Anxiety and PTSD may not seem like laugh a minute topics. But Kristen Lee, an author and teaching professor in behavioral science at Northeastern University, has learned the art of turning heavy mental health issues into comedy gold to promote healing and resilience.
“My line of work is dominated by a lot of heaviness, a lot of suffering, a lot of pain,” said Lee. A licensed independent clinical social worker, she has a small psychotherapy practice in Providence, R.I., dealing mainly with clients in the health and human services fields experiencing burnout and vicarious trauma.
“I realized I was often using humor to break tensions, to better connect with people and to call out” societal issues causing people anxiety or stress, she said. “Comedy helps us to think about things in a different light,” to appreciate life’s absurdities.
During a sabbatical in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lee took time to hone her funny bone, enrolling in classes online with renown improvisation and sketch comedy enterprise The Second City as well as with New York-based comedian Katie Goodman.
“It was very natural for me to take the skills of teaching and public speaking into that arena,” said Lee, who teaches in the College of Professional Studies (CPS).
Following her comedic training, she created “Crackin’ Up with Dr. Kris: Where Therapy Meets Comedy,” which has performed at the Lyric Stage Company in Boston and other venues, using humor to reduce stigma over mental health issues, build resilience and create community.
“So many of us with lived experiences stay in the shadows,” said Lee, who has written about benefitting from treatment for anxiety. “The premise of the show is that if you can’t crack up, you’ll crack. If you can’t laugh, you’ll cry.”
Lee started Crackin’ Up to raise funding for the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the AAKOMA project, which advocates for mental health awareness among young people of color. The format calls for her to deliver a monologue and turn the show over to performers who talk about their own mental health experiences or who work in the field of mental health.
Amy “Tee” Trahan, a comedian and president of the board of directors for NAMI Massachusetts, performed with Lee at the Lyric Stage and said her energy, humor and authenticity “make the perfect storm.”
Performing with Crackin’ Up allows comedians to use comedy as a tool to reframe painful experiences, said Nate Fillers of Worcester, who incorporates his experiences with obsessive compulsive disorder into his routine. “We can laugh at the things that try to destroy us,” he said.
“I think I’ve always been a ham,” Lee said. “I’m the youngest in my family. I come from a long line of people who like to be playful and tell jokes. I think from a young age I probably gave my teachers a run for their money.”
The author of four books including “Clean Slate: How to Make Change Happen,” Lee describes her comedy style as playful and sunny with a note of skepticism about entrenched societal beliefs.
She’s tackled what she calls “the cult of beauty,” and social anxiety in “Crackin’ Up” episodes on YouTube, in which she reassures viewers that “life is awkward, not you!” Lee incorporates humor into public talks, such as her TEDx talk in Ocala, Florida where she got a laugh when she said that the pressure to be zen means “mindfulness has become the new kale.”
“I love riffing with an audience. Crowd work is my favorite,” Lee said. Even after more formal academic presentations, she said she asks attendees “to pepper me with questions.”
But don’t expect to see Lee performing standup at nightclubs. “I’m like the only comedian who is not a night owl,” she said. “I get up (around) 4 a.m.”
Edward “Ted” Miller, academic director of the CPS social science division, said Lee takes a good-natured, gentle approach to guide students and patients through stressful or difficult times. “Humor is a sort of vacation,” he said. “It can settle people down, allay fear, alleviate anxiety. Dr. K is an experienced practitioner who understands this perfectly.”
Returning from sabbatical with comedy chops helped fortify her teaching style and her ability to encourage students to look at life’s big issues through a wider lens, Lee said.
As a psychotherapist for over 25 years, Lee said “there’s nothing better” than creating space where someone can breathe and “actually laugh.”