One Rule Improv

On this fun episode, Mary DeMichele talks about the benefits of improv for mental health. She even gets me to do a little improv!! 

Mary is the creator of One Rule Improv, a research-based and trauma-informed, and accessible approach to learning, teaching, and applying improv, so people can bring the interpersonal and neurobiological benefits of improv into their lives quickly and easily.

Throughout her 30-year career, she has focused on ways to make improv more accessible, less overwhelming, and more fun for everyone. One Rule Improv has been used in a variety of settings, including classrooms, trauma-informed schools, outpatient programs, foster care group homes, residential treatment centers, and corporations of varying sizes. The teachers, clinicians, leaders, and participants in Mary’s sessions are consistently amazed and grateful for the simplicity and benefits of the approach and with how comfortable they feel participating.

As her goal is not only to help people experience the benefits of improv in a safe and supportive environment, but to equip them to share improv as well, she has authored published research articles, books, a blog and online courses. These resources are located on her website oneruleimprov.com.  

Mary is featured in the documentary, “Act Social-Using YES AND to Save the World from Within,” starring Collin Mochrie of the television show “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” Psychology Today and Forbes. A certified academic and special needs teacher, Mary also has extensive training in the fields of instructional design, adolescent trauma, cognitive and behavioral psychology, and more. Mary earned bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and a master’s degree from Syracuse University.