Easy-to-prepare Fun Counseling Activities
Counseling can sometimes be challenging, especially if you do not achieve the desired results and outcomes of counseling. Sometimes counselors, teachers, and psychologists follow conventional methods that are no longer effective in helping the audience. The audience may be aware of some common counseling approaches; hence they are hardly corporate during the sessions. In the new era, you need something fun, and the audience should never see it coming.
People find it easier to resonate with fun activities; hence organizing something fun will get them into the mood to participate. In the process, you can counsel them without realizing what you are trying to achieve. You can organize many fun activities for the counseling activities to achieve the desired goals. Here are some of the best and easy to organize activities you should try.
Encouragement eggs
The encouragement eggs are a fun activity involving the audience searching around the perimeter for hidden eggs and then reading the messages on these eggs. Before you create one, you need to develop the theme of your counseling activity and write messages that promote the theme on the eggs. Once everyone has gotten an egg, ask them how they felt about the message they read on the egg. Ask how the message resonates with them, whether it is true, and what they can do to achieve what is written on the eggs.
This can also be one of the approaches for no prep school counseling class lesson for kids. Kids easily resonate with certain statements; they are honest and strive to achieve what is required. This can also be the best method to promote self-confidence, love, and teamwork amongst younger kids. It can also be an activity for company team-building sessions to encourage every team member.
Easter bunny special
Self-esteem is a greater challenge to both kids and adults. Most of the time, people think they do not matter; as a result, they become depressed and isolated. Lack of self-esteem can affect an employee’s performance, student, and even relationships, hence the need to implement various measures to help boost their esteem. The best way to help someone boost self-esteem is to remind them they matter and are a part of greatness regardless of how they feel.
This activity involves having cards printed in the shape of an Easter bunny carrying an egg. There should be some lines for the audience to fill. They will write something positive about themselves and how they think they matter in the class, team, or place of work. Then they will cover the message using another paper and put it back in a box. After the activity, you will give them the notes with their names written on them so that they can take them home and remind them to think about what they wrote and capitalize on them. Sometimes, it is called “I’m somebody’s special” since the audience will have to write about whom they matter to most and why.
Coping basket
When dealing with a group or individual suffering from grief, self-esteem, and lack of confidence, this is the best activity to engage them in. It is suitable for one on one therapy sessions or counseling services. You will write a group of positive affirmations and coping skills, put them in a basket, then allow an individual to pick one and read it. Before you use this technique, you need to understand the individual and what they are going through in life and then develop a list of coping strategies that can help them.
Allow the individual to participate in the process as much as possible. For instance, they should pick the note, read it, then relate it to their situation. This will encourage self-therapy whereby your role will be to guide the individual, and all they have to do is heal themselves by applying various techniques.
Passing around the ball
This is the best technique for dealing with dysfunctional teams, uncooperative classes, or helping a group of individuals. They should sit in a circle and pass the ball around while music plays. You can point anyone holding the ball to say what they feel at the moment, how they feel about the team, what problem they notice amongst the team members, and why they find it difficult to corporate. Then you proceed to the next until everyone has contributed.
Meanwhile, you should be taking notes of the problems. It is best for diagnostics to find out the exact problem. After they are done confessing, you can begin your counseling session to help them deal with the situation. You can also use the same technique. First, read complaints or issues raised by a team member, and pass the ball around. The individual holding the ball should answer how much they agree the complaint is a significant issue, how much they have contributed to it, and what they plan to correct it.
By encouraging the audience to identify their problem, how they contribute to the problem and how they should solve it, you will be promoting a sense of responsibility in the team, which is a crucial aspect of promoting team cohesion and collective action.
Conclusion
The type of activity you choose for the counseling session should resonate with the audience, the issue they are going through, or the expected outcomes. Ensure the activity engages the audience more and participates in the problem-solving process. There are more activities you can also try.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
