1. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Humor as a Therapeutic Technique Joseph Farese LADC, TEAP Specialist Suzanne Martin PsyD, Regional MHS

2. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com “My belief is that we are going to eventually discover that the most dramatic health benefits of humor are … in the cognitive and emotional management that humorous experiences provide. - Steven M. Sultanoff, Ph.D.

3. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com How would you define therapeutic humor ?

4. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Saper, Bernard (1990). The therapeutic use of humor for psychiatric disturbances in adolescents and adults, Psychiatric Quarterly, 61(4): 261-272. Psychological Benefits of Humor  Stimulates alertness and memory  Enhances learning and creativity  Promotes relaxation  Promotes shift from negative to positive  Outlet for expressing feelings  Effective mode of communication

5. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Source: Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor, 2004. What we Know about Laughter  Increases pain tolerance – laughter releases endorphins in the brain that fight pain  Improves respiration and breathing  Improves mental function  Exercises facial, abdominal, and chest muscles  Relaxes muscles/decreases muscle tension

6. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Saper, Bernard (1990). The therapeutic use of humor for psychiatric disturbances in adolescents and adults. Psychiatric Quarterly, 61(4): 261-272. Other Health Benefits of Laughter  Lowers blood pressure  Decreases stress hormones  Protects the heart  Gives our muscles a workout  Improves brain function

7. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Therapeutic Humor What is it?

8. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Humor as a Therapeutic Intervention 1. Have humor in your repertoire 2. Be willing to risk using the humor 3. Have assessed the client's level of humor 4. Be prepared to respond to the student’s reaction to humor 5. Be capable of taking yourself lightly and your seriously 6. Use humor which is genuine and congruent with who you are as a person

9. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Goal of Humor in Therapy

10. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Assessment for Humor First Consider: 1. The target of humor (humor aimed at self, situations, and/or others) 2. The environmental conditions in which humor is presented (with whom, at what time, and in what setting) 3. The specific individual's receptivity to humor

11. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Assessing a Student’s Humor Potential 1. Observing their current uses of humor 2. Soliciting the role of humor in the student's life 3. Observing the student's ability to laugh at him/herself 4. Observing the student's response to the humor of others

12. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Types of Humor  Playful  Slapstick  Self-deprecating  Sarcastic  Gallows

13. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Playful Humor

14. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.comSlapstick Humor

15. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Self-Deprecating Humor Self-deprecating humor relies on the observation of something negative about the person delivering the commentary.

16. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Gallows Humor

17. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Sarcastic Humor

18. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Even Freud Recognized the Therapeutic Value of Jokes Once a person can separate from their problems, the problems become more manageable.

19. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com The Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH) is an international community of professionals who incorporate humor into their daily lives. AATH is the leader in providing evidence-based information about current research and practical applications of humor. www.aath.org

20. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Help Students Find Humor  Role model  Help them deal with stress  Dress less seriously  Keep a toy on your desk  Laugh at  Laugh at yourself

21. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Handle Humor with Care  Use humor at the expense of yourself or a group you are part of, rather than at the expense of someone else.  Don’t use humor when someone else is in so much pain that humor will not make them feel better.  Use humor that anyone can enjoy.

22. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com

23. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Is Humor an Employability Skill?

24. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com HUMOR THERAPY http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player _detailpage&v=IBl9HixeWf4

25. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com 96% of Executives Choose Employees With Sense of Humor Creative Good Communicators Team players Stress Relievers Source: The Creative Group, A Robert Half International Company, 2004

26. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com “A good sense of humor is one aspect of self actualization.” - Abraham Maslow

27. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Resilience and Humor Humor not only helps relieve distress and fights environmental toxins when they occur, it also regenerates our psychological "antibodies" so that the impact of the toxins is minimal. This regeneration helps sustain resilience.

28. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Prevent Burnout Laughter helps protect the therapist from burnout and compassion fatigue. Laughter helps protect the therapist from burnout and compassion fatigue.

29. © 2004 By Defaulthttp://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com Therapeutic Humor Web Sites  American Association of Therapeutic Humor (AATH) www.aath.org www.aath.org  Humor Matters www.humormatters.com www.humormatters.com  Jest for the Health of It. www.jesthealth.com www.jesthealth.com  Humor Research www.humorrearch.org www.humorrearch.org ( includes links to the International Society for Humor Studies and the International Journal of Humor Studies ) ( includes links to the International Society for Humor Studies and the International Journal of Humor Studies )

30. THANK YOU!