Relationships
This book offers 46 interactive activities to assist people in developing meaningful relationships. Each activity provides a safe environment for individuals to build communications skills, encourage cooperation, and rekindle companionship in their committed relationships.
Activities teach participants how to:
• Build lasting relationships
• Notice styles of communication, reframe criticism
• Practice sharing and responding
• Develop respectful curiosity
• Understand differences
The fresh, creative ideas in Working with Groups to Enhance Relationships will help psychologists, counselors, therapists, teachers, and educators apply the concepts of narrative therapy to their clients’ relationship problems. Empowered by these experiential, playful activities, men and women, working as individuals or partners, build on their life experiences to develop and maintain meaningful relationships. Individuals learn to make choices that match their intentions. Partners learn to fight problems instead of each other.
These 46 exercises were designed for therapists but are also helpful for other professionals. The book includes a practical introduction to the concepts of narrative therapy and the application of those concepts to group work.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Fundamentals
Theoretical framework
• Externalization
• Expertise
• Social contexts
• Intentionality and role problems
• Diagnostics
Narrative therapy and improvisation exercises
• Different stories
• Possibilities
• Restraints
• Audience
• Collaboration and co creation
• “Yes and” or thickening the alternative story
• Reflexivity
Narrative group therapy
• Why are groups helpful?
• How do groups work?
• Workshop facilitation tips
• The facility
• Designing a workshop
• You, as facilitator
Part I: An Improvisational Perspective
Communication
• “Anyone Else?”
• Post-it Puzzle
• Twins
• Word Flip
• Sound/Action Ping Pong
• Switch Story
• Create a Shape
• Bouncing Story
• Emotion Mirror
• Uncovering Invisible Rules
• Sharing Halves
• Blind Obstacle Course
Cooperation
• Actually
• Mystery Puzzles
• “Yes and . . . “
• Team Decisions
• Good News, Bad News
• Dance Mirroring
• Jail Escape
Part 2: A Narrative Perspective
Unmasking Problems
• Voices
• Problem Interview
• Problem-Ghost Congress
• Anger on Trial
• Wanted
• Teaming Up Against It
• Autobiography of a Talent
• Appreciation Bombardment
• Lifting Problem-Cloaks
• Stories and Effects
• Conflict Simulation
• Word Awareness
• Options Walk
Individuality and Connectedness
• Gender Quiz
• Merging Stories
• Contextual Distances
• Gender Dream
• Cultures and Meanings
• Discovering Each Other’s Values
• Hand Exercise
References and Inspirations
Also available: Reproducible Digital Worksheet Masters (PDF) (only available with purchase of book)
