Simple card games are a great therapeutic tool because they allow the client to focus on the game while still engaging in talk or another intervention. The game distracts from anxiety about the topic at hand and can lower inhibitions. Of course, Uno is probably the most popular therapeutic card game, but it’s important toContinue reading “Go Fish”
Tag Archives: kids
White Boards
Therapists who use Zoom might be familiar with the white board feature: when you select “share screen,” one of the options is to share a white board. If you’re using a Chrome book, you can use Whiteboard Fox to create a private whiteboard to use with your client. Google also has Jamboard, which lets youContinue reading “White Boards”
Animals in Therapy
Hands down, my favorite part of telehealth is meeting everyone’s pets. A close second is my clients meeting my pets. A while back, I shared a story about my cat, Vera, and how she was affected by trauma. I’ve shared this story with kids at my practice for years as an allegory to some ofContinue reading “Animals in Therapy”
Backgrounds
The intervention I want to talk about today isn’t a specific game, so I am writing in a different format than I usually do in this series. Details about the client interaction that I describe below have been changed for privacy, but the spirit of the story is in tact. Since March, I have gottenContinue reading “Backgrounds”
Press Pause on Impulsivity
Impulse control is one of the last abilities our brains develop, so children and teenagers really struggle with this. Sometimes this gets labeled as disobedience, but kids are literally not capable of controlling their impulses the way that adults are. This activity helps kids work on improving impulse control by visualizing a remote control andContinue reading “Press Pause on Impulsivity”
Dominoes
Before I started working from home, I had a huge box of dominoes in my office. I rarely used it for its original intent, as kids much prefer to build with the tiles or make a path that they can then knock over. But when I was looking for games that could be played overContinue reading “Dominoes”
Mancala
“Mancala” refers to a group of board games that originate in Eritria and Ethiopia, but most Americans think of one specific variation when we hear this term. In therapy, this game helps kids with strategy and executive functioning, and I was excited to learn that it was available online for use in telehealth sessions. ThisContinue reading “Mancala”
Scattegories
When I think of Scattegories, I think of my first job at a dry cleaner. On slow days, one of my co-workers would get it out of her car, and we would play to pass the time. This is a game that I actually didn’t use in my pre-COVID-19, in-person therapy practice, but it isContinue reading “Scattegories”
Pictionary
Although I am not certified as an Art Therapist, I have done continuing education in art therapy and lead a group for teenagers who want to explore how their creative side can help them cope with mental illness. There are a lot of great ways to use art in a session, and even over telehealth,Continue reading “Pictionary”
I Don’t Want To Be Bad: Kindle Edition
When I first looked into self-publishing I Don’t Want To Be Bad, it was important to me to go the paperback route because I pictured it as something people could hold in their hands, dog-ear, and mark up as they desired. I also wasn’t sure how to best format this type of book for anContinue reading “I Don’t Want To Be Bad: Kindle Edition”