Services

  • Psychotherapy

    Psychotherapy offers a route towards healing, discovery and authentic connection to our inner world, and to others. As we release ourselves from burdens, we begin to discover more space, greater possibility and a wider perspective.

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  • Drama Therapy

    The origins of human culture can be found in ancient forms of storytelling and theatre. Ritual, song, dance and enactment have always been cornerstones of personal and collective expression.

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  • Playback Theatre

    In a Playback Theatre event, people share true stories from their own lives, and watch as a team of actors, or fellow community members, transform these accounts into improvised theatre pieces.

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  • Voice Work

    For some, voice work offers a path towards healing, connection and awakening. For others, the human voice provides a powerful route to creative and artistic expression.

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I am a psychotherapist, educator and applied theatre practitioner with over 20 years of experience in the fields of mental health and community services.

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Testimonials

  • "Ben Rivers is not just a powerful therapist, a creative artist and a committed activist, he is an embodiment of what Carl Jung called a friend of the soul. Ben's life is a constant source of inspiration in his commitment for a world in which justice and freedom can be possible for all humans and the other-than-human beings."

    — Hector Aristizabal, Founder of ImaginAction, Medellin, Colombia

  • "Ben has that invaluable quality – a serene, zen-like calm – that envelops his passion and deep knowledge. He teaches you as much about the world as about yourself, without ever appearing to teach. All this, with a delightful sense of humour – his smile lights up the room."

    — Sudhanva Deshpande, Actor, publisher, organiser, New Delhi, India

  • "Ben Rivers is the most innovative, penetrating, inspirational and uplifting practitioner I have ever come across. His physical, emotional and intellectual brilliance and empathy make working with him a life-changing experience for everyone fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do so."

    — Mark Levine, Professor of History at UC Irvine, Guggenheim Fellow, Grammy winning musician, Irvine, California

  • "Ben is a kind human. He brings this attention to, and delight in, the real human-ness of life. Ben's magic is that, through his presence, connections light up: between ideas, people, nature, our wounded inner selves, the towering structures of political oppression, language, movement, and feeling."

    — Emily Conolan, Social theatre practitioner, Hobart, Tasmania

  • "Ben's training is full of nuance, empathy, and a brilliant understanding of how to facilitate across cultures. It is a joy to learn from him, an inspiration to see his tireless activism - he is a beacon of hope in this world!"

    — Shruthi Veena Vishwanath, Musician, educator, performer, Pune, India

  • "Ben Rivers is one of the most authentic Social Arts Practitioners that I have come across. His care for the earth and the beings of earth is inspirational. He has the ability to bring lightness and joy to the deepest and darkest moments that one stumbles upon while in pursuit of social justice. Ben is a healer. I recommend his workshops 10000%!"

    — Arundathi Vishwanath, Theatre facilitator & Medicine Woman, Bangalore, India

  • "A generous mentor whose teachings and humane presence are inseparable, Ben Rivers has sown in me seeds which have been growing over the last nine years; humility, curiosity, playfulness, his constant exploration of what it means to be fully alive, and what it takes to work tirelessly towards cultural change."

    — Sahar Elmougy, Egyptian novelist and Assistant Professor of American Studies, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt

  • "I was privileged to work alongside Ben for many years, in a refugee camp facing immense oppression. I watched Ben facilitate deep transformation of individuals, and in extension communities. By working his magic, Ben contributed to people coming together, embarking on the painful and powerful journey of change."

    — Johanna Wallin, Author, activist, Uppsala, Sweden

  • "Ben Rivers has been the lynchpin for much of my work in training actors and devising theatre projects in and for communities struggling to survive hardship and injustice. I owe to him my renewed belief in the power of drama to transform lives."

    — Di Trevis, Director, author, London, UK

  • "Ben Rivers has been my dear teacher and mentor for close to a decade. His teachings, supervisions, gentle guidance, insightful advice over the years - as well as his own role-modelling and embodiment of all the compassionate values he so earnestly believes in - have helped me endlessly in my own personal and professional growth (and still do!) and for that I am eternally grateful."

    — Dahlyia Sabbour, Drama Practitioner, Cairo, Egypt

  • "I’m so blessed to know Ben in his different roles as a facilitator, trainer, supervisor, therapist, and also as founder/director of Dawar Arts. Ben’s compassion and professionalism have helped me to feel seen, secure and understood. Having him as a role model will be a gift I shall always be grateful for."

    — Shymaa Mesalam, Consultant psychiatrist, Cairo, Egypt

  • "As an activist, a therapist and a trainer, Ben’s work is of uncommon quality thanks to his wide experience and to his high professional and human competencies. Ben makes himself fully available to the causes he supports and to the groups he accompanies with generosity, determination, listening, humour and compassion."

    — Marianne Grison, Psychiatrist and theatre practitioner, Montpellier, France

  • "I joined a retreat led by Ben at a point in my life where I was seeking release from an internal struggle … What happened was beyond my expectations. Not only did I improve my relationship with myself - but the effect of the work extended long after the retreat to encompass my relationships with others around me. I’m so grateful for having worked with Ben and for participating in the magic that led me to this place of love and joy."

    — Mona Mandour, Health Coach, Cairo, Egypt

  • "Having worked with Ben for several years, I can attest to his grounded knowledge, and his unique skills and qualities as a person and practitioner. Through him I discovered new ways that theatre can heal and empower communities - especially those that are impacted by trauma, oppression and political violence. Ben has a gift for creating spaces where people can share and communicate the stories, emotions and challenges they face."

