Invite a Therapist to Your Next Holiday Dinner
Norwalk, CT (PRWEB) November 11, 2013 -- Seven Windows Press has just released a brand new game for the holidays, and the title—Let’s Talk About Our Wild and Wacky Family—pretty much says it all. Invented by psychologist Lawrence E. Shapiro, this game is designed to bring lots of laughs, memories, good feelings, and even a little insight to your holiday dinner. This innovative game has the added benefit of creating positive feelings and memories towards the family. This game couldn’t be easier to play. Just pick a card, and answer questions like:
• If you won 10 million dollars, what gift would you give to each player.
• Who would be called the party animal in your family? Tell a funny story about that person at a party.
• Describe a time when you brought someone to meet your family, but things didn’t go as you planned.
Dr. Shapiro played a prototype of the game with his own family almost a decade ago. He recounts: “It was my mother’s birthday and I was with my brother, sister, daughter, and nephew, having dinner at a steak house in Washington D.C. I took out the stack of cards to show them what I was working on, and within 15 minutes we were laughing so hard the staff almost asked to leave. I knew then, that there was something special about this game. We’re still talking about that evening all these years later.”
Shapiro is no stranger to “good for you games.” He’s actually been inventing widely successful counseling games for over 25 years, with names like “The Don’t Be Difficult Game," “The Upside Down Divorce Game,” and “Dinosaur’s Journey to Wellness,” a game for chronically ill children developed for Phizer Pharmaceuticals to be used in pediatric wards. “Games are a step above self-help books,” Shapiro explains, “they create an experience for people where they can practice a particular behavior or interact with others in a controlled way.”
The Wild & Wacky Family Game has 101 fun and thought provoking cards. Players are encouraged to chime in with their own comments to a player’s answer or ask for an elaboration. The only other instruction is to keep comments positive, which of course is the point of the game—positive communication. If a player doesn't want to answer a question for any reason, they can spin the Wheel of Appreciation, where they will be asked to give another player a compliment, recall a fond memory with another player, and so on. “The Wheel of Appreciation is my favorite part of the game,” Shapiro notes. “It’s so simple to tell family members how much we value and care for them and we often forget to do it.” In fact, Shapiro decided to put the spinner on the outside of the container so that it would be easy for family members to randomly and continually have positive connections with each other. “Ideally, the Wheel of Appreciation would be used by families on a daily basis,” Shapiro comments. “Families forget how important it is to connect with each other in a positive way, just a few words of encouragement from loved ones on a daily basis takes so little, but means so much.”
Seven Windows Press is dedicated to “helping people through fun and games.” The company is introducing four other games this month, including games that address a variety of common problems of kids and teens, including games for children on the Autism spectrum and with anxiety disorders. Games can be ordered through the company’s website, http://www.SevenWindowsPress.com or on Amazon.com.
Tom Alpert, Talk To An Expert, Inc., http://www.TalkToAnExpertInc.com, 203-517-0543 Ext: 2, [email protected]
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