Jude Treder-Wolff founded Lifestage in 1993 with her husband, Nicholas Wolff. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Group Psychotherapist, Certified Practitioner of Applied Improvisation, and creative arts therapist, with 30 years experience as a clinician and trainer working in the field of mental health, addiction and wellness. She is also a writer/performer, singer, storyteller creative arts psychotherapist and improviser who speaks and presents on topics related to creativity, creative/experiential methods, storytelling and Applied Improvisation in the process of learning and change for individuals, organizations and communities. She has designed and facilitated training workshops and classes about creativity in healing, learning, and professional development for The National Association Of Social Workers-New York State annual conferences, UC-Berkeley Continuing Education Program For Behavioral Sciences, SUNY-Buffalo Institute For Addiction Studies, The Psychotherapy Networker Symposium in Washington, D.C. and many other conferences and organizations around the country. She served as chair of the 2019 Applied Improvisation Network World Conference, in partnership with the Alan Alda Center For Communicating Science at Stony Brook University.

She is published in the International Journal of Arts & Psychotherapy Special Issue on HIV/AIDS and International Journal of Arts & Psychotherapy Special Issue on Addiction, Music Therapy Perspectives, Psychodrama Network News, writes for medium.com and has been interviewed for articles that appeared in local and national publications and websites, including NBC News, Thelist.com, Bustle, VICE, Long Island Business News, LI Pulse, Newsday, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, LA Times, Orlando Sentinel, Women’s Day, and the New York Daily News.

She is host/creator of (mostly) TRUE THINGS – an improv game wrapped in a storytelling show – which started in 2014 and has grown into a regular event on Long Island and been featured as special performances around the country, including a teen edition. As a storyteller, she is active in the national storytelling scene, featured on PBS Stories From The Stage, RISK! live show and podcast, Story District in Washington, DC, All-Star winner at Ex Fabula in Milwaukee, WI, Mistakes Were Made, The Armando Diaz Experience, Mortified, Generation Women, and many others.

Her solo musical storytelling show This Isn’t Helping was selected for the Speak Up! Rise Up! storytelling festival and performed at The Connelly Theater in August 2017, The Tank in NYC, The Performing Arts Studio in Port Jefferson, NY, The Charles B. Wang Center at Stony Brook University, the Whitefire Solo Theater Festival in Sherman Oaks, CA, The Examined Life Conference and other mental health-related events.

Nicholas Wolff

Nicholas LCSW, BCD, TEP, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Board Certified Diplomate, and Trainer, Educator and Practitioner of Psychodrama and Group Psychotherapy in full-time private practice, providing individual, group, family and marital therapy. He has conducted training in action methods and group psychotherapy for mental health, education, law enforcement, and business professionals for over 35 years, and currently trains addiction counselors, psychotherapists, mental health counselors and educators in experiential methods and group process at Lifestage, Inc. His professional training seminars have covered a full range of social issues, including small and large group process, social and gender roles in cultural context, family therapy, addiction, racism and trauma. He serves on the Suffolk County Trauma Response Team since 1990, and was the Senior Debriefer when the Response Team worked with survivors of the attack on the World Trade Center, and Senior Counselor in assisting the caregivers involved with survivors and rescue workers. He served as President of the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama from 2005-2007 after 10 years on the Executive Council.