    — Faisal Abu Alhayjaa, Actor/Comedian, Occupied Palestine

  • "Drama, Healing, and Community are common threads that connect the roles that Ben plays with absolute mastery. Ben’s professional expertise, his vast knowledge and comprehensive methodology, combined with his natural sensitivity and open heart, enable him to create, hold and nourish spaces of authentic expression and transformative healing. As a therapist, trainer, mentor and activist, Ben's work is first and foremost committed to honouring humanity."

    — Mona El Shimi, Writer, Psychologist, Actor, Cairo, Egypt

  • "Working with Ben has been one of the most amazing experiences I have had at PeaceWorks. The patience, the empathy and the kindness his personality exudes make him an extraordinary facilitator, inspiring deep trust and confidence in all those he works with."

    — Meena Megha Malhotra, Director, PeaceWorks - The Seagull Foundation for the Arts, Calcutta, India

  • "I worked alongside Ben as he created a whole movement of community arts in Egypt. Thanks to his visionary pioneering work, there are hundreds of facilitators who have graduated from the programs he has designed, led and curated. Ben's students, of whom I am one, as well as Ben himself, work with those most in need, in the most vulnerable areas. What an honour it has been to cross paths."

    — Nariman Moustafa, Founder of Mesahat: Liberating Learning Spaces, Cairo, Egypt

  • "Dr Ben Rivers is a creative and stellar therapist, group worker, and trainer who makes a difference in the world of trauma and healing around the world."

    — Kate Hudgins, PhD, TEP, Author and Founder of the Therapeutic Spiral Model, Virginia, USA

  • "Ben is a gifted trainer. His ability to mobilize people to create programming to serve the underserved is remarkable, whether that is services to traumatized refugees, start-up businesses in informal settlements of Cairo, or the many other programs he has developed."

    — Tom Holmes, PhD, MSW, Associate Professor Emeritus, Western Michigan University, Michigan, USA

  • "Ben is a visionary group leader, an activist and an organiser, working on the ground to build community spaces that use art for healing. For me, Ben has been a teacher, a mentor, a friend and a comrade."

    — Pankaj Tiwari, Artist-Curator, Amsterdam, Netherlands

  • "I witnessed Ben Rivers in action as an organizer and trainer when I came on two occasions to work with participants in the Freedom Bus project that he initiated in the West Bank. Within just a few months of being in Palestine, Ben had built a robust network of trusting and respectful relationships. I was impressed by Ben's warmth, calm, and clarity as he managed complicated arrangements in an unfamiliar cultural setting."

    — Jo Salas, Co-Founder Playback Theatre, New York State, USA

  • "Ben helped me to see myself with more loving and compassionate eyes. He taught me how to accept all that is me… Ben spreads the kind of love that heals and helps ignite the love you have within so that you can love yourself. Working with Ben is among the best things that I have ever done for myself."

    — Maie El Hadidy, Writer, Cairo, Egypt

  • "Ben founded Dawar Arts, one of the most important arts-health organisations in Egypt - renowned for enriching our community with healing, development, and cultural exchange. Ben himself is a humble mentor, trainer and therapist. He is grounded, wise and creative in his approach. I am deeply grateful to Ben for all he has contributed towards my personal growth and professional development. He has helped me and my colleagues to grow and to glow!"

    — Hoda Refaat, Psychiatrist, Cairo, Egypt

  • "Ben Rivers is a fantastic teacher. Dramatherapy is as much a personal journey as a group process. It is a challenge from start to finish and Ben is an inspiring and calm presence at every step. He is great at focusing simultaneously on the ‘protagonist’ and the group as a whole so everyone feels encouraged. He is my favourite teacher."

    — Agneta Timotej, Group Participant, Teacher, Malmö, Sweden

  • "My work with Ben has helped me process very painful events. Today, months after our last session, and while taking a very tough important decision, I found myself using some of the tools practised during the session with Ben. I think the idea of mastering a clear technique or approach helps the client to be independent and harvest the seeds of the work done during the sessions."

    — Carol, Client, Cairo, Egypt

  • "Since 2017, I have participated in many workshops and trainings with Ben Rivers. Since then, I learnt a lot from him, he became more than a trainer or a facilitator. Ben is a real inspiration, mentor and friend. Working with him taught me the importance of acknowledging vulnerabilities and empowering those less heard!"

    — Hani Alrustm, Playback Theatre Practitioner / Psychotherapist, Gent, Belgium

  • "I worked with Ben on a number of different issues. At the time I was really struggling with low self esteem and a super critical inner voice that was crippling me. He helped me to connect with my inner child who was wounded and in need of self love and understanding. I can’t recommend him highly enough."

    — Tim Coleman, Documentary film director and photographer, London, UK

  • "On a personal and professional level, my work with Ben has been life changing. Curiosity, questioning and creativity are the elements that make his leadership distinguishably unique."

    — Soline Daccache, MHPSS consultant & drama specialist, Lebanon

  • "I have had the opportunity of participating in a number of Playback Theatre and drama therapy trainings led by Ben Rivers. These experiences have opened my mind and stimulated my creativity. I appreciate Ben’s clarity and sensitivity and have always felt very secure in his trainings. Ben’s leadership is inspiring."

    — Véronique Guerin, Dramatherapist, theatre practitioner, Montpellier, France

Events

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Events
THE INVADERS' FEAR OF MEMORIES
May 31
THE INVADERS' FEAR OF MEMORIES

A Play About the Colonisation of Palestine.

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Dahshur Drama Therapy Retreat: Five days of Inner Inquiry and Embodied Connection
Nov 30
Dahshur Drama Therapy Retreat: Five days of Inner Inquiry and Embodied Connection

Now in its second decade, this retreat has become a trusted space for meaningful inner work. Come as you are. Leave with a richer sense of yourself and your place within the wider world to which we all belong.

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