Performance Specific Skills from a professional who understand the field of Dance.

Jocelyn Penna is a recognised and experienced Sport & Performance Psychologist who specialises in working with elite and developing dancers. Her unique expertise makes her highly sought after by emerging dancers building consistency and company performers aiming to excel under pressure. Read more..

Dance Specific Resources:

Performance Psychology for Dancers: The many ways dancers can integrate performance psychology into their training and its numerous benefits.

Psychological Aspects of Overtraining.

Nerves and How the Sympathetic Nervous System works

How a Dancer’s Brain adjusts to a Growth Spurt.

You can find many more articles on like goal setting, self-belief, goal setting, the importance of individual approach to development and more in our latest news and on our insta page.

What can I do about my nerves?

Am I too perfectionistic?

How do integrated mental skills assist with skills development, and burnout prevention?

How can I manage my time more effectively?

Sometimes I feel exhausted, could it be mental exhaustion?

How can I be less perfectionistic?

How can I improve my body image? It’s complex for dancers.

How do I know if I want to dance professionally?

Is it time to train full time?

I don’t like looking in the mirror, but I need to. How can I overcome this?

Am I ready to retire?

Remembering choreography is difficult for me. What strategies can I use?

How can I possibly move away from my family to train full time?

What We Do

Psychologists at FOCUS Performance Psychology work with dancers to support them to achieve their potential. The physical, technical, performance and psychological aspects of dance and all need to come together for a dancer to achieve their potential.

Working with dancers and programs across Australia and overseas, Jocelyn takes a holistic approach to developing the core capabilities elite dancers need. Her experience combines formal qualifications with a deep passion for dance.

For those working toward pre-professional status, Jocelyn helps build balance, perspective and the mental skills needed to navigate the demands of elite performance. Dancers thrive from learning to integrate mental skills specific to dance into their daily training, maintain positive mental health in high pressure environments, as well as managing anxiety, depression, psychological aspects of injury and body image concerns that exist within the field of dance.

Jocelyn Penna works with developing and professional dancers studying locally, nationally and overseas. We provide individual assessments and consultations, as well as online programs and performance psychology workshops. We offer tailored lectures for educational providers, present at forums and write dance articles for different forums.

What We Offer

FOCUS Performance Psychology supports dancers and teachers with:

• Goal development
• Implementing mental skills into Training and class.
• Recovery and restoration
• Stress management and relaxation
• Prevention, self-awareness and education.
• Developing holistic identity
• Healthy Perfectionism.
• Relationships
• Understanding personality, including perfectionism, and making your traits work for you
• Communication skills
• Eliciting emotions in performance
• Optimising memory
• Understanding personal identity and values
• Decision making
• Juggling life demands
• Body image
• Mental health concerns
• Adjustment and change
  And more

1. Development

Dancers can extend their development, enjoyment, resilience and goals by integrating performance psychology concepts directly into their training. Dancers can do this individually or as a class.

2. Proactive Support

Gaining insight and education into well-being and mental health can significantly reduce challenges as they arise.

3. Early Intervention

Seeking support as soon as a challenge become uncomfortable can greatly reduce its impact on dance, career progression and well-being.

4. Recovery

Performance Psychology interventions from a professional who understands the field of dance enhances recovery.