workshop in Evanston, Illinois. I’ve also written explicitly about using theatre and writing to navigate loss, both in smaller pieces and in a scholarly book called Performing Loss.

I obtained my PhD at Northwestern University in Performance Studies, a discipline that thinks about performance very broadly, including everyday behaviors and social interactions in its reach. Across more than twenty years as an educator, I have collaborated with a wide array of individuals and communities, including federal prisoners with mental health conditions, patients navigating serious illness or end-of life issues, and trauma survivors. At what turned out to be the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I obtained my masters in counseling through the Lesley University expressive arts therapies program.

Currently, I am on the faculty of George Washington University and serve as the drama therapist for St. Luke Institute, a mental health treatment and education center in Silver Spring, MD.

WHAT KEEPS ME GROUNDED

I love going to the theatre, singing, writing, and spending time with family and close friends. I love to swim and to be near the water. And I love listening to people’s stories. I’ve organized several community storytelling events.

LICENSURE & LOGISTICS

Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor

LGP15731