New Approaches to Overcoming Performance Anxiety and Building Resilience
Thursday 23rd November 2023, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM (London Time)
'Chairwork' represents a collection of experiential methods that use drama, movement and dialogue to bring about change. Central to Chairwork is the transformational power of action and the benefits of working with different ‘parts’ of self, including problematic subselves (e.g. critical or demanding parts) and vulnerable subselves (e.g. fearful or self-conscious parts).
Chairwork has been used within psychotherapy for over a century and has recently been incorporated into a growing number of coaching approaches. Research also supports the use of Chairwork: individuals who participate in these methods often describe them as deeply memorable, emotional and effective.
This experiential workshop will introduce you to the basic ideas or ‘pillars’ underlying Chairwork. Using a combination of didactic teaching, interactive exercises, practical examples and live demonstrations, we will demonstrate how Chairwork can be used to overcome different aspects of performance anxiety, including self-criticism and fear of negative evaluation. We will also explore how Chairwork can help students develop and nurture their own compassionate inner coach.
By the end of the workshop, you will feel confident experimenting with Chairwork in your practice and adapting it to different contexts, including ‘online’ settings.
Matthew Pugh
Matthew Pugh is a clinical psychologist, researcher, international trainer and Chairwork practitioner. He has worked in mental health settings for over 15 years...
Tobyn Bell
Tobyn Bell is a psychotherapist, researcher, lecturer and Chairwork practitioner. He has worked within mental health settings for over 15 years, including NHS and private organisations.
Attend this course for as little as £22 as part of the Voice Professional Training CPD Award Scheme.
Learn MoreSorry, this is an archived short course...
We have plenty of upcoming short courses coming soon. See details of some of them below or look at the full list of short courses.
Monday 28th September 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Tuesday 29th September 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Wednesday 30th September 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Thursday 1st October 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Friday 2nd October 2026
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)
Certificate in Executive Voice Coaching and Communication
Louisa Morgan
This five-day course is designed for professional coaches who want to extend their practice into executive coaching, leadership communication, and professional corporate voice work.
Friday 2nd October 2026
12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
(London Time)
Muscle Tension Dysphonia in the Singing Voice!
Dr Claire Thomas
Join Dr Claire Thomas for a practical 2-hour workshop for singing teachers and voice practitioners! Building upon the previous course to create a practical teacher pathway in order to recognise what is happening, reduce unnecessary effort, transfer coordination into singing, manage load and recovery and know when to refer back. Not one size fits all, but a guide to making informed choices with voice users. Based on a five-year investigative project, the course equips singing teachers with the knowledge and practical tools needed to confidently understand MTD, and support singers experiencing MTD beyond their initial therapeutic input.
Tuesday 6th October 2026
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
(London Time)
Inspired Not Bound: The Promise of Science-Informed Voice Pedagogy
Lynn Helding
Lynn Helding defines Science-Informed Voice Pedagogy in her upcoming book Practicing Science-Informed Voice Training as, “A type of hybrid singing voice pedagogy that unites science and art by researching current voice science, translating it, combining it with extant historic voice knowledge, and transmitting it to singers.” Join Lynn Helding as she seeks to understand human behaviour of both sides of the “Science versus Art” debate via research from the fields of cognitive science and behavioural science, focussing particularly on lessons learned due to several societal shifts